Award Winning Timber Frame Home

This highly customized timber framed house was designed by architect Craig Threshie to fit a demanding site in the Sierra Mountains in California. Not only were there spectacular views in several directions, including Donner Lake in the distance, but the house surrounds a massive perched boulder, or "glacial erratic." The theme of the house became uniting site and structure through the use of natural materials, especially wood and stone.

A Douglas fir king post truss and pitched roof protects the entry, which leads into a transition area between the attached garage and the main house. To the right are great room and kitchen, with a hexagonal dining room beyond. The stone fireplace has built-in wood storage, pine storage cabinets, and a Douglas fir mantel. The second story balcony features extended scrolled joists, and a custom railing made from local birch saplings. The open plan allows views from the kitchen through to the living and dining rooms, and both rooms have multiple windows to take advantage of light and views.

The master bedroom suite is on the left side of the house, and the bed is placed so the rocking stone is prominently in view, with the blue waters of Lake Donner in the distance below. Finally, there are two additional guest bedrooms with a shared bath on the second floor, plus an area near the balcony just large enough for a desk and private work space. The attached garage, which is conventionally built, has an upstairs getaway or retreat room, accessible from the second floor.

This house wraps around its unusual site, and the large boulder. Its use of Douglas fir timber framing, pine trim and cabinets, and stone make it a part of the natural landscape, and very cozy as well.