75 Beautiful Small House Renovations Home Design Ideas & Designs (2024)

Renovated to accommodate a family of eight, this oceanfront home proudly overlooks the gateway to Marblehead Neck. This renovation preserves and highlights the character and charm of the existing circa 1900 gambrel while providing comfortable living for this large family. The finished product is a unique combination of fresh traditional, as exemplified by the contrast of the pool house interior and exterior. Photo Credit: Eric Roth

LEED Certified renovation of existing house.
Traditional l-shaped eat-in kitchen in DC Metro with stainless steel appliances, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets, quartzite benchtops, blue splashback and glass tile splashback.

The Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C boasts some of the most beautiful and well maintained bungalows of the late 19th century. Residential streets are distinguished by the most significant craftsman icon, the front porch.Porter Street Bungalow was different. The stucco walls on the right and left side elevations were the first indication of an original bungalow form. Yet the swooping roof, so characteristic of the period, was terminated at the front by a first floor enclosure that had almost no penetrations and presented an unwelcoming face. Original timber beams buried within the enclosed mass provided theonly fenestration where they nudged through. The house,known affectionately as ‘the bunker’, was in serious need ofa significant renovation and restoration.A young couple purchased the house over 10 years ago asa first home. As their family grew and professional livesmatured the inadequacies of the small rooms and out of date systems had to be addressed. The program called to significantly enlarge the house with a major new rear addition. The completed house had to fulfill all of the requirements of a modern house: a reconfigured larger living room, new shared kitchen and breakfast room and large family room on the first floor and three modified bedrooms and master suite on the second floor.Front photo by Hoachlander Davis Photography.All other photos by Prakash Patel.

While cleaning out the attic of this recently purchased Arlington farmhouse, an amazing view was discovered: the Washington Monument was visible on the horizon.The architect and owner agreed that this was a serendipitous opportunity. A badly needed renovation and addition of this residence was organized around a grand gesture reinforcing this view shed. A glassy “look out room” caps a new tower element added to the left side of the house and reveals distant views east over the Rosslyn business district and beyond to the National Mall.A two-story addition, containing a new kitchen and master suite, was placed in the rear yard, where a crumbling former porch and oddly shaped closet addition was removed. The new work defers to the original structure, stepping back to maintain a reading of the historic house. The dwelling was completely restored and repaired, maintaining existing room proportions as much as possible, while opening up views and adding larger windows. A small mudroom appendage engages the landscape and helps to create an outdoor room at the rear of the property. It also provides a secondary entrance to the house from the detached garage. Internally, there is a seamless transition between old and new.Photos: Hoachlander Davis Photography

WHOLE HOUSE RENOVATION AND ADDITIONBuilt in the 1940s, this cottage had an incredible amount of character and personality but was not conducive to the way we live today. The rooms were small and did not flow well into one another. The renovation of this house required opening up several rooms and adding square footage to the back of the home, all the while, keeping the curb appeal of a small cottage. Photographs by jeanallsopp.com

The existing 3000 square foot colonial home was expanded to more than double its original size. The end result was an open floor plan with high ceilings, perfect for entertaining, bathroom for every bedroom, closet space, mudroom, and unique details ~ all of which were high priorities for the homeowner. Photos-Peter Rymwid Photography

Rob Karosis
Inspiration for a country two-storey white exterior in New York.

