Stewards of the Vines
"This is the kind of house we love to do,"
says Mary Griffin, FAIA, of Turnbull
Griffin Haesloop Architects. "This is the
kind work we love to do—to give people
a wonderful place to live in a wonderful
setting." In this case, the setting is the
north Sonoma town of Cloverdale, Calif.,
on a sloping site with 180-degree "folding
views" to The Geysers on one side, rolling
hillocks on another, and, of course, acres
of vineyards. The Geysers are considered
the largest geothermal field in the world,
and their dry steam, recharged with waste-
water, produces much of the electricity
needed for major towns nearby. You could
say sustainability consciousness permeates
the air here.
When Mary's clients, who are also her
personal friends, approached her with
this property, they had in mind a remodel.
They didn't relish adding to landfills just to
get their wine country house. For them, the
big attraction was the established working
vineyard in the Alexander Valley AVA.
Although well placed on the steeply sloped
site, the existing house was a modest cedar
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