A beach cottage becomes a coastal gem

Custom Home, La Jolla

Build Type

Custom Home

Location

La Jolla, CA

Project Leads

Pancho Dewhurst
Builder

Michael Morton
Architect

Services

Pre Construction
Construction

Client Need

The client purchased an oceanfront beach cottage in La Jolla’s Bird Rock neighborhood. They challenged GDC and Marengo Morton Architects to utilize the land to create a modern home with indoor-outdoor living. The modernist look was continued with unique building materials and cutting edge construction techniques.

Our Solution

The existing home was taken down to its foundation and new caissons were erected to support a new oceanfront deck. Numerous engineering challenges were overcome by GDC to support the new structure and maximize the property’s extensive views. Exterior grout line drainage and Fry Reglet recessed baseboards throughout the home exemplify the intricate craftsmanship performed by GDC Construction.

 

When we undertook the challenge of converting our beach front home to an ocean front villa, we got ready for a year of pain and aggravation. Pancho and the GDC team alleviated all our fears and we are extremely happy and satisfied with the result and experience. The quality of the work, attention to detail, timeliness and attitude of workers and staff, use of the best subcontractors, never cutting corners and always striving for perfection – This is what GDC Construction is all about. We would never use anyone else.
Joe Casola, Homeowner
The home’s handmade front door is made by carving the design in sand, which then serves as a mold for molten glass that is poured onto it and left to cool.
The home’s two huge decks are complemented by a massive canary palm weighing thousands of pounds, which GDC craned into place over the home.
The 2 foot-by-2-foot basalt tiles run from the exterior courtyard into the interior kitchen.
The kitchen features an exterior bar pass-through for entertaining.
The master suite deck has a firepit and stunning ocean views.
The residence has two custom doors: A mahogany garage door and a handmade poured-glass door.
From the huge Fleetwood sliding doors, to the consistent tiling, the home is designed to maximize San Diego’s wonderful climate via indoor-outdoor living spaces.
The main living area has a Spark Linear Burner fireplace with custom granite surround. The television can be hidden by a sliding mirror. All furnishings are by Roche Bobois.
The kitchen is fitted with Bergen and Brasier custom cabinetry, and has clever design details like a recessed and hidden vent for the range.
The home’s floating staircase is made from reclaimed Indonesian teak, supported by structural tube steel.
The home features Fleetwood sliding doors throughout that maximize the home’s indoor-outdoor living aesthetic. The master bedroom has custom beams built by GDC’s craftsmen.
The master bathroom has ocean views, floating cabinetry and a custom medicine cabinet.
The bathrooms all feature floor-to-ceiling custom tiles, including this wave motif, which echoes the ocean just outside. The shower has a one-piece glass door with no threshold.
The guest bedroom has Fleetwood sliding doors that lead out onto an oceanfront patio. The doors also have hidden, recessed blackout shades for privacy.
Another bathroom featuring the wave-motif tiles. This bathroom also has a Japanese deep-soaking bathtub.
GDC’s carpenters created custom mahogany doors and jambs for the office and laundry space.

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