Small-space living in Highland Park

Todd Segal and his 14-year-old daughter Jay walk their dog Bubbers down the street in front of their home in Highland Park. The home’s exterior siding and colors are reminiscent of New England, where Segal grew up. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

March 18, 2015 10:37 AM PT

Contractor Todd Segal’s 1919 Highland Park home began as 624 square feet, squatters included. The squatters are gone. The cabin is still tiny. Take a tour with us ...

Highland Park cabin is rebuilt better, but not bigger

Segal chose a dark gray Benjamin Moore color known as Dragon’s Breath and red aluminum-clad windows from Jeld Wen. The Craftsman-style windows are powder coated with a baked paint finish so they never have to be repainted. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Todd Segal’s daughter Jay has a bowl of soup in the compact dining area next to the kitchen. He installed a 24-inch Fisher Paykel range that gave him enough space for a dining table separating the kitchen and living areas. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Todd Segal on the back deck of his 624-square-foot home in Highland Park. The contractor took the house down to the studs and rebuilt everything, including the deck. “I wanted to live on a mountain,” he says. “It doesn’t feel like L.A. to me.” (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

In the living room, a modern wall unit is both utilitarian and a slim space-saver. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Jay Segal plays with her dog Bubbers in the loft her father built for her. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Jay’s tall, narrow loft is equipped with a ladder composed of drawers for her things. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Simple accessories line the wall between the kitchen and dining area. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

With space at a premium, a candle is mounted on the wall above the dining table. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

The 1919 home was rebuilt with a different floor plan but the same original footprint -- 624 square feet. The kitchen is now where the living room used to be. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

With one bedroom, one bathroom and an open living-dining-kitchen area, the house is not much bigger than a one-bedroom apartment. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

An open closet in Segal’s bedroom allows for easy access. “Before I buy anything, I have to consider if I have room for it,” he says of small space living. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Outdoors, Jay Segal watches the afternoon sun go down from the deck. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

In the bathroom, Segal installed an open walk-in shower adjacent to the tub to open up the space. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

A built-in nook offers a resting place for personal mementos. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Jay’s silhouette is seen through translucent door panels. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

A detail of custom cabinet pulls in the entryway of Todd Segal’s 624-square-foot home in Highland Park. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Segal also installed striking light fixtures of his own design made of basket-weave ebonized white oak. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Jay finds a cozy spot where she can work on her computer. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

Todd Segal and his 14-year-old daughter Jay work on her homework in the dining-living room of their 624-square-foot home. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

A bubbling fountain on the lower deck. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)

“I really like that it’s this size,” Todd Segal says. “It’s what makes the house so unique. If I added on to the back, it would be like every other house.” (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times)