Hillside House sits comfortably on a forested slope strewn with enormous boulders. The owners entrusted Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects with their dream of a comfortable home for an active family of five. During the initial meeting, one of the owners shared a sketch of a u-shaped floor plan that literally hugged the largest, most prominent boulder. Although practicalities intervened, embracing the boulder was the seed of the design and the architects kept this in mind as the project developed.

According to the architects, the lot was tricky. Long and narrow, there was only one place to situate a house, and the footprint could not be large. Fitting an easily accessible garage on the steep site proved challenging. Eventually, Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects hit upon the idea of tucking a one-car garage beneath the main living space and raising up the main floor to take advantage of the level area at the brow of the slope.

The house climbs the hill over three different levels: the garage/daylight basement level, a bedroom wing, and the main kitchen/living/dining wing, which opens on the east to a patio at the big boulder and on the west to a deck jutting out into the forest canopy. Conceptually, each wing is defined by a wood-clad, shed-roofed volume. Oriented perpendicularly to each other, the two wings form an L-shape and are held together by a glass and steel-clad gasket space, containing a light-filled entry and staircase as well as a charming, Douglas fir-lined nook known as the ‘nap room’.

The palette of materials is subdued, but warm and natural. Concrete, untreated steel, Douglas fir trim and surfaces, and simple white walls play background to the forest views and soft greens of tile, light fixtures, and furnishings. As the house took shape in framing, it was a relief to see that it does indeed hug the boulder, although not quite so tightly as in the original sketch. All in all, the owners are delighted to see their idea brought to life.