The Westchester neighborhood in Los Angeles was originally built-out during the post war years. The first house on this lot was constructed in 1949. It featured a modest footprint, a fireplace, garage, and a generous rear yard. In the 1970s, the previous owner extended the house using California-framing. This construction technique is commonly employed in LA when owners add, alter, and expand their homes. Few such homes remain the original size they were first built. This is likely the result of the prevalence of multi-generational households, unavailability of housing stock, and the surplus of cheap construction to extend the home to serve the extended family.
While conceptualizing the addition and remodel to this house, the vestiges of the first house constructed in 1949 were demolished, the geometry of the 1970s addition was streamlined and extended. The addition met the geometry of the 1970s gable house with a butterfly roof to provide acceptable ceiling height for the kitchen and common areas. The addition also allowed for a continuous public space connecting the private bedrooms while serving as the backbone for the spatial organization of the house.
Re-working the plan of the house allowed for the entry of light into the house, while reflecting the articulated plane of the roof.
While previously a part of the house, the central space was cleared of structural elements, serving as the armature for the house from the entry to the rear yard and pool.
Materials throughout the house reflect a consistent material palette of bleached wood tones and various textures of white.
Long lead times during the pandemic compounded the difficulty to source the material and products for construction. The compressed construction schedule has been maintained by anticipating shortages, and ordering materials and components, such as fenestration, well in advance, and at times, during permitting and plan-check.
Project Team
Ehsaan Mesghali, Kirill Volchinskiy, Yevheniia Kudria, Darya Wheeler, Necils Lopez, Alina Kopteva
