Feasibility + planning
Review program, available site information, zoning and code questions, access, constraints, and meaningful addition strategies.
Home additions
Add space by improving the whole home.
Architectural home additions in Malibu, Los Angeles County, and Southern California, connecting planning, structure, interiors, permitting, and construction.
Professional credentialsCreative direction with accountable professional delivery.
Architecture + designApel Design, working in conjunction with Michael B. Maclaren, AIA.
Licensed residential constructionCreative New Dimension Inc
California General Building Contractor · Class B · CSLB #1056632
Why this matters
The best addition does more than increase square footage. It clarifies circulation, light, views, privacy, structure, and the way old and new belong together.
An addition changes the logic of an existing building. Location, height, setbacks, structure, roof form, utilities, stairs, openings, and exterior space all affect whether the result feels integrated or visibly appended.
Apel Design approaches additions as architectural transformations, testing how new area can improve the original home while coordinating the technical and permitting work required to make that change credible.
Capabilities
What the work requires.
Architecture + continuity
Develop massing, roof, openings, circulation, interior relationships, and material so the home reads as one composition.
Technical coordination
Coordinate structural, civil, MEP, energy, fire, landscape, and other project-specific input with the addition design.
Permitting + construction
Prepare the design for review and coordinate constructability, sequence, interfaces, protection, finishes, and field questions.
Selected evidence
Experience you can see.
The work below comes directly from our portfolio. We identify projects by name and city or neighborhood where appropriate; private street addresses are not published.
Southern California
Expanded residence
A layered home in which old and new are understood as one residential experience.View related work ↗
Southern California
Courtyard connection
New rooms and exterior spaces organized around a shared center.View related work ↗
Southern California
Interior continuity
Interior architecture used to connect added space with light, view, and daily movement.View related work ↗How we work
A clear path through complexity.
Test
Compare locations, sizes, plan relationships, constraints, and the effect on the existing home.
Integrate
Develop massing, structure, circulation, openings, interiors, and exterior space as one design.
Document
Coordinate consultants, permit information, material, systems, details, and construction scope.
Connect
Sequence and build the interfaces between existing conditions and new work with care.
A strong fit for
Teams looking for design intelligence and practical clarity.
- Families needing additional living space
- Owners adding bedrooms, suites, workspaces, or entertaining areas
- Projects combining an addition with remodeling
- Homes requiring better indoor-outdoor connection
- Owners comparing renovation with new construction
Additions
Adding to a home without losing its logic.
Every image below is from an Apel Design project.
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Useful answers before we begin.
Should an addition match the existing house exactly?
Not necessarily. It should establish a deliberate relationship with the existing home. That may involve continuity, contrast, or a combination, depending on the architecture and project goals.
Can an addition improve the existing floor plan?
It should. The added area can be used to improve circulation, daylight, privacy, storage, shared space, and indoor-outdoor relationships throughout the home.
What consultants may be required?
Requirements depend on the project and site, but may include structural, civil, geotechnical, energy, MEP, landscape, fire, and other specialty professionals.