Steve Lacy and Debbie Thomas lived on the San Francisco Peninsula for three decades and raised their daughters there before building their dream home on a rural, vacant lot in Alexander Valley.
“Our jobs brought us to San Mateo,” says Thomas, “but this is more us.”
The couple, who both work in the pharmaceutical industry, bought the land in 2008. They were drawn to it by its stunning views of the Alexander Valley and its quiet location not far from Healdsburg and other small wine country towns that they enjoy exploring.
Lacy and Thomas were essentially starting from scratch – at the time, the property only had basic infrastructure and a small olive grove at the top of the ridge. But they knew the location would offer them the balance of privacy and closeness they were looking for.
“This section is known as a popular biking section in the summer and is only 3 miles from the Jimtown Store,” Lacy says.
“The reopening will take place soon, we are very excited,” says Thomas.
Initially, the couple built a small prefab home near the olive grove and visited the property on weekends and holidays. In 2019, the Kincade Fire destroyed much of the surrounding landscape, but firefighters heroically saved the prefab home.
The couple replanted the burned olive grove, although many of the trees they thought were a total loss later grew back. Eventually, they began building a new home, working with Chris Cahill of CahillStudio, contractor Robin Guilfoyle of RobinWood Construction and interior designer Emily Mughannam, creative director of Fletcher Rhodes in Sonoma.
The project took three years and was completed in late 2023. “Our relationship with the land has really evolved over time. This was not an easy piece of land to build on,” Lacy says.
The availability of wood, steel and other expensive items like windows impacted the schedule and cost, but the couple says the stretched timeline gave them a deeper understanding of what they were looking for.
Now they’re thrilled with how their new home meets their needs. “I love how open and bright it is and how it takes advantage of all the views,” says Thomas.
The home is extremely energy efficient with solar panels and backup batteries, and was built with special exterior cladding and roof construction to make it as fire-resistant as possible. Landscape architect Mike Lucas of Lucas + Lucas designed a spectacular waterfall visible through a two-story window in the main living area and ensured a strong connection to the outdoors on the upper deck and in the downstairs pool area.
“It gets very hot here, but when a breeze comes, the whole house opens up and it stays cool,” Lacy says. “You have these brilliant days and the most incredible sunsets over the valley.”
The couple has been settling in over the past few months, getting used to the new kitchen layout (“The kitchen is better than the cook now,” Lacy jokes) and listening to the neighbor’s crickets and cows at night. The property is an important wildlife corridor—deer, quail and wild turkey, even foxes and coyotes move easily through the landscape.
“A lot of people have fenced the whole property, but I couldn’t imagine doing that here,” Lacy says. “There are game trails that lead back and forth, and they’ve definitely been here before us, so that’s the way it is.”
In summer it’s time to be outside, watching the morning mist drift across the valley and dissipate, and preparing cozy meals on the grill in the outdoor kitchen. “The mist is a very special thing here, it adds character,” says Thomas.
The couple is planting a vegetable garden and is looking forward to hosting their younger daughter’s engagement party in the new house, but most of all they are enjoying what has evolved over time.
“It’s secluded here, but it still has a very homely atmosphere,” says Thomas.
Lacy agrees. “We knew we would like it, but now it’s a reality.”
