Foundational Site Assessment
Location: Paso Robles, CA
Land & Climate Characteristics: The 6.3 acre property features nearly 2 acres of steeply-sloped former almond orchard above the main residence (now devoid of trees), ~2.5 acres of moderately sloped land around the main home, and just over an acre of relatively flat, usable bottom land. The soils are very thin, with a low water holding capacity and low organic matter content. The fill slope below the main residence is steep enough (44% grade) to discourage frequent, easy access. Non-native weeds and annual grasses require significant time and energy to mow each year and cover most of the property.
Mainframe Design
Client’s Vision and Goals: The Wann family’s vision for their new home is to create an inviting and beautiful place to live, work and learn for current and future generations. Key aspects of their vision include an accessory dwelling for aging parents and different ambience zones around the living areas that allow for as much outdoor living as possible – including a meditation garden, food forests, home kitchen gardens, small pond with bamboo grove, and an outdoor education and community gathering space.
Additional design imperatives included addressing extreme top degradation by establishing perennial cover, patterning access routes to make steeper parts of the property more accessible, increasing passive water harvesting capacity in the soil profile, and planting diverse, perennial food-producing ecosystems with minimal input costs.
Mainframe Design Elements
- Water
- Water system retrofit to increase on-site storage with additional tanks and create gravity feed to the residences.
- Minor earthworks to improve rain water harvesting and infiltration on-site.
- Erosion control plantings with vetiver grass where erosion is actively happening.
- Access
- Access routes for humans – stepped pathways at 25% grade and ramped pathways at 8% grade for all-ages access across the property.
- Access path for tractor to safely handle the steep grades.
- Shelter
- Structural orientation and siting for future ADU unit, with protected courtyard and attached pond.
- Living Systems
- Climate-appropriate plantings to maximize the biological benefit from additional water infiltration in the form of biomass.
- CA native and bamboo privacy hedges.
- Diverse, perennial food production systems – including food hedges (fedges), food forests, and Zone 4 nut tree plantings.
- Native reforestation of upper paddock, integrated with Zone 4 productive, drought hardy plantings nut plantings.
- Energy
- Optimal siting and orientation for ground-mount solar panels to supply a battery bank for emergency well power and feed back into the grid.
- Off-grid energy system recommendations for the future outdoor school zone, along with outdoor kitchen and community fire circle.
Design Map Call Outs
Lower food forest, terraced garden and nature school yurt classroom. 
Terraced orchard plantings above and below the main residence. 
Street parking for nature school and entry through food forest. 
Earthbag raised garden beds adjacent to the natural swimming pool behind the main residence. 
School Lunch Garden composed of three terraces adjacent to the nature school yurt, firepit and deck. 
Zone 4 nut tree plantings and CA native reforestation area. 
ADU courtyard garden pond and bamboo privacy hedge. 
ADU and associated landscape elements below the main residence. 
Driveway shade trees and minor earthworks to capture and infiltrate run-off. 
Food forestry zone laid out on contour around 8% grade walking path. 
Minor earthworks and fill slope revegetation and food forest. 
8% grade ramped walking paths to traverese the steep slope. 
Trellised earthbag fire circle and outdoor kitchen at the heart of the nature school.
Thank you Wes and Casey!
We are beyond pleased with the design you created for our homestead! We have jumped into a few projects already and we feel infinitely more confident now with your guidance and wealth of resources you have introduced us to. Most of all, we are so ecstatic to begin joining the regenerative movement and permaculture communities. The next few years will be filled with exponential learning, growth and healing. We owe such gratitude to both of you for your guidance, kindness, openness, and extensive knowledge. Thank you for being so creative, insightful and inspiring!
The Wann Family