JONES RESIDENCE

Okanagan West Coast Design: An Architect's Dream Project

Overlooking Okanagan Lake in Vernon, B.C., the Jones Residence is a fine example of West Coast residential architecture. Even though it occupies a semi-desert hillside in the B.C. interior dry-belt, it does not appear at all to be at odds with its surroundings. Designed by architect Terry Gower and built in 1970, the Jones house displays several characteristics that are definitive of the West Coast style.  One of the most interesting is the orientation of the building and its relationship to the land; the house was built into a steep hillside and merges with the terrain in a way that suggests the structure is growing out of it, rather than conquering it.  Other defining elements that suggest West Coast influence include the use of natural materials, the exploration of asymmetrical lines and geometric forms, large and unobstructed views of the lake and mountains, and high vaulted ceilings.

The magnificent view of the lake and surrounding hills first attracted the Joneses to the original building lot. As an undeveloped, three-quarters of an acre piece of land, it supported only native flora and it had the space and privacy they were seeking. However, finding a design for a house to put on it proved challenging; nothing in the way of a stock plan from a book seemed appropriate for such a unique property.  Eventually, they were inspired to go the custom route.

They contacted Terry Gower, a local architect, whose work favoured the West Coast features they admired. They were drawn to the West Coast style because of its emphasis on the natural aesthetic; they loved the appearance of organic or “of the land” materials and wanted them incorporated into their home.

Influenced strongly by Vancouver-based architect, Arthur Erickson, Gower had recently designed a number of residences, several schools, municipal and commercial buildings, and a couple of churches in and around the province.  When the Joneses approached him, he first had them seek out some of the residences to further define their style and get inspiration for their design.

None of Gower’s homes were quite like another; his houses all had unique qualities.  Some were less experimental, while others took greater risks and truly pushed the boundaries of accepted design.  After having viewed as many builds as they could easily access, the Joneses were enthused by the prospect of building a custom home with the architect.  Gower set to work and soon had a proposal for the Jones' property; he presented them with the outline for what would later become known--and still may be known--as the Jones Residence.

The Joneses were not overly involved with the design process.  They told Gower they wanted 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a main level family room with a fireplace. Other than that, it was up to Gower to play with the land and come up with a plan for the home.  It was a West Coast architect’s dream project; a unique lot, majestic view, and complete creative freedom to build almost anything. Unfortunately, like with most projects, the budget was limited.

As is common practice for home builders with bare-bones budgets, the Joneses did some of the work themselves. To make the home affordable, they pitched in and did all of the exterior and interior wood finishing and gathered the rocks for the fireplace from around British Columbia.

Clear untreated cedar was used throughout the interior. The large wood burning fireplaces in the living room and in the family room were faced with stones harvested from throughout British Columbia. The floors were cork tile. The exterior was sheathed with vertical cedar boards and the roof with hand-split cedar shakes.  A single large glue-lam beam was used to support the roof without the need for interior weight-bearing walls. This beam extends out over the entry at one end and far out over the lake-facing deck at the other mimicking the look of a ship bowsprit plunging out of the hillside.

There Were Things That Went Wrong:

Above the kitchen, Gower had designed a bank of clerestory windows that were originally installed to open outwards from the top.  This was done to scavenge heat and cooking odours from the kitchen. They served a double purpose, however, in that one could look upwards and see the sky, and when conditions were favourable, the heavenly bodies, without anything in the way.  As romantic as this design intention was, it was impractical.  If the windows were open when it rained, the rainwater was funnelled directly into the house. The Joneses were forced to turn the windows around so that the hinges were at the top and the opening at the bottom.

The initial treatment of the outside of the house did not work as anticipated.  The vertical cedar was to be treated with a bleaching agent that would cause the wood to fade to a silver-grey when exposed to the sun. Some of the wood faded as planned however, this did not work on the north side. Also, the house had large overhangs creating areas the sun was unable to reach into. The result was an uneven mottled effect. The eventual recourse was to stain the entire house a uniform driftwood grey.

The heating of the Jones house was rather unusual by today’s standards.  Gower didn’t want unsightly air ducts detracting from his design, so instead he opted to use radiant ceiling heat.  Heating cables are not that unusual – except when they are mounted in the ceiling.  That was the case in this house; the heat was supposed to radiate down from the ceiling.  It was partially successful in that it warmed top surfaces, but was unable to heat below tables and into shadow zones of other objects.  Unfortunately some sections of the heat cables failed only a few years in.  Since they were buried in plaster, between layers of ceiling drywall, it would have been impractical and excessively expensive repair them.  For this reason, other heating methods were introduced to the home.

The house was completed in 1970. A total of $40,000 was budgeted for the entire project, including the lot, which was purchased for $4,000. The house was contracted for $32,000.  Over time, the Jones slowly completed areas that, because of budgetary considerations, had been left unfinished. And since many of the features were experimental some modifications had to be made. They resided in the house happily for 17 years. Recently this unique home sold for over half a million dollars.

Homeowner’s Reflection:

Upon reflection, the homeowners would have liked to have had a bigger kitchen.  Interestingly, studies done just before the Jones Residence was built suggested that big kitchens would be obsolete; in a few years, everyone would be eating out.  As a result, Gower suggested that a large kitchen was unnecessary.  Of course, this prediction has proved to be inaccurate; kitchens have only gotten bigger in recent years.  Later owners of the home have altered the main level, eliminating the formal dining room and the family room, opening up the space and making one long galley kitchen with a long island and eating area. 

The Joneses were reluctant to part with this unique home and picturesque view and many years later, still have fond memories.  They firmly believe that everyone should go through the experience of building a house at least once in their lifetime.  They enjoyed the building process and would later build another special custom house, this time doing the basic design themselves. 

Worth the Risk?

Terry Gower, like many creative architects, was constantly experimenting with new materials, technologies, and building philosophies.  Many things about the Jones Residence were new and interesting, but not all elements of the design were completely practical.  Today, building a custom home can have similar results; you might create amazing features in an architecturally designed house, but might have some small surprises along the way. 

Mass produced homes are mass produced for a reason - they tend to be simpler in design and take fewer risks. The kinks have been worked out and the layout is often smart and functional. The downside, of course, is that you are buying into a cookie-cutter building philosophy; your home looks like your neighbours and loses a lot of individualism and personality. However, by going this route, you usually side-step several design issues that can pop up when designing a custom home. All in all, a few impractical decisions or small design flaws are usually well worth the end product - as was the case with the Jones residence; one of Vernon’s truly unique custom homes.

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