Madrona Restoration

KSA is helping oversee revitalization of a historic hillside home in the Madrona neighborhood of Seattle. The renovation is a project of Urban Squirrel, a remodel and design duo based in Seattle. The work is being filmed by Zillow for the first episode of a new web series, set to debut in mid 2107!

The first priority was leveling up the foundation and each sagging floor by roughly half a foot. Since the project was on a 40% steep slope it is considered an Environmentally Critical Area and therefore required involvement of a structural and geotechnical engineers to "underpin" the foundation in order to stabilize it. This added some complexity to the process with the building department as well as the construction. KSA guided the owner in the process since they had not done it before. 

The list of other ambitious improvements that KSA was enlisted for includes re-planning of the interior. This included adding a new bedroom, one and a half new bathrooms, and substantial modern upgrades like new and restored windows, a new roof, new gas fireplace and an entirely new kitchen.

Construction is in full swing and the next phase should bring more dramatic changes - stay tuned!

"cribbing" used to support the house while
it is being jacked up and leveled. Steel will
be installed so support the two floors above

New grade beam and steel beam and
column to support the floors and open
up the basement area

Existing "push piers" used to lift the foundation

Pipe piles driven into ground and attached
to foundation to stabilize the home

Added structure to bring house up to current code from a structural and seismic standard. 

urban squirrel - Madrona - new powder room

urban squirrel - Madrona - new fireplace and living room

urban squirrel - new relocated kitchen with view

urban squirrel - new dining room with reclaimed wood railing

urban squirrel - custom vanity with sliding mirror

urban squirrel - new bathroom with refurbished clawfoot tub

urban squirrel - daylight basement opened up (steel above)
to provide more room and light

urban squirrel - existing doors were converted into a bard door

urban squirrel - new office/parlor. Existing windows preserved

Portage Bay- Modern beach house

View of house from the existing dock. Houseboat in the foreground will be rebuilt. 

An old waterfront barn - just feet from Portage Bay- is rebuilt into a modern home. The challenging site restrictions made for a unique massing. While responding to the complicated setbacks, the barn house also shares an access walkway for several future house boats. 

The client was looking for what they described as a "modern beach house". To achieve the beach house feel and pay respect to the memory of the old barn, the home is predominantly clad in weathered cedar planks. We explored several different cladding options to express the juxtaposition of the different masses of the home. The floating mass of the living room was rendered in horizontal and vertical configurations to compare. 

View from dock looking over the roof of an existing houseboat

The long lot also includes an existing residence that looks down on the current barn. For the existing home we had to consider how views will be effected by the new barn house. The rendering below shows the view from the top of the hill.

View of house from upper part of the lot where an existing house sits. 

This project is the first of a larger development that will include 3 new houseboats and the rebuild of an existing one. This will be the last houseboat community allowed in Seattle. The new shoreline rules will not allow any new houseboats unless it is being replaced. 

Maple Leaf Modern

This Urban In-fill project is a new home by Tang Real Estate Investments. This project is the kind of  transformation we are asked to do frequently at KSA. We studied the house extensively exploring several options. The result is essentially a new home, but because how we designed the project we were able to get through the permitting much faster at less cost. 

The existing home was built in the 40's and in pretty bad shape. We creatively used the existing foundation and select walls but added another story while at the same time designing an entirely new open modern floor plan. The exterior will be a mixture of dark colored cedar with some bold color accents and hardi-panel as a counterpoint to the cedar. 

In interior will have feature wall that includes a mosaic pattern of colored glass panels the provide an interesting backdrop to the monumental wood and steel stair.  This dramatic two-story entry will have exposed beams that line the upper floor adding warmth and interest. The main floor will have tall ceilings and with an open "loft like" feel. 

The upper floor will have two bedrooms with a jack and jill bath attached to both rooms. The master bedroom and 5-fixture bath provide a luxurious setting that takes advantage of views towards the Cascade Mountains. 

Capitol Hill Kitchen

KS-Arch was asked to help visualize a kitchen remodel in a wonderful existing home in Capital Hill. We created a highly detailed 3-d model and rendered it with photographic finishes to provide the most accurate look at the design options a client was choosing from.

We think that renderings like these go a long way when it comes to comparing tile options, fine-tuning the cabinet layout or getting a sense for how full-height cabinets will effect the how you feel in a given space.

West Seattle Modern

Situated on a 40% steep slope, this existing structure is being transformed into a modern home with views of Elliott Bay and downtown Seattle. This transformation required a new complex deep foundation, proper drainage, and sophisticated structural design. KS-Arch lead the design team and owners through the extensive permiting process of the City of Seattle. 

The design intent was to convert an old tri-plex badly in need of TLC into a modern single-family home. The program included re-planning the entire house. The new design adds a master suite that has a private deck and city view, a roof top deck for entertaining, two additional bedrooms, enterainment/media room as well as a new two car garage. 

This project is in construction. Completion in 2016

Bellevue Modern

This new home near downtown Bellevue was designed as an "urban town home" for . Positioned right on the North edge of downtown this property has views back in towards the city. Internally this site has mature landscaping that provides a counterpoint to the urban context. 

Phase: Design Development

Is it possible to live in 86 SF?

This is proof that you can live in a small space if it is designed well. An architectural firm in France took advantage of every inch or this case millimeter. 

People are complaining in Seattle about Micro-housing in Seattle being too small. Well, with those units being 180-300 sf they are palatial in comparison to this place.






Below is a link to the video. 

Smallest apartment ever

A link to the work of this firm

Kitoko Studio