Adding a little, gaining a lot - house remodeling

To build the bay without disrupting kitchen activity, Mr. Barth left a standard 8-foot-wide sliding glass door in place in the end wall of his 60s tract house in Palos Verdes Estates, California. Outside, he poured a new 12-foot-long foundation that measures 4 feet wide at one end, 6 feet at the other. He framed the structure with 4-by-4 posts and 4-by-6 beams. A 4-by-8 header spans the top of the door wall.

Mr. Barth built in a bench of ash to match new kitchen cabinetry. After finishing the bay, he removed the slider, refinished the wide opening to the kitchen with gypsum board, and paved the old and new floors with Mexican tile squares.

Bays improve three rooms

In entire wing of Adrienne Freeman's house was vastly improved with this three-of-a-kind remodel. In truth, the three concrete and glass-block mini-additions vary slightly in width to fit their purposes, and a fourth addition is a storage shed reached from the side yard. But each 2-foot-deep addition rests on a small concrete pad and tucks up tightly under the existing eaves.

A 5-foot-wide bay brightens the master bedroom. It nets just enough space for a chair and end table, but it frees up floor space, improving traffic flow around the bed. The next bay houses a generous new tub with shower. The 5-foot-wide tiled tub occupies the same space as the original shower, but it extends a few inches into the new bay, with a tile shelf beyond. The third bay is in another bedroom. This one-only 4 feet wide-provides just enough space for a work counter. Design was by Linda Brock for Brock Built Inc., Phoenix. Wavy additions open house to court

This master bedroom extension is the largest of our sliver additions, yet it adds only about 135 square feet to the back of a small Spanish-style bungalow. Small, randomly placed windows ascend to the vaulted 14-foot peak, preserving

homeowners Ruth and Dean Goodman's privacy while filling the room with soft reflected light. Larger operable windows at eye level frame garden views. Limiting the amount of glass in the south-facing wall reduced the heat gain from the afternoon sun. Four double cupboards beneath the window seat provide needed storage. French doors open the bedroom to the courtyard and help vent the new space. Across the courtyard, more French doors open to a new 3- by 6foot vestibule; it connects the family room to the outdoors. Topping exterior walls on both additions, wavy parapets embrace the courtyard in a playful spirit. Design was by Robin Kerper of Venice, California.

Grand pianos are grand to listen to and to look at, but they also eat up grand amounts of floor space. Bumping out a GIO-foot-diameter semicircular bay in this Phoenix house not only made room for the piano but created a stunning stage for at-home concerts.

To create the bay, architect William P Bruder punched a hole through the wall and poured a new half-round slab off the side of Shera and Craig Farnham's living room. The cantilevered half-round roof ties back to the old ceiling joists, while steel cables running from the house roof to the curved copperclad fascia add support.