Architecture Wednesday: Panoramic Hill House

Out in Berkeley, California you’ll find Panoramic Hill, the site of four residences designed and built by the late Berton Garey—who built a total of 11 homes during his lifetime—with this, 3333 Dwight Way, his fourth home there, completed in 1981. And while the house appears deceptively simple from the street, its design, and Garey’s story of the house, are quite wonderful.

It all began when Garey rode his motorcycle up Panoramic Hill—a neighborhood notable for homes built by Bernard Maybeck, Frank Lloyd Wright, and Julia Morgan, among others—while attending Berkeley. He drove past a house built by architect Judd Boynton, met the man and went on to become his apprentice; ten years later, in the early 1970s, after working as a carpenter, Garey began designing and building how own homes. With just one assistant per project, Berton Garey built each of his houses by hand, from hoisting beams into place to plumbing and electrical; he also lived in each of his builds while working on the next, and it was while completing this house he met and became lifelong friends with the home’s current owner, artist Bob Joyce. 

From their nearby apartment, Joyce and his then-partner had watched Garey’s homes appear one after another in the neighborhood, and when they found an available lot up the road, they asked Garey if he’d build them a home; he wasn’t interested, but he was willing to sell them this home. Sadly, the home was out of their price range, but  the three men became such good friends that they worked out a deal: Gary would finance half the house with no cash down, just a monthly payment, and the deal was struck and 3333 Dwight Way was sold to Joyce and his partner.

Inspired by the hillside it occupies, Garey designed the house to face the San Francisco Bay, with special attention to maintaining privacy for residents. As such, there are no windows on the street side but the rear of the home opens up to a panoramic expanse with floor-to-ceiling glazed doors opened to the trees and The Bay beyond.

The home embodies Garey’s appreciation for Northern California as translated through his use of redwood, which he called "forest gold." The home features exposed redwood beams, rough sawn redwood board and batten siding, and intricate redwood and mahogany detailing. Every window and every door, every beam, were custom-made by Garey, reflecting the woodworking artistry he developed earlier in his career. 

The main level features the living area, kitchen and dining room, and has soaring ceilings and a wall of glazed sliding doors that offers direct access to the expansive deck, which spans both levels. While the rooms are spacious, the wood details—such as the red-oak flooring and wood-burning fireplace—instill the interior with a cozy, cabin-like feel—though multiple skylights bring the outdoors into the home.

The home also includes Frank Lloyd Wright–influenced elements, such as the low-slung, horizontal roofline with timber-clad ceilings; exposed beams that cantilever out to create deep eaves along the site’s contour; and intricate joinery. On the facade, timber siding with varying patterns connects the residence to the landscape. 

The lower level of the home holds all three bedrooms, two of which open to the lower deck; both decks, with built-in benches, descend onto a stone patio and hot tub deck; along one side of the home is another large deck perfect for watching sunsets over the bay.

Dwell