SöKA Studio recently completed the design for a substantial addition to an existing home in West Roxbury and thought it might be helpful to tell the story of what goes into a set of plans to get them ready for permitting and construction.

Below are photos of the existing house that we started with. A cute 1950s cape/ranch that is small and dated for the needs of today’s family.  Given a modest budget for design and construction, we are adding almost 2000 SF to the existing 1000 SF footprint as economically as possible.

 

After several meetings to discuss the client’s needs and wants, we made numerous floor plan and 3-dimensional studies to figure out the best design, given the parameters of budgets, time constraints and zoning restrictions. Wealso talked to the client about what he wants this house to feel like. He wanted a family home that feels traditionals at its core, while making it contemporary by incorporating clean lines and simple details.

Here are some of the 3-dimensional studies that we looked at:

Once the design is finalized, scale drawings for permit and construction begin, starting with Floor Plans: (Click on images to enlarge)

 

 

 

Next, Exterior Elevations, which show each side of the house as if you were looking at it as a flat plane:

 

 

And sections, which are key to understanding the vertical design of the building:

 

The drawings here are just the basics to apply for a permit and begin basic construction. After these are finished, details of exactly how all the parts and pieces are put together are designed and documented.

 

After the permit is issued by the city, demolition begins:

Stay tuned for more construction progress!