This 2400 square foot ranch residence and accompanying 1300 square foot guest “bunkhouse” were designed specifically in response to two factors - the site, and the way the owners envisioned themselves living. Without compromising the natural beauty of the site, this couple wished to be able to live equally indoors and outdoors. They wish to participate in the rugged, seasonally changing landscape surrounding them. Located at the crest of a hill overlooking the 350 acre ranch, the structures are placed adjacent to a central outdoor fire pit – the symbolic center of the complex.

The buildings are defined as simple forms. The roof of each building defines the space inside; articulated by trusses and enriched by the materials used - concrete floors, stone fireplace and ponderosa pine trusses. The configuration of each truss changes in response to the plan and the continuity of the roof. The exterior is clad in lap and gap cedar siding. A single dry-stacked wall runs the length of the interior separating the more public areas of the house from the more private ones. The living, dining room and entry vestibule attach and open to a porch running continuously along the length of the house. At the northeast end of the house is an attached screened porch opening to the pool and the bunkhouse.

The house was to be designed materially and in detail for ease of maintenance and cleaning. The owners live very casually and in fact have 4 dogs that they allow to move freely from inside and out. The house was to be very comfortable and accommodating and to have the feel of a Ranch House without being overtly nostalgic or rustic. They desired the house to be warm, casual, modern and authentic. The bunkhouse sleeps six and accommodates the owner’s children and their friends with access to the pool and the outdoor connecting area.  The main house and bunkhouse is a place of accommodation and refuge for the owners, their family and friends from work in the city and from long days work on the ranch.