Steep cliffs, crashing waves, and wild natural beauty characterize the coastal enclave of The Sea Ranch, 90 miles north of San Francisco. Even in summer, rolling fog and mist are more likely than sun, and the chilly onshore wind is a predictable afternoon visitor. As a result, houses here tend to be contained boxes with large windows and cozy fireplaces. Life takes place inside after brisk walks along the cliff tops or sweater-clad investigations of the pocket beaches. In the open meadows nearest the sea, most outdoor spaces consist of either inward-looking courtyards, gardens carefully sheltered by house or fence, or decks that embrace the view but are fitted with high glass walls.

It comes as a surprise, then, that the carefully composed Evans House sits on the bluffs at Sea Ranch. This compound of three modest buildings—a living/dining-room building, a master-bedroom suite, and a garage/studio building—with outdoor spaces connecting them, defies the pattern here. An unenclosed deck, with a view of the adjacent coastal meadow and the Pacific horizon, lies at its center. Across the yard on the landward side, the one-car garage and tiny studio combine to make a third building that straddles the redwood fence hiding the house from the road.