Kitchen, Game Room, and Family Flow
In this 4,700-square-foot, two-story house on Spanish Dry Diggins Road, the kitchen sits at the center of family life, while the dedicated pub and game room are set apart from the main living areas. The current layout means that when the children do homework or grab snacks, they tend to cluster at the edge of the kitchen, often with the family dog underfoot. That separation solves some crowding but does not help with supervision or noise: a parent working at the quartz countertop or standing at the range cannot easily see or hear what is happening in the game room, especially with the kitchen’s soft-close cabinetry and the hand-scraped walnut butcher block island acting as a hub for activity.
To address this, my plan for the household in this Georgetown home is to rework the visual and physical connection between the kitchen and the game room, without turning the entire main floor into a single, noisy expanse. The kitchen’s existing island, with its prep sink and 220-volt connection, will remain in place, as will the breakfast area and pantry cabinet. The goal is to widen the opening between the kitchen and game room to create a clear, direct sightline from the stove to the children’s play area. This allows for easy movement between the kitchen, family room, and backyard-facing gathering space, all without forcing the kids to cross the main cooking zone.
Sound management is just as critical for this family as sightlines. The game room, designed for entertaining and family activities, can become loud. I recommend installing a closable glazed door at the new opening between the kitchen and game room. This gives the adults the ability to supervise from the kitchen while also providing a way to contain noise when needed. Adding a substantial rug and fabric window coverings to the game room will further dampen sound, making the main living areas more comfortable for homework or quiet evenings. The house’s central propane heating and multi-zone cooling system, including ceiling fans and a whole house fan, should be adjusted to maintain comfort across both floors after the new connection is made. These separate climate zones are a strength of this house and should be preserved, not erased.
Office and Family Spaces
This custom ranchette, built in 1992, includes a dedicated office as well as a large game room. The office is a valuable separate space, especially in a home that is more than twice the median size of other single-family homes sold in Georgetown in the past year (Redfin’s Georgetown sold-home data). In this house, the office should remain distinct from the children’s activity zones, supporting both remote work and quiet study. A published office conversion in a historic Georgetown home shows that flexible workspaces are valued here, but this house’s layout already provides an office, so there is no need to absorb it into the family or game rooms (Apartment Therapy’s Georgetown house tour). Instead, the focus should be on tuning the circulation and flow among the family gathering spaces, especially where the sunken living and family rooms connect to the kitchen and deck.
Septic System and Bath Count
The property relies on an onsite septic system, as is typical for parcels outside the GDPUD’s Auburn Lake Trails Zone in Georgetown (GDPUD wastewater services). The house’s record shows four bathrooms and six bedrooms, and the septic system’s capacity is not specified in the available documents. GDPUD’s standards allow for expansion fees if system improvements are needed, but without a confirmed fixture or bedroom limit, the safest approach is to keep the current bathroom and bedroom count. Any remodel that changes plumbing fixtures or adds bedrooms should only proceed after confirming the system’s capacity and any required fees with GDPUD.
Exterior, Fire Zone, and Materials
This parcel is classified by CAL FIRE as being in a Very High Fire Hazard Severity Zone (CAL FIRE Fire Hazard Severity Zones). That means any replacement of exterior elements, such as the composition and metal roof, clapboard siding, or the new redwood decking, must use fire-resistant materials as required by the California Building Standards Code and El Dorado County. The house’s brick exterior accents should be retained as a durable, low-maintenance visual anchor. For the rest of the exterior, I recommend specifying a more contemporary color palette to update the look while meeting fire safety requirements. The redwood deck, which faces the large fenced backyard and pool, should be refinished or replaced with fire-rated materials to preserve both style and safety. The mature trees, pond, and equestrian structures on the 14-acre lot enhance privacy but also reinforce the need for defensible space and careful landscape choices.
If your family is living in a house like this one in Georgetown and wants to make its rooms work better for children, gatherings, and quiet moments, I am ready to help you shape a plan that fits your household and this remarkable property.