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A timber-clad house cantilevered over a rocky, planted slope among trees

New build · Hobe Sound, FL

The Ridge House

FIG. 01 — South approach from the lower garden27.0662° N · 80.1395° W
A-120 — Project dataAll projects

Facts

A long, low house laid along the Atlantic coastal ridge, where the land rises unusually for South Florida.

The Ridge House project data
LocationHobe Sound, Florida
TypeNew build
ScopeResidence, detached studio, landscape walls
ArchitectThe client’s architect (independent practice)
InteriorsAurelia, with the client
Living area5,900 sq ft
Duration31 months, drawings to keys
PhasesSix; geotechnical study in phase one
StatusComplete
The brief

What was asked

Build on the ridge without flattening it. The owners had walked the site for years before buying it and wanted the old sea grapes, the oaks and the fall of the land kept as they were.

That ruled out the usual approach of cutting a level pad. The house had to sit lightly, with its foundations placed between the roots and a living room that reached out over the slope rather than sitting on it.

A dark living room with board-formed concrete, black timber slats and a deep sofa by tall glazing
FIG. 02 — Living room, cantilevered end · 21:9
A curving timber-lined stair under a warm wooden soffit with a lit recess
FIG. 03 — Stair, timber lining · 2:3
A tree growing inside a concrete and timber structure with deep beams
FIG. 04 — Covered court and kept tree · 16:9
A curving timber stair with a lit handrail recess and warm wood soffits
FIG. 05 — Studio stair from below · 16:9
The approach

How it was built

Phase one ran long, by design. A geotechnical survey and a tree survey together fixed where each foundation could go, and the plan was adjusted twice to keep three oaks. The cantilever is a steel structure clad in reclaimed heart pine, chosen for its density on a salt-air site.

The landscape walls are coquina, laid dry where they could be and mortared where they had to be. The roof is standing-seam zinc, folded on site and pitched just enough to throw rain clear of the timber. The studio is set into the slope so that from the house you see only its roof.

A-301 — Materials usedMaterials library

Four materials, chosen early.

  • A long wall of sawn pale limestone blocks against a blue skyCoquina LimestoneS-02 · Sawn, lightly brushedGarden walls, exterior cladding
  • A weathered timber beam with curled shavings from a hand planeReclaimed Heart PineT-03 · Wire-brushed, unfinishedCeiling beams, feature floors
  • A sharp metal-clad roof edge with fine vertical seams against a dark skyStanding-Seam ZincM-02 · Pre-weatheredRoofs, fascias, chimney caps
  • A softly limewashed wall with two clipped trees and a narrow doorLimewashP-03 · Brushed, two coatsExterior walls, courtyards
A-201 — PlanNot to scale · illustrative

The plan

The house follows a single contour. The living room leaves it, cantilevering over the slope; the studio sits lower, half-buried in the landscape walls.

The Ridge House, section and planA stylised plan: a long bar following the contour of the ridge, with a cantilevered living room over the slope, a separate studio, and landscape walls stepping down. 01 ENTRY02 KITCHEN03 DINING04 STAIR 05 LIVING (CANTILEVER)06 STUDIO07 LANDSCAPE WALLS CONTOURS @ 2 FT 122′ – 6″ 020 FT
  • 01Entry
  • 02Kitchen
  • 03Dining
  • 04Stair
  • 05Living (cantilever)
  • 06Studio
  • 07Landscape walls
  • —Contours at 2 ft
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