West End, Galveston Island, TX — 2023
After thirty years in a two-story colonial in Dallas, Tom and Sandra knew exactly what they wanted for their next chapter: a home where everything they needed was on one level, in a community where the pace of life matched their new retirement rhythm. The West End of Galveston Island checked every box — except one. Flood zone regulations required the living floor to sit well above grade.
Most builders would have told them to accept stairs as inevitable. We saw it differently. By designing an elevated first floor accessed by a gentle, code-compliant ramp integrated into the home's architecture, we delivered true single-story living without sacrificing flood compliance. The ramp curves gracefully along the home's south side, doubling as a shaded walkway with garden views.
Inside, the open floor plan flows seamlessly from the entry through a vaulted living area into a kitchen designed for the couple's love of hosting friends from back home. Wide doorways, zero-threshold showers, and thoughtful blocking in the walls for future grab bars ensure this home will serve Tom and Sandra comfortably for decades to come — all without ever feeling clinical or institutional.
The Build Process
We spent an afternoon with Tom and Sandra understanding how they planned to live — their daily routines, entertaining habits, mobility considerations, and future needs. This informed every design decision that followed, ensuring the home would age as gracefully as its owners.
Starting with our Mid-Size Coastal plan as a foundation, we customized extensively: widening hallways to 42 inches, eliminating level changes, integrating the architectural ramp, and redesigning the garage to sit beneath the elevated living floor with a residential elevator shaft roughed in for future installation.
Elevation certificates confirmed our design met all flood zone requirements while maintaining the single-story living experience. The integrated garage below required specific breakaway wall engineering to satisfy FEMA guidelines for construction in the coastal flood zone.
The build progressed smoothly through summer, with the elevated slab-on-pier foundation setting the stage for the single-level living floor. Special attention was paid to the ramp's integration — it reads as a natural extension of the home's front porch rather than an afterthought.
Tom and Sandra moved in just before the holidays, hosting their first Galveston Christmas with family visiting from Dallas. Their feedback: "It doesn't feel like a retirement home. It feels like the home we always should have had."
The Challenge
Galveston's West End sits squarely in a FEMA-designated flood zone, requiring finished floor elevations well above grade. For most coastal homes, this means stairs — lots of them. But for a retired couple specifically seeking single-story, step-free living, the standard elevated coastal home was a non-starter. The question was whether accessibility and flood compliance could coexist.
The Solution
We designed the home's primary living level at the required elevation, then tucked a two-car garage and utility storage into the space beneath. Access to the living floor comes via an architecturally integrated ramp that curves along the home's south elevation, shaded by the main roof overhang and lined with native plantings. The result: the clients drive into their ground-level garage, take an elevator or walk the gentle ramp, and arrive at a fully single-story home with zero steps once inside.
Your Turn
Whether you're building for accessibility, retirement, or simply the next chapter, we design homes that adapt to your life — not the other way around.
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