Fox Run

Sonoma, Calfornia

This 16-acre Sonoma hillside property, with its recently completed Residence, Pool, Pool House and Barn, was purchased in 2016 by a young Bay Area family as their weekend county home.   Severely damaged by the 2017 Partrick/Nunns wildfire, the Barn, windmill, much of the vineyard, and hundreds of existing trees were lost, along with an extensive tree house play structure nestled among them.  The owners retained the original owner developer to rebuild the barn, repair damage to the residence, remove the burned trees, replace the vineyard, and expand the compound to include a stand alone Guest House.

Roche+Roche was engaged to review and redesign the existing landscape, and to design new outdoor use areas at the rebuilt Barn and at the new Guest House.  At the entry to the Barn, an antique stone trough water element accents the reshaped gravel and stone wall entry court, and creates a terminus opposite the front door.  A new stone seat wall and fire pit augment the outdoor dining and shade pergola at the foot of the vineyard.  At the Guest House, a custom fire feature, stone walls and gravel terrace create an intimate outdoor space with sunset views.  A former staging area referred to as ‘The Bowl’ offered one of the few potentially level areas on site for a play lawn.  Clever grading, a stacked boulder retaining walls, a stone terrace with custom shade pergola, and reintroduced Oaks and Red Maples create a great setting for active play or casual events.  In the shady oak grove nearby, a new tree house/active play complex was developed for the owners’ young children.  Nearer the Residence, and associated with a new deck at the game room, a new bocce court and woodland hillside garden were developed.

Throughout the property, and soon to extend to the neighboring parcels, a family of materials and details including locally quarried stacked boulder retaining walls and stone veneer walls, stone terraces and gravel paths were employed to unify the many locations and functions.  Extensive walking path and ATV trail systems connect all areas on this property, as well as to the flanking properties acquired by the owner, flagged for future phases of work.

 

Architecture: Neil Peoples Architecture

Construction: Reiter Fine Home Building

Landscape Installation: Sonoma Mission Gardens, Oxbow Pool and Landscape Contractors