Size Wise Design

What is Gamble Residential Size Wise?

Gamble Residential works in a complex world of customer requirements. These have evolved during the seventy years of our practice. Some have stayed the same, while others have changed with financial considerations and styles of the times. John H. Gamble, at the beginning of Gamble Residential, designed in what is frequently called mid-century style, a modern group of genres of the last century. It had the advantages of simplicity and an organic connection with the land.

Since that time, the “mid-century modern” style has come back into favor for the same reasons it was popular seventy years ago. Though there are numerous examples of expensive dwellings of this type, the  restraint and unity of the style makes it a wonderful choice for simple, inexpensive projects. 

The first John H. Gamble design was for himself, his wife Elizabeth, and their two small children. It was a two bedroom, one bath home in Monterey, California and cost less than $5,000 to build. It was intended for this family of four. That was not considered extraordinarily small in those days. The young John B. Gamble, then a toddler, remembers it as a warm and exciting place to live. 

Using this as inspiration, John B. and David J. Gamble set about to create a series of smaller home designs that would meet the same universal needs faced by John H. and Elizabeth Gamble in 1948: simple, small homes that are beautifully designed for those who realize that a tiny house is not practical over a long period of time for them, who still want a home of beauty and design that is within a reasonable budget. This is Size Wise. 

Visit our Size Wise Plans & Renderings Page to to see example plans and renderings.

Each Size Wise design is available as a plan set which can be purchased for construction. Contact us, for pricing and other information regarding plan sets.

Size Wise Defined

A Gamble Residential Size Wise Home is one that meets the following design requirements, it:

• Has a simple, clean, modern design

• Is smaller than the traditional suburban home

• Is less expensive to build because of the simple design and smaller size

• Uses common, available, durable, materials

• Considers green building design aesthetically and functionally

  • Has passive and active solar design elements

  • Is designed to blend with nature 

• Has elements of safety design, including:

  • Safety from wildfires (proximal fuel distance and material selection and use)

  • Earthquake and wind resistance code adherence 

Size Wise To Code

Since home design must meet rigorous building codes and zoning requirements, Size Wise Homes are available with construction plans. We work in the Northern California area and follow the California Residential Code and other California mechanical, and electrical codes, which are based on the International Residential Code (IRC). These are rigorous standards and which are adopted by many municipalities and county building agencies. We are happy to work with clients with special requirements. 

Size Wise designs are different sizes and work on different sized parcels of land. Contact us for additional information. Some of these designs can be modified for additional or fewer bedrooms and, or bathrooms.

Where Size Wise Can Be Built

The dwellings shown here can be built on practically any legal building site that has the property size requirements indicated for each. Each individual property owner must ensure that a structure can be built on their site. For purposes of calculating, we used setback requirements of twenty feet in the front, ten feet in the rear, and six feet at the each side of the property, as these are somewhat standard in our area. Property slope is another consideration. These designs are for properties that slope no more than three or four feet from property side to property side, or front to back. Often a “building pad” can be graded into steeper sites, but this can require additional retaining walls and construction expense. We are happy to look at your particular needs and advise you as to whether this is the right choice for you and whether required modifications can be made to the design to suit your land. 

All the Size Wise plans are drawn for lots within areas without a “snow load” factor. This means that Size Wise plans can be adapted to high elevations where accumulated snow is a factor but would require special engineering and materials. The same is true of areas where there are frost-line depth considerations. In the central California area; that is, not in the mountains of California, where we are based, the ground does not freeze in the winter and does not have to be considered when calculating the depth of the foundation or figuring exterior plumbing fixtures. In areas with colder climates, modifications may need to be made to the plans. These can be provided, and are required with any structure within those climate zones.

Each Size Wise design is available as a plan set which can be purchased for construction. Contact us, for pricing and other information regarding plan sets.