We were asked by the owners of this historic 1940s Los Gatos cottage to design a sympathetic addition to accommodate their growing family. Since their parcel was small, we were forced to add a second story. We also created additional space by adding a small basement. The original 1,220 square foot house was thus expanded to 1,906 square feet.

We aimed to retain the informal rustic cottage sensibility of the original house. The second floor was pushed halfway back from the front of the house and used a mixture of gables, shed dormers, and cedar shingles over board and batten siding to keep the organic quality of the original dwelling.