Camping Out in High Style
A Northern California compound has tents, a communal bath and a 'mess hall'
Photo: Justin Fantl PhotographyNot too many luxury weekend getaways sport plastic-coated canvas tents and a communal, co-ed bathroom.
But a camp-like compound spread across 16 acres of sunny hillside in a seaside town two hours south of San Francisco is exactly what owners Kate Ditzler and Stuart Gasner wanted for their Brady Bunch mix of five children from previous marriages. The main house has a great room and one bedroom and bath upstairs. Two guest rooms and the communal bath are housed in an adjacent building with overlapping, perpendicular roofs. A separate barn-like structure holding a large group guest room and bath is a short walk away, as are the two single-room tents and a sauna. A rectangular pool is down the hillside.
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| Photo: Marcy Maloy |
In the main house, the walls and ceilings are made of knotted cedar and the floors of poured concrete. In the center is a dramatic rectangular kitchen with an 18-foot-long slice of fallen walnut tree serving as a countertop-an upscale mess hall and the central hub of the home. Sliding glass doors open to the outdoors, overlooking a swimming pool and in the distance, Monterey Bay. The couple decided to warm up the industrial, contemporary space by adding a stacked stone fireplace, instead of one of cinder blocks as their architect had originally planned, and bright red kitchen cabinets.
For Mr. Gasner, a 56-year-old litigator who specializes in white-collar defense and intellectual property, the retreat is a place to feed his surfing habit. For stay-at-home mom Ms. Ditzler it's a place to escape the San Francisco fog.
The rusted red, corrugated steel barn that stores Mr. Gasner's collection of surfboards and wet suits is a teen's dream, housing a ping-pong table, a hot-pink couch, a large flat-screen television and a large room upstairs where seven brightly colored twin beds with eclectically patterned throw pillows are arranged in a U-shape around a lime-green pool table. "It's an absolute magnet for our kids," said Ms. Ditzler. "And they're happiest when they're all together and can gang up on us." (Ranging in age from 17 to 24, the kids once hosted a New Year's party for 45 of their friends, who all slept in the barn.)
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| Photo: Melissa Werner |
But the couple said the most popular sleeping spots are the two tents. Framed in blond wood with plank floors with throw rugs, the white tents each have metal frame beds inside with plush bedding and electricity. Hanging in each is a robe for guests and a steel camping lantern. (Ms. Ditzler said one son slept with a BB gun to protect himself from deer.)
Cass Smith, the architect who designed the compound, said his inspiration came from farms in rural California. He said that in his experience, people tend to congregate in courtyards and corners, so he created the home's perpendicular layout to maximize gathering spots.
When the San Francisco couple, who have been married for 10 years, started dreaming up their perfect weekend home, they envisioned a sunny place near a good surf spot that would allow them to spend time with their kids.
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| Photo: Paul Dyer |
They purchased the partially wooded lot, which was formerly an apple orchard, about five years ago for $850,000. With their youngest now a high-school senior, Ms. Ditzler and Mr. Gasner said they knew they'd be spending many weekends at the home alone. To make sure the place didn't feel "cavernous and weird," said Ms. Ditzler, the main house was designed to contain just the master bedroom upstairs and a single bathroom.
Mr. Gasner and Ms. Ditzler said the communal bath, which features one long trough sink, is part of the home's casual vibe. A stone center divides the room into two separate spaces with rain head showers and enclosed toilets. "People end up socializing in the bathroom," Mr. Gasner said.
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| Photo: Paul Dyer |
The couple said that in addition to the land they spent roughly $3 million designing and building the house. A four bedroom, four bathroom Mediterranean-style house on 11 acres in West Santa Cruz is currently on the market for $4 million.
Though the kids were off at school, the house was still a flurry of activity one weekend last month. Several adult friends had driven down to spend the night, along with a few dogs and a couple of their kids in tow. Ms. Ditzler and a few of her girlfriends were zesting oranges and putting the final touches on butternut squash soup as they chatted about kids and careers. Most of the guys were watching the Giants National League play-off game in the living room.
The couple said the compound fulfills their camp fantasies. The place, Ms. Ditzler said, is "instant kid."
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/camping-out-in-high-style.html
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