Where better for an architect’s imagination to run wild than in their own home? Martin Tarafdar has taken this mantra to the extreme with his Californian ‘Shipwreck House’…

On the market via Cliff Keith of Today Sotheby’s International Realty for $2.99m, Shipwreck House sits on the shore of Folsom Lake in an area known as Rattlesnake Bar.

Its proximity to the water, and the serpentine silhouette of the surrounding Sierra foothills provide inspiration for the colossal, 4,466 sq ft California property. Shipwreck House’s commanding feature is its rippled, ‘sail’-like roof, which can collect and store 12,000 gallons of rainwater.

When viewed from the inside, the house looks like ‘the damaged underside of a ship’s hull, or the skeletal remains of a rattlesnake’, says Tarafdar, who is now retired. Solar panels similarly evoke the sails of a galleon ship, and the white cubic volume that tops the structure is reminiscent of a crow’s nest.

Interiors feature blue floors, 12-ft-ceilings, exposed masonry and a crescent-shaped stainless steel kitchen. Floor-to-ceiling glass capitalises on the views, and leads out to Shipwreck House’s 320 sq ft cantilevered deck and swimming pool.

Number 3599 Hector Road is currently a blank shell inside, and while it might not be to everyone’s taste, you do get a lot of bang for your buck. An additional guest house – which is currently lived in by Taradfar, and has its own water collecting roof garden – is included with the sale.

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