This residential project in Quilcene was commissioned by a distinguished client: former Washington State governor Daniel Evans, who was influential in the founding of Evergreen State College. Evans wanted an Olympic Peninsula vacation home that would comfortably accommodate his extended family, while also taking into consideration a simplicity of style and proportioning sensitive to the natural landscape.  

The team at Johnson Architects obliged with an unpretentious, single-floor, shake-sided home that compliments the property’s ‘naturalist’s dream’ of a living style. The 20+ acre lot features a diverse ecosystem of temperate forest, wetland and marine, and the property is designed to encourage outdoor activity and engagement with nature. The 1,665 sf main home has a three-bedroom layout, including a bunkroom for the grandkids, but lets the setting provide the outdoor amenities and entertainment.

To take full advantage of its coastal location, the house is situated at the bottom of a hill. This made for something of a challenge in an area that sees nearly 150 days of precipitation annually. Clark Construction constructed an elegant and ecologically adaptive solution: a footing drain-fed dispersion trench that funnels rainwater away from the foundation.