Grand Craftsman
Monte Sereno, California
Along with renovations to modernize and upgrade this historically significant Craftsman home, we expanded usable space at the upper floor with new dormers to gain ceiling height within the existing footprint of the house. All new work is visually in keeping with the original style of the home. The home is on the city’s historical inventory. Saikley Architects took the project through a Use Permit and public hearing process with the City Council to gain approvals for the alterations. New structural work was carefully considered for minimal impact on the historic finishes of the existing home.
“We worked with Alexandra on a major project with several challenges – building a brand new home on a small, sloped lot that required several variances. To add to that, we were first-time owner-builders. From the very beginning of the process at the design stage, Alexandra was easy to work with and very open to both incorporating our requests and needs while providing helpful insight and guidance. Her clear, consistent, and thorough communication got us through a complicated Zoning review process. She and her team helped us adapt in creative ways to ensure that we met Zoning’s requirements while still keeping the best parts of the design. We’ve been living in the home for several months now and absolutely love it! The best part for us about working with Alexandra, which is easy to take for granted but very significant in a long project like this, was her incredible professionalism, responsiveness, and trustworthiness. We never had any problem communicating and working with her over the course of our project, despite the other challenges and many different people involved. Thank you, Alexandra, for helping make a dream come true for us!” – Client