Craftsman Style Home

The owners used the six acre wooded property as a retreat for more than ten years, building a stepped path down the steep hillside to the stream and creating a picnic and camping area. They wanted organic architecture and they loved Craftsman style, so they commissioned Penza Associates to design a house that would embrace the site, providing views through the tree tops toward their beloved stream side picnic area.

Not visible from the road, the house appears to be a modest one and half story craftsman style, but as the house comes into view down the winding driveway, you suddenly realize the house is sited at the top edge of a very steep slope, creating a two story rear elevation. The site allowed the lower level to be used as a Media/Game Room, Guest Bedroom, and Art Studio for creating some of the stained glass that embellishes some of the windows. The owners were so inspired, they created there own grotto wine cellar, complete with straw plaster walls, within the naturally cool concrete walls below the front porch. A large state-of-the-art kitchen allows the owners to invite friends for cooking classes and hold traditional Shabbat dinners, and not feel cramped. The Family Room which opens from the kitchen behind the reading nook, flanked by the craftsman style columns, steps down allowing views down the slope. A deck and screen porch are extensions of the eat in kitchen and large yet cozy, dining room, allowing the owners to enjoy casual dining and view to their favorite picnic area by the stream.