Del Mar Coastal Canyon
Reconsidering the House from the Structure Out
After years of looking in Del Mar, the homeowners found the place where they wanted to put down roots. The location was right. The existing house offered something more complicated: a 1960s split-level whose floor elevations, ceiling heights and intersecting rooflines divided the home into spaces that felt smaller and more disconnected than its footprint suggested.
The changes in elevation affected the way the house was approached as well. Even the front entrance required climbing stairs from the driveway before reaching the main living level. One of the fundamental goals became establishing a more natural relationship to grade - whether arriving through the front entry, coming in from the garage, or moving between the house and backyard. Everyday circulation should feel intuitive, without unnecessary changes in elevation.
The family envisioned something entirely different - open living, an easy relationship between inside and out, and a home where they could raise their family for decades. Achieving that would require more than an addition or a new layer of finishes. The architecture itself had to be reconsidered.
From the earliest feasibility studies, the house was evaluated in both plan and section. Detailed as-builts documented floor and ceiling elevations, roof geometry, topography and existing views so the team could understand the consequences of changing one condition before altering another.
That analysis led to a more ambitious solution: rather than filling the lower portions of the split-level, sections of the raised floor system would be removed and reconstructed at a lower elevation. Doing so established longer sight lines through the house while creating substantially greater ceiling volume overhead.
One Structural Move, Several Problems Solved
The existing roof structure presented a related challenge. Intersecting rooflines created a series of bearing points, beams and posts through the heart of the plan. Retaining them would have constrained the new living spaces even after significant investment elsewhere. Instead, portions of the existing roof structure were removed and reconsidered with a new framing strategy. Together with the lowered floor and expansion of the front elevation, the approach addressed several conditions at once: floor elevation, ceiling volume, structural interruptions, roof geometry and usable square footage.
The front family room and second story were expanded toward the street, allowing the addition to become more than added area. It became part of the architectural correction that transformed the original split-level into a cohesive two-story home. Inside, the plan could then be reorganized around the way the family actually wanted to live. Kitchen, living and gathering spaces were reoriented, circulation was clarified, and previously disconnected areas became part of a continuous visual and functional environment
Building Beyond What Could Be Seen
Opening the house also meant confronting conditions that new finishes could never solve. Early investigation revealed deteriorated waterproofing, evidence of water intrusion and dry rot, aging electrical infrastructure and areas of compromised framing. Rather than conceal those conditions beneath a new finish layer, the exterior assemblies were taken back as necessary so the underlying building envelope could be properly reconstructed.
Damaged material was identified and replaced, new waterproofing was installed, and the exterior was rebuilt with an entirely new stucco system rather than resurfacing the existing one. Electrical and plumbing systems were addressed, structural corrections were incorporated, and compromised framing could be replaced before the walls were closed again. It is work largely invisible in the finished photography, but fundamental to the longevity of the home.
Extending the Architecture Outside
The same level changes that fragmented the interior continued into the rear of the property. An elevated deck and competing grades interrupted the connection between the living spaces and a relatively compact yard. Reworking the house at grade changed that relationship. The goal was a home that could be entered and experienced naturally from every primary approach - front, garage and backyard - without stairs dictating circulation.
At the rear, bringing the outdoor living area down to grade allowed the primary gathering spaces to extend naturally toward a covered California room while preserving as much usable yard as possible. Rather than treating indoor-outdoor living as an added feature, it became part of the circulation and architecture of the house.
California Modern Spanish
With the underlying structure resolved, the home could take on an entirely new architectural identity. Rooflines, proportions and exterior materials were reconsidered as a modern interpretation of Spanish architecture - warm and textural, but cleaner and more restrained than a traditional revival. Inside, natural materials, warm wood tones, handmade surfaces and controlled contrast carry that character through the newly opened volumes. Architecture and interior design were developed together so the finishes reinforce the spatial transformation rather than simply decorate it.
Designed for What Comes Next
The homeowners imagined children moving easily between inside and out, family and friends gathering without being confined to a single room, and a house that could remain relevant through decades of family life. That long view shaped both the visible design and the construction behind it. The finished home bears little resemblance to the fragmented split-level that preceded it, yet its transformation is not defined by how much was removed or added. It comes from resolving architecture, structure, interiors and construction as parts of the same problem - and rebuilding the house around the life intended to unfold within it.
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