Good Bones. This is what we say when referring to an existing structure that just has something special. Despite its age, the deteriorating effects the salt air can have on older buildings, small spaces reminiscent of the era it was originally built, and low ceilings, the original ranch style home had good bones. Nevertheless, it was ready for a bit of a face-lift - inside and out.

Despite living in the home for eight years, the owners were ready for change. They loved their house and knew they wanted to stay in it. The scope of the remodel for the 3500 sf one-story home located in the hills of Brentwood, CA and overlooking the santa monica coastline, consisted of a modernization and expansion of the kitchen and breakfast nook, updating of the bathrooms, adding a walk-in closet in the Master Bedroom, replacing the existing aluminum sliding glass doors and windows, and providing new stucco and a new color scheme for the exterior.

The back of the home is oriented to the west, and the view is magnificent. This is Good Bones. The home was originally built with large sliding glass doors, taking advantage of the view and the ocean breezes coming off the coast. This is Good Bones. However, it would be our goal to make the openings bigger and to make the view apparent from just about every space in the house. We installed a 16' multi-sliding three panel slider in the living room where a 12' two-panel slider once existed and replaced a window in the breakfast nook with a 12' sliding glass door that would open onto a new wood deck.

Our other main focus was to open up the new kitchen to the family room by removing a load-bearing wall which kept the spaces enclosed and separated. What proved to be more tricky than the structural re-engineering was convincing the clients this was the right choice for the space. After a long break from the project, the clients returned with the resolution to remove the wall. This gave the galley-style kitchen, which was too narrow for an island, a place for raised countertop seating.

The kitchen was expanded by pushing its exterior wall toward the street by 6 feet. Without any kind of space for a traditional pantry, the kitchen was conceptualized with floor-to-ceiling cabinets to accommodate the much needed storage space. Stainless steel, thermadore appliances contrast with two oil-rubbed bronze pendant light fixtures, the only things salvaged from the original kitchen.

New, distressed wood floors and cultured stone adorning the two sided fireplace were added to add a level of warmth and texture to the otherwise straight and simple geometry of the modern-styled furniture and cabinets. The bathrooms were upgraded with bold fixtures, floating cabinets, light sconces, and radiant heating beneath the surface of the new stone tile floors.