
Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects helped the owner of this Los Angeles one-story house realize her vision of completing a second-floor addition renovation project. The architects wanted to add space to the home while connecting the interior spaces with the outdoors to highlight the canyon views.
The renovation kept the main floor’s footprint, while transforming it to an open layout with full-height sliding doors to open the house up to the views. Keeping the footprint and most exterior walls saved the owner time and money and allowed the design team to maximize the budget.

On the exterior, the design team installed a rain garden and rain barrel system to reduce stormwater runoff and repurpose rainwater for drought-tolerant planting on site. The team installed permeable gravel rather than grass to help with water management and reduce water consumption.
Access to the newly constructed second floor is provided by a stained white oak architectural staircase, dividing public spaces from the private home office, media room, and guest bedroom. A restrained color and material palette was used for the project to keep the architecture focused on the expansive views without distractions.

The second-floor addition includes two additional bedrooms, a second living area, and a large bedroom suite with access to a roof deck overlooking the Stone Canyon Reservoir and the nearby Hollywood Hills. The load-bearing walls were stacked strategically to limit the amount of steel needed, which allowed for a larger square footage in the addition given the limited buildable area.