Santa Barbara Mesa Beach Shack Interiors

October 27, 2014Blogaddition, beach shack, remodel, Santa BarbaraKevin Moore

We are moving along with the design of our Mesa Beach Shack here in Santa Barbara and wanted to share some progress. These images show are how we work thru the interior design process. We use the computer model as a tool for exploration and communication with the client. In a single meeting the client was able to understand the possibilities and materiality we had in our minds, how we had opened up the space the south to flood the addition with light. We made a few small moves to provide some built-in storage and modulation of the walls. We are thinking of using flooring and tile from a company called Porcelanosa which we really like. They produce beautiful ceramic and stone finishes with incredible patterns and colors that fit our modern aesthetic. You can see some images from the Porcelanosa website below. The client was very excited to see the progress and understands how the spaces could look. In our minds this is what Architecture is and what Architects do. The design of a building does not stop at the exterior, the interiors must be just as carefully considered. Stay tuned for more updates in the future.

New Living Room View

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New project! Santa Barbara Style addition and remodel

October 10, 2014Blogaddition, remodel, Santa BarbaraKevin Moore

Garden View

We have a new project in the early design phase. Located in the San Roque neighborhood of Santa Barbara this project consists of an addition and remodel to an original house providing a master suite and new kitchen and dining room. We have created a outdoor space that connects directly to the dining area promoting easy indoor and outdoor living. The addition frames an outdoor living space with fireplace and built-in seating, learn more about these outdoor design principles here. We dipped into our knowledge base to produce a design that gave the client everything they needed but done smartly to avoid unwanted costs as outlined in our previous post here.

Floor Plan

Rinconada Street View

Funk Zone Lofts Featured in Ralph Lauren Ad!

September 9, 2014UncategorizedKevin Moore

Our Santa Barbara Funk Zone Lofts project was the featured background in the latest Ralph Lauren ad! The video also features local artist works by David Diamant and shows some of the incredible variety of architecture and built textures that make the Funk Zone an exciting place to be.

Very exciting to see our Santa Barbara artists getting some much deserved exposure

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Outdoor Design Principles of a Santa Barbara Architect

August 26, 2014Blogremodel, Santa Barbara, TipsKevin Moore

We are fortunate to live in Santa Barbara, its weather allows for nearly year round outdoor living. As Architects we like to take advantage of this and design homes with a great connection with the outdoor either with big areas of glass or with walls that can be folded or slid away. We prefer multi-sliders that slide away into a wall pocket, opening the interior and connecting you to an outdoor room used for dining, lounging or entertaining.

fleetwood multislider image by fleetwood

This looks best when the tracks are recessed into the ceiling and floor creating a seamless material transition between interior and exterior. See how the stone flooring in the image flows from inside to outside? This leads the eye outside and “borrows” space, making the interior feel more expansive and connected with the outside world. Outside you might set your dining arrangement to create an easy flow for your family or guests to enjoy your outdoor space but within easy reach of the kitchen. Companies like Nana Wall and Fleetwood are provide high quality solutions for this type of construction.

Now that you have a good indoor outdoor flow its important to provide some scale for your outdoor space. We like to consider these spaces to be “rooms” for living, lounging or dining and we design with specific uses and furniture arrangements in mind. If the area is too big your furnishings will appear to be lost in space, too little area and the space will feel like an afterthought. When you get it just right people are drawn to these spaces by their intimate quality. It’s important to define the edges of outdoor rooms with planted areas, changes in materials or with the design of the home.

Santa Barbara Architecture Sierra Madre Interior View

Sierra Madre Interior Rendering

Our Sierra Madre project is all about connecting the interior with the exterior. The project uses continuous flooring and ceiling materials, multi-sliders, the addition of a new deck area with shade structures and fire element to provide a great place to relax or entertain guests while looking out at the amazing view of the Santa Barbara Channel Islands.

View from back yard

Give us a call and let us show you what we can do for you and your home!

Current Distraction | Simple Shelter

August 15, 2014BlogCurrent DistractionKevin Moore

My current distraction is the idea of creating a simple shelter to be placed gently on the land somewhere in the woods or mountains. The best case scenario would also include a creek or river nearby and area to explore and wander… Maybe some where near Bishop or Lone Pine so a day trip for some boarding and skiing at Mammoth Mountain is possible. Solar panels, propane, wood stove heating and maybe a composting toilet would provide the necessary comforts. Co-ownership would be encouraged and the structure would be just large enough to house 2 families(snugly) for a long weekend. Possibly rented out when not in use. It would be a good opportunity to put some modern and contemporary design ideas into practice without the high costs associated with building architecture in the Santa Barbara area.

