6 minute read
A Hillside Hideaway
A Hillside Hideaway
Story by Lifestyle Staff | Photos by Ella Kate Co.
Nestled in the Woodlake hills sits a seemingly understated home. However, every inch is carefully curated or created with exceptional artistry and workmanship. When Chad W Howell from Howell & Co. Dream Builders first embarked on this project in 2014, he didn’t know that it would take him and his team nearly four years to complete this one-of-a-kind home. Every aspect, from the structure to the furniture, was customized or created by hand.
Building the home’s foundation took approximately 10 months, including blasting a hole into the solid granite hillside and cutting rock to fit the structure. ICFs (insulated concrete forms) were used for the exterior walls, creating a LEGO-like structure to provide both strong stability and insulation for the home. An unusually wet winter in 2016 led to the development of an extensive drainage system, which functioned well with 2023’s record rainfall.
Nature Meets Shelter
The owners’ inspiration and vision for their home was an outdoor-indoor convergence. The theme is prominent throughout, with 14 total folding glass doors spread throughout the home, allowing nature to merge with indoor living. The search for quality glass doors ended when they found boutique metal door and window company Jada Windows. The exterior walls boast 200 linear feet of glass—with most functioning as operable doors.
Details Make the Design
Along with many upgrades, no detail was too small to source until each room was just right. Fitting doors and beams was often challenging, “but it’s also what made the project unique and rewarding,” says Chad. He traveled to Austin, Texas to source hand-cut, chiseled limestone for the fireplace and gathered reclaimed beams in Virginia that were originally part of an old building in upstate New York. Mark Leonard of Leonard Iron Works built the dining room chandelier, the kitchen light fixtures, and many other metal pieces around the home.
Practice Makes Perfect
A project like this requires a lot of time spent with the clients. “I enjoyed the process of learning to see through their eyes,” shared Chad. “It helped me…make better decisions to create the dream home they were envisioning.” Cardboard mock-ups for the countertops, kitchen cabinetry, and the master tub helped determine spacing before final layout selections were made.
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The great room boasts a 50-foot ridge beam sourced from a 150-year old building in upstate New York that was disassembled 30 years ago.
Handcrafted to Suit
The owners knew they wanted custom handcrafted tile in their bathrooms. Designer Nola Stucky of NS Ceramic designed the shower layouts and the handmade tiles. Each tile design’s unique color palette echoes the other home details. For their hand-poured and polished countertops and master bathtub, the owners wanted industrial elements too, and worked with Sonoma Cast Stone. Its sister company, Sonoma Forge, made the bathroom and kitchen faucets and fixtures.
Repurposed Stories
Many of the home’s wood pieces tell a story of new life and purpose. Chad used salvaged wood for several furniture pieces throughout the home:
Doors: Beam remnants make up the sliding barn door, while the basement doors, also made of remnant pieces, have added texture and character from Chad and his team spending countless hours tooling and distressing them.
Coffee Tables: Chunks from leftover beams form the main coffee tables in the great room. A rusted 600-pound trench plate salvaged from the docks of San Diego tops one table while the other table, centered around the fireplace, was built from a massive black walnut tree trunk removed from a north Clovis home. The tree, hollow and rotted out, is the perfect conversation piece.
Dining Table: The oval dining room table is made from a Bastogne slab sourced from Bend, Oregon—this attractive hardwood comes from a rare hybrid tree that consists of Claro and English walnut species. The Bastogne slab was combined with black walnut trees that Chad salvaged from the Highway 198 widening project and sits atop a uniquely designed metal base.
Mantle: The fireplace mantle’s black walnut was sourced from Davis, CA, where Chad hand-selected the tree and decided where the exact cuts would be made.
Great Outdoors
Outside, the homeowners chose grasses and other drought-tolerant, climate-friendly varieties. Melanie McKenzie’s initial angled layout included (and complemented) the deep, multi-tiered pool. To match the scenery, Chad sourced most of the landscaping rocks from the 1500-acre ranch property’s hills using a forklift, trailer, and truck to transport them back to the home. In the process, they uncovered dark-veined dense granite, lichen-carpeted boulders, and rattlesnakes (among other creatures). The outdoor shower with an interlocking metal shield was brought to life by Mark from Leonard Iron Works, prioritizing quality and originality in the design.
Finishing Touches
Chad and his clients worked together, making selections from plumbing fixtures to wall colors and lighting for the home. Interior designer Elizabeth Vallino from Santa Barbara worked closely with the owners to ensure the final furnishings, accessories, and finishes would give a voice to the home and represent the aesthetic of the property.
Looking back on the project, Chad is most grateful for his clients’ openness to his creativity and appreciates their desire for authenticity. Walking through the front door, one is drawn to the warm, inviting kitchen, striking fireplace, comfortable couches, and travertine floors. Every detail guides you through the home, carefully built as a retreat, and meant to be shared with others, where the stories of every piece mingle with new memories made.
