Located in the Napa Valley, on the hillside site of a home lost to fire in 2017, this house is designed to capture the full potential of the site and views in a way that the previous home did not. The 5,173-square-foot home, (consisting of a 4,771-square-foot main house and a 402-square-foot detached pool house), replaces a 4,261-square-foot home that had been completely destroyed. Set at the end of a cul-de-sac, the unique property is bordered by land donated to the Land Trust of Napa County, with a conservation easement assuring that the southerly views are permanently free of fences, neighbors or development.
The client – a single, recently-retired attorney with grown children and grandchildren – wanted a house where he could welcome his family, connect to nature and celebrate the views. His original intent was for this to be his second home. Motivated by the fire to change his plans, he decided to retire, sell his primary residence and build his full-time home in the Napa Valley.
The new start offered the opportunity to rethink the home’s orientation to the land and views, and correct the original home’s shortcomings. The first challenge was access: the entry sequence to the original house was challenging, requiring 47 steps from vehicle parking to the main entry. The original approach - which landed visitors at the home’s lower level with their back to the view and a full flight of stairs to traverse - has been replaced with sweeping drive that draws visitors along a long, linear wall set perpendicular to the view around to the north side of the house. The final turn reveals the view, for a dramatic sense of discovery. The entry courtyard – an enclosed, protected space – similarly shields the view until visitors enter and experience the full sweep of the view toward the valley to their right and the open space directly in front of them. On a clear day, Mt. Tamalpais – located in Marin County far to the south - is visible in the distance.
A second challenge was to create a sense of privacy and shield views of the large homes on the hillside to the north. The new site plan positions the house so that it enjoys magnificent westerly and southwesterly views, while largely turning its back on the northerly views, which are blocked by the garage and the walls of the entry courtyard. Existing trees and the sweep of the new driveway make the new home virtually invisible from the valley below, while the downslope below the structure ensures that no cars or roads are visible from the house.
The architectural solution is clean, contemporary and driven by function. Given the location adjacent to wildlands, and the history of fire on the site, fire resistance was a key driver for the design. Plaster walls, glass, metal roofing and fire-resistant landscape all help to mitigate fire risk. The home’s cross-axial plan is straightforward, the long axis set perpendicular to the slope and the short axis - defined by its distinctive butterfly roof - positioned to embrace the views to the southwest. The downslope of the butterfly roof echoes the hillside, while the upslope opens the interior to the full force of the view. Nearly half the house cantilevers out toward the view, minimizing the home’s footprint.
Inside, the great room is the primary gathering space and fully opens to protected terraces on either side, (the entry courtyard on one side and the covered terrace and pool on the other). The arrangement promotes cross-ventilation. The uplighting on the stone entry wall is a beautiful feature visible from the kitchen and dining areas, while the light patterns from the trellis on the opposite terrace create a play of light on the interior. The adjacent living room is all about the view, as is the primary bedroom on the other side of the shared fireplace.
The house has proven to be a perfect fit for the client, who entertains often and hosts his daughters and their families there nearly every weekend. What began with a tragic fire has resulted in a cherished home that works with the landscape and captures the site’s opportunities in a way that the original home simply did not.
