Hopland, California

Site Size: 16 acres

Project Size: 1,140 square feet

Program: The architects Grygoriy Ladigin, Casper Mork-Ulnes, and Andreas Tingulstad at SFOSL were commissioned to build a cabin for two couples to share in a remote town in Mendocino County, which is located along the Pacific Coast two hours north of San Francisco. With a modest budget of less than $200 per square foot, the clients wanted to spend roughly $200,000 for a residence that would take advantage of views of a mountaintop, a valley, and a rock formation while also preserving the oak trees scattered throughout the site.

Solution: The architects’ challenge was to capture all three views without obstructing the oak canopy. The roots of the oak trees are shallow and cannot support a conventional concrete perimeter foundation, so the architects raised the structure on stilts. The residence is separated into four spokes—three of the arms frame the views and the fourth acts as an entry to the cabin.

The wood frame structure is clad in unfinished raw steel panels. It is elevated on steel stilts, which are lodged in bedrock dispersed between the tree roots. The only exception is a small concrete foundation supporting the entry stair; a communal spa sinks into the concrete foundation. The interior surfaces are unfinished plywood and orientated strand board.

People

Owner: Glen Berry, Kate Micawbar, Nicholas Sholley & Thais Harris

Architect:
SFOSL
602 Minnesota Street
San Francisco
Ca 94107
t. 415 282 1437
f. 415 206 9342
www.sfosl.com

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Grygoriy Ladigin, Casper Mork-Ulnes AIA, Andreas Tingulstad.

Engineer(s): Double D Engineering

General contractor: Crossgrain Co. Inc.

Photographer(s): Bruce Damonte

CAD system, project management, or other software used:  SketchUp, Vectorworks, Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator.

 

Products

Structural system
Wood frame construction with steel posts. 

Exterior cladding
Metal Panels: Rezibond Rustwall by Western Metal Deck

Moisture barrier:  Tyvek

Roofing
Built-up roofing: Duro-Last PVC single-ply roofing

Metal: Flashing by Western Metal Deck

Windows
Metal frame: All Weather Architectural Aluminum

Glazing
Skylights: Velux

Doors
Sliding doors: Panda Windows 9000 series sliding doors, All Weather Architectural Aluminum multi-slide door

Interior finishes
Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Ikea kitchen cabinet boxes with custom faces by Crossgrain Co., Inc.

Paints and stains: Semco Blanco (white) Pro Stain, Semco X-Crete 400 sealer, Semco Crystal Coat top coat

Paneling: Unfinished Birch Plywood

Solid surfacing: Shower and tub waterproofing and finish by Semco Modern Seamless Surface. 

Floor and wall tile: OSB flooring throughout

Special interior finishes unique to this project: Paperstone kitchen and bathroom vanity countertop.

Lighting
Interior ambient lighting:
CB2 Utility Pendant lights.

Downlights:
Lithonia Lighting Fluorescent Strip Lights, 4” Commercial Electric Air Lock Recessed Fluorescent Fixtures

Other unique products that contribute to sustainability:
On-Demand Water heater by Noritz
MORSO EPA II Certified Wood burning stove as primary heat source.