The house’s sloped site on a ravine street is highly unusual in Houston’s typically flat and low-lying landscape. In addition, the site is small, facilitating a strategy that creates a basement that houses a three-car garage, utility room, wine room, and storage. At three-fourths the size of the house’s footprint, it maximizes the available living space at the levels above without overshadowing the 1930s vintage suburb with its single family houses and deed restricted setbacks. In addition, the basement garage is entered by driving into the hillside from the bottom of the ravine, obviating the need for an unsightly and space-consuming ramp.

The owners were downsizing from a larger house and wanted a place that would let them entertain and enjoy rooftop views of the trees and downtown skyline. In response, the design offers generous, flowing open spaces on the main level, which overlooks a small courtyard. The site’s woodland characteristics inspired the use of exterior stone. Accoya, a fast-growing softwood that is impervious to decay in the Houston humidity, was used for siding. The combination of the site strategy, program and aesthetic direction respond to the site’s challenges to create an elegant solution.

photos: Peter Molick Photography