Seattle Family Almost Doubles Its Space Without Adding On

www.houzz.com/i...
“Warm, modern and family,” is how Lauren Zerbey describes her 1910 home in Whittier Heights, Seattle. A lot has changed since she and her husband, Kyle, both architects, bought and began remodeling the house nine years ago. After strategically upgrading systems and reconfiguring the first floor of the home in the first six years - doing most of the labor themselves - the couple began designing another round of changes after starting both a family and their architecture firm, Studio Zerbey Architects.

[@HouzzTV]

Learn more about how this family usable spacee: www.houzz.com/houzz-tv/houzz-tv-seattle-family-almost-doubles-its-space-without-adding-on-stshtvvw-vt~57439007?vm=list

[@Leocalamb2]

I would've loved to see the before pics. I was interested in seeing how they were able to tweak the old floor plan. Nice space.

[@StarlingofAzerath]

I like how they have just enough furniture and decorations to feel like a "home" but also keep it clean and neat. I strive for this esthetic in my future house/apartment someday

[@junbh2]

I would find it a little hard to live in a home that's so plain. But if you like a more minimalistic esthetic this is a nice way to do it - the warmth of the wood prevents it from looking cold and unfriendly like many designer homes.

[@Happybidr]

StarlingofAzerath I assume that, like every other family that knows they're going to have a camera crew in their house, they cleaned up the clutter in places like the kitchen, etc.

[@richiesd1]

Happybidr, that's a bad assumption. Some people, like me, always keep their houses neat and clean. It's actually very nice to be able to receive guests at any time without scrambling clean. It's part of minimalist, optimized living.

[@jev2867]

richiesd1 It's a good assumption that they wouldn't show their house cluttered. Seriously, not even a piece of toy with 2 small children?

[@samnissen7081]

When an 850 sq ft house is nicer than your 2500 sq ft house

[@monikasea]

love this idea

[@NjniaVanDerWald]

i am impressed that 2500 sq ft is considered average. :D

[@Commentator541]

That's what happens when most people have no style and think that size is everything. And then those 250 sq ft feature things like cheap door, untitled bathrooms, carpeting instead of wood flooring etc etc.

[@samnissen7081]

Njnia van der Wald Well it's not necessarily small, but it was built in the 60s so the space isn't used very well/spread out.

[@NjniaVanDerWald]

Sam Nissen i've no idea from where you are, but here in germany the average family house for 4-6 people is between 1000-1500 squarefeet. (personally 1k squarefeet would be waaay more than enough for a family of five)

[@PalemoonTwilight]

Seeing families in this size of house is not new but a welcome return to former years. McMansion didn't come into being until Americans got into their heads that we all wanted to live like what we saw in "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous". I grew up in the 60s and 70s. Both of my parents worked, which was unusual at the time, and I was an only child--also unusual. We lived in a 1400 sq ft home on a street of homes that were all about the same size...but the families had anywhere from 4-9 kid. On our block, we had teachers, a dentist, a doctor, an engineer, an accountant, an auditor, a widow and her kids, a car dealership owner, and a coach. Those with larger families found room for everyone, and it was somewhat classless because everyone lived in similar homes. I am glad to see things swinging back in this direction...I never liked those big, monstrosities anyway (McMansions).

[@davenwin1973]

My mom lived in a 3 bedroom house with only a total of 925 sq.ft., and she was one of 4 children (technically 5, but one of her sister's died at 8 months, when my mom was 5 years old). My grandpa was the original supporter of the family. When he had a stroke, my grandma had to go to work. She eventually became the breadwinner in the family, with the children having to help my grandpa where needed. On my dad's side, my grandpa didn't make enough to support the family, and having to take his 3 kids from his ex wife (my egg donor grandmother, who was abusive, and left her kids to fend for themselves for days at a time), then having 5 more children with my step grandma (she was grandma to me), my grandma had to also work in order to support the family. Their original house was built in the 1800's, and except for electricity, they lived like they were in the 1800's, as they had no indoor plumbing. It was rough for my dad to live in a house that had only 4 or 5 rooms total. By the time my grandpa's first set of children, and the oldest from his second marriage moved out, my grandma's money she earned as a waitress (she sometimes earned more than my grandpa), got her a better house that was moved to their property. It brought them into the 20th century with indoor plumbing and a bathroom. They converted the front porch into a living room and a 3rd bedroom. The house was cheap, because it had to be moved, or it would have been torn down at the old site. my paternal grandparents were thankful that that house became available, as they hated living like they were in the 1800's.

