vineyard valley

Year Started:

2020

Location:

Temecula, California

SQ FT:

9,400

Story:

Located on a rugged site in Temecula, California, near the wineries, this hillside property was designed to maximize the northern mountain views and establish a strong connection to the local landscape. The home is to be finished in stone that mimics the local stone and boulders found onsite. It includes a primary house, guest house, ADU, entertaining space and a detached wine cave.

The home is perched on the southern hill of the site, and steps down the hill following the natural slope of the landscape.

When the project started, I visited the site several times, spending most of the day there. I watched how the sun traveled over the hills, observed the native boulders, granite stones, and plant species, and collected samples of nature there. We studied the local environment closely to match our selected finished materials with the native landscape.

I wanted to make the home feel inseparable from the landscape, like it had been there for hundreds of years, almost like a stone ruin with a modern glass box perched on top of it. When designing it, I looked at images of ancient Mayan and Native American structures for inspiration. It was a key part of the design to make the lower stone base of the house feel at one with the landscape.

During one of my visits, when the neighbors up the hill saw me on-site, they invited me into their home. We shared a cup of ice-cold water from their well, and they told me about the area's history and gave me insight into the local scene.

For the project, we needed to drill our own well, build our own septic system, hold tanks for fires, and install natural gas tanks. No utilities were run to the site, so setting up all the services and utilities for the site was a project in and of itself.

Obtaining approvals and addressing the project's technical components was quite a process. Our team navigated it with the intention of preserving the original design intent.