On a 2-acre lot bordered by a neighborhood road on three sides, the virgin site offered both  alpine views and privacy among abundant trees .  The primary challenge was to design a home to engage the outward views, while maintaining some of the same wooded privacy the lot had before construction.

The home is cut deeply along the north into its gently sloping site.  While the styling and detail is traditional, the floorplan is a contemporary “open plan” concept, where the primary cooking, dining, and living functions exist together within a large open “living” space, which is closely connected to “outdoor living” spaces (and views) through large glass doors.

Designed as a permanent retirement home, the house places all necessary primary functions – garage, laundry, master suite, kitchen/dining and living – on the main floor.  Even though the owners are still quite young and active, placement of all primary spaces on the ground level ensures the house can function well long into retirement.  It also  allows close integration of primary indoor spaces with outdoor spaces and helps maintain privacy among the trees.  The upper level contains a large library/office space, guest / “bunk” room, and a large private studio apartment, which can be accessed through a “lock off” door inside, or through a private entry on the north.