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The new deck lets the owners glory in the incredible views.

“We bought the land not knowing what we could build or where. It’s off by itself and pretty isolated,” says Jeff.

They converted the garage into a flexible performance space, which became a workout room and practice space for their teen kids during the pandemic.

The owner is a filmmaker who works from a cozy editing studio on the second floor. “You need electricity to run a computer—and a lot of it when editing,” he says. “I can't work at night or during cloudy days if there are several cloudy days in a row—when there’s no sun, there’s no editing because I save the electricity for the refrigerator.”

The main living area on the ground floor has 20-foot-high ceilings and an open floor plan. The high ceilings allow the 395-square-foot home to feel expansive, light, and breezy. In cold weather, the owner grows seedlings by the south-facing windows.

The L-shaped kitchen is located by the entrance to the home, and has a window looking out to the north. Medicinal plants and flowers foraged from the surrounding forest are hung from the roof to dry.

“I’ve been looking at cabins and small homes since I was a teenager,” says the owner. “I knew I wanted the home to have a small footprint, but for the interior space to still feel open and expansive.” This informed the interior planning, as he knew he didn’t want the upper floors to completely enclose the ground floor. By minimizing the second floor and including an open third-floor loft bedroom, he was able to maintain a spacious feeling and avoid making the interior spaces feel too enclosed.

The home is situated on a steep site and is accessed from a cedar stair that leads to a wraparound deck on the east side of the house. The construction all follows the shape of the cliff. “The vision was to hold to the expansive and unobstructed feeling of the land,” says the owner. “If I were to build something else, I would consider finding a flatter space or building near a field. Sometimes it’s just nice to walk on a flat surface.”

Outdoor seating helps make the deck and the living room on the other side of the movable glass feel like one combined space.

The bedroom now doubles as a home office. A Lyle Owerko photo of the same boom box Christopher owned as a breakdancing New Jersey teen hangs above the desk.

In the double-height living area, a pair of vintage Sirocco chairs by Arne Norell face an oval coffee table from Elte.

The dining room addition, which increased the total square footage to 2,700, features a Semi pendant by Bonderup & Thorup for Gubi and a table and chairs from Atelier Arking.

People stop us and say, ‘Oh, I went to school here,’ or, ‘My mom went here,’ and they’re so glad we’ve restored the building,” says Ben.

A look at the building exterior before the renovation.