photo by Deborah Degraffenreid

Nestled into a tree-covered hilltop in Fairfax CA this simple timber-framed house exploits what many have considered to be a very restrictive and constrained site too small to develop. The perimeter of the house follows exactly the site and its set back lines thus dictating the overall size and volume. The house was designed for a young couple as a starter home in this desirable area where they would normally be priced out. The strict budget influenced the design of standard off-the-shelf components and an easy and quick construction sequence minimalizing the build time. The house straddle’s a small brook in a ravine at the apex of a hairpin bend on an unincorporated road. Supported on eight concrete peers elevating the house to road level, the layout of the house is based on a simple twelve-foot grid, with an adjoining six-foot tapering sliver along the north-facing long edge, giving the overall footprint the shape of a blunt wedge. Accessed over a triangular bridge dictated by site lines, the entrance is via a covered porte cochere with a balcony above. The entranceway can be closed for security by means of a large sliding door of matching slatted wood. The entrance proper is via a stock sliding glass patio door to the main living space. The choice of sliding window is repeated throughout the building. In its current flexible configuration, the living space is a double-height experience, beyond which on the left centrally located is a spiral staircase leading to the bedroom and bathroom above. Both these rooms have built-in storage. Both bedrooms boast a double-height slopping ceiling; clerestory windows that give the building its distinctive character, and a balcony. On the ground floor beyond the spiral staircase is built-in and concealed fully equipped kitchen and open plan dining area, beyond which, externally and underneath one of the bedroom balconies is an outdoor bbq kitchen.