It is Right here! The Zuma Seaside Home Flooring Plans and New Structure

Our household is spending the final couple weeks of summer season at Zuma Beach House, and we’re sincerely hoping that it’s one of many final instances we’ll be capable of sleep right here earlier than building begins. As a result of that would suggest that building is beginning someday within the close to future. However although nails aren’t being hammered but, issues are undoubtedly taking place behind-the-scenes on this mission. Permits are filed, and we’ve been assembly with our builders to hammer out inside elevations as we make choices just like the kitchen cabinet and drawer configurations, or the location of the bathtub fillers and sink taps in every toilet. Our objective is to get forward, so that when we’ve received these permitted plans in hand, we will hit the bottom operating on building.

To this point, I’ve shared the backstory and our overall inspiration for this mission. We’re making a serene, minimalist seaside bungalow, whereas maintaining the Nineteen Fifties ranch parts that give the home its character. Now, I’m excited to begin diving into the nitty-gritty particulars of the design and renovation itself, and there’s no higher place to begin than by strolling you thru the brand new seaside home flooring plan. Able to see how we’re laying all of it out, and precisely what the added sq. footage will embody? Come on in…

doug burdge malibu architect_zuma beach house plans

Let’s revisit the existing house floor plan…

Here’s the breakdown of the current house…

Square footage:

1421 square feet in the main house

Room Layout:

The current 2 bedroom / 2 bathroom house has an undeniably awkward floor plan. It’s the only time I’ve ever seen people get lost in a house this small, because the floor plan makes absolutely no sense. The kids’ room connects directly into the living room (divided by a curtain, no less), and the “primary” bathroom is separated from the primary bedroom by a small den that was added on to the house at some point.

Issues with the current house

No clear front entrance. While technically there is a front door, it’s been used by exactly zero people since we bought the house. When you pull into the driveway, the path leads you down a sidewalk straight to the back door. So, no one is quite sure whether to circle around to the front of the house, or enter straight into the door of our laundry room.

Lack of space. Aside from the awkward floor plan, we’re also lacking space in general. It’s a cozy fit for our family of four, so when family or friends come to stay with us, we’re bursting at the seams. There’s also nowhere for me and Adam to work (which is a problem when you both work from home), so one of us usually ends up taking zoom calls from the bedroom while the other sits at the kitchen table with air pods in, praying that the kids won’t get into a fight while you’re on an important call.

Closed-off rooms. If you’ve seen our Austin house, you already know that Adam and I are massive on an open flooring plan structure. We gravitate in direction of an open, ethereal vibe, so a home made up of small rooms which are separated off from one another makes us really feel claustrophobic. We are able to’t wait to open this house up.

Low ceilings. In my view, low ceilings are one of the regarding issues a few home as a result of they are often actually troublesome to alter—and infrequently, can result in a home feeling darkish and crowded. So, once we first thought of the acquisition of this home, ensuring that we’d be capable of elevate up the ceilings was a prerequisite. Extra on that later.

Tucked-Away Kitchen. For me, the kitchen is the center and heart of a house, so having a small kitchen awkwardly tucked into the nook of the home (with dated granite and cabinetry no much less) was going to be the very first thing to go in any renovation.

GOALS for the new house

Clear front entrance.

As mentioned above, the current house lacks a clear entrance and leaves guests confused about where they should go. In the remodeled layout, we want anyone who arrives at the house to know exactly where to park, with a clear plan for how to enter the house. Did you know there’s an actual name for this topic? It’s wayfinding, and includes principles like creating “well-structured paths” and avoiding “too many navigational choices.” Not sure why I’m obsessed with this topic, but I find it endlessly fascinating.

Open floor plan.

For the areas where we live, eat, and play together as a family, I prefer a wide-open space that feels expansive and preferably, opens up to the outdoors as effectively. When you maintain studying, you’ll learn the way we’re reaching that with a 1000 sq. foot addition that’s principally one massive kitchen.

Vaulted ceilings.

After we thought of buying this home, I knew that for the funding, we’d want to have the ability to elevate the ceilings. Fortunately it wasn’t too difficult right here, particularly since we’re maintaining it one-story. We’ll be vaulting the ceilings, which implies that we’re extending into the triangular house between the place a ceiling would usually sit and the highest of the roof. This won’t solely assist the rooms really feel bigger than they really are—it’ll additionally let extra pure mild into every house.

Room for company.

Whereas we needed to maintain this a reasonably modest-sized home, we additionally knew that this was a spot we anticipated internet hosting household and buddies for years to return. By including a visitor suite and a bunk room, we’d make room for an extra 4 – 5 folks to stick with our household in the principle home.

Huge kitchen for entertaining.

For the reason that kitchen is my completely happy place, I naturally need to have the ability to spend time in it surrounded by household and buddies. I want a kitchen massive sufficient to accommodate cooking initiatives, recipe photograph shoots, and plenty of folks, since most dinner parties find yourself with everybody gathered across the island. I knew that, primarily based on the present tucked-away nook kitchen, this is able to require a whole reimagining of the house.

A lot of pure mild.

The present home already has nice mild, however we knew that by elevating the ceilings and including extra home windows and doorways to the again of the home, we might create an much more light-filled house.

Flooring plan model 1

Our architect, Doug Burdge, just about nailed the brand new structure on his first go. We had thought that the addition would in all probability be comprised of a main bed room suite, nonetheless Doug completely reimagined the footprint of the present home to incorporate all of the bedrooms/loos, whereas including a 1000 sq. foot nice room that will turn out to be the house’s point of interest. He really understood our want to make this home about entertaining and internet hosting, and created an open flooring plan that was actually all about gatherings.

For this primary go, Doug experimented with an fascinating imaginative and prescient for a contemporary “hacienda-style” entrance, the place as soon as folks entered the principle gate from the driveway, they may roam round to the entrance of the home and enter by way of the massive glass sliding doorways. Nonetheless, for us this plan was lacking a couple of issues… particularly, a transparent entrance door. We favored the idea, however felt prefer it in the end wouldn’t be conducive to on a regular basis life.