It’s Here! The Zuma Beach House Floor Plans and New Layout

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 to 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 to the house at some point.

There are issues with the house that need to be addressed.

There is no clear front door. While technically there is an entrance to the front, it has been used by a minuscule number of persons since we bought the home. As you enter the driveway, it will lead you down a walkway that leads straight towards the door to our back. Therefore, nobody is sure when to turn around towards the rear of our house or go directly into the laundry area.

Space is a problem. Aside from the odd layout, we’re not having enough space overall. It’s a comfortable fit for our four-person family which means that when guests or family visit us, we’re at the points. There’s no place to go for me and Adam to do their work (which is an issue when both of you work at home) So we usually end up having to take calls using zoom phones from the bedroom, while one of us sits at the table in the kitchen with the air pods on and wishing that the kids don’t engage in a fight when you’re on a crucial phone call.

Rooms that are closed off. If you’ve seen our Austin home, you’ll know the fact that Adam me and Adam are both massive with an open floor layout. We prefer the feeling of an open, ethereal style, and a house consisting of smaller rooms that are separated from one another can make us feel cramped. It is possible to be patiently waiting to open this space to the outside world.

Low ceilings. My opinion is that low ceilings are considered to be one of the most important issues to be addressed in several homes as because they are frequently difficult to alter and often, they can leave the home appearing dark and packed. Therefore, when we began thinking about buying this house it was important to ensure that we’d be capable of boosting the ceiling was an essential requirement. We’ll talk more about that later.

Tucked-Away Kitchen. The kitchen for me is the central point of the home, and the idea of a tiny kitchen placed in the corner of the house (with old cabinets and granite not even close) was likely to be the first thing to be removed from any remodeling.

The new house has goals for

The front entrance is clear.

As previously mentioned the current home lacks an easy entry point and leaves guests in confusion about which direction to take. With the new layout, it is our intention for those who visit the property to know exactly the best place to park and have an outline of how to enter the property. Do you realize there’s actually a term for this subject? The term is wayfinding and covers concepts such as the creation of “well-structured paths” and avoiding “too many navigational choices.” I’m not sure the reason I’m so enthralled by this subject however I find it interesting.

Open floor plan.

For areas in which we eat, live, and play as a family, I like an open space that feels spacious and, ideally, is open to the outside too. If you’re reading, you’ll find out how we’re getting there by adding 1000 squares. foot addition that is mostly one large kitchen.

Vaulted ceilings.

When we first considered buying the house, I realized that in order to finance the home we’d need the option of raising the ceilings. Fortunately, it was not too complex, particularly because we’re only protecting it with one story. The ceilings will be vaulted and that means we’re going to extend into the triangular region between where a ceiling typically sits and the top ceiling. This will not only make the rooms feel larger than they actually are. It will also allow more light to enter each space.

Room for friends.

While we wanted to keep this modestly-sized house We also knew that this would be a location where we would be hosting internet-based families and friends for a long time to come back. By adding a guest bedroom and bunk room, we could make space for another four to five people who would remain with our family in the main house.

A large kitchen is ideal for parties.

Because the kitchen is where I am most happy and I love it, I must be able to be in the company of family and friends. I’d like to have an area that is large enough to be able to handle cooking chores and photo shoots of recipes and a lot of people since the majority of dinner parties have all of the guests gathered around the kitchen island. I was aware that this is in the context of the present small kitchen that is hidden away it would necessitate a total rethinking of the space.

Lots of pure mild.

The current home has a nice light, however, we realized that by raising the ceilings, and adding windows and doors at the rear of the house creating an area with more light.

Flooring plan model 1

Doug Burdge, our architect Doug Burdge almost completed the new building in his first attempt at a cross. We were thinking that the new addition could be a huge bedroom suite, but Doug completely transformed the footprint of the current home to encompass all rooms and bathrooms, as well as an area of 1000 square. feet of a room that could be the main focus of the house. He was aware of our desire to create a home that is centered around hosting parties and entertaining and designed an open floor design that was actually about gatherings.

The primary cross Doug tried out an eye-catching visionary and imaginative idea to create a contemporary “hacienda-style” entrance, the which, when people have entered the main gate from the drive, they could walk around the front of the house, and be able to enter through the massive sliding doors made of glass. However, for us, this design was missing a few things… especially an entrance door that was clear. We liked the concept but felt that to not be able to adapt to daily life.

Flooring plan model 2:

The second-floor plan of our house features a brand front door that’s new, and (surprise!) it’s actually located on what’s currently the rear portion of our house. We basically turned the entrance to ensure that, when you enter the driveway’s pathway it leads to a tree-lined long path, and then enter the brand new Great Room.

Another concern we had in the initial plan was that the Primary Bathroom was tiny. In version 2, we enlarged it to make it a Primary Bath by stealing the closet from Room 2. Room 2 (sorry guests!) We’ll also add a built-in into this room, which will serve as a closet. It would be cool to have a closet in there, however, the small bathroom isn’t the best choice since I want the space to feel spacious and spa-like.

We also transformed Guest Room 3 into a bunkroom to provide space for many kids to have a place to sleep. We also installed floor-to-ceiling corner windows inside the Great Room to maximize the views of the ocean from inside the home. We also removed it from the Great Room and replaced it with a breakfast nook/banquette.

One thing that did not have was an entryway. I wanted an entry “moment” when people walk through the front door, and at this moment they’re watching the wall of an abacus. This leads our attention to the next step…

Beach House Floor Plan version 3:

Square footage:

2500 square feet (includes a 1000 square foot addition)

Room Layout:

The new home will include three bedrooms and four bathrooms (including the brand new powder bath) and open living space with an open-plan kitchen and living space. The dining area will be outdoors under the shade of a trellis covered (yes–the only dining space is outside! This is the beautiful part is Southern California.)

It’s like we’re adding on a lot of rooms and space that we can use However, in reality, we’re adding only 1000 square feet to our main residence. This is a great example of what is the difference when an architectural floorplan is designed to be effective and efficient due to the genius and creativity of the architect we have, Doug Burdge. He was able to transform the space that was the home into bathrooms, bedrooms, and a living room. We could then leave the addition to remain as a big, open space that will make the home feel larger, and create the flow between indoors and outdoors we’ve always wanted for this house.

Round 3’s changes include:

• Open up the entranceway to allow room for an art piece and a console table. We took down the banquette as well as the pocket door that leads to the laundromat.
• Expanding the size of The Primary Bedroom. We wanted to preserve the existing dimensions of the home as small as we could to cut down on costs, but we realized that adding a few feet to the Primary Bedroom would be a worthwhile investment that would make the room appear more spacious and lavish.
• Ceilings with a high ceiling throughout. We thought it was worth it to raise the ceilings of the guest rooms, too. This added some expense however for me, tall ceilings are worth it.

There’s also The guesthouse.

We’ve barely talked about the guest house! It’s a single-room house over the garage. It has an odd kitchenette and refrigerator which share space that is shared with the mattress. The drawback is that you must climb up a spooky carpeted staircase from the garage in order to reach the apartment. The positive? It already has stunning lighting and spectacular perspectives from Zuma Beach from every window. We’ll keep the existing footprint, but we’ll be getting inventive to turn it into a 1-bedroom suite with a boutique hotel feel. The guest house idea merits its own blog So stay tuned to find out how we’re going about it.