Situated on the west bluff of Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, this house is rich with outdoor places: covered porches, open wood decks, and stone terraces from which to view the valley below.
The building is cut into the mountainside,
with a sunken stone patio and steps carved into the ground.
It is only after descending the stone steps, passing under the second floor wing above,
and out to the bluffside terrace,
that the panoramic view opens up before you.
The dining room opens onto a trellised terrace with outdoor fireplace for indoor/outdoor eating.
In winter, the stone columns, wall, and floor slab provide thermal mass, absorbing solar radiation passing through this high wall of south-facing glass. In summer, winds from the valley naturally cool and ventilate the space, passing through low windows on the north wall and out through high ones on the south wall.
Many of the stones used in fireplaces, benches, railings, and other places throughout the house were salvaged from demolished road curbs and garden walls, many of which were originally cut by the owner's great grandfather Stein (stone), a stonecutter.
Stone columns march from outside to inside to support the roof beams of the main living space.
All the interior trim and flooring is heartpine, cut from timbers Mr. Stein recycled from a warehouse he disassembled in downtown Chattanooga.