This eco-friendly cabin designed by Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects is nestled in the mountains in Winthrop, Washington State. The material selection entails sawn beams, logs, rough formed concrete, and corrugated metal, all of which are rough in nature to reflect the natural and untamed setting.
Two concrete walls form terraces on which this 1,400 square foot, two-level dwelling sits. The lower terrace encompasses the living, dining, and kitchen all as one large space. The upper concrete wall forms the back of the living area and creates a base for the upper terrace which encompasses two bedrooms and a bathroom.
Two 8 foot by 8 foot sliding glass doors on the south side of the lower level opens the dwelling to the outdoors. To further connect the house with the outside, all of the rooms have doors that open to the exterior, including the bathroom, which opens to an outdoor bath for use during the warm summer months.
This eco-friendly mountain cabin was originally constructed as a vacation retreat, however, several years later the owner commissioned the architect to transform the structure into a full-time residence. To accomplish this while maintaining its integrity and use as a vacation home, the cabin’s intervention was relatively minimal.
Beneath the new log and steel pavilion, the outdoor dining room cantilevers dramatically to gain clear views of the mountains beyond the existing house. The materials were selected to match the existing house materials. Above the dining room, translucent polycarbonate panels allow soft light to filter in. Although the dining room is open on all sides, mosquito-netting curtains may be deployed when bugs are particularly bothersome.
The pavilion roof structure extends over the outdoor living room, which is separated from the dining room by a custom-fabricated steel fireplace. Retractable awnings above the living room provide shade on hot days but still allow for nighttime star gazing. Across from the pavilion and concealed behind a clever airplane hangar-style door, the outdoor kitchen is tucked into a niche carved out of the west wall of the house.
Custom steel planters filled with ornamental grasses and dwarf birches line a new concrete walkway that leads from the garage to the house. At maturity, the birches will create natural “walls” that will focus the approach to the front door and screen the parking area in front of the garage from view.
The addition consists of three primary elements: a walkway, a pavilion, and an expansion of the outdoor terrace. These elements organize the program, which includes a new entry sequence to the house, a covered dining area, an outdoor living room, and an outdoor kitchen.
What We Love: This eco-friendly mountain cabin offers its inhabitants a welcoming overhaul to an existing home to make it idyllic for use year-round. The outdoor dining and kitchen pavilion is perfect for entertaining family and friends while offering the most incredible views. We are especially loving the main bedroom with its indoor-outdoor connection and sweeping vistas of the Washington mountains.
Tell Us: What do you think of the design of this home and its surroundings? Would this be your idea of an idyllic place to call home? Let us know in the Comments!
Note: Check out a couple of other fascinating home tours that we have showcased here on One Kindesign in Washington State: Sustainable home with an inviting modern design aesthetic and Whidbey Island retreat designed with a unique camp-like setting.
The owner desired a focus on eco-friendly design starting from the ground up. The dwelling is designed to take advantage of passive solar heating. The majority of the high-performance glazing faces either south or east. The east-facing glazing was provided to allow for morning warming; even in summer, nighttime lows often reach the 30’s.
Thermal mass plays an important role in the reduction of diurnal temperature fluctuations both in the summer and the winter. This includes an exposed concrete floor and a rough wood-formed concrete wall that serves as a retaining wall between the upper and lower floors. The roof is insulated to R-50 and the walls to R-23. These factors combine to reduce energy use significantly beyond code requirements even with a large amount of glass.
The exterior siding of this home is wood salvaged from a water irrigation ditch. The 2×12’s have naturally weathered over the last 60 years, cleaned and sealed before installation (they should last another 60 years with little maintenance). In addition, the roof purlins are lodgepole pine logs salvaged from forest thinning.
Much of the rest of the wood in the structure is ‘processed’ wood, which is less of a drain on forest resources, including glue-lam beams, rough sawn plywood used for ceiling and wall finishes, exposed paralams for stair treads, and I-joists and paralams used for structure. Hand-selected framing lumber was used to frame the critically important fixed portions of the window walls.
The cabinets and doors were constructed with veneered woods, a more sustainable approach than solid wood. The use of interior plaster walls with integral color virtually eliminated the need for interior paint and is much more durable than gypsum board walls.
Photos: Courtesy of Prentiss Balance Wickline Architects
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