I visited one of the Warming Hut muses today: the living roof atop the California Academy of Sciences in Golden Gate Park.
It is a wonderland.
Those are whale bones drying in the sun, and views of San Francisco neighborhoods to the south.
The biggest revelation was what to do with the Warming Hut roof, in my ambiguous quest to add visual interest.
Criss-crossing the Cal Academy roof’s seven hills is a grid work of stones contained in wire mesh, like ley lines, to facilitate drainage.
They create a subtle framework, and could translate to 1:12 scale splendidly. I am so happy to have my answer!
Meanwhile, I’ve been building out the terrain under the the hut.
In addition to the air-dry clay boulders, tiny driftwood logs and beach gravel, I’m adding some scrumbly old brick foundations. They’ll be only mildly visible, but will add some mystery + history :)
And, it ties the Warming Hut to the Sea House Pavilion, which was staged against some brick ruins.
I’ve learned to do mortar a little better since then :)
The ruins of old brick buildings adjacent the Sea House Pavilion
Here’s the wee brick skunk works:
And one final work-in-progress mood shot:
Because I love the combination of gnarly real and simulacrum.
nancyland.com 
A perfect solution to your dilemma. What an intriguing place – some of the early pioneers to our region lived in sod houses or dug-outs, but I doubt they had the space-age windows.
I love the little bricks, but it’s either getting late here or I ate some chemically altered Gummi Bears because I’m seeing faces in the rock and driftwood!
This is turning out to be a very spirited build :)
Mystery history….what a fantastic idea. The more detail you add the more realistic it looks.
Exactly, Keli! And since we choose what we put in, as well as leave out of our builds, the story sort of accretes and unfolds as we go along… Like simultaneously writing and reading a really good book. Or something :)
I like that you add detail to every part, above and below and that there is a history to everything. Makes me wonder who lived there before the warming hut. Love it =0)
Thanks, Pepper <3
I wonder, too. It's a very pleasant pastime. Maybe I’ll find out before the build is done.