4BR/3Ba + Studio unit
3600 sf living + 650sf garage
Approached from above and set on nearly three acre hillside overlooking the town of Sonoma, this house makes no attempt to play to conventional notions of front yard and rear yard. It’s large overhangs protect the east-facing views from the morning sun and provide outdoor shelter adjacent to the trellis and lap pool. To be built near a ridge, its long, low, north-south orientation follows existing contours, does not interrupt nearby views, and also optimizes cross ventilation in all rooms. The crenelated roof maximizes the surface available for photo-voltaic and hot water solar collectors.
Heat is provided through a radiant floor slab aided by roof mounted collectors. Summer air is drawn through a plenum below the house protected with ICF’s (insulated concrete forms) and exhausted through clerestory windows and vents near the roof. The entire house is well insulated with sprayed in open cell insulation. The floor is ceramic porcelain tile over a concrete slab, providing ample thermal mass to dampen the summer temperature swings.
