Sunset Homes: a house designed by CALVIN C. STRAUB AND DENIS P. KUTCH

As you can see from the exterior view on the previous page, this house comes very close to being a part of its site. Stone used for main bearing elements and for retaining walls was found on the site, and its use does much to accomplish what the owners wanted: a house that all but disappears into the hillside.

It's also a house designed for its desert climate. There are numerous defenses against the sun: stone piers that help block the early morning and late afternoon sun, wide roof overhangs, overhead trellises. But it's not an inward turning house that shuts out the desert. Rather it welcomes the view through extensive window walls and sliding glass doors that open onto rock-paved or concrete patios. The end wall of the entry hall is glass, so as you approach the front door you can look out over the valley and to mountains in the distance.

Landscaping has been kept to a minimum. It consists mostly of encouraging the native vegetation that grows on the site. The house was an award winner in an A.I.A.- Sunset Western Home Awards program.

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source: Sunset Books - Sunset Homes 1967