01. House History
Every house has a story.
Our story
Our story begins in 1959, with a modest house built by a woman named Edith. Now, nearly seven decades, multiple additions, and seven owners later, we have a lot to untangle. The current floor plan is like a maze, the style is eclectic, and the site layout is haphazard. Yet, this place has a lot of potential. It is unlike any house I have ever seen. Part Brady Bunch, part California party house, we are on a mission to tame this wild beast into a light-filled and functional family home.
The original single-story house, built in 1959, was about 2,500 square feet. The 2 bedroom & 1 1/2 bath house had a relatively straight forward and simple layout.
About 20 years later, the second owner made a remodel and addition.
The addition doubled the size of the house to about 5,000 square feet.
The entry to the house was relocated, and the old entry became a covered porch.
The old garage was turned into an expansion of the living space.
At the south end of the house, the addition is split between two levels.
The lower level has a bathroom, bedroom and the relocated 2-car garage. The ceiling are low, only 7 feet.
The upper level has a second new bedroom and bath. The ceiling follows the shape of the roof — cathedral ceilings — that are 4 feet at the wall and about 12 feet in the middle.
After another 10 years, the next owner, a builder, made another small addition and re-envisioned the former addition.
At the lower level, the bedroom was converted into a walk-in office with new entry door opening to the parking area.
At the upper level, a dormer was added improving ceiling height issues and attic space was converted into two more rooms (one a bedroom and the other either office or storage).
At the north end of the house, an addition included a new, large bathroom
The house now had four* bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms; *see our post about bedrooms to understand why this calculation is not so simple.
Timeline
The existing house seems to have had its heyday in the 1970’s to the 1980’s, about 40 years ago. What has happened since? The history is a bit murky. Here is our best understanding of the ownership of the house.
1959 to circa 1970: Edith, original builder and homeowner
circa 1970 - 1982: Family B, brother to family of adjacent property, added major addition, tennis court and pool
1982 - 1990: Family G, local builder, added dormer, converted attic space, bathroom addition and guest house
1990 - 1993: Family N, history unknown
1993 - 2002: Family K, history unknown
2002 - 2002: BANK, foreclosure
2002 - 2013: Family W, pilot and family with six kids, added hot tub, remodeled kitchen and bathrooms
2013 - 2022: Family D, multi-generational family, hoarders
2022 - present: This is us!
The floor plan has not changed much since 1980’s. Over the last ten years, the house has suffered from lack of maintenance and a lot of trash and debris accumulation both inside and out.
This existing house plan is dizzying. Our next step is to think about what a family of six with four young kids and two home offices needs, and then figure out the fewest number of edits needed to transform this plan into something that works.