Santa Ynez, California

The clients of this 3,160-square-foot house—one a visual artist and both serious art collectors and former gallery owners—wanted a small, energy-efficient home that embraced the rural setting. In addition to needing two bedrooms, they asked for a separate guest house/studio, a pool, and barbecue area. Located in the Santa Ynez Valley, the climate is hot and dry in the summer and fall, with warm to cold winters.

Following the slope of the hillside, Fernau + Hartman created a central rectilinear bar from which the bedroom wings jut. The dispersed elements connect to the landscape, with openings framing views and blurring the distinction between indoor and outdoor spaces. A studio/guest house stands free of the main wood frame and concrete structure, its placement creating a small courtyard between the two entities. Steel grating, operable wood screens, and generous openings keep the house cool despite extreme summer temperatures. Combined with low walls and trellised structures, the landscaping—composed of drought tolerant native plants—further defines the outdoor rooms.

People

Location:
4105 Woodstock Rd
Santa Ynez, CA 93460

Completion Date: June 2010

Gross square footage: 2,670 (conditioned space)

Total construction cost: $2M

Owner: Rick Sanders and Ro Snell Sanders

Architect:
Fernau + Hartman Architects       
2512 Ninth Street No. 2
Berkeley, California 94710
(t) 510-848-4480
(f) 510-848-4532

Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit:
Architect of record:
Richard Fernau, FAIA (Design Principal, registered architect)

Associate architect(s):
Laura Hartman (Principal, registered architect)
Laura Boutelle (Project Architect, registered architect)
Jenee Anzelone (Project Architect)
Kate Lydon, Jason Wilkinson, Luc Johnston (Design Team)

Engineer(s):
Craig Dobbs (Structural)
Lee Falkenstern, LDF Engineering, Inc. (Mechanical)

Consultant(s):
Landscape: Pamela Burton & Company

Lighting: McCoy Electric

Electrical/Lighting: JMPE Electrical Engineering + Lighting Design

Civil: Penfield & Smith

General contractor: Jim Quick, Coastal Builder. Inc

Photographer(s):
Richard Barnes Photography
30A North Mountain Ave.
Montclair, NJ 07042
973-744-2323

Marion Brenner Photography
55 Roble Rd.
Berkeley, CA 94705
510-910-9100

CAD system, project management, or other software used: Vectorworks

 

Products

Structural system
Wood Frame with some structural steel frame

Exterior cladding
Masonry: Stucco

Other cladding unique to this project: Board Form cast-in place concrete wall

Roofing
Metal:
Standing seam metal roofing
Corrugated Corten Steel
Black Fold Roofing-supplier “Custom-Bilt” Titan Standings Seam Metal Roofing

Windows
Wood frame: Loewen

Metal frame: Fleetwood

Glazing
Skylights: Bristolite

Doors
Front Entrance Door: Custom built by Wildwood Doors

Metal Aluminum doors: Fleetwood

Wood doors: Bifold and French Doors: Loewen

Interior and some exterior: Wildwood Doors

Aluminum Sliding doors: Fleetwood

Hardware
Locksets: Baldwin

Closers: Baldwin

Exit devices: Baldwin

Pulls: Baldwin

Security devices: Baldwin

Other special hardware: Fence and Gate Steel Shapes, Plates and Bars: ASTM A36

Interior finishes
Bathroom Cabinets: Custom Veneer Grade Douglas Fir

Kitchen Cabinets: Richlite

Paints and stains: Cabot

Paneling: Environ Pressed Sunflower Seed Panlling

Counter Tops:
Caesarstone
Butcherblock from Boos
Venitian Lido Absolute Black Granite
Marmoleum

Floor and wall tile:
Heath for Floors & Walls in the Master Bathroom
Heath for Floor & Ann Sacks for Walls in the Studio Bathroom
Heath for Floor & Ann Sacks for Walls in the Loft Bathroom

Resilient flooring:
Cork Floor “Moss Tuscany” from WeCork in Kitchen
Terra Mai/Recycled Douglas Fir
Concrete Floor

Furnishings
Window Shades: Architectural Window Shades, Pasadena, CA
Mecho Shade/Mecho Shade, Inc.

Lighting
Interior ambient lighting: GE Contrast IT4000-T4000

Downlights: Juno Aculux IC43

Exterior: Vista Lighting GR2216B and Shaper 684-WP CF132-120NBZ-BN

Plumbing
Grohe most fixtures
Chicago Faucet for the laundry room and outdoor faucet
Toto for all toilets

Other unique products that contribute to sustainability:
Rumford fuel-efficient fireplace

Add any additional building components or special equipment that made a significant contribution to this project:
Steel Trellis from McNichols grating