Site size: 1 acre
Project size: 6,000 square feet
Program: The five-bedroom house is located on a heavily wooded, steeply sloping site within a 2,200 acre multigenerational ski and golf club.
Location: The mountainous region between Truckee and Lake Tahoe in California.
Solution: The building’s L shape forms an entry court that screens the neighbors to the north, south, and west from car headlights in the evening. One arrives at the crux of the L at the upper floor, which houses the master suite and shared spaces. A stone fireplace separates the great room from the dining room and kitchen, all of which share an expansive glass wall providing uninterrupted views of the Carson Mountain Range. Beyond the glass is an outdoor deck/lounge designed for entertaining, complete with fire pit, freestanding grill and infrared heaters to provide warmth on chilly evenings. A board-formed concrete lower floor emerges at the rear of the house as the property slopes downhill. This volume is pulled away from the mountain view side of the shared spaces, creating a large terrace plinth for outdoor entertaining. By placing this floor, which comprises guest bedrooms, laundry, and an outdoor deck, downslope, the house appears as a one story structure upon arrival, maximizing the ability to see over and beyond.
Construction and materials: Wanting to keep a low profile to the house, the strategy was to address the roof as the primary driver of form. The roof gently rises from grade— where it encompasses utilitarian spaces such as the mudroom and garage—then wraps the site until achieving its highest point where the shared spaces face the valley and mountain range in the distance. The black metal roof and black stained cedar siding were chosen for their ability to visually recede and blur the definition between horizontal and vertical surfaces.
Additional Information
Completion date: August 2016
Gross square footage: 6,000 square feet
Total project cost: withheld
Total construction cost: withheld
Client/Owner: withheld
