Residential Architects Offer Design Tips to Help You Plan New Space

Consider design tips and advice as you start to formulate plans for new space.

What are a few of the most important design elements in any addition?

Context is perhaps the most essential key to success. Good design includes being a good neighbor. A residential addition needs to be inspired by the style and character of the neighborhood.

Based in Southern California, we find the balance of indoor and outdoor uses of a client’s home at times takes precedence and is often the focus of the design. Also, every design maximizes the use of natural light wherever possible. Large windows, clerestory, and skylights are all elements used to maximize light.

The project type often dictates how we design in addition. An addition housing a kitchen, for example, might be designed largely from the inside out. The amount of necessary wall space, as well as the particular dimensions of the room, significantly impact the resulting exterior configuration. An addition housing a family room offers greater interior flexibility and may, therefore, be designed around the exterior.

When designing an addition, how many cues do you take from the original house?

I work to complement the details of the home, including the style of windows, the fireplaces and mantel, wood moldings, ornamental ironwork, and light fixtures. We also carefully note the scale and proportions of the home. We believe a trained eye should not be able to tell where the old home ends and the new work begin.

The majority of our projects involve older or historical homes, so we often look to the existing home for ideas and architectural features to emulate. In one home, we salvaged a wonderful rustic wooden beam and reused it to articulate the transition from the existing family room into the new addition.

When expanding a home, the architectural styling should generally match and/or complement the existing home, yet an addition offers an opportunity to create spaces unique to those currently in place. This allows us to think beyond the production of the types of spaces appropriate when the original home was constructed and lets us produce spaces more appropriate for today’s lifestyle.

It is a relatively simple and straightforward task to design an addition that respects the style, scale, and detail of the original house. The deeper and more meaningful challenge for a designer and the homeowner lies in merging the personality of the home owners with the intrinsic of the house so both are enriched.

How much do you consider a client’s budget when coming up with a design?

Budget always plays a role of great importance in the design process. Many fundamental decisions are based upon the anticipated cost and a client’s monetary expectations. Our goal in designing an addition is to create a project that offers the greatest return on the client’s budget dollar. In some cases, we help client’s realize early in the design process that their program is too ambitious, and we encourage them to rethink some of their priorities.

A client’s budget is very important. Every budget stops somewhere, and no one gets gratification from designing architecture that exists only on paper.

We carefully listen to our client’s goals. In imagining the addition to a home, we not only search for the best design response but also the best work. We can do within our client’s budget. What is best for our client’s defines our work.

Are there signature architectural elements that you always include in your designs?

I try to find a motif for a home, a clever design idea we can subtly repeat to unify the home’s character. It might be a molding detail or the use of an arch. It might be the character of the light fixtures or a special color.

Occasionally someone looks at our body of work and notes the repetition of certain elements, such as arches, columns, arbors, verandas, and bays. These elements are not signatures per se, but they are some of the many fundamental components that bring the romance to residential architecture.

Any advice on how homeowners can get more for their money?

Finishes and fixtures tend to get overlooked by client. It’s amazing how much the project budget and completion date are affected by the plumbing fixtures, appliances, cabinetry, and other finishes. Making fixture and finish decisions is advance gives the client a firmer guide to the over all budget and allows the contractor to know an advance what items have long lead times and need to be ordered early.

I always encourage a judicious use of extravagant materials within a modest home if existing spaces are not going to be upgrades. Too often clients get so caught up in the production of the perfect addition that they lose track of its relationship to the existing home.

Do you have any overall words of wisdom for homeowners thinking of building an addition?

The most important word in entire design and construction process is the word “trust”. Clients who trust their team to take good care of them, get just that great care. Equally important, a client should trust his or her instinct. If you are uncertain about a design idea or the section of a finish material, take time to consider options. Make sure you will happy with the outcome. This is your home to enjoy for many years to come.

Remodeling and adding to a home is quite often a once in a lifetime opportunity, and the process should not be rushed. Often clients love their home and just wish it would function better for their family. Taking time at the design stage to consider the functional impacts of each design decision pays off in the long run.

Get deeply, personally, and physically engaged with the design and building process. Don’t rush. There is too much to be personally gained or lost.

I always encourage an open mind to entertain some different ideas. Given the expense of expanding and remodeling a home. Most of us can’t afford not to consider a variety of choices before committing to a particular idea.