Golden, Colorado
Home Addition
A 1960s ranch they loved — mostly
When the owners bought this 1960s walk-out ranch in Golden, they loved it on sight. But two things nagged. The kitchen was tiny, awkward, and frankly an eyesore. And for a family with kids, the lack of a real master suite wore thin fast.
They didn't want to leave — they wanted the house to grow up with them, without losing the view of the foothills that made them fall for it in the first place.
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Small footprint, every inch intentional
The whole project added just 230 square feet per floor — modest on paper. The design's job was to make every one of those inches count.
We planned a two-story addition where the old sunroom had been. On the main level, that let us pull the kitchen out of the main traffic path and into the addition, then open up the walls to create one generous, connected space for the kitchen, dining, and living — all oriented to take in the foothill views. A new porch extended that openness outdoors.
Downstairs, the existing bedroom, bath, and mechanical room were reworked into a proper master suite. The trickiest piece was the master bathroom — squeezing a comfortable, functional bath into a tight footprint without it feeling pinched — while the mechanical and laundry were relocated into the addition to make room. It's the kind of puzzle where the win is invisible: it just feels right, and you'd never guess how little square footage made it possible.
A home that finally fits
The result proves that a thoughtful 230 square feet per floor can transform how a whole house lives. The owners now have a master suite they love, a bright kitchen that opens to a deck nestled in the foothills, and a refinished basement that pulls its weight.
It still feels like the 1960s ranch they fell for — just one that finally fits the life they're living in it, raising teenagers and soaking in the Golden views.
