the real estate

Sea Ranch-esque Compound Comes With Its Own Cable Tram

Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography

This story was originally published by Curbed before it joined New York Magazine. You can visit the Curbed archive at archive.curbed.com to read all stories published before October 2020.

Location: Alamo, California
Year built: 1981
Architect: John Nance
Specs: 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2,729 square feet, 2.51 acres
Price$3,295,000, includes two parcels

When native Californians Joan and John Jamieson set out to build a house near a wilderness preserve just 29 miles east of San Francisco, they were inspired by Sea Ranch, the famed mid-century planned community on the Sonoma coast known for its sloped-roof wooden homes. Although the Jamiesons’ architect, John Nance, designed mostly commercial projects, he won them over with one of his few residential projects, which featured a shed roof similar to Sea Ranch’s Binker Barn.

The couple wanted the house to blend into the hillside site as much as possible and for nearly every room to have a mountain view. So instead of building on the ground level, they chose to sit the house atop 35 eight-foot piers, which are drilled deep into the ground and are connected by grade beams. This building method, which does not require excavating the land, also helps to reduce the environmental impact of construction as it does not contribute to erosion. In lieu of a concrete driveway that would have covered the hill, they opted to put in five flights of stairs, concealed within a ramrod-straight, shingled structure that matches the house.

The interior combines elements of mid-century-modern charm — like exposed beams and floor-to-ceiling windows — with an over-the-shoulder wink to ’80s postmodern whimsy (think geometric cutouts in the walls, colorful exposed ducting, and sunken beds). The property, notably, also comes with a cable tram for stair-free access, plus a detached garage, barn, pool, and horseshoe pit.

“[John] passed away last year, and the house isn’t the same without him,” says Joan Jamieson. Their home is now on the market for the first time in its 40-year existence.

The front door, accessible via the tram or five flights of stairs, leans into the geometric theme. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
Exposed ducts painted red, yellow, and green can be seen throughout the home. As Jamieson recalls, Nance said, “‘Why hide it? Let’s make it part of the décor.’” Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
Glass walls in the living room offer a view of the hillside and beyond. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
The kitchen is all glossy black, tile, and wood. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
The glass-enclosed dining room has expansive mountain views. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
A keyhole cutout puts a playful twist on archways. Don’t miss the rock garden under the staircase. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
Nance originally designed the home’s sunken beds as waterbeds, but they were soon changed to normal beds, as the awkward aquatic sleeping trend of the late-1970s didn’t float with the Jamiesons. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
Dare to go bare inside this airy tiled shower that looks onto the hillside. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
“The Moose Room” features a curved wall of shingles similar to the ones found on the façade. It’s where the grandchildren stayed when they visited. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
On the top floor, a circular cutout comes with a lidlike contraption. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
This appendagelike outdoor deck was originally designed as a diving board into a pool. “[That] didn’t work out, so we decided to leave it because it used to go right out to a beautiful oak tree that we lost several years ago,” says Jamieson. Two protruding walkways nearby pull double duty as lookout points and escape routes in case of fire. And the pool, which features a waterfall and boulders from nearby wine-country mecca Healdsburg, can now be found at the foot of the home. Photo: Photos by Open Homes Photography
Sea Ranch-esque Compound Comes With Its Own Cable Tram