Houzz TV: See a Modern Family Farmhouse That Can Pick Up and Move
Winters, California — a rather oxymoronic town name for a region with 100-plus degree summers — is a lush farming town nestled in the Sacramento Valley. It’s a community with a rich history, since it’s been a farming region for many generations. “It’s not the gentleman or city farmers that pretend to move out to the country and farm,” says Bay Area architect Lewis Butler. “These are real farmers. They’re serious.” Butler is certainly familiar with farm life. His mother grew up on a Southern California farm where they grew citrus and avocados for many years. However, in 2005 the family had to close their farm due to the expansion of the bordering town of Escondido.
Butler and his family moved to Northern California, where they hoped to continue the tradition of farming in their family. After exploring the area, they purchased a 400-acre farm in Yolo County. This dynamic and progressive farming town was exactly what Butler’s parents were looking for. They bought three plots of land, and drove up on a regular basis to work on them. After a while, they got tired of their mobile home (which is actually slightly visible in a few of these photos), and asked Butler to help them create a modern, simple, and very practical space for them to continue to cultivate the land around them.
I didn't care for the furniture and would like to see the updated versions of the cabin. What a great idea...and as I said we hope to have a similar one in the next couple of years.
very nice clean looking home with the right amount of space and tranquility
That video is beautifully done. Very nice work. I'm not seeing a credit for the videographer/editor...?
The flooring in the shed portion is... waxed plywood?
You know you have unique parents when their short list of demands for you includes an authentic-style water tower!!
Beautiful home, beautiful property.
What a beautiful story and sharing the land with four generations. I can see why the grandkids love it. I'm going to share with my granddaughter who own property overlooking wine country in Oregon.
I love this cabin
Really a great design. I want to add a tower to have a lake view at my little house.
I enjoyed every moment of this video. Thank you for telling this story.
Great! Fantastic and well implemented. The "water tower" really reminds of a Belvidere tower for sitting & viewing.
Beautiful home --- I just love the idea of building smaller with more character. Great job!
I love it all!!!!!!
This is beautiful. The grandparents, kids, land and home. Love it.
Super.
Pops was spot on by insisting on using the water tower. great design they should all be very proud. thanks for sharing
how much did it cost to build I love it
how much did it cost to build I would love to build this here in ga
I want one!
Thank you for designing this wonderful, cozy, warm home and allowing the outdoors to be the focal spot. Want to come to Vermont and do the same?
What a lovely son, whose love for his folks is what makes that "simple" home shine. Wonderful episode! At the end of the day, it's about family and how families live.
This is about the size of my grandparents farm house, but with the open space is seems bigger and has way more cabinet than they did. Love it.
Amen.
Class Act from family values to design. Cheers
Great place for a farming family who really live with the land! Simple living and design at it's best. This designer really understood how to design with simple materials to achieve a successful, attractive structure. Enjoyed the video.
What a lovely home and excellent video to show it off
I would love this place in KY too. Good article, good design and as others have stated, just makes you smile.
Great video production Houzz, keep these up!
Love the design and simple elegance. Wonderful From another Butler descendant.
I love this home! What a wonderful and simple, yet beautiful space. The addition of merging the water tower into the home is perfect! I can understand why this became so popular with the family. I could move right into a space like this.. lovely!
A perfect design for farmlands where it was originally intended. Nonetheless, an equally good design for the swampland. Appropriate pontoons instead of the concrete supports may allow outdoor enthusiasts live and enjoy the thrills of the swamps in their natural setting. Now you're making me think. Great idea.
LOVE IT! Beautiful.
This is such an amazing project. I so love the water tower re-envisioned as the world's coolest roof deck, and the aesthetics are just wonderful.
I have a question. If the house is moveable, does that mean that it doesn't need to be permitted in the same way? We want to do a detached office, and it would be great to not have to permit it as additional square feet that we have to pay more taxes on. I know that people leave their small structures on trailer frames because they want to have them considered temporary structures, but is a structure that is held in by just a few bolts considered temporary? It definitely looks a whole lot nicer than having the trailer frame!
what kind of permit was used with the building/planning department for the movable house on this farm?
Just a fabulous idea! This may be on my bucket list for the future. I love the idea that it is moveable too. The sleek interior is a pleasant surprise for a farmhouse.
That is so awesome. Love it!!!!!
What an interesting and beautiful farm house !! Hats off to their son for creating a forward-thinking design. I will always say - bigger is not better. In fact most of the time it isn't.
Thanks, just made my day !!
its nice,
fav part; response to seismic movements
i Love the concept. It's epic. A great architecture piece.
This is beautiful! A wonderful inspiration. Thanks for sharing!!!
I love this concept. It is refreshing to see someone live with the land, not try and take it over
Some of the details look a little more mid-century modern than I would want in a retirement home, but I love the overall concept of minimalism instead of knickknacks. I especially love that it's earthquake-proof and movable.
I first read the article, then watched the video. This idea is spectacular. My husband and I live in the mountains of Colorado, 45 minutes from "civilization" and I can imagine a home just like this for mountain living. Such a great idea. AND I love that they did this is their later years. I am 54, my husband is 65 and we plan to live in the mountains for a long, long time. People really need to live in the "now" and not always in the "aging in place" mind set.
Just fell in LOVVVE with the concept!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had been thinking of something like this in my home Greek island!
Thank you so much for sharing with us!
400 acres is worth $10,000 to $20,000 an acre in this location. the floor plan of the house is OK, but nothing special. Tiny House and Small House designers routinely design a much more attractive and functional use of space. The douglas fir plywood is "striped", with the stripes not matched in vertical application, so what could have been beautiful wall finishes is an uncomfortable distraction, that looks cheap, even tho it is costly. I am estimating that this house cost $300 to $350 per square foot to construct, not including cost of land. This was a fabulous opportunity for an extraordinary Small House. A pity.
What sort of septic system does this home have? Turtle tank? I am wondering because if you can just pick it up and move it, the waste system must be very simplistic? Which is good. A septic field would not work I wouldn't think.
At least as important as the house, and its capability of to be so flexible, is the philosophy. If we all thought like them, the world wouldn't be getting so worn out. Good job. About half the houses I see in here, I look at and think "Really, now, how much is enough, already?!"
great family ,with a beautiful vision
I have had the picture of the loft bookmarked for quite some time, and always come back to it as one of my all time favorite pictures on houzz. I really love the water tower, too. We have them in a neighboring town and they are so charming and iconic. To build a roof deck lookout in one is just brilliant! The whole house is just perfection, and you can pick up and move it like a snail shell - what more could you ask for in a house?
What a fab home. Wonderful design and execution. So simple and practical, and it's movable!
Would you consider selling house plans of this home? It is perfect for me (57) and my husband (67). We are searching for a small simple modern home we can afford to keep on social security. PLEASE consider selling the plans or at least offering a basic floorplan/measurements. Thank you!
I second @guammom58 comment on offering the design for sale.