See Canyon Getaway

Architect: Studio 2G Architects

Photography: David Lalush Architectural Photography

This thoughtful remodeling transformed a 1960s redwood beach shack into a stunning Midcentury Modern home that both embraces the natural beauty of See Canyon and respects it with net-zero construction.

Architect Heidi Gibson kept the house’s simple rectangular footprint but removed every redwood board from the exterior and replaced the gabled roof with a low, sloping roof and distinctively large overhangs.

These are not just great design details: The redwood will be reused in the interior to add character and warmth. The new roof is made with energy-efficient structural insulated panels, and the depth of the overhang was determined by a solar study. It now shades the facade in the summer and allows sun to penetrate deep into the home to warm the tiled floors in the winter.

The wood post-and-beam structural system supporting the new roof is left exposed in the interior—including at the dramatic south-facing wall of windows, where the structural beams fly through the glass out to the exterior. The result is a sense of light and space, and the illusion of a floating ceiling. The salvaged redwood, milled to bring out its rosy-brown color, is used for all the trim and on a wall surrounding the fireplace. That fireplace, ultra-modern as it feels, is an antique castiron stove framed by a black-steel box that extends slightly into the room.

The back wall of the house sits close to a limestone cliff and had to be rebuilt to repair water damage. To harmonize with the exposed beams, Gibson exposed the concrete of this wall and added large windows facing the cliff. Since the project was completed, the owner has planted native succulents into pockets of the cliff wall and lighted it, creating a natural piece of art within a home that is a piece of art itself.