Situated amongst tall redwoods scarred from recent forest fires, perched on the side of Mount Veeder, the dwelling is nestled into the hillside overlooking Yountville and Stags Leap. The outpost is traditionally a small camp positioned at the edge of the country or known parts of the hinterland. This property was used by Ridgie and Buttons as a retreat where they could be close to the things they love, family and friends while maintaining a connection to their roots in southern California.

The project consists of a two-story cube with a parabolic roof and an off-center entry courtyard that is reflective of the house they spent most of their life in and is a representation of how the fire burned their property. Atelier Jorgensen's clients chose a deep umber for the exterior corrugated steel cladding and a very warm and light Russian Birch nautical plywood for the interior. Without thought, their choices emulated the stoic coastal redwoods that surrounded their house – charred exterior and soft warm, and light interior.

Coming up a steep and winding driveway, the geometry of the facade is designed to guide the eye to the front door and view beyond. There are only five small openings on the front of the house which are shrouded by Australian Tree Ferns and Japanese Coral Maples. The hard edges of the architecture are meant to be in unison with the vertical grain of the Coastal Redwoods, with small meadows beneath and surrounding its base.

As one steps into the courtyard, a V-shaped awning soars 30 feet above and points to the very intimate courtyard which opens to the sky above. A thin steel awning that sings in the rain is placed above the glass entry door and as you enter the house, you are immediately greeted with a wall of glass that seems to go to the top of the redwoods some several hundred feet above the house.

Atelier Jorgensen  designed the house to exceed the California Building Code for building in the wild. In some places, the new residence exceeds the requirements by four times. The house is oriented with the living spaces on the view with a lofted Main bedroom. Although an almost perfect square in plan, the 30’ tall glazing is arranged in such a way as to never allow direct sunlight into the main bedroom in the morning, and as there are no window coverings, the glazing becomes only a barrier between cold and hot.