[@tomaskalinka5679]

This beautiful house has far away form "Small" it´s pretty big actually. But I guess americans have different picture about what is small and what is big...

[@andicrossley6562]

"small living"?? Dude, one floor is bigger than my entire house.

[@kcanded]

But, but....let's see the basement!

[@jessicalee333]

After watching a lot of videos about "tiny houses" including some with families, her idea of "small living" is ENORMOUS! Still, they did some clever things to maximize their space, and made the most of a relatively small house, rather than going huge, like so many American families do.

[@GabrieleJackson]

Strange definition of small. It's definitely not small, there's plenty of space.

[@LadyASolveg]

Gabriele Jackson the caption in no way implies that.

[@junbh2]

Yeah, it's not a small house. But a lot of it is a finished basement and an attic loft, which don't officially 'count'.

[@Utoober729]

Gabriele Jackson My house is only 1,150 square feet on one level.

[@HadoVlogs]

its really nice, looks very inviting and homey

[@littlehummingbird1015]

How very creative you both are! Very inspiring to see what you have done with a small house...it is really beautiful and restful. My only concern is the loft....for fire safety do you have a way to escape the loft?

[@nakyer]

+Lynn Maust I'm not familiar with most second floors in homes having a second means of egress, except maybe for a window, which the loft does have.

[@littlehummingbird1015]

Oh...I am very glad to know you could escape by the window....I hope you have a chain ladder up there....just in case!

[@nakyer]

Lynn Maust Most homes don't.

[@judeiz2203]

Lynn Maust I believe skylights are a must with all loft's.

[@SLOBeachboy]

I assume that the window is openable and, lets face it, pretty much anyone can jump off of the roof of a one story house like this one without getting seriously hurt. Also, depending on building codes in their area, a loft space that is used solely as an office space and not as a bedroom may not even be required to have an egress window.

[@ferveland4886]

I love the deco, the concept behind the living space, the architectonical ideas, but in no ways this is small! Most city apartments are this size, and besides it they have the garden, the workshop/garage, and the basement....This is no small at all!

[@MrJhuang999]

As a fellow architect, well done!

[@Дияна-ы9х]

Beautiful house, but it’s far away from small. I think in America the people could back to some other dimension in term of housing and living

[@corinnelsmith]

this is beautiful! they did a great job with the design.

[@badapple65]

Great job! It’s kind of funny that I am a huge fan of home designs by Frank Lloyd Wright but he did not want to design into his plans attics, basements and garages. Saves a lot of money to build new that way but look at all of the usable space this couple gained by taking over areas that often collect junk.

[@jannyj9850]

The loft stairs are not good, small children could slip through the gap!

[@bloodandwinearered]

I am sure you spend a lot of time meeting other people's desires for design. It must have been nice to work for yourselves on yourselves on what you would choose as a design. I think you have done a magnificent job, but I bet it was expensive. I find those sliding doors just fine. They save a lot of space and provide enough privacy. I always turn on the radio in the bathroom anyway.

[@rickymak7209]

are u kidding? that is a huge space, when u say "small" i thought it was 200-300 square feet/

[@tomohawk5567]

Makes me laugh when they call these small houses, it's twice as big as mine .

[@jennifergarcia1317]

I love this house. I really like the paper art because I am into mixed media and I have made those flowers before as well. Great job!

[@sbegum29]

I wanna live there 😍🙋🏻who agrees !!

[@KoiNadi]

I love all the videos on this channel makes the impossible possible 😍😍

[@Litcott]

It was such a pleasant surprise to randomly come across this on KZbin when I've followed their blog for years. The house is as beautiful as ever.

[@DavidRChapdelaine]

Say someone wasn't an architect, and that someone wanted to hire a person, how much would would that someone pay for this kind of plan?

