A popular location for post-war, coastal, vacation homes, South Laguna still remains the many of the intimately scaled beach cottages from this era, along with leafy streets without sidewalks and street lights. An 850 s.f. redwoods beach cottage built in 1948 stood on the site under a dense grove of eucalyptus trees when the owners acquired the property. Programmatically, the owners wished to achieve a total of approximately 2,500 s.f. of living space to accommodate a family which included two young children. Additionally, the hillside site would need to provide suitable exterior play space for the kids and also an outdoor eating and cooking area for the gathering of family and friends. The design evolved into a compound of structures in which the original cottage is connected to a separate, new structure by a bridge suspended above a central courtyard. The bridge became the mediating element between the old and the new. The original cottage contains sleeping spaces, while the new structure communal spaces, such as the kitchen, dining and family rooms. A sculptural interplay of material, light and space integrate the original and new structure into a harmonious whole.