HOUSE IN THE TREES

Nearly two decades earlier, this project broke ground.  A spot in the woods was cleared, and massive, 14” thick foundation walls, meant to carry a two-story timber framed home, were poured.  Then the project was put on indefinite hold.  The foundations stood like a ruin as the trees crept back.  In 2018, the project came back to life, but the needs of the owners had changed.  A more compact, one-story home was designed in the original footprint.  Simple, elemental materials were sought.  Dyed concrete floors, exposed wood and steel structure, rough sawn wood siding harvested from the site, metal roofs, and a wrap-around porch to stretch outdoor living into the wet months.  Tall window walls allow light deep into the volume of the vaulted living spaces.  The home features the latest in building envelope technology, with rigid insulated panels carefully hidden between exposed car deck ceilings and the thin plane of the metal roof.  The best room in the house may be the east-facing outdoor two-story covered porch overlooking the meadow to the east.  The owners have stamped their legacy onto this home, producing and installing hand-painted tiles and custom mosaic murals. 

LOCATION
San Juan Islands, WA

CONTRACTOR
Thomas Fragnoli

STRUCTURE
Swenson Say Faget

PHOTOGRAPHY
Benjamin Benschneider