[@DavidRChapdelaine]

Y'know...asking for a friend... 😂

[@trainergrim]

David R Chapdelaine I'm planning on becoming an architect. Hmu in about 8 years and we can work something out

[@inezbradley]

David R Chapdelaine The most important thing to keep in mind when hiring an architect is to find one who has done projects with a similar approach to get to this sort of solution. It also depends on whether there are contemporary craftsmen in your area. The cost of an architect's services are for far more than "plans." The designer (registered architect or not) should be skilled in construction methods and innovation as well as having good contacts for fabrication of custom details as well as a familiarity with ready made fixtures, cabinets, and materials. The most important skill is listening to your specific space and functional requirements, and interpreting these utilizing the given constraints of your chosen house (for remodeling) or site for building. Depending on the variables to be considered, planning, design, documentation, and construction management of your project can range from 12% to 20% of construction cost, which is determined by the locality and complexity of the proposed project.

[@Izzy-ik4lm]

Depends how big your house is and how much space in total your house has. Around 20 something k -80k

[@shawngeraghty6347]

This home is what you get when the owners are two architects! Not only is it beautiful, but also practical ... so form and function? No space wasted space and tons of natural light. Love how they used sliding doors (despite the acoustic trade offs). The dog bowls were a great solution. I love the shelf divider for the basement stairs .. excellent idea.

[@John5.24]

I don’t think they doubled the size of the house, they converted parts of the house, lol. Looks very nice though 👍

[@michaelball7440]

Very thoughtful remodel. Want it.

[@m.luisam.5484]

Omg! That's amazing! Everything was crafted so well.

[@daniabadeister1526]

I grew up in a 80m2 flat with 9 other people. Not a big deal really

[@iamwoman.hearmeroar.6146]

That’s not a tiny house lol, but it’s awesome.

[@Bam-Bam1]

i would hate to be her son, cant sneak out and bring girls over

[@joshuanorman2]

Lucy Love XD

[@Sargam26mj]

The house looks beautiful

[@leslieonabudget]

Maximized and useable space, light and airy. Loooove this house

[@cloud9land]

I love the art work of old wall paper and paint colours, very respectful of the houses history💖

[@MrAngga80]

very very creative. 👍

[@kevinjoe1211]

i do not think they can have enough room when the kids grow up.

[@mrs.garcia6978]

I really like this house

[@legomego3333]

That house is over double the size of my house and even I don’t consider my living situation, “small space living”

[@maluespitia9617]

This house is absolutely beautiful

[@nogedoge]

A small place with a realistic computer set up. Thank god.

[@Flirri]

Very nice! There are so many cute homes that get ruined by ugly additions.

[@plucas9324]

Okay, so technically speaking you did not add on a room. But enclosing the front and rear porches-- which certainly entailed more than simply adding three walls to each of them-- is essentially the same thing. Then you added a room in the attic and added a room in the basement. They were not rooms before; they are rooms now.

[@wael5776]

The Color pallet is simply gorgeous

[@kathrinamagpantay2343]

I wanna live here by my self or with someone special. I love.. 1.) The sliding doors are really amazing and I am thinking of suggesting that to my parents when we have our house designed. 2.) Those huge glass windows in the kitchen where you could see the backyard. I can imagine my self inviting friends over for a barbecue and setting up tables in the backyard..or put up a giant inflatable pool there for the kids. 3.) The natural lighting! It makes the house seem bright but serene at the same time. 4.) the outdoor paint of the house. It's dark but it gave me a welcoming vibe. When I saw it, I felt like I wanna come in and have some tea inside the house.

[@annalauryn966]

Beautiful!

[@claireburkus8497]

Well done!! As for sound muffling the sliding doors. Isn’t there some way to add quilted fabric pads or real quilts to the bedroom side of the doors to lessen noise? Got to be something out there this use!

[@spacecadet28]

great job.

[@jjcs9238]

This is brilliant. Expand the space but keep natural light. This looks natural.

[@linkofdoom24]

Those stairs would freak me out too much,

[@hippocondriaburnpipe3935]

Very smart design. I like the close rail door to the stair. Safety first

[@ubilive7]

ok, they do not ad on, but the space was already there, they just finish the basement and the attic....¡¡

[@andya3923]

I love everything about this house. They definitely did a great job.

[@TrishTruitt]

Impressive job! Beautiful.

