Big Sur Cabin

2024 Design Awards Citation Recipient

The historic neighborhood of Palo Colorado housed loggers who shipped tanbark and redwoods out from Nottley’s Landing in Big Sur. These cabins stayed in the families, were later used as vacation homes and are now being either upgraded or replaced for full time residency.

Our clients purchased a cabin which was not salvageable and trusted our firm to replace it with a new home which would honor the character and scale of the historic cabins. While the new home is just 1194 square feet, it is still larger than many of the historic cabins. Therefore, we broke the building down into three volumes housing the great room, the bath pavilion and the bedroom, each space also getting a little private patio.

All of the wood was reclaimed from fallen redwood trees, locally milled and fabricated into siding, wall paneling and cabinetry. The home is located in the redwoods and heavily shaded but we found space for an edible garden on the green roof of the great room, the other roofs being of aluminum. A new state of the art septic system now prevents effluent seeping into the nearby creek and the new power lines were moved underground to prevent being taken down by falling trees.

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A very modest and appropriate solution to housing for a couple who wanted to stay living in the forest. This project featured a great site plan that adapted to the needs of the of the occupants in a way that solved a very, very tight space.

//framework for design excellence measures

Measure 1: Design for Integration

The design of the new home
• adheres to historic massing of the neighborhood
• keeps the floorplan efficient and small to minimize ground disturbance
• minimizes ground and root disturbance and improves creek setback by employing cantilevers and pier footings.
• Employs clerestory windows and skylights to improve daylighting
• Improves fire safety by employing fire resistant exterior material and a sprinkler system
• Improves privacy for the occupants by orienting windows away from the nearby only access road which serves the entire community and employing windows and doors with high decibel ratings
• Improves comfort and health of the interior by employing hydronic heat to keep the home dry and at a constant temperature while most homes in this canyon struggle with dampness and mold due to the shading and high moisture content.

Measure 2: Design for Equitable Communities

As the historic logging cabins get torn down it is essential to study and adhere to the scale of the historic neighborhood in order to preserve its character. Since most historic cabins range from 400 to 800 square feet, we broke our residence down into 200 to 400 SF building blocks with glass connectors. The new residence keeps proper setbacks from the protected redwood trees, we removed all invasive species from the land and restored the hillside with native understory planting and improved the health of the creek by installing a mini sewage treatment plant for the effluent.

Measure 3: Design for Ecosystems

This project was designed with pier footings for maximum protection of the tree roots. Itis the first in the historic neighborhood which addresses the invasive ivy that has overgrown all native understory plants, has been choking trees and would take a potential fire high up into the canopy of trees. This project will serve as an example of hill side and forest floor restoration.

Measure 4: Design for Water

An existing well serves as drinking water supply. The project meets EPA “Water Sense” goals for indoor plumbing fixtures, showcasing a commitment to water conservation within the residence.

Measure 5: Design for Economy

The cost of construction in Carmel is one of the highest in the country. Reuse of the owner supplied redwood and local materials proven to be very costly. Keeping the size of the home to a minimum was key to keeping the overall cost of the project reasonable.

Measure 6: Design for Energy

This shaded site does not accommodate solar power generation. We have maximized passive energy strategies through an improved building envelope design and improved daylighting. The project integrates a planted roof garden for additional insulation and utility. The project also implements skylights and clerestory windows for maximum daylight usage. California Title-24 provides robust standard for design. The total for the residence is 89.89 KWH/year compared to the standard design of 117.98 KWH, with a 28.09 kwh/year compliance margin and 23.8% improvement. All the equipment used in the project is energy rated.

Measure 7: Design for Well-Being

The site is located in woodland region where manmade pollution is not an issue. However high pollen counts during parts of the year as well as wildfires in the region have health impacts. MERV13 filters are used in the HVAC equipment. The residence is designed for maximum daylight – strategically placed skylights and corner glazing contribute to balanced daylighting of all rooms.Strategically placed full height fenestrations towards scenic views. The sun path was studied for building orientation for maximum sunlight during winter months. Entries are self shaded by orientation. Materials selected with care to avoid ‘VOC’ on all building materials.

Measure 8: Design for Resources

The building adopts a mix of structural system, concrete, steel and wood framing. Two steel columns and two steel beams hold the Main cube structure.The usage of concrete is limited for retaining walls, footing and cantilever slab structure; the rest are wood frame structures. This was also reflected in the material selection. owner supplied and locally harvested redwood were used for both the interior finishes and exterior siding.

Measure 9: Design for Change

The designed lifespan of the building is 80 years with a mixed structural system consists of steel, concrete and wood framing. The design has considered the impact of climatic change over the building’s lifespan. The project has been designed to mitigate the risk of wildfires through appropriate wall assemblies and moving overhead powerlines underground. Since this area faces extended power outages, underground propane gas storage was chosen for resiliency. Flooding is another local risk that has been addressed in the design through cantilevering hillside design and not disturbing natural drainage patterns.

Measure 10: Design for Discovery

This is a very small house with minimum adaptability. The bathroom was designed to be fully ADA adaptable. If needed in the future, the open floor plan allows flexibility of uses. Since the house was just completed, no post occupancy evaluation is available.
The owner noted: “This home has exceeded all my expectations. It is so comfortable and the sights and views are just amazing. You aligned the home perfectly!”