Maltman Residence

This was a first time spec house by a new developer. We were given an extremely narrow site in the hills of Silverlake, with nearby homes on all sides.

Several strategies were utilized to create the most cost effective design.  The house was designed with open floor plans, reducing walls, doors and hardware as much as possible creating a “loft style” space.  Rooms and dimensions were based on a 4×8 module to reduce waste and cost.  Steel moment frames were avoided, and shear wall frames were designed into the plans from the beginning of the design process.  Caissons were avoided, and deepened footings were used.

The narrow site allowed functions to be separated by floor rather than by walls.

The owner parks at the top level, and walks down stairs to the front door.  This room is a large loft style space with living, dining and family all in one space.  The floor below contains two guest rooms with a common bath. The floor above is a master bedroom suite.  The space under the garage was a concrete vault, which was converted into a soundproof recording studio.

These strategies resulted in a successful spec home for our client. The new owners took full advantage of the unique amenities, and enjoyed the homes proximity to the Silverlake music scene.