See a Guesthouse Carved Into a Washington Cliff

Living smack dab on the rim of the Columbia River Gorge in Washington state, Vince and Carol Bryan have some postcard-perfect views. Grassy plateaus and charcoal-gray basalt cliffs plunge thousands of feet down to the canyon and winding waterway below, while the bright blue sky stretches seemingly to infinity. It’s the kind of view you don’t want to muck around with.

So when they set out to build a two-story guesthouse and entertainment space that sleeps four — a four-car garage is on the ground floor — they made certain that the surrounding beauty not only took center stage, but became part of the design as well. Four large dormer windows capture the stunning scenery outside, while the structure backs right up to a western-facing cliff, with 6 feet of natural, untreated basalt rock rising right up into the large second-floor living space. The jagged rocks share interior space with a Ping-Pong table and a billiards table.

Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here: This is a guesthouse owned by Vincent and Carol Bryan.
Location: Near George, Washington, on the Columbia River Gorge
Size: 4 bedroom alcoves, 1 bathroom and recreation room upstairs; 4-car garage downstairs

To capture the view, the building needed to be oriented to the west, which meant backing into the western cliff face. The Bryans learned a lot about building around basalt rock while constructing their main house; their grandchildren's outgrowing that house spurred the couple to build the new guesthouse (dubbed The Carriage House).

"We knew that the rock found everywhere here wasn't going anywhere, and we also knew we could build into it with very little disruption to the environment," Vince says. "This property is all about a melding of nature and structures, a blend of indoors and out. We love that."


The guesthouse sits atop a four-car garage and comprises one large room with four bed alcoves created by large dormer windows. Rising well over 6 feet from the floor, the natural basalt rock creates the entire back wall of the space. It was left entirely natural and untreated. "There's actually a slight smell that it gives off," says Vince. "When we built, there was a lot of lichen growing on the rocks. That's no longer there, but the smell is still one of vegetation, very much like the yeasty smell of [wine] fermentation, which," says this wine grower and winery owner, "is a scent we love and are very familiar with."

The Ping-Pong table was made by joining a Ping-Pong surface to a large farm table.


Each dormer window faces the jaw-dropping gorge. The four-car garage below houses machinery and supplies — as well as wine at times — used in the Bryans' agricultural operations.

Having learned the hard way that clay roofing was vulnerable to the often-high winds of the gorge, the Bryans opted for steel roofing in a shade of red that complements the clay tiles on the main house.

Mediterranean-inspired iron sconces flank each garage door, adding another layer to the mix of rock, sagebrush, wood and cement plaster.


"This room is all about get-togethers and having fun," Carol says. "We needed a place for everyone to sleep, but also for children and grandchildren to simply hang out and have fun. The main house is a wonderful gathering place, but it wasn't designed with a lot of bedrooms or a lot of privacy — it's very open. This guesthouse addition has made visiting much more comfortable."


Just large enough to accommodate a full bed, each alcove offers a stunning view, an adjacent closet and enough relative privacy for multiple visiting family members to sleep in comfort.


A short, steep staircase leads to a large storage space tucked behind the basalt. The large beam is composite wood.

Wide-plank wood laminate covers the floors and stairs, and highlights the similar tone in the variegated colors of the basalt.


The dormers let daytime light flood into the space, while can lights illuminate it at night.


"We've naturally gathered items throughout the years that reflect our family and our interests," Carol says. "This room is turning into a memorabilia room. The furniture is frankly hodgepodge right now, but it's also personal: The sofa belonged to Vince's mom, the blue chairs are from our home in Edmonds 30 years ago, and the cane chair comes from the Mercer Island home we lived in during the 1990s."


The basalt rock cliff blends seamlessly into the rock-faced carriage house wall, creating a natural, unobtrusive look.


Keeping the base of the cliff intact meant creating a sloping path up to the second-floor guest quarters. The basalt made for a durable surface with traction, important during the snowy, icy winters of Central Washington. The roofline extends out at a slight angle from the cliff, mimicking the line of the cliff tops in the distance and allowing for snow and water drainage.


Just across the driveway from the main house, the carriage house "helped bring about a feeling of completion" to the residence, says Carol.


The fountain was a DIY labor of love. "When our future son-in-law told us he was going to marry our daughter, we suggested he do a labor of love," Vince says. "The result was this fountain." The roses are mulched with grape seeds, a by-product of the winery operations; this mixture is one of the few mulches the Bryans have tried that have enough weight and density to defy the gorge's high winds.


An effective visual stop for cars making their way down the steep drive, the fountain anchors the space between the carriage house and the main house.


The Bryans planted a small orchard at the base of the cliff above the main house to provide peaches and pears as well as shade for grandchildren and the bountiful wild rabbits.

See the Bryans' main house

URL: See a Guesthouse Carved Into a Washington Cliff http://www.decor-ideas.org/cases-view-id-18327.html