Most beachfront houses treat the ocean as part of the visual landscape with panoramic views and wraparound balconies. Tom Lloyd-Butler’s beach house by Ernest Born, however, is deeply interior, and far more interested in its tranquil inner courtyard than anything beyond. One transparent addition later, the avid surfer has a new outlook. Aidlin Darling took pains during construction to preserve the cypress trees that give the Great Highway House so much of its charm. Photo 11 of 23 in 23 Unconventional Homes Built Around Trees from This Surfer's Beach House is More Than It Seems

23 Unconventional Homes Built Around Trees

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San Francisco–based studio Aidlin Darling Design fashioned a Cor-Ten steel addition to a two-story home designed by esteemed Bay Area architect Ernest Born in 1950. The team took pains during construction to preserve the cypress trees that give the Great Highway House so much of its charm.