Originally built in 1889 a short walk from the old East Falls Church rail station, the vaguely reminiscent gothic Victorian was a landmark in a neighborhood of late 19th century wood frame homes. The two story house had been changed many times over its 116 year life with most of the changes diminishing the style and integrity of the original home. Beginning during the mid-twentieth century, few of the changes could be seen as improvements. The wonderfully dominate front tower was obscured by a bathroom shed roof addition. The exterior skin was covered with asbestos siding, requiring the removal of any wood detailing projecting from its surface. Poorly designed diminutive additions were added to the rear creating small, awkward, low ceiling spaces that became irrelevant to the modern user. The house was in serious need of a significant renovation and restoration.A young family purchased the house and immediately realized the inadequacies; sub-par spaces, kitchen, bathrooms and systems. The program for this project was closely linked to aesthetics, function and budget. The program called for significantly enlarging the house with a major new rear addition taking the place of the former small additions. Critically important to the program was to not only protect the integrity of the original house, but to restore and expand the house in such a way that the addition would be seamless. The completed house had to fulfill all of the requirements of a modern house with significant living spaces, including reconfigured foyer, living room and dining room on the first floor and three modified bedrooms on the second floor. On the rear of the house a new addition created a new kitchen, family room, mud room, powder room and back stair hall. This new stair hall connected the new and existing first floor to a new basem*nt recreation room below and a new master bedroom suite with laundry and second bathroom on the second floor.The entire exterior of the house was stripped to the original sheathing. New wood windows, wood lap siding, wall trim including roof eave and rake trim were installed. Each of the details on the exterior of the house matched the original details. This fact was confirmed by researching the house and studying turn-of-the-century photographs. The second floor addition was removed, facilitating the restoration of the four sided mansard roof tower.The final design for the house is strong but not overpowering. As a renovated house, the finished product fits the neighborhood, restoring its standing as a landmark, satisfying the owner’s needs for house and home.Hoachlander Davis Photography

a small galley kitchen opens up to the Dining Room in a 19th century Row House
Inspiration for a small traditional separate kitchen in Boston with stainless steel appliances, recessed-panel cabinets, white cabinets and white splashback.

The Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C boasts some of the most beautiful and well maintained bungalows of the late 19th century. Residential streets are distinguished by the most significant craftsman icon, the front porch.Porter Street Bungalow was different. The stucco walls on the right and left side elevations were the first indication of an original bungalow form. Yet the swooping roof, so characteristic of the period, was terminated at the front by a first floor enclosure that had almost no penetrations and presented an unwelcoming face. Original timber beams buried within the enclosed mass provided theonly fenestration where they nudged through. The house,known affectionately as ‘the bunker’, was in serious need ofa significant renovation and restoration.A young couple purchased the house over 10 years ago asa first home. As their family grew and professional livesmatured the inadequacies of the small rooms and out of date systems had to be addressed. The program called to significantly enlarge the house with a major new rear addition. The completed house had to fulfill all of the requirements of a modern house: a reconfigured larger living room, new shared kitchen and breakfast room and large family room on the first floor and three modified bedrooms and master suite on the second floor.Front photo by Hoachlander Davis Photography.All other photos by Prakash Patel.

Originally built in 1889 a short walk from the old East Falls Church rail station, the vaguely reminiscent gothic Victorian was a landmark in a neighborhood of late 19th century wood frame homes. The two story house had been changed many times over its 116 year life with most of the changes diminishing the style and integrity of the original home. Beginning during the mid-twentieth century, few of the changes could be seen as improvements. The wonderfully dominate front tower was obscured by a bathroom shed roof addition. The exterior skin was covered with asbestos siding, requiring the removal of any wood detailing projecting from its surface. Poorly designed diminutive additions were added to the rear creating small, awkward, low ceiling spaces that became irrelevant to the modern user. The house was in serious need of a significant renovation and restoration.A young family purchased the house and immediately realized the inadequacies; sub-par spaces, kitchen, bathrooms and systems. The program for this project was closely linked to aesthetics, function and budget. The program called for significantly enlarging the house with a major new rear addition taking the place of the former small additions. Critically important to the program was to not only protect the integrity of the original house, but to restore and expand the house in such a way that the addition would be seamless. The completed house had to fulfill all of the requirements of a modern house with significant living spaces, including reconfigured foyer, living room and dining room on the first floor and three modified bedrooms on the second floor. On the rear of the house a new addition created a new kitchen, family room, mud room, powder room and back stair hall. This new stair hall connected the new and existing first floor to a new basem*nt recreation room below and a new master bedroom suite with laundry and second bathroom on the second floor.The entire exterior of the house was stripped to the original sheathing. New wood windows, wood lap siding, wall trim including roof eave and rake trim were installed. Each of the details on the exterior of the house matched the original details. This fact was confirmed by researching the house and studying turn-of-the-century photographs. The second floor addition was removed, facilitating the restoration of the four sided mansard roof tower.The final design for the house is strong but not overpowering. As a renovated house, the finished product fits the neighborhood, restoring its standing as a landmark, satisfying the owner’s needs for house and home.Hoachlander Davis Photography

