Marjorie and Tim’s simple, elegant and lovingly restored Seattle Craftsman house had a main floor that nicely met their needs for sleeping, cooking, eating, visiting and hygiene. However, it lacked space for leisure activities. They did not want to make any changes to the main level.

They asked me to create a room for watching TV and movies, with or without guests. They wanted a bathroom, and as much storage as could be provided, all within their budget of $120,000. They wanted the addition to be respectful of the house’s style.

The problems that would have been caused by adding stairs precluded a second story addition. A main-floor addition was untenable because of the plan’s existing circulation and zoning setbacks.

Just like in many, many houses, the unfinished basement was dry, but dark and unwelcoming. The stairs were too steep to meet code. The ceiling was low; ducts caused headroom problems. The basement was 553 sq. ft. of conditioned space getting marginal use, lying fallow, as it had for decades.

As far as I’m concerned, an important Not So Big House parameter is: “Start by creatively optimizing what your house already has.” Then, if more space is needed, one can add more, preferably in the spirit of Not So Big design.

We were able to nearly double the house’s usable area by finishing the basement. The design strategy that made it better than just a refinished basement was the creation of a sunken patio, which turned it into a daylight basement.

The existing straight stairs lead up to the kitchen. When the run was extended long enough to meet code, the bottom landing fell beyond the existing south-facing foundation wall. This created an opportunity to reconsider the south foundation wall altogether. I showed Marjorie and Tim that if an open space were to be excavated from the earth outside the entire existing south wall, a brightly-lit room could be added, as well as an attractive outdoor entertainment space, neither of which was requested in the original program.

They greatly enjoy both bonuses-- the light-filled yoga studio and the patio.

The yoga/movie/TV room can be closed off from the rest of the basement. It constitutes a legal bedroom suite with clear egress. Now the house has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, which significantly increases its value.

A crawl space was converted to a full-height unheated storage/utility room. It required the pouring of new, lower footers, and a floor slab. It has wall and ceiling wall board and added lighting.

With the help of a skilled contractor, all of this was accomplished within the budget.

light-filled yoga space with sunken patio beyond

far wall has concrete foundation wall, faced with wood studs,
insulation and MDF sheathing for warm and durable use in yoga poses.

ducts are concealed in entertainment center alcove soffit