The clients on this project were both from the Caribbean and they wanted the architectural style of their home to reflect their origins.  The existing house was too small for the couple and their two children.  The house had a non-defined room next to the kitchen and dining room.  It could have been called either a living room or a family room, but it was totally inadequate.  In addition, the house only had two bedrooms and two bathrooms. 

The couple wanted a real living room and a new master bedroom suite with more bedroom space, closet space, and a larger new bathroom.

When we started working on the project, we proposed adding a master bedroom suite addition on the back, and a covered porch on the front.  The existing garage would be have the floor raised and become the new living room.  Then, an independent garage building connected by a covered walkway back to the house would be added on the side of the existing house.

Sometimes during the course of the design of a project, the client's conditions change.  In this case, after all the drawings were almost completed, his parents decided that they wanted to move in with the couple and their children.  So at the last minute before we started construction, a completely new wing was added for the in-laws behind the new garage with a covered trellis running down the side wall to break up the wall as well as indicate the entrance to the older couple's residence.

This project, which was featured on HGTV, changed the house from a box to a pleasant house with Caribbean features.  The house almost doubled in size including the covered terraces and walkways.  The covered terraces and porches offer a way of taking advantage of the outdoors during the mild South Florida winters.

Since the house was on a corner lot, a new driveway which takes advantage of an entrance on one street and an exit on the other street was incorporated into the design.