[expandable designs]

house review

expandable designs Trinity Heights

Our team of designers and architects presents four creative plans

designed to grow as the family grows.
Architect
RPGA Design Group, Inc.
By Larry W. Garnett, FAIBD, House Review Lead Designer Rick Garza

F
817.332.9477
2011 House Review Themes or many years, the home building industry, fueled by unrealistic rickgarza@rpgaarchitects.com
April Focus on kitchens lending policies, urged people to buy much larger and grander
homes than they actually needed, let alone could afford. Since this
May Townhomes/urban homes Plan Size
is no longer an option, what’s the solution for homeowners who will need
July Single-family House
more space as their family grows?
detached housing First floor: 2,319 sf
The answer can be found in the way previous generations approached
August Duplex/triplex Second floor: 1,408 sf
the idea of homeownership. First, houses were built with the intention of
September Green homes Width: 62 feet
staying in them for many years. Then, as families grew and finances al-
Depth: 82 feet
October Cottage homes lowed, additions were made to the existing home.
Foundation: Slab
November Live/work houses With that in mind, today’s homes could be built with expansion ideas
Expanded version
inherent in the design. In other words, the home can grow with us as our
First floor: 2,373 sf
need for space and finances both increase. Perhaps affordable should no
Second floor: 2,879 sf
longer refer to inexpensive, but rather what we can actually afford.
Width: 62 feet
This month, our House Review design team presents four ideas for efficiently designed homes with various precon-
Depth: 82 feet
ceived options for expansion. Rather than creating designs where expanded areas become obvious add-ons, these homes
Additional rooms: craft room,
maintain both functionality and outstanding curb appeal in their original form and as they are expanded.
theater, game room, bathroom
For more information on these plans and to view additional designs, including previous House Review reports on infill
housing and narrow-lot designs, visit www.HousingZone.com/HouseReview.

ARCHITECT’S ESSAY
One of the common elements in many of the homes
we are designing today is the ability to evolve and grow
over time. In other words, we plan for growth in space and
functionality upfront, and every project has a different evo-
lution of growth. It could simply be a growing family with
children. Maybe the in-laws are moving in or a married,
grown child is moving back home in order to economize
or save money for his or her own family. There are a good
number of reasons that upfront planning for expansion
makes tremendous sense.
So while keeping this in mind, we consider in the design
process different options that can be implemented to cover
some of the many expansion possibilities. One such plan is
Trinity Heights, a four-bedroom home featuring a study, for-
mal dining area, library, kitchen, breakfast area, family room,
and three-car garage in a package of 3,727 square feet. As
the family grows, the home can grow with it, to a spacious
5,252 square feet. For instance, say the homeowners have
children entering their teenage years, this plan allows them
to add spaces that their friends and siblings can enjoy, such
as a multi-purpose/game room, theater, craft room, and
outdoor swimming pool with second-floor loggia access.
The owners may also want to expand the garage to accom-
modate four vehicles for the children.
Trinity Heights is designed with a Mediterranean flavor,
with a green barrel-tile roof, soffit brackets, and clean, sim-
ple details that give the home a strong presence with plenty
of character. The home was also designed with indoor and
outdoor spaces in mind so that living moves easily from
the inside to the outside and vice versa. While this plan is
simple and somewhat boxy, the feel of the home is spacious
and sophisticated and can accommodate many different
types of families for today and the coming years.

20 Professional Builder March 2011 www.HousingZone.com/PB Professional Builder 21