The Front of the House

It's All About the Sun. While we waited for Calistoga to let us hook up to city sewer lines (it took 2 years), we cut down old pine trees, removed stumps, tore down the original yellow shack in the backyard, and charted what the sun did throughout the year. As a result we sited the home on a precise east-west axis which maximizes the sun's warmth on the front of the home in the winter months and minimizes it (thanks to Spirit Oak) in the summer.

This was taken in May, about 8 AM. At the summer solstice, the sun rises just off the southeast corner of the home (front right in this photo), passes directly over the roof, and sets just off the northwest corner (back left). In the winter, the sun stays low on the southern horizon and illuminates just the facade.

Entry. In the summer, even the morning sun can get mighty toasty. So Michael Ruiz, a good friend and master builder who used to live in Calistoga, designed and built this trellis, with some truly massive redwood timbers. He had reclaimed redwood logs custom-milled at Berry's Mill in Cazadero (on Highway 116 toward the ocean) and topped it with a simple corrugated metal covering. Works wonders (blocks the full sun, but allows the play of light)  and virtually maintenance free.

Colors. The yellow skin of the home, sprayed over the wire-wrapped straw bales, is a natural stucco pre-mixed with natural yellow limestone powder from France (the distributor is located in Petaluma). No paint. The limestone ages naturally without need for further application and allows air to flow back and forth through the bale walls -- which is the secret of straw bale insulation. We chose yellow to match the "golden" hills all around in summer. We chose a silver/white roof (it's a 50-year metal roof, by the way) to match the pale summer sky and frequent play of clouds (Calistoga was a major magnet for cloud painters in the 50's). And the blue door exactly matches the bright blue flowers of the wild (and edible/drinkable) chicory that erupts in yards and along roadways in summer. (The studio was originally the pale green color of olive tree leaves ... but later became red, for no particular reason).

Kiwi Kitchen. Two kiwi vines cavort up the left post as you move to the kitchen door.s. One is supposed to be the female, one a male (necessary for bearing fruit) but wires got crossed somewhere because these kiwi bear only leaves. (Big leaves.)

French Doors. You can enter the kitchen, front and back, via French doors.

More French Doors. And another set of French Doors allows separate entry into the downstairs suite on the east side of the house.

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