With summer right around the corner, cool pools are calling. Over the years, Giffin & Crane has built and remodeled dozens of family homes that take advantage of the Southern California views and semi-arid temperatures that tend to pull people outside. Life just gets better when there’s a clean, cool swimming pool nearby. Here’s a handful of some of our favorites.
Covering 13,000 square feet on two and a half acres, this hilltop mansion by architect Don Nulty blends the state-of-the-art amenities of modern homebuilding with a timeless design rooted in early 20th Century estate architecture. Mediterranean lines with lots of arched window glass welcome long views across the Santa Barbara Channel as Moroccan accents highlight interior spaces. Photograph by Jim Bartsch. Covering 5,500 square feet with four bedrooms and four baths, including a second-story master suite, this French-Italian farmhouse features imported limestone fireplace surrounds, hand-hewn oak beams from the 19th Century, and sprinklers and tempered window glass to meet strict building codes for mountainous areas prone to wildfire. Architecture by Chris Dentzel. Photograph by Jim Bartsch. For this extensive remodel, Mosaic Architects & Interiors transformed a plain house into a home with conspicuous architectural highlights, indoor-outdoor connections, and a reimagined master suite. The main living area features reclaimed beams and wood flooring, plus an imported limestone fireplace sharing space with a three-radius archway. Upstairs, the mansard roof was opened up to create an oversized dormer, with 10-foot ceilings and a new floor plan to take in the view of the pool and mountains. Photograph by Jim Bartsch. Returning from a trip to the tropics, the owners of this 1960s ranch home brought Caribbean flavor to an extensive, room-by-room remodel, headed up by architect Loren Solin. Fewer walls, more glass, and dormer windows enhance glorious vistas from the trussed, open-beam living spaces. Outside, there’s poolside accents, a metal roof, and colors adding more vibrancy to the desired flair. Photo by Jim Bartsch. This six bedroom, seven bath spread features double-framed exterior walls with rigid-panel reflective insulation to keep the home cooler in summer and warmer in winter. Its state-of-the-art solar system heats the pool, fuels super-efficient LED lighting, and generates surplus energy credits. All of it was composed inconspicuously inside a modern-day Mediterranean feel by architect Tom Meaney. Photo by Jim Bartsch.
