Sea Ranch Additions

Owner of the original house, designed by Lyndon/Buchanan Architects needed an addition to provide her with an office space to be able to work while staying at the Sea Ranch. The addition is made up of two pieces: Studio space fronting the ocean on the west and the picturesque rock outcropping to the southwest, and a new garage pointing toward the stream and its band of myrtles. The link between the two creates an extension to a fenced orchard and on the south side creates an interior court entry area enclosed by the utility sheds. Protected from the prevailing northwest winds by the two-story bedroom wing and perched at mid-level, new sunny decks augment the studio areas and becomes one of the principal spaces of the addition. The bathroom, a compact skylit space, opens across the balcony of the stairway to the office space below. The forms of the house are made simply: a shed rises up over the living areas, an opposite, subsidiary shed covers the bathroom, middle landing and entry. The wood-frame construction of the house plays with the light falling on its interior surfaces, and the Douglas fir wood walls and tile floor glow with warmth in a climate where pullovers are generally welcome. Skylights play an important role in bringing morning sun into the spaces and in balancing light throughout the day. The exterior surfaces are all clad in redwood siding, weathering to settle in among the meadow and the trees.