This 1909 home with a 60’s DIY renovation was inching away from livable. The lower had been converted to living space illegally, and the original details of the home had been damaged and forgotten. The house was raised about two and a half feet to create a legal (and comfortable) head height, and a flexible guest suite/AirbNb space was created. Our homeowner tackled this project head-on and was hyper-focused on every detail. She even chose a slightly smaller refrigerator to match the scale of the home.

The post Oakland Addition and Renovation appeared first on Drafting Cafe Architects.

After working hard on the peninsula for many years, our homeowners wanted to play in Santa Cruz in their retirement. They lucked out when they found a property just blocks from the cliffs in Santa Cruz. It had been severely neglected over the years, so they knew it would be a complete renovation. They requested a second story addition to capture a view of the ocean, and clean, open living space connected to the outdoors. Today, they can be found drinking coffee on one of their patios or just returning from a walk to the lighthouse.

The post Santa Cruz Renovation appeared first on Drafting Cafe Architects.

While the existing kitchen and dining room in this Berkeley home had plenty of space, the partition between the two rooms made the dining area much too large - while stifling the kitchen. Removing the partition allowed the kitchen to take over space it desparately needed. We're proud that our client broke the mold and did not require the sink.Our homeowner had already done a wonderful job renovating the exterior of her Alameda craftsman home. Next on her list was to capture the basement space and remodel her kitchen. Because her foundation needed to be replaced and Alameda’s planning process made lifting her home a difficult proposition, we opted to excavate about two feet to achieve a comfortable ceiling height.

The post Alameda Addition and Kitchen Remodel appeared first on Drafting Cafe Architects.