A couple’s property held too many memories to let go of, so they started fresh with a Cor-Ten steel residence that sits on a surviving concrete foundation.
Dick Vandlen and Mary Napier, who met working as biochemists at Genentech some 40 years ago, were looking for a property outside of San Francisco to occasionally escape city life when they found one up north in the historic Pine Flat community near Healdsburg. The 630-acre homestead had miles of trails, wild animals, and solitude, making it a near-immediate “yes” for the couple. Shortly thereafter they adopted their first daughter (they now have two, who have families of their own), and weekends were regularly spent on the property.
After the 2019 Kincade Fire destroyed one family’s weekend home in Healdsburg, California, Faulkner Architects designed a resilient, durable, and energy-efficient house that utilizes the surviving concrete foundation and walls.
Photo: Joe Fletcher
The house is near the historic Pine Flats community, a former boomtown that thrived during the quicksilver and mercury rush of the 1870s.
Photo: Joe Fletcher
Then, in 1997, a wildfire burned down their home. In 2019, after rebuilding, they lost their home again when the Kincade Fire swept through the area. Determined to rebuild out of a love for the property, where they had decades of memories, they approached Faulkner Architects for a design that could stand more of a chance if another fire were to threaten their property: something resilient, low-maintenance, and energy-efficient where they could spend their upcoming retirement years hiking, crafting, and hosting their daughters and their families.
The orange garage door and yellow entry door reference the color of the surrounding poppies—the first thing to grow back after the 2019 fire.
Photo: Joe Fletcher
See the full story on Dwell.com: Wildfires Leveled Their Northern California Home Twice. They Still Wanted to Build Again
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