Nearly 80 percent of the site is inaccessible due to the granite features. In the face of the immensity of the earth before you, it humbles you.
The task was to preserve the immensity and the calm of the natural beauty and bring it into the home. We devised a way to connect to the rock, allowing the most stable unfractured portion of the rock to be in the living room.
The coolness of the rock gives the home a feeling of stability and strength. Touching the rock daily is a deeply grounding experience.
The rock bluff was hugged by the home. Rebar was drilled into the rock and concrete was poured surrounding the rock face.
In the concrete and granite interface we added a line of bentonite rope. This is made with a special type of clay that expands on contact with water sealing off water ingress. The top line of concrete was also shaped as a large gutter and lined with asphalt. A thin line was cut into the rock above and counter flashed with metal flashing similar to how one uses flashing around a chimney.
The courtyard splits the house into two domains. A private sleeping half on the right side and the public living space on the right side. The entry connects to the street, the courtyard and rock bluff beyond.
A courtyard in the middle of the home allows for a private outdoor place to rest. Or on other days, a great place to entertain.
The house sits on the only flat part of the lot and the rock bluff and native vegetation rise behind.
The rock is viewed in different ways in the interior of the home. The living room has a piece of the rock bluff in the room itself, as well as looking through glass to the larger rock bluff outside.
The master bedroom uses the rock as a headboard.
The master shower uses the rock for privacy and for a zen art piece.
The kitchen is along one wall and the dining table is raised to act as both extra counter space as well as bar style dining.
The open concept kitchen/dining/living space is flexible for traditional use, rearranged for a dance floor during parties, as well as a studio for bed and breakfast or guest use.
