MILLBRAE HOUSE: RENTAL RENOVATION

 
 

TRANSFORMING A MID-CENTURY HOME

We did a extensive renovation of this one story, 3-bedroom, 2-bath home in Millbrae, CA. The owners wanted to renovate the house for easier maintenance, maximize the return on their investment, and appeal to modern day living.

The owner is a repeat client, and trusted us to transform their investment into a home with a better layout for today’s multipurpose living and multi-generational needs, increase energy efficiency, and create an aesthetic that is unique yet attractive to the rental market. Our client values the role of design in retaining value of their home and maximizing their return on investment.

While similar sized homes were languishing on the market for a month or more, our client’s home received offers the day it was listed on the rental market, and was quickly rented.

 
 

AFTER PHOTOS

  • The original floor plan required guests to enter the primary bedroom to use the bathroom. We created a spacious powder room near the living room for guest use, and created a new floor plan to separate private from entertaining spaces.

  • We re-configured the floor plan to create a spacious primary bedroom, with a en-suite bathroom, one large walk-in closet, and added another spacious closet. There is plenty of storage in the bedroom and in the new bathroom for two people.

  • The new primary bathroom is thoughtful in layout and storage. The bathroom now has two sinks and two vanities and large medicine cabinets for storage. A spacious walk-in shower with a long niche for toiletries replaced the tub. Two sets of towel bars, rings, and hooks, plus space for hampers are other storage solutions.

  • A new lighting scheme, plenty of storage solutions, and new tile and fixtures are in the new shared bathroom. Storage is an important consideration in shared bathrooms, so a large medicine cabinet, spacious vanity drawers, niches, and multiple hooks and towel bars provide plenty of room for multiple users.

  • We knocked down a kitchen wall, and replaced all the windows and sliding door to maximize the view to the garden. The house is now brighter, and the view to the private backyard brings the outdoors in.

  • The kitchen wall was knocked down so the dining room flows into the kitchen well. The kitchen feels larger and more spacious, even though the square footage remained the same. A kitchen nook was added that faces the garden for a quick bite, or work at home.

  • The original deck was small. The new deck is large, and can accommodate both dining and seating areas. A clear grilling area was defined with new landscaping. The outdoor area is now ready for entertaining.

  • The exterior was refreshed with a new paint scheme and lighting scheme, and modern hardware was added to the front door to highlight the mid-century bones of the home, and make it appealing to the contemporary renter.