designing a forever home in the country

This project is uncommon for building Lab because of its rural context and the collaborative way it is being managed and built. Our client, a recently married and soon-to-be-retired couple, approached us as they just purchased a 1970's ranch with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths on 2 acres in Petaluma. Our charge was to create an energy efficient and attractive home where they could live for the rest of their lives together.

Top left: North and East showing a small deck accessed from the master suite, and a long deck with a semi-enclosed porch at one end. Future garage/shop on the right. Bottom left: South and East side showing main entry. Top right: interior view showing kitchen and dining. Bottom right: closer look at the deck and semi-enclosed porch.

Plan: common areas on the left (west), bedrooms on the right (east), vaulted area in the middle visually connects the front entry to the back deck

relating to the site

What struck our project architect Jackie Detamore the most in her first site visit was the house's complete lack of engagement with its beautiful setting. Therefore, her first priority was to create a more meaningful dialog between the building and its surroundings.

On the volumetric level, she has achieved this goal by breaking up the long rectangular box. Small gables paired with a vaulted tongue & groove ceiling visually lead the viewer through the front entry (south) to the deck (north) and the landscape beyond. The roof of the western end of the house is also raised such that it can extend on the north side to cover a semi-enclosed porch. This porch serves as a more sheltered sitting area and an anchor for the deck running alongside much of the house.

From an experiential perspective, windows and sliding doors are placed strategically to frame the views, and to facilitate the indoor/outdoor connection. The master bedroom, with the best views at the north eastern end, gets a corner window and sliders that open up to a small private deck. The hot tub is located just down a short flight of steps.

North side of house with views: sliding doors under the small gable connect the dining area to a long deck anchored by a semi-enclosed porch at one end. This porch will be screened to give the house more character. Zip panels in green.

optimizing everything

In approaching this project, bL's designers were very conscious of the client's wishes and the budgetary constraints. The master bedroom, with the ensuite bath and dressing area, is more carefully finished, whereas the other bedrooms and the hall bath are straightforward and efficient. The layout is planned for comfortable and casual living, and yet special character is created at key locations. The entry area is enlarged with new steps and landing, and the front door (with transom window and sidelights) makes a more welcoming gesture to visitors. High on the list of our client's priorities were to have a weather tight building envelope and all energy efficient infrastructures. The ZIP system used here consists of all-in-one structural panels/sheathing with built-in exterior insulation and water and air protection. This is also an all electric house that is solar ready, with a heat pump for hot water.

Master bedroom has a corner window and sliding glass doors to capture the best views

New skylight above master bath

building collaboratively

Rare among building Lab's projects, this job is being constructed mostly by our building partner Ben Jennings of Jennings-McCann Construction, with cabinetry and much of the interior finishes to be completed by one of the owners, an experienced woodworker. This arrangement is possible due to a unique combination of competence and flexibility on all sides. As of this writing, the project is going smoothly with the expected precautions and pauses due to Covid.

An interesting backstory: our woodworker homeowner discovered building Lab when he read the perennial DIY best-seller, Renovation 5th Edition, by Michael Litchfield, a founding editor of Fine Homebuilding magazine, and a long time friend and supporter of building Lab.

a different kind of how-to books

What distinguishes Michael's books from others in the field is that he draws on 40 years of conversations with carpenters, electricians, engineers, plumbers, designers, and other building professionals, mostly on job sites across North America. In a chapter about project planning in Renovation 5, Michael advises readers to plan for the long term and create lasting value. He recommends choosing improvements that will make the house more comfortable, easier to maintain and operate, more flexible now and in the years to come. To illustrate this approach of thoughtful planning and enduring value, he selected our Stephen and Taya Shoup's renovation of a 1957 Eichler as one of five case studies. In an earlier book, Inlaws, Outlaws, and Granny Flats (2011), Michael wrote the first and to-date best book on ADUs long before ADUs became all the rage. In it, Stephen and Taya's first home, a residence attached to a woodworker's studio, is featured as an example of urban cool for a young family. The recycled shipping container which housed the building Lab office is also featured as an example of sustainable building.