Who’s in?

Click the images for links to original posts

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Modern Beach Shack Wins Final Design Board Approval!

August 12, 2014Blogaddition, beach shack, remodel, Santa BarbaraKevin Moore

View From Street

Our Santa Barbara Mesa Beach House received final approval from the City of Santa Barbara Single Family Design Review Board based on the quality of design, details and materials. The Board is made up of 7 qualified members living in Santa Barbara; Architects, Landscape Architects and members of the public. It is a distinguished group with a difficult job.

It wasn’t without some controversy however as a vocal member of the neighborhood presented her negative feelings about the second story of the proposed project. We absolutely understand her concerns for privacy and maintaining views, we are big proponents of these issues ourselves however there must be a balance with property rights. These properties are zoned for 2 story houses up to 25 feet tall! This project is only 17 feet tall! We did reach out to her and all the adjacent neighbors early in the design process however she declined to be involved.

A 2nd floor addition can be a touchy issue but most issues can be hammered out by involving the neighbors early in the process. We like to meet with those who will be most affected, present the design and try to address privacy and view issues. I doubt anyone wants to look thru their neighbors windows and see what they are having for breakfast… it just makes for better neighbors and better neighborhoods if we can work together before going in front of a design board. Several members of the Santa Barbara Single Family Design Review Board applauded our process of working with the neighbors and the client’s willingness to change the project to ease the impact to the neighborhood as well as improve the property in a modest but attractive way. It makes it easier for the Board to approve a project if they see that the neighborhood has been involved and issues have been addressed.

Next stop is the Building Department!

Like what we do? Let us show you what we can do for you, get in touch!

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Our Favorite Modern Architecture / Design Blogs and Design Sites

August 9, 2014BlogTipsKevin Moore

Here’s a quick list of design blogs and sites that we like. We often draw inspiration for modern and contemporary design from these sources and wanted to share. You might notice that it’s not all architecture, we like design and appreciate all forms of design; fashion, furniture, lifestyle…

We encourage you to check these sites out, you might catch a bit of inspiration for your own project and lifestyle;

http://www.remodelista.com/

http://www.materialicious.com/

http://www.acontinuouslean.com/

http://www.thegeneralist.com/

http://www.homedsgn.com/

http://www.archdaily.com/

http://www.thecoolhunter.net/

http://theselby.com/

http://www.kinfolk.com/

http://www.dwell.com/

http://coffeeinthemountains.tumblr.com/

Building a Master Suite Addition in Santa Barbara

July 22, 2014Blogaddition, remodel, TipsKevin Moore

Building a Master Bedroom and Bathroom Addition or Suite in Santa Barbara

Economical Home Additions in Santa Barbara

This is the plight of the young Santa Barbara couple with a growing family. They have good jobs, plenty of friends and love living in Santa Barbara. They bought a house and it was a stretch at the time but they feel good to have a piece of Santa Barbara to call their own. Everything is great until one day… the house is starting to feel small. It might be another kid on the way or the home office is taking up too much room but it’s time to start looking for more room. They might start looking for a new house that can fit their needs but as most find out jumping up in size carries a hefty price tag. Some people find that this isn’t an option or that they really like the location where they have been living. So what is a young family to do?

A common approach is to add onto the house in some way. Most often this is a master bedroom and bathroom. We have done a few of these in the past , building in Santa Barbara is not cheap and you may not need an Architect but we wanted to share our strategies for providing the best design on a young family’s budget.

The Bridge

The most expensive part of an addition is demolishing and rebuilding part of the house that was just fine. This is work that results in zero gain for you and you’ve spent part of your tight budget on something that provides little face value. Only touch the existing house where you need to, create a “bridge” to separate the new from the existing. This strategy was developed to allow you to spend more of your money on new construction. The plan below shows how we proposed to add onto this typical Mesa home in Santa Barbara. The addition only touches the existing house where needed while providing a comfortable master bedroom and bath. Aside from a coat of paint we left the rest of the house alone, the client plans on tackling the rest of the house as a remodel some time in the future. As a bonus we were able to create a protected deck area transforming the small house by adding a large outdoor entertainment space all while maintaining a large backyard space for the kids to play in.

Reduce circulation space

Find a way to remove hallways, vestibules and other extraneous space from the floor plan. Try to combine functions to efficiently build your spaces, circulate through rooms not hallways. You shouldn’t pay for what you don’t need.

