It’s both a big opportunity and responsibility to add onto a cherished family property. This is doubly true if you are both client and architect, as was Jon Gentry, AIA, on this wooded parcel in Indianola, Washington.
Understanding this, Jon and his wife (whose family property this is) took pains to engage their community of “makers.” Ultimately, more than 30 contributed to the project—all within a mile of the site. “It was very much a village approach,” says Jon.
Responsible design was top of mind for every choice, from orienting the house for passive advantage, to using materials directly from the site—including Doug fir, cedar, and stone. The house is intentionally small at under 2,000 square feet, but engineered so a second story could be added. And, in an area often tapped for weekend getaways, this is a primary home for Jon and his family. He commutes to work on the new fast ferry from Kingston to Seattle. “It’s the only reason we considered this move,” he says.
Family properties get handed down through the generations, and this house—one our judges said “looks like a modern icon of a building”—should stand the test of time. “We like the scale, the massing, the interiors, the detailing,” they added. “It feels like a pavilion almost more than a house.”
Citation
Custom Rural or Vacation House
GO’C
The Rambler
Indianola, Washington
Project Credits
Architect/Interior Designer: Jon Gentry, AIA, principal in charge; Aimée O’Carroll, ARB, and Yuchen Qiu, project team, GO’C, Seattle
Builder: Sparrow Woodworks, Indianola, Washington
Project Size: 1,700 square feet
Site size: 0.5 acre
Photography: Kevin Scott
Key Products
Bath Ventilation: Panasonic
Cabinetry: Custom by Sparrow Woodworks from designs by Jon Gentry
Cladding: Brick from Mutual Materials; Richlite panel siding
Countertops: Richlite
Door hardware/locksets: Inox; Emtek; custom
Faucets: Brizo; Chicago Faucets; Grohe
Heating: In-floor hydronic radiant
HVAC: Zehnder HRV
Insulation: Rockwool comfort batt
Kitchen Appliances: Beko
Lighting: DALS; Juno; Stonco RoughLyte; Hinkley; Hay; Artemide; Lumini LED
Paints/Coatings/Stains: Color Atelier Lime; Dinesen lye-washed with Daly’s clear coat
Sinks: Kraus; custom by Trueform
Skylights: Crystalite Skylights
Thermal/Moisture barrier: Prosoco R-Guard System
Toilets: TOTO
Tubs: Signature Ocala; American Standard
Washer/Dryer: Samsung
Windows/window wall systems: Quantum (windows, lift-slide doors); Fleetwood (windows)