[@RichieRouge206]

Great use of space and some clever design choices. Wish they had shown some before pictures 😳

[@dawnd.5290]

So smart. Adding space without adding an extension 👍

[@annies8299]

2:40 House is amazing but the only thing I really took away from that was that they're dog was just chilling under the table

[@MrTSK27]

Lovely home...

[@mileakin2689]

The house looks great and I’m impressed with the smart use of the space you have.

[@ambitrr]

💗

[@raiderz1625]

Nice and neat..i like it

[@jukes243]

It's a wonderful home. I especially like the kitchen and loft area. Also the book case to keep the little ones away from the stairs. The blossom art work is lovely.

[@user404bot]

I haven't seen built in dog bowls before, that's really clever!

[@nemo227]

It's refreshing to see architects who know how to get actual living space from a fixed footprint. Nice job. No, it's EXCELLENT!

[@jenniferwarhawk7301]

I think in a few years they're gonna need to reconsider those non-locking doors. And life with teenagers there might not be as enjoyable as life with toddlers. But they're engineers, I'm sure they'll just rethink the situation and make the needed adjustments.

[@terri6342]

Wonderful home.

[@littlehummingbird1015]

there are tons of tiny houses with lofts without skylights...and getting out a skylight is impossible....

[@creativesuit1930]

Anything is possible...

[@Chilcutte]

*I know that house* Hi from a Local

[@GG-si7fw]

I also wish that you would tour the yard too. Looks like a lot of native planting and a no-mow landscape.

[@ClaudyArfaras]

Beautiful house and really cute kids...

[@sandyxloredo]

Y’all saying this is not a small space must not have kids

[@Presca1]

The only criticism I have about this lovely house - the loft ladder, with two small kids there, if they get the desire to start climbing up that thing, could be a real danger to them.

[@tabea73]

Absolutely beautiful!

[@pla4825]

This is the first time I seen a Attic that didn’t freak me out

[@kirstencook1439]

Rock On👍🤓😷😇 cool

[@lindamiller8671]

Beautiful space! I love the colors and all the windows and natural light! Bravo!

[@phatmamisrok8225]

This is awesome😊

[@davidren7050]

I like these types of houses, they have enough space to not make you feel enclosed, but not so much space that you feel lonely and depressed. (yes that actually happens to me when i'm in a huge house". I feel like these are going to be the houses of the future, with not much space but a lot of functionality.

[@bachpregil5902]

lovely! well done!!!!

[@RDCFemmes]

what will happen to the girls bedroom when they become teenagers?

[@Commentator541]

One gets the loft, the other one basement?

[@sagarthorat9175]

Pesi Belau Maybe they'll get bigger beds or they move out in few years... First world problems... If they were in India, the parents and the daughters would have slept in one room. And they would have used roll up mattresses instead of proper beds. :)

[@menggala30071981]

minimalist type and split level is the answer for this house...

[@RealGalaxyGamers]

love this house

[@bamboozled2520]

That's like the size of an average new house in the UK though it seems a normal size for a family to me.

[@Shetasen]

Love the sliding doors.

[@grayskylightning]

This is not small living..its spacious really

[@therealgaragegirls]

That staircase/ladder up to the loft looks a bit treacherous. I hope they keep the kids off it.

[@andrekrisanto]

nice house

[@SimpleFull]

ABSOLUTELY STUNNING!!!! I live in a small house and can't wait to remodel SMALL AND SIMPLE!!!

[@kathleenneff]

I love your house! Thank you for letting us visit. :-D

[@21whichiswhich]

Love it!

[@Budnbuf]

Excellent. Those parents rock. Amazing innovation.

[@sososanchez3512]

I love the fact that your carbon footprint is small Amazing Absolutely Stunning...

[@BC-xt3yo]

Nice house...any rooms for rent? i will cook for you....

[@ayeshasatharia7746]

damn. they're talented

[@markalviola3265]

the house is so pretty and well organize. . .my dream

[@curtisgrindahl446]

Inspiring what creativity can yield. Well done folks!

[@jimbob7332]

is it possible to get the blue prints and plans for this house in they way that they have re finished it????

[@WebkinzWor1d]

Beautiful home and family

[@alyssatinston6071]

i want to live in this house it's beautiful