Swiss Haus in Alpine, California.

The fairy tale begins in the mountains of Alpine California, a city named after Switzerland, with unexpected landscaping nestled up against the Cleveland National Forest.

This 1970’s custom dark home was remodeled to open up the house of rooms + bring in light. Our clients lived in the Netherlands + USA. Working with them was smooth thanks to technology, consistent communication + a few airplane rides!

We removed walls that divided the dining room from the kitchen + blocked the forest views. We enlarged sliding glass doors + windows + added Solatubes for more natural light. We used one floor type, African Sapeli hardwood, to create a cohesive great room + making the home feel more spacious.

We simplified the kitchen by adding a double-sided storage island + removing all upper cabinets. And yes, that’s an IKEA kitchen!

With Alpine being a sleepy town far away from the major city + the increase of residential construction costs, affordable contractor choices were sparse. For budget, our client implemented the plans, coordinated with all the subcontractors + built the project in phases.