Sustainable Villa

More than a century ago, European settlers were drawn to the inland valleys of California's north coast. They discovered that the Mediterranean climate was perfect for growing grapes for wine. It was here, in Napa, California, that David Easton and his wife, Cynthia Wright, chose to build a Provencal-style home in rammed earth. Sited at the edge of the creek, their two-acre lot is surrounded by vineyards.

That the couple would choose rammed earth for their home is natural, as they are partners in Rammed Earth Works, a company that specializes in this type of construction. Collaborating with San Francisco architect Mike Baushke, Easton and Wright planned a 3,000-square-foot, two-story main house, a 1,200-square-foot guest house, studio, garage, and a small workshop. For the main house, they created a farmhouse-style plan; interior details were kept rustic and simple.

The front entry opens onto a short corridor. To one side is an intimate living room, anchored by a fireplace and opening onto the outdoors through French doors. To the other side is a combination dining room and study, complete with bookshelves and another fireplace. The master suite is just off the dining area, as is the country-style kitchen and pantry. A staircase in the corridor leads to second-story bedrooms, a bath, and sitting area for the couple's six children.

The overall plan allows the family to move through the house on an east-west axis throughout the day, making as much use of the exterior spaces as interior. Weather permitting, an east-facing patio is a good spot for coffee and breakfast. By late afternoon, the west patio, accessible through French doors in the living and dining rooms, is an inviting place to unwind and view the courtyard gardens.

The flooring throughout the house was also made by Easton and Wright. The one-and-a-half-inch-thick soil-cement tiles, which they call "terra tiles," are sealed and waxed for durability and to impart a subtle sheen. The home's 18-inch-thick walls allowed plenty of opportunities for niches and inset shelving for the display of art, books, and flowers. Though most of the main home's interior walls are natural rammed earth, the couple chose a warm, melon-colored plaster of the kitchen walls, further defining the space and reiterating the Provencal theme.

Throughout the house, the couple worked in many energy-saving strategies and recycled materials. There is no mechanical heating and cooling. Instead, the house has radiant-heat flooring, and cooling is accomplished via old-fashioned cross ventilation. In addition, the rammed earth walls and soil-cement flooring absorb heat during the day, releasing it into the house during the cooler evening hours. Although between the two of them, this is the sixth rammed earth home Wright and Easton have built to live in, they think there might be just one more in their future. The major difference between this Sustainable Villa and the next one? Less square footage, more gardens.

Credits
Excerpted from Living Homes: Sustainable Architecture and Design, with permission from Chronicle Books.

Text: Suzi Moore McGregor and Nora Burba Trulsson

Architect: Mike Baushke / Apparatus, San Francisco, CA

Garden Consultant: Thomas Nemcik, Napa, CA