AH Remodel

Floor to ceiling built-in bookshelf with record storage and a woman and dog sitting on the daybed.
Maple paneling and slats in dining room with large paper light.

Remodel + Energy Retrofit

TYPE: Remodel, Energy Retrofit, Building Electrification

SIZE: 2371 SF

LOCATION: Grass Valley, CA

DATE: 2024

DESIGN: Mela Breen + Erin Humphrey | Atmosphere Design Build

CONTRACTOR: Atmosphere Design Build

MECHANICAL: Balance Point Home Performance

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Karin Kaufman | KKLA

Photography by Kat Alves

Modern kitchen with maple cabinets, an island with a quartzite countertop, and handmade deep red tile backsplash.

After living in a compact bungalow that was soulful but unpleasantly hot in summer and drafty in winter, our clients wanted a more comfortable, energy-efficient home with a bit more space. Just down the road, they found a single-story house with mature plantings on a large, flat lot bordering a local trail. Built in the 1990s, the house was structurally sound but unremarkable. It had tired, dated builder-grade finishes, rooms that kept daylight at arm’s length, a poor connection between indoors and out, and an oversized, carpeted bathroom-closet combination – a 90’s idea that didn’t stand the test of time.

The project goals were to create a comfortable, expressive, home to serve as a canvas for a family life filled with music, books, and art. The design stayed within the lines of the existing footprint, with strategic window and door changes rather than major structural work. The walls that divided the kitchen, dining, and living rooms into isolated spaces came down without requiring structural upgrades. In their place, maple slats stand as references, marking where walls used to be and letting light and conversation filter through.

A kitchen with maple cabinets, an island that has a quartzite countertop, 3 pendants, and deep red tile backsplash.

The kitchen, once awkward to work in, was reorganized without expanding the footprint, into distinct working zones with a narrow island. A new door connects the patio and kitchen garden, so that fresh herbs and tomatoes are now just steps from the stove.

A coffee and drink bar in a kitchen, with paneling details to match the cabinets.
A coffee and drink bar in a kitchen, with paneling details to match the cabinets.
A woman in a kitchen garden picking vegetables.
A woman in a kitchen garden picking vegetables.
An eat-in kitchen nook with a custom built hutch cabinet for dishes. A door leading to an outdoor patio that is directly off the kitchen,

Millwork is the through-line of the project. Custom shelving, daybeds, and benches give depth to once-bland, boxy rooms, creating nested, stepped sequences where one can read a book, or stay close to the activity without being fully in the mix. Maple paneling and cabinetry thread through the house as a unifying material.

A living room and dining room with light wood millwork and slats diving the space, with a custom built-in bookshelf and daybed.
A mudroom with small hex terracotta tile and red cabinets.

The existing three-car garage was exaggerated, nearly as big as the house itself. We extended the home’s conditioned space into one bay to create the missing link: a mudroom and utility space, plus a family room. The mudroom connects the back patio, pool area, and garage - giving the family a place that isn’t precious to drop gear, wash vegetables, arrange flowers, kick off dirty boots.

Pantry cabinets made from maple plywood with quartzite countertops and terracotta tile floor.
A walnut vanity with custom concrete countertop and integrated sinks, white tile in vertical staked layout and terracotta tile.

And what became of the primary bathroom, with its carpeted floor and a shared closet behind mirrored doors? It was reorganized and remade into a bathing retreat with a Claro walnut vanity made with materials from Atmosphere Design Build’s wood stash and regionally made tile.

Claro walnut vanity with rounded legs, concrete countertop with an intergraded sink and unlacquered brass wall mounted faucet.
A daybed with integrated bookshelves and drawers.
A daybed with integrated bookshelves and drawers.
Man sitting in cozy living room with built-in cabinetry.
Man sitting in cozy living room with built-in cabinetry.
A swimming pool with concrete pavers, a cedar privacy fence, cedar hot tub, and naturalist landscaping.
A swimming pool with concrete pavers, a cedar privacy fence, cedar hot tub, and naturalist landscaping.

High Performance Highlights

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Assembly

The existing siding and roofing remained and the house was remodeled and upgraded from the interior. New aluminum clad wood, low-e, windows and doors replaced the vinyl windows. The attic was properly insulated and a continuous air barrier was created with attention to the existing construction using AeroBarrier.  

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Climate Control

A heat pump water heater replaced the existing gas water heater. Indoor climate control is provided by a ducted mini-split system, and all the mechanical equipment was brought into the conditioned space. A small wood stove offers the ambience of a flame and the resilience of back-up heat.

Sun icon with a lightning bolt inside, representing solar energy or power.

Energy

Building electrification, with the removal of all gas fired equipment, contributes to decarbonization. An induction range replaced a gas range, and all the mechanical equipment was replaced with energy efficient heat pump equipment. An aging existing photovoltaic system was added to with additional panels bringing the system to 10kW to provide renewable energy for the all-electric home. Two FranklinWH backup batteries were also added to the system for energy storage and resilience during power outages.