Norwood Residence
Seattle, WA
The owners were planning for a family and wanted to remodel the kitchen, bathrooms, and add one more bedroom.Their original intent was to expand the main floor to create a new master suite, but the house was in a shoreline zone and adjacent to steep slopes, so any ground disturbance would add many months to the permitting process. Getting the house fixed before babies came onto the scene was a priority, so timeliness was key. As we got a sense for the geometry of the house, it became clear that there was enough room within the existing footprint if we re-worked some of the plan organization. This strategy was a winner twice over, speeding up the project schedule while creating a design that would clean up the mess left by the previous remodel. Staying within the existing foundations required compact, efficient planning. Along the way we relocated the stair, moved all of the bedrooms upstairs, and created an open floor plan that seamlessly integrates the original front half of the house with the rear section that is essentially re-built from scratch.