Castle Black

How do you design a house on steeply sloped property accessible only from the bottom of the site? You figure out how far up a hairpin curve will let a car climb to the entry court at a reasonable slope. Our breakthrough moment was understanding how to fit the house to the slope. We had to create a garage structure reminiscent of the stone tunnels found in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park! The house is a small footprint, 4-story, upside-down house, with an elevator, and living space on the top level with an iconic mountain view. The house is designed to withstand the rainforest climate of Highlands, NC, with a 5-foot overhang, bark siding, and superb stonework.