Play space preserves the peak - play loft

Sunset, April, 1994 by Peter O. Whiteley

AT FIRST GLANCE, THE miniature play loft along one side of this second-floor bedroom doesn't make much sense. The first step up to this split-level space is a doozy--kids have to use a tiered bookshelf as a step stool just to get up the 40-inch-high front wall. However, a second look shows the loft to be a logicall designed feature that visually expands the small bedroom while preserving the peaked ceiling of the living room below.

Both rooms are part of an upward-and-outward addition to a one-story bungalow. The lower portion extends toward the street, duplicating the house's original profile and keeping it in character with other houses in the neighborhood. The tall, asymmetrical living room takes up slightly more than half the width of th first floor, leaving the rest for a small garage.

To minimize the added height of the house, the second-floor bedroom was notched into the roof near the rear of the addition. The bedroom loft fits like a saddl over the lower room's ridge beam, widening the bedroom by more than 6 feet. The 9-foot-long loft has two levels, both with wooden floors: a narrow front one serves as a step and a shelf, and a broader upper level is scaled to accommodat grade-schoolers. A dormer window centered in the side wall of this child-size play space creates headroom and brings in treetop views and daylight. As the children grow, the loft will convert to a storage area for stereos, TVs, books, and a herd of stuffed animals.

Architect Victor H. Lee of Menlo Park, California, designed the remodel.