3 Storey Japandi Inspired House

Small Condo, Big Ideas: Space & Storage Hacks for a 2-Bedroom Unit

Creative House Design for A Deep and Narrow Lot

A few months ago, a client approached me with a unique challenge: designing a house on an unusual lot. The site was distinctive due to its narrow 6-meter frontage and a depth of 45 meters. The client wanted to build a secondary house for his children, who were studying in a different city. Initially, he envisioned a two-story house but later decided on a single-story design.

The client's space requirements were specific. He needed a two-car garage, four bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms, and a servants' quarters. Incorporating these elements into the design required careful planning. Given the elongated shape of the lot, we had to use firewalls on both sides to maximize the available space.

One of the primary challenges was arranging the rooms to ensure adequate natural light and ventilation. This was critical for creating a comfortable living environment despite the narrow frontage. Additionally, we had to address the plumbing and drainage needs, considering the long depth of the site. The slope required for proper drainage and plumbing posed a significant challenge, necessitating precise elevation planning for the floors.

The site’s 45-meter depth meant that we had to carefully design the floor elevations to meet the minimum slope requirements for plumbing. Ensuring that the drainage system functioned efficiently while maintaining a seamless design was a complex task.

Check out the video to see how we successfully solved these design challenges and created a functional and aesthetically pleasing home on this unique lot.   

Modern Duplex Design: Spacious Living for the Family

As an architect, I'm constantly striving to design homes that seamlessly blend contemporary aesthetics with functional living spaces. This two-story duplex exemplifies that philosophy, offering a spacious and well-appointed environment for families.

House DL15 - Modern Three Story Residential Building

Project: House DL15

Year: 2015

Lot Area: 363 m²

Floor Area: 440 m²

A modern three-story house in Cebu City draws inspiration from Modern Scandinavian and Bauhaus designs. The house's layout was designed to maximize the steep downhill slope while minimizing excavation to the existing terrain. 

The house has an open floor plan layout that connects the living, dining, and kitchen area into one open space. Upon entering the foyer, a double-height ceiling in the living room is the first thing you see. Large sliding windows and doors engulf the interior with natural light. The sliding doors in the dining area and kitchen connect the interior to the terrace, increasing the ground floor's usable floor area. All the bedrooms are on the second floor, and each bedroom has its bathroom.

The lower ground floor has a large lanai with a dining and living area. The ground floor covers the lanai, which provides a spacious outdoor space protected from the heat and weather. The lanai is open on three sides, allowing natural breeze to flow. The project was completed on 2018.

HOUSE CD08 - SPLIT LEVEL HOUSE WITH POOL

YEAR: 2008

FLOOR AREA: 138 SQM

House CD08 was a concept house I made back in 2008. I utilized a split level house design that follows the downhill lot's contour to minimize site alteration. The split level design makes the house look smaller than its actual size.

It has two carports, three bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a spacious kitchen and dining area. Upon entering the house, an infinity pool greets you. The home features a swimming pool with a fixed glass window that is visible from the inside.

 

4³ - Tiny Farm Staff House

The first design problem given to me back in college was a cube house. We were allowed to solve the problem in any way as long as we were limited to 4 m x 4 m x 4 m. I had no experience designing back then, and I had no background in standards and minimum requirements. I had to research it all within a week, and this during the pre-internet days. I had to do my research in the library and jot down all the information I gather.

Ground Floor

Loft

Another method I did to gather data was to measure the spaces in my house, which allowed me to experience the actual dimensions. This experience made me realize the complexity of designing small spaces. I had some difficulty arranging all the essential amenities in the limited area. It took me several schemes before coming up with a design.

House NA10 - Modern 2 Storey Residential Building

Location: Basak San Nicolas, Cebu City

Year: 2010

Floor Area: 236 sqm.

Lot Area: 1,291.71 sqm.

Located at an interior lot at Barangay Basak San Nicolas, the site was suitable for a residential building. The house is directly accessible to the national road but is far enough that there is hardly any traffic noise entering the house. The initial plans for the project were to retrofit an existing structure into a home. Due to the existing structure's constraints, we presented a proposal that would optimize and maximize space use. 

House AS08 - Second Floor House Extension

Location: Tisa, Cebu City

Year: 2008

Floor Area: 230 sqm.

