Epstein Residence

Napa, Calfornia

This Bay Area family’s Napa creekside retreat was lost to the 2017 Napa wildfires.  The tennis court, the creek itself, an old stone wall, and a few key oak and redwood trees were all that could be salvaged.   They took a deep breath, and seized the opportunity to rebuild a more beautiful, and more fire resilient home and grounds.  The hardscape takes its cues from the architecture, with board formed concrete retaining walls, geometric cut stone veneer and limestone paving.  At the front entry, simple lime stone pads lead past a custom basalt bench shaded by an Amur Maple in a bed of  Berkeley Sedge.  An interior courtyard visible from the foyer, family room and living room features a Zen garden with custom recirculating water feature and sculptural plantings in a bed of gravel.  In the rear garden, the living room and kitchen open out to a limestone terrace with a custom concrete fire pit and broad steps leading down to a small play lawn.  The new pool with spa and Baja shelf reaches out from the terrace, starting at finish floor level, but ending elevated 4′ above the gently dropping grade.  Limestone copings match the stone paving, and all exposed faces of the pool are veneered in the same vertical stone as the house for a cohesive feel.

Architecture: Taylor Lombardo Architects

Construction: Trainor Builders

Landscape Installation: Oxbow Landscape Contractors

Pool Installation: Classic Pools

Photography: Eileen Roche Photography