Landmark Houses

I was going over the Home section in the LA Times the other week and came across “Natural Beauty” a profile of Ray Kappe’s Rustic Canyon home in Los Angeles.

This home is a treasure, featuring seven different levels, platforms and decks, mitered glass (no wood or steel corners where glass meets glass, seamless look), and amazing views of the natural landscape of the hillside. This was yet another home where I’ve heard the phrase “the site was initially thought to be un-buildable.” Whenever the sentence starts out that way, you know your in for something special. Kappe did build on the site, and in the Northridge quake of 94′ only two windows broke… not to shabby.

The house sits on 6 huge concrete columns that are sunk 30′ into the hill’s bedrock. The entry of the house takes you across a wooden bridge. The main living areas have slight changes in elevation to create distinct rooms. The whole thrust of the design integrates the built space with the environment. From the green carpet to the numerous walls of glass; the lines are blurred between the inside and the outside – on purpose.Ron Radziner of Marmol-Radziner Architects calls the space, “the quintessential tree house.”

The lot was purchased in 1967 for $50,000 and today the house is worth 2.6 million (according to www.zillow.com)