Yosemite National Park

Located within the National Park boundaries the Watson Residence is situated on a 1.1 Acre parcel of land adjacent to South Fork Merced River. We had designed for our client a beautiful contemporary timber framed home in Elkhorn Oregon, but tragically it was lost in the devastating Labour Day Fires in 2020. Rather than rebuild in Elkhorn the client elected to develop the Yosemite parcel which they had owned since 1974. A small rustic cabin was located on the site and was also lost to a house fire several years previous.

Working in the National Park came with some unique challenges for permitting and design, including following California’s unique energy and building codes (Wildland Urban Interface 2022 Residential Code).

We did extensive research within the Park on the historic use of materials, window detailing, building massing and colours. The resulting design concept saw the building program being separated within the main house and the guest cottage with parking located in an enclosed garage higher up on the site. The main living area is anchored by: a large stone fireplace; a generous covered deck;  12.75’ ceiling heights, and a north facing window wall.