Modern Beach Shack Progress

Our modern beach shack project located here on the Santa Barbara Mesa has been progressing well. After a brief pause while we worked with the owner to include additional changes to the kitchen and the rest of the house the project is coming to a close.

Here is the street elevation as the stain was going on the cedar siding. You can see the thin windows wrapping around the upper floor bringing light in from all sides and the mitered glass corner window in the lower right providing views out into the garden.

street elevation

street elevation

Below is the current view of the rear of the addition. Here you can see the master suite on the upper floor with the deck providing views out to the ocean. On the ground level is the garage which can be used for a number of uses, we included big sliding glass doors on the back wall to help connect this space to the back yard

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Here is the view from the living room, the view doesn’t look like much right now but the landscape plan includes plans for a new fence and plenty of planting

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This is the new stair leading to the master suite upstairs. We designed this with a thin steel stringer and open treads to try and bring as much light thru the space as possible. To the left you can see the beginning of the installation of the pivoting glass front door.

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The master bath tub sits within what we call a wet area meaning that the shower is also within this space. The shower is not enclosed in glass which helps make the space feel larger. There is also the big bonus of being able to see the ocean from the shower.

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We are very excited to see this project coming to completion for the owners, hopefully soon they will be moving in and getting a feel for their new home!

Santa Barbara Beach House Progress

We’ve been visiting the construction site of our Santa Barbara Mesa Beach House design and wanted to share a few photos of the progress.

Below you can see the stages of construction that have happened over the course of a few months.

beach house foundation and existing house

beach house foundation and existing house

Above you can see the portion of the existing house that remains and the formwork for the foundations of the addition. The addition is happening mainly in the front yard so access hasn’t been a problem.

beach house foundation

beach house foundation

After the foundation and slab were poured and cured the framers start their work on the ground floor. Below you can see the corner window element and the how all the structure works together to achieve this.

beach house corner window

beach house corner window

beach house second floor framing

The next time we visited they had the second floor framing underway and the start of the roof framing. The project seems like it goes at warp speed during this phase and suddenly the form of the house is apparent.

beach house second floor view

beach house second floor view

We always knew that there would be a ocean view but you never really know until you get up there. In this case what a great surprise to find beautiful views looking out toward the channel islands from the master bedroom.

Street Elevation

Street Elevation

Here is the current view of the project from the street, quite a change for this little house. Check back in for more photos soon!

The Process, Modern Beach Shack Addition and Remodel

Doing the work to bring this home to life…

A view behind the scenes of the documentation process of our  Santa Barbara Mesa Modern Beach Shack project.  The project is an addition of a master bedroom and bath to the second floor, a new living room and entry and a dining room and kitchen remodel, This is where we carefully craft the details that make our projects unique and special. We filter thru the thousands of choices and options on behalf of the client to specify the materials, finishes and fixtures for the project. The doors, windows, sinks, faucets, lighting etc. are all determined, noted and detailed within the drawings. This allows the contractor to accurately price the work and gives the client confidence that the budget will stay as quoted and the project stays on schedule.

santa barbara beach house process

Santa Barbara Mesa Beach Shack Interiors

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

New Living Room View

 

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805.455.0574

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Modern Beach Shack Wins Final Design Board Approval!

View From Street

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!

805.455.0574

[email protected]

Modern Beach Shack – Color Views

We just wrapped up a bunch of work to get drawings submitted for design review for the Modern Beach Shack located on the Mesa in Santa Barbara. We have found that soft color perspectives communicate the feel and intent of the project to the design board so much better than the hardline computer generated drawings. This usually gets the board members on our side and in favor of the project! The City of Santa Barbara has three separate design review boards, this project will be in front of the Single Family Design Review Board. The City’s process can be cumbersome but with our experience we have come to understand how best to represent each project.

 

Garden View Street View

Modern Beach House | Project Progress Views

This Santa Barbara Mesa project seeks to bridge the gap between the old house with it’s pleasing feel of wood ceilings and exposed wood beams with an addition of modern yet warm architecture. We’ve made good progress on the design for this modern but warm addition and remodel project on the Mesa. We had a successful client meeting recently, thanks in part to the software we use. We used the 3d model in the presentation which allowed the client to understand what we have been up to, they say a picture is worth a thousand words so a 3d model must be worth ten times that. It really is the best way to work, not only for the benefit of the client, it also benefits us to virtually build the house. We can see so much more as we work and really use it as a design tool in an iterative process which produces the best design possible.