Consider a flat or single pitch roof

Whether the existing house architecture is traditional, ranch, modern or contemporary design consider a flat or single sloped roof. A single low sloped shed roof or flat roof is easier to engineer and build. It also allows you to take advantage of new PVC roofing materials that are incredibly long lasting, quick to install and when used in reflective colors can dramatically reduce the heat gain thru the roof.

We have put this to use in the Vaquero Residence addition and remodel and The Modern Beach Shack the design resulted in higher ceilings, used less lumber, required less labor and will be completed faster than a typical sloped roof.

View From Street

Consider skipping the tub

Fewer master baths have showers and tubs in them these days, how often do you find yourself taking a soak in a tub? We suggest skipping the tub and having a larger shower instead this allows the bathroom be more compact. This move saves money in many ways; the cost of the tub, fixtures, tile work, water lines and drain line. When done right a shower can be a great design element and be incredibly functional at the same time. This image below is from our Hope Ranch Residence

Consider reducing or not using recessed lighting in the bedroom

Overhead lighting in the bedroom isn’t necessary for most people. We have found that well placed floor lamps and bedside lamps can provide what light is needed. Half hot outlets can be placed strategically to allow lighting to be switched from the wall and at the bedside. Every recessed can removed from the design saves money in material and in electrician labor which you can then spend where you want to.

These are just a few of our budget saving tips, give us a call and let us put them to work for you.

805.455.0574

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A Checklist for Buying Property in Santa Barbara

July 15, 2014BlogSanta Barbara, TipsKevin Moore

We get a lot of calls from people who are looking at a piece of property for sale in the Santa Barbara area and are wondering if they could add on, develop or change the home to suit their needs. There are many possible issues that can affect the final decision of whether to buy or not. Aside from trusting your gut instinct It’s helpful to think like an Architect when looking at property. What follows is a short checklist of items we normally advise a buyer to consider and research:

Title Report:

This should describe the property boundaries, any easements, CC&R’s and any liens placed on the property. Easements can be controlled by utility companies or neighboring property owners, it’s important to know where these are to avoid problems in the future.

Septic System or public sewer service?

If the property is on a septic system it may limit the size of an addition. The system is typically sized to service the number of existing plumbing fixtures and any additional fixtures added will require upsizing the septic system. Occasionally finding the location of the septic system is a problem, we’ve had a few projects where there was a vague notion of where it was, they are not well documented. Often all that is available is a crude “treasure map” style sketch showing X marks the spot 50 feet from that tree and 20 feet from this rock.

Electrical service:

Is the electrical panel old or undersized?

Older homes may have a 100 amp panel and may still have old wiring. Modern homes demand much more power to support all the TV’s, lighting etc. and a 200 amp panel is almost mandatory.

Are the utility lines serving the property overhead? Depending on the overall cost of the project the City of Santa Barbara may require these lines to be placed underground at your cost.

Height Limits:

Most areas allow two stories however some property is located in areas with height limits due the zoning or the topography. CC&R’s can also place limits on number of stories. It is important to know that zoning does not guarantee that property may be developed to the maximum, neighborhood compatibility can trump zoning.

Floor Area Ratio (FAR):

The City of Santa Barbara places a limit on the interior area that can be built on a property based on the size of the lot. The County also places FAR limits on some areas like Montecito. It is possible to gain approval to build beyond these limits but the process can be lengthy.

Open Yard Requirement:

The City of Santa Barbara requires residences to have a significant open yard area (1,250 s.f. in some cases) with minimum dimensions and must be within the rear yard. This can impact the buildable area even on a large lot.

Topography and natural features:

Does the property have steep slopes? Construction is generally limited on steep hillsides. Large trees may require permits to be removed and streams have additional setbacks. All of which can further limit the buildable area.

How we can help

We know that in todays real estate market sometimes there isn’t much time to contemplate all of these factors. So give us a call and we can talk about the possibilities for your site or walk the site with you. We are happy to help assess the development potential of a property and provide a quick zoning summary.

Like what we do? Let us show you what we can do for you, get in touch!

805.455.0574

[email protected]

Santa Barbara Vaquero Residence Addition and Remodel Gets Final Design Board Approval!

July 11, 2014Blogaddition, remodel, Santa BarbaraKevin Moore

Our Vaquero Residence project was in front of the Santa Barbara County Board of Architectural Review today and received final approval based on the quality of the design and materials.

Next stop is the building department!

While our friends at the building department are looking over the drawings we will be working hard to round out the interior design and all the other detail required to communicate the design to the builder.

Interested in learning more about the process of architecture and what we do? click here to read our thoughts.