Switchback Residence

This project started where most others stopped. Flanked on two sides by roads and saddled with an existing home that failed to inspire even the most optimistic buyers, the site seemed more obstacle than opportunity. We saw it differently. After removing the original structure and repositioning the home along the upper street frontage, the entire design locked onto one purpose: framing Lake Tahoe. 

The result is a 5,500-square-foot contemporary mountain home that steps naturally down the hillside, its staggered view walls and sculpted roofline working in concert to draw light and landscape into every room. Five decks — including a rooftop terrace with a gas fire pit and a wrap-around main-level deck with an outdoor kitchen — dissolve the line between indoors and out, while a heated paver driveway and three-car garage clad in Rocky Mountain granite ledgestone make an immediate architectural statement on arrival.

Inside, the home is anchored by a dramatic open staircase with steel stringers, open treads, and a glass railing system — a sculptural centerpiece visible from nearly every living space. The great room opens fully to the main deck through oversized sliders, seamlessly expanding the living area into the mountain air, while a glass-enclosed, temperature-and-humidity-controlled wine room commands the main level with quiet elegance. 

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Architect. GilanFarr Architecture
Builder. McMahan Homes
Landscape Architect. Luna Enterprises
Awards + Recognition. 2024 Tahoe Quarterly Mountain Home Awards