Project 3
RESIDENCE REMODELING IN PINECREST, MIAMI, FLORIDA
When this client came to us, they were exasperated. They had a house they truly disliked. The roof was too low, parts of the interior were like a warehouse. What did we do?
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This 1960’s ranch house had a very low pitch roof which the clients hated. Parts of the house even had a flat roof. It was in dilapidated shape and they very much disliked the way it looked. You can see the "before" photos at the bottom of this article. They also wanted usable outdoor space.
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They had an additional problem. They had just adopted another child and the configuration of the house did not fit their needs.
VIEW OF NEW ENTRY PORTICO ADDITION
THE PORTICO ABOVE WAS AN ADDITION TO THE ORIGINAL HOUSE
THE ARCHITECTURAL PROCESS
As Miami residential architects who understood ranch houses of that era, we used a three prong approach to determine how to best help these clients:
1. One wing of the house was reconfigured into a Master Bedroom and Bath combination with another bedroom and bath adjacent to it for the new baby.
2. The roof of the house was completely re-designed and new trusses provided on top of the original trusses, in order to eliminate all the flat roofs and integrate all the existing roofs into one roof. In addition, the pitch of the roof was raised. The client wanted to see more roof. They thought this would make the house look more elegant.
3. An entry portico was added on the front as well as a trellis area and covered terrace on the back of the house around the pool. Since the house was an "L" shaped residence, these two new elements helped to define the entertainment area around the pool. At the request of the clients, the entire house had a Mediterranean style which served as a unifying theme. This style comes from the time of the founding of Coral Gables by George Merrick, who had his architects scour Spain and the Mediterranean for good examples of their architecture and bring those back to Florida. This style is very popular in the area. You can read more about the styles of architecture popular in Miami and their roots here.
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Green building ideas are incorporated with the trellis and covered terraces. These additions to the original building allow for the enjoyment of the wonderful Miami weather without the use of air-conditioning.
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In addition to the remodeling and addition, we also designed the driveway and the fountain.
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We followed all the zoning codes and building codes in order to do this work. You can read about the present Pinecrest zoning codes here. But before you can find out what is the appropriate zoning for your house, you need to look up your property here in the property appraiser's website and determine the zoning classification. If it is in a Pinecrest single-family district, it will likely be an EU-__ or RU-__ district.
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Here, above, you can get a feel for the entire entrance with it's beautiful new circular driveway, a lovely Miami detail.
VIEW OF NEW COVERED TERRACE ADDITION AT REAR OF HOUSE
CLOSE UP DETAILS OF COLUMNS AT COVERED TERRACE
"BEFORE" PHOTOS OF THE HOUSE
Below are two views of the "Before" Photos of the house before the additions and remodeling.
EMAIL OR CALL
If you have a house in Pinecrest redesigned or you have questions about this and would like a meeting, call Maria Luisa Castellanos, the principal of the firm, on her cell at 305-439-7898, or email at MLC@UnitedArchs.com