Bonny Doon Mountain Retreat

A stunning modern green build design that compliments its environment in every way, with curved walls and big kitchen/living room windows looking out onto a forest glade.

The house combines the very best of modern European and green Californian design in this peaceful location outside Santa Cruz. It's an incredible living space combining rich local timber and natural materials. An ideal place to unwind right on the doorstep of nature and yet close to all the facilities and entertainments of Santa Cruz.
Sleeps 6
Master bedroom: King size bed and walk-in closet.
En-suite master bathroom with claw foot tub, toilet and sink,
Kids bedroom: Bunk beds (will also fit adults)
2nd bedroom: Queen bed in upstairs loft room reached by spiral staircase.
2nd bathroom with spacious shower, toilet and sink.
Washing machine and dryer
Kitchen with dishwasher, fridge, microwave and large oven.
wood burning stove
Green deck and garden area with over 2 acres of redwood groves.
Wireless internet.
Under floor radiant heating throughout


Brand new green build
The house was built under some of the most stringent environmental codes in the USA. Both cutting edge and ancient building methods were employed to minimize the house’s impact on the environment and maximize heating efficiency.
Wherever possible, local, natural and recycled products have been used to build the house, including:
• Locally sourced, properly managed redwood and fir lumber
• Zero-emission products
• Recycled cotton insulation
• Straw bale wall insulation
• Radiant floor heating
• Efficient passive solar design
• Recycling of rainwater for garden
• Native plants in landscaping.
• Wood stove supplied with 100% site-grown wood.

The house sits in its own 2 acre garden comprising of open spaces, deciduous forest and redwood groves.

From the owner: I was never a fan of 'boxy' houses in natural surroundings. It was always my ambition to build a house that blended with its natural surroundings in an organic way. With the impressive scale of the redwoods it was also paramount that the house had windows big enough to bring the wonder of the location into the living space.

The colors of the walls and interiors were designed as well to blend with the environment, so earth tones are prevalent. The idea was to make the house feel like something that had grown from its environment, not imposed upon it.

Every material selected for the building of the house was done so on this criteria. No artificial chemical or preservative-emitting materials have been used and wherever possible locally produced natural materials were sourced, including some recycled from surprising places. The insulation within the interior walls for example, is cotton from recycled blue jeans and the back wall is insulated with straw bales from rice plants. The kitchen counter top is made from a new material called EcoTop, made from compressed recycled paper bonded together with resin.

The result is a house that combines the latest green technology with centuries-old passive solar design principles to make a uniquely relaxing place to stay.

About the Location
The road the house is situated on winds uphill through dense redwood forest, reaching a height of 415 meters (1360 ft) above sea level. At the top the road loops around the crest of a hill and the house is situated on 2 acres of mixed redwood, oak and clearing that runs across the center of the loop, just below the highest point of the hill. No neighbors are visible from the windows of the house. The house is bordered by protected land, including the Bonny Doon nature reserve whose hiking trails begin 5 minutes walk from the house. Being a road that is not subject to through traffic it is an exceptionally peaceful area
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Bonny Doon
Named by Scots who arrived here in the 1850s to build the logging railroad and also named other areas nearby: Ben Lomond, Bonny Brae, Loch Lomond. (Incidentally, the logging railroad is still there and offers regular steam train rides.) Bonny Doon is an attractive and much sought after neighborhood and many residents have been there for decades. It features several wineries, a church, two fire stations, a lavender farm, Bonny Doon Elementary School and a private-use airport. The principal local industries are wine and horses. The climate is mild, with cool, wet winters and warm, dry summers. The climactic zone is Mediterranean. The area benefits from proximity to the ocean (10 beaches within 15 minutes drive, many uncrowded and secluded) and access to all the facilities of Santa Cruz, 20 minutes drive away. Closer to the house (11 mins drive), the historic coastal town of Davenport has cafes, restaurants and a grocery store.

Santa Cruz
A laid back seaside town with a university and a long history of surfing and environmental responsibility. There’s a farmer’s market every Wednesday. The first mile of highway 1 that goes through the town has a supermarket (Safeway), drug store, shops, along with some pretty good and cheap places to eat. In town there’s interesting shops, the farmer's market and the famous seafront Boardwalk with rides and other attractions.

Activities in the Santa Cruz area:
Beaches
Hiking
Cycling
Horse riding
Wildlife spotting
Golf
Shopping
Surfing
Food- restaurants
Food- produce
Wine
Cafes and bars
Utilities (launderette, banks, Fedex etc)
Entertainments and Cultural
- Music
- Cinema
- Theatre
Tourist activities:
- mystery spot
- roaring creek railroad
- Santa Cruz boardwalk
- Monterey Aquarium
- Carmel
- Big Sur
- Whale watching