Lot Area: 246 sqm.

The project is for a renovation of an existing single-story residential building. The client wanted to retain the existing structure and build an extension on the second floor.

The ground floor's exterior walls remained the same, but we removed some of the interior partitions to accommodate the stairs. To make the ground floor spacious, we opted for an open floor plan and sliding glass doors that opens to the garage. The garage also serves as an extension of the dining and living room area.

To maximize usable space, we laid out the second-floor rooms around the family room. A shared bathroom serves the three bedrooms on the upper ground, while the master bedroom has a separate master bathroom.

House HFMA11 - Three Storey Dormitory and Residential Building

Location: Banilad, Mandaue City, Cebu

Year: 2011

Floor Area: 540 sqm.

Lot Area: 585 sqm.

House MKA11 is a renovation for a two-storey residential building. The site had 585 square meters, and the building only occupied half of the lot area. 

The client initially hired me to design the interior of the building. The client's original plan was to use the ground floor as his residence and utilize the second floor as an office for his outsourcing company.

Interior NREL13 - Office Interior

Reception

Located on the second floor of a commercial building in Mandaue City, the project has a floor area of approximately 130 square meters. The project was a redesign of an existing office. It had existing concrete walls and a movable partition.  

We had to remove everything except for most of the concrete partitions. The wanted a bright and open interior. The space requirements were an open space for the office staff. A separate office for the manager and supervisor. A repair room and storage area. A soundproof conference room and an office pantry with ample seating space. 

 

Building BPACT13 - School Building Exterior Renovation

Renovated Facade

A proposed design for the renovation of the facade of an existing old school building. The client wanted to modernize the school image and decided to use Aluminum Cladding Panels to cover the existing building. The client wanted to retain the existing structure and did not want to disrupt the activities inside the building.

New Althea and Fiona Bungalow Design

In the past few months, I have been trying to work out the design of the bungalow units for phase two for our subdivision project. We have tried various schemes that would match the concepts of our previous houses and have finally come up with these two designs.

Althea - (Single Detach Bungalow)

Fiona - (Duplex Bungalow)

Although we haven't started selling these units yet, I am hopeful that these units will be salable since there were a lot of inquiries on bungalow units on our phase one. For more information on this subdivision project kindly visit our Facebook page at  https://www.facebook.com/HaciendaSanAgustin or our website http://hsasubdivision.com/

Interior CCBA09 - Penthouse Interior Project

A few months ago, we were hired to design the interior of a penthouse. The first problem we had was that the penthouse was initially started by a different contractor. Even though it was minimal, we were constrained by the initial layout of the interior.

 

Our first approach to the design solution was to find a way to tailor our design to the existing layout. We also wanted to achieve a design that would stand out from the rest of the building. The penthouse was to be used for private or special activities.

House HFMA08 - Interior Design

House HFMA08 was a commission to design a renovation for a dilapidated house. The house was in such bad condition. The structural engineer said the client would be better off building a new house. Despite the problems of the house, I believed there was still a way to restore it to its former glory.

The challenge for this project was to rearrange the spaces to fit the needs of the new owners. I had to change the functions in some areas to meet the desired results. Some partitions had to be moved to improve the sizes of the rooms.

Commercial Building SCBS08 - Proposed Restaurant and Internet Cafe

SCBS08 is a design proposal for a restaurant for my uncle and cousin, which they plan to construct this year. This is the second proposal for this project because there were many changes to the first proposal's space requirements. Construction will be in three phases and will depend on the viability of the expansion.  

House ZME08 - Minimalist House

I've always wanted to design my own house, even back when I was still an architecture student. I've always wanted to design a house that's perfect for me. ZME always told me that she has already visualized her dream house. She told me that she was more of a minimalist and wanted some plants or a garden inside her house.

Office Interior HFC08 - CEDASI Office Interior

Location: Banilad, Mandaue City, Cebu

Year: 2008

Floor Area: 222 sqm.

Lot Area: 585 sqm.

Cebu Denmark Animation Studio Inc. (CEDASI) was a danish outsourcing company that offered graphics, video, and web development services. The project was a conversion of a residential building into the company's main office.

Floor Plan

Located on the second floor of a three-story building, it has an area of 222 square meters. It has four rooms, two restrooms, and an open space with a high ceiling.