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The Project Brief and Scope
Expanding a 1957 Ranch Home in Santa Clara, California, Without Losing Its Single-Story Character
The project adds 579 square feet at the front of the existing home while reorganizing the interior around a more open and functional living core. The expanded plan creates four bedrooms and three full bathrooms, strengthens the primary suite and improves the connection among the entry, dining, kitchen and living spaces.
A former sunken dining area is raised to align with the surrounding wood floor, and the existing masonry fireplace is replaced with a cleaner electric feature. New skylights, larger openings, updated windows and a covered porch bring daylight and a more cohesive architectural identity to the remodeled ranch home.
Scope of Work
Construct a 579-square-foot front addition that expands the entry, bedrooms and main living footprint.
Reconfigure the interior into four bedrooms, three bathrooms and a more open central living core.
Raise the existing sunken dining floor to create one continuous finished floor level throughout the home.
Replace the masonry fireplace with an electric unit and add a skylit island kitchen, pantry and expanded primary suite.
Renew the driveway and front landscaping while upgrading electrical service, HVAC, hot water, gas capacity, lighting and EV charging.
Site, Planning and Blueprint Strategy
Maximizing a Compact Lot in Santa Clara, California, Within the Coverage Limit
The addition is carefully sized to capture nearly all of the available lot-coverage allowance while maintaining a single-story form, the existing garage and usable exterior space.
By concentrating the expansion at the front, the design improves the entry, bedroom program and main living areas without sacrificing the rear yard. New landscaping, driveway work and coordinated rooflines help the added footprint read as a unified extension of the original home.
Construction Journey and Challenges
From Selective Demolition to a Unified Ranch-Home Expansion in Santa Clara, California
Follow the project from selective demolition and existing-condition verification through foundation work, structural integration, building-system upgrades, finish installation and final site improvements.
01
Selective Demolition and Existing Conditions
Selective demolition removes the front portions of the home needed for the addition, opens interior walls for the new plan and takes out the existing masonry fireplace. Because the original residence dates to 1957, field verification of foundations, framing, utilities and floor elevations is essential before finalizing new connections. Temporary protection allows the retained garage and rear portions of the house to remain stable during the work.
02
Foundation and Floor Integration
03
Structural Framing and New Openings
04
Shear Walls and Roof Coordination
05
Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing Upgrades
06
Finishes, Exterior Work and Closeout
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