The Cabin at Point Reyes

Local building custom was preserved in the rehabilitation of an at-risk 1905 cabin, now a family retreat on the wild coast.

- Brian D. Coleman

WHEN MOLLY AND SETH ROSEN were undergraduates at Berkeley, a favorite escape was hiking in the scenic Point Reyes National Seashore north of the Bay Area. Later they dreamed of having a vacation house here, a quiet place for bird watching walks with their children, Caleb and Ellie. In 2011, they came upon a rustic cabin for sale in the village of Inverness.

“The living room and a bedroom were entirely clad in redwood,” Molly says. “Those rooms, and the spectacular views, made us fall in love with it.” The 1905 hunting cabin was built from native redwood, using plank construction. It had only two bedrooms, but there was extra sleeping space.

But “to be honest,” the couple agree, “it was in nearly teardown condition.” After being condemned in 1982 when a mudslide weakened the hillside, the site had been repaired and the cabin partially restored. But the rudimentary post foundation was failing and the house was noticeably tilted and bowed. There was little insulation; rooms were often cold and drafty. Aluminum-framed windows added in the 1980s all but obscured the views. The brick chimney was unsafe, with mortar crumbling and daylight visible through cracks. Electrical and plumbing were not up to code, and the original cesspool, a redwood box buried in the hill, was still in service.

Immediately they installed a new septic system, and had the overgrown ivy and diseased trees cut back. At the same time they researched the history of the “Old Inverness” style of summer cabins, even knocking on neighbors’ doors for a look. Architect Ronald Casassa helped them develop a historically appropriate plan for restoration.