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The inoperable picture windows were replaced with large sliding glass doors that open to the new seating patio.

Large windows let in an abundance of natural light and views of the landscape.

In the living room, a Stûv fireplace sits near Lori’s favorite place to paint. “We made the southeast corner glass, because that’s where the best view is,” says BCJ principal Ray Calabro.

“The challenge was how to make the space feel comfortable without dividing it into small units,” says Karsten.

The living room retains the home’s original, poured terrazzo floors. There are oversize Fleetwood sliding glass doors on both sides. Most of the original doors have been upgraded to newer, energy-efficient glass, but their size and placement match what was original to the home.

Living, dining, and kitchen spaces flow into one another in the soaring great room. Here, the Sacramento firm placed new, polished concrete slabs over the original ones to alleviate unsightly cracks.

The great room acts as a kind of fulcrum for the L-shaped house: the vaulted apex of its roof and ceiling, and a combined living-dining-kitchen space for the clients and their children to gather.

The couple spent six months designing their 1,178-square-foot, two-story home. Its compact size was informed by the existing garage’s 20-foot-by-30-foot footprint and L.A.’s ADU size limit of 1,200 square feet. "We had always planned on designing a compact house, however, having a hard limit to its size was definitely a challenge,

The open-plan kitchen, dining, and living areas are washed in sunlight that streams in through floor-to-ceiling windows and doors.