Building in Sea Ranch, Part 1

As the pandemic starts to wind down, we have a house going up, in Sea Ranch! In 2018 my parents and I decided to build a small home together, where they could age in place among their community of over 25 years. Over the years my love of the Sea Ranch has grown, and I realized that I too wanted to invest in this corner of Sonoma County. We found a lot among the redwoods that my dad, a designer-builder for all those years until his retirement from building in 2015, had previously designed for, and knew was a good one. The previous owners had dropped their plans to build, and so we snapped it up before the current real estate boom engulfed the Ranch.

COVID-19 and the various delays in permitting and construction notwithstanding, our small house is being built by Oscar Colin and his crew at Colin Construction. It's just 1000 sq ft of living space, with a small 250 sq ft detached garage with attic storage, and a 750 sq ft, 2-bedroom, 2-bath home. Certainly my parents, retirees, don't need a lot of space as they age in place, and we are proponents of the "small is beautiful" mantra in home design.

The home is situated on the south facing "meadow" portion of the lot, with views into the redwood groves, and the sound of Pomo Creek, and distant waves crashing on shore. No redwood trees were removed to place the house, rather the small home tucks into the edge of the forest, with views into the trees.

I'll have a 220 volt charger for my EV (the subject of another post) for my forays to and from the Bay Area and Sea Ranch, and a room looking into the redwood groves.

We broke ground last fall and construction has carried on apace, in spite of cement shortages due to COVID shortfalls, and astronomical lumber prices; we hope to finish the house in the late summer. Stay tuned for updates on our home, as we move towards completion!