Case Study: Forestville Residence

Quintessential West Sonoma County living on a modest budget floating above a 22 acre existing vineyard knoll top site. Arriving amongst the vineyard, the entry path strolls along a mature grove of oak trees before revealing Mt St. Helena and planes in the distance landing at the Sonoma County Airport. The elegantly simple layout was conceived by orienting the four axes of the home to capture the best of Sonoma County.

The South end of the home is the active living, dining and kitchen with Zola LiftSlide units opening to an outdoor entry deck which views out towards the distant city lights of Santa Rosa and Cotati. The long East facade of the home with floor to ceiling windows from Zola allows one to stand on the precipice of the rolling Chardonnay vineyard block below and the Mayacamas mountains beyond. The project features a design where the back panel was mulled together to read as one two story window unit, with a perpendicular glass addition between the bedrooms.  The warm early morning light grazes all rooms of the house. The quiet master bedroom and exterior deck is oriented North towards Mt Jackson, the Russian River, and the rich redwood tree scape found in the likes of Armstrong Grove.

The architect chose Zola Classic Clad as it was the best value for the project and the budget conscious client. There was a need for a high performance window and door package for energy calculations as well as large expanse of glazing units.

The owners requested a modest 2,000 square foot residence that lived comfortably, was highly functional, consisted of durable building elements, provided a light impact to the existing site and meet a fixed budget. Int he construction of this home only 45 cubic yards of soil was moved on the site. The layout is based upon the full use of a 4’x10′ sheet of plywood with no waste. Passive House Zola windows and doors throughout the residence for quality airtight, thermo bridge free design, and reduced the size of mechanical systems. A laminated all wood staircase with a profile as narrow as 3 1/4 inch is prominently featured behind a window wall as one approaches the home.

Design by: Jarrod Denton

Photography: Adrian Gregoretti

Builder: Paul White Construction, Inc

Partners Jarrod Denton and Juancarlos Fernandez met early in their careers while working together at a Napa Valley architecture firm. Due to similarities in values and work ethic, they combined their talents to found Signum Architecture in early 2011. Signum is a full-service architectural firm, focused on winery, residential and custom commercial projects.

Our mission is to engage the power of architecture to stir emotion and invoke reflection while setting the stage for inspired living.

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