WOODRUFF RENOVATION- Ocean Beach, California

The Woodruff Family who owns this original 432 square foot cottage in Ocean Beach, California (near Point Loma) are longtime residents of the area and this particular property had been in the family for almost 75 years. Previously occupied by the Patriarch of the family, this diminutive cottage had more recently been home to the young family of 3, including a 2 year old little boy, for the past many years. Cramped in their quarters, they were desperate for a "real" home to raise their child and perhaps grow their family.

The circumstances defined by a 2350 square foot property size (yes, 2350 square feet of property!) required I challenge the Coastal Commission, the San Diego Planning Department and the Ocean Beach Cottage District, in order to provide a humble yet sufficient abode for this 4th generation Ocean Beach family.

After more than 3 years of persistence and labor intensive work, we were granted the 3 variances required to build this 3 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 800 square foot rooftop terrace family home- a truly exceptional accomplishment in a Southern California beach community known for denying projects requiring variances and special considerations.

The evolution of this project first took place on paper...click on any image below:

The following time-lapse slide show shows construction of the house after almost 3 years of effort gaining approvals from various agencies such as the Coastal Commission and the City of San Diego Planning Department.

Almost complete
Rooftop Terrace Landing
Ocean View from Rooftop Terrace