Home tour: Expanding a little bit at a time in Atwater

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This story begins nine years ago when architect Rebecca Rudolph and her designer-builder husband, Colin Thompson, bought a cottage in Atwater Village. It was cheap ($139,000) and tiny (500 square feet). Someone else might have seen a tear down, but they saw opportunity for a modest expansion.

First came a stylish 300-square-foot detached office, followed by a remodel that more than doubled the size of the house while keeping most of the yard intact. The result is a swoon-worthy home filled with lots of fresh ideas -- a wall of salvaged wood fencing in the living room, a translucent curtain that blocks UV rays but not the view, plus low-water landscaping and a green roof.

To read more about the house check out Lisa Boone’s story, or click through a photo gallery of the home.

-- Deborah Netburn

Photos clockwise from top right: Rebecca Rudolph pulls a curtain that blocks UV rays; Colin Thompson waters the roof; the couple’s daughter Rei Thompson watches television in the living room. Photo credit: Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times