Complete interior renovation of a 1980s split level house in the Virginia suburbs. Main level includes reading room, dining, kitchen, living and master bedroom suite. New front elevation at entry, new rear deck and complete re-cladding of the house. Interior: The prototypical layout of the split level home tends to separate the entrance, and any other associated space, from the rest of the living spaces one half level up. In this home the lower level "living" room off the entry was physically isolated from the dining, kitchen and family rooms above, and was only connected visually by a railing at dining room level. The owner desired a stronger integration of the lower and upper levels, in addition to an open flow between the major spaces on the upper level where they spend most of their time. ExteriorThe exterior entry of the house was a fragmented composition of disparate elements. The rear of the home was blocked off from views due to small windows, and had a difficult to use multi leveled deck. The owners requested an updated treatment of the entry, a more uniform exterior cladding, and an integration between the interior and exterior spaces. SOLUTIONS The overriding strategy was to create a spatial sequence allowing a seamless flow from the front of the house through the living spaces and to the exterior, in addition to unifying the upper and lower spaces. This was accomplished by creating a "reading room" at the entry level that responds to the front garden with a series of interior contours that are both steps as well as seating zones, while the orthogonal layout of the main level and deck reflects the pragmatic daily activities of cooking, eating and relaxing. The stairs between levels were moved so that the visitor could enter the new reading room, experiencing it as a place, before moving up to the main level. The upper level dining room floor was "pushed" out into the reading room space, thus creating a balcony over and into the space below. At the entry, the second floor landing was opened up to create a double height space, with enlarged windows. The rear wall of the house was opened up with continuous glass windows and doors to maximize the views and light. A new simplified single level deck replaced the old one.

Built in 1894, this historic Stick-style house in Cambridge, Mass. was originally part of an expansive estate owned by Gardiner Greene Hubbard, a lawyer who became the first president of National Geographic Magazine. His daughter married Alexander Graham Bell in the garden. Woodrow Wilson’s daughter later owned the house. Meyer & Meyer was commissioned by the new homeowners to better accommodate their active young family. The whole-house renovation included demolition of a small kitchen and its replacement with a gable-ended addition housing a new French-inspired SieMatic kitchen. The original paneling and woodwork was restored to its original state, filled in where missing, and complemented with new paint colors and hand-painted wall coverings and furniture. The project scope involved conversion of an upstairs office into a master bedroom-bathroom suite, renovation of all bathrooms, enhanced closet space, and an excavation below the house to create a new family room and guest suite with 10-foot-high ceilings.

This small space bathroom features many small space tricks, including the perfect combination of mirror and glass, a beautiful floating vanity and an ample amount of storage in all of the right places. Photography by Brandon Barre.

Traditional blue exterior in Atlanta.

This stained glass window was not original to the space. It was removed from a different house just before it was going to be torn down and installed in this house. It does a perfect job of letting light in with privacy.Photographer: John WilbanksInterior Designer: Kathryn Tegreene Interior Design

Darren Kerr photography
Small contemporary exterior in Brisbane with a shed roof.

A further exploration in small scale living, this project was designed with the explicit idea that quality is better than quantity, and further, that the best way to have a small footprint is to literally have a small footprint. The project takes advantage of its small size to allow the use of higher quality and more advanced construction systems and materials while maintaining on overall modest cost point. Extensive use of properly oriented glazing connects the interior spaces to the landscape and provides a peaceful, quiet, and fine living environment.

Award-winning designs of Whole House Renovations and Additions by Glickman Design Build team of designers.Glickman Design Build has been doing renovations and additions in the MD, VA and DC area for the past 30 plus years. @John Cole Photography

Award-winning designs of Whole House Renovations and Additions by Glickman Design Build team of designers.Glickman Design Build has been doing renovations and additions in the MD, VA and DC area for the past 30 plus years. @John Cole Photography