101 Cali

101 Cali is an 819 square foot one bedroom condo in Santa Monica, a short walk from the ocean. It was the first project AGG Construction Group took on. The unit was dark, cramped, and had low ceilings, and the constraints of a small footprint meant there was no obvious way to solve any of that by moving walls.

The answer came from above. When the existing ceilings were demolished, more than four feet of additional height was found concealed above them. That height was captured by taking the ceiling up to the top of the podium, which is the single decision that changed the unit. A room that measures 819 square feet on paper reads as considerably larger once vertical volume is available, and the light that reaches the back of the space changes with it.

The floor plan was reworked around the new proportions. Materials were selected to hold the calm, coastal character the location suggests rather than fight it, with textured stone finishes, custom cabinets, and plumbing fixtures chosen as a set instead of individually. Electrical and HVAC were replaced, new flooring went in, and the unit was repainted throughout.

Finding four feet of usable height in a condo nobody thought had any is not a construction outcome, it is a design outcome. It comes from surveying what a building actually contains before assuming the existing conditions are fixed, and it is the highest return decision available in a small unit.

If you own a small condo that feels smaller than its square footage, our Santa Monica general contractors can look at what the building may be hiding above the ceiling before you consider moving.

Scope of Work: Santa Monica Condo Remodel

• Ceiling raised to the top of the podium, capturing over four feet of concealed height
• Reworked floor plan
• Custom kitchen cabinets
• Custom stone and countertops
• New electrical and HVAC
• New flooring
• Fresh paint throughout

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