The Rambler / GO’C

Architects: GO’C
Year: 2018
Area: 1,700 ft²
Photographs: Kevin Scott
Project Team: Jon Gentry AIA, Aimée O’Carroll ARB, Ben Kruse, Yuchen Qiu
Builder Team: Sparrow Woodworks, Jon Gentry AIA / Lydia Ramsey
Contractor: Thomas Fragnoli
Structural Engineering: Swenson Say Fagét
Civil Engineering: Josh Welch, J Welch Engineering
Lighting Design: Niteo
City: Kingston, Kitsap Peninsula, Washington
Country: USA

The Rambler, a 1,700-square-foot residence designed by GO’C on the Kitsap Peninsula, Washington, is a single-story home shaped by its wooded surroundings and strong material presence. Designed for a musician and an architect, the house extends horizontally across the landscape with a raised concrete base and a broad overhanging roof that shelters outdoor living spaces. The structure integrates passive design strategies, natural ventilation, and openings that frame axial views while maintaining privacy. Locally sourced Douglas fir and cedar, along with masonry walls and deeply raked mortar joints, reinforce the tactile quality of the home. A site-cast concrete fireplace serves as a central gathering element, and a rooftop terrace with an herb garden enhances the home’s engagement with nature. Thoughtfully zoned for future expansion, the design allows for additional structures while maintaining a seamless connection between the built environment and the landscape.

The Rambler’s material palette was carefully chosen to emphasize durability, texture, and a deep connection to its site.
Interview with Jon Gentry and Aimée O’Carroll of GO’C

The Rambler, located on the Kitsap Peninsula northwest of Seattle, is a secluded residence nestled within a heavily wooded landscape a few blocks from a small beach town. Designed for a musician and an architect, the home sits on a family-owned property and was developed through close collaboration with local artisans, utilizing long-standing relationships built through years of shared craftsmanship.

The 1,700-square-foot home was designed with a simple program: three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and dedicated areas for music and drawing. While compact, the house extends into the landscape with a sheltering roof and screen walls, forming usable outdoor spaces on all sides. The site offers unique access to sunlight and open sky, enhancing the home’s connection to its surroundings. The roof doubles as an occupiable space, incorporating an herb garden and elevated outdoor areas. Structurally, the house is prepared for future expansion, with the northern section designed to support an additional story if needed. The site layout was thoughtfully planned to accommodate vegetable gardens, a future shop or guesthouse, a firepit gathering space, and a rooftop terrace for stargazing.

The design concept is based on a stretched rectangular volume, following a classic one-story “rambler” typology. The volume was sculpted to create gathering spaces, frame axial views, and introduce natural light and ventilation while maintaining privacy. The horizontal form emphasizes the home’s relationship with the earth, while a raised concrete base establishes visual and structural stability. This base integrates radiant hydronic heating and serves as a polished concrete floor. Above, the extended roof overhang provides shade and protection while accommodating solar panels, a rooftop terrace, and an herb garden. Selective cutouts in the roof create voids that establish direct connections with the sky and surrounding trees, with skylights illuminating the interior spaces. A site-cast concrete fireplace and chimney rise as the only vertical element, marking the heart of the home where family gatherings and music take place.

The home’s material palette prioritizes durability and a natural aging process. Full-height masonry walls with deeply raked mortar joints introduce texture and depth, contrasting with the smooth concrete surfaces and lime-painted interior walls. Locally sourced materials were integral to the design—Douglas fir trees cleared from the site were milled and dried in place during construction, later repurposed for the roof’s interior finish, open kitchen shelving, and a custom coffee table. Cedar, also milled on-site, was used for the entry door, benches, and privacy fencing.

A seamless indoor-outdoor connection was a fundamental design goal. Brick screen walls extend into the landscape, forming semi-enclosed outdoor rooms that filter light and frame views at the east and west ends of the site. These elements dissolve the boundary between the structure and its environment, allowing greenery to reach the home’s perimeter. In the case of the entry garden, nature is brought directly into the center of the residence, reinforcing the home’s engagement with its surroundings.