SONOMA RETREAT
SONOMA, CA

Modern Farmhouse Architecture in Sonoma

The great room, with its expansive sliding pocket door, opens onto the pool terrace, revealing sweeping views of the mountains to the northwest. Inside, polished concrete floors contrast beautifully with the warm white oak ceiling, while integral color plaster walls add texture and a sense of warmth throughout the home.

Indoor Outdoor Living

This single-story retreat, designed for a large family from Marin, is nestled on an oak-studded property just west of downtown Sonoma. The home’s ‘H’ shape creates intimate courtyards that embrace the existing oak trees, blending architecture with nature. A charming guest house sits along the eastern edge, while a pool house and outdoor kitchen offer a seamless transition to outdoor living beside the pool.

Designed for the Green Building Initiative

The Sonoma Retreat prioritizes energy performance by coupling an advanced thermal envelope with high-efficiency mechanical systems. We specified thermally broken aluminum window and door systems that isolate exterior temperatures and minimize conductive heat loss. This creates a tight envelope that works in tandem with a concrete slab-on-grade floor, utilizing a radiant heating network powered by ultra-efficient air-to-water heat pumps.

By drawing ambient heat from the air rather than burning fossil fuels, this system keeps interior climates perfectly stable while delivering a substantial reduction in operational heating costs compared to traditional forced-air or standard electric systems.

Wildland-Urban Interface Compliance for Sonoma

To ensure fire-resistant design, Sonoma adheres to the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) codes. The Sonoma Retreat adheres to the WUL standards using Stained Cedar siding with fire-resistant backer board, stucco, metal siding, and metal roofing with no eave overhang.

This is another project where Holder Parlette’s relationships in the Sonoma Planning and Building divisions eased the approval process. We’ve completed many projects in Sonoma County and the people in Planning and Building know they can rely on our WUI experience to deliver compliant designs.

ARCHITECTURE
Principal: Chris Parlette

INTERIOR DESIGN
Julie Baker

LANDSCAPE
Totem Landscape Services

Builder
Mike Boufford
Fairway Design & Construction

PRESS
Marin Magazine