Site specific, environmentally conscious homes, designed to walk lightly on the land.
We are now offering certified blower door testing for all residential and small commercial construction projects in the Methow Valley.
Intrinsic Design is dedicated to providing clients with high quality blower door testing to ensure Energy Code Compliance and to help you meet your high efficiency goals.
Give us a call or contact us through or contact page for more information.
Rates: $400 for first test $250 for second test
The Gardner View House sits on a bench above the Methow River and was designed with a nod to traditional valley aesthetics while keeping to the clean lines of a long low modern shed roof form. Thus, posts and beams of dark brown wood and the use of single hung windows reflects the old agricultural tradition in the neighborhood.
The house has passive solar design built in to capture the heat of the low southern sun through the winter months. The big 5′ overhang on the south side blocks the sun during the heat of the summer. During the winter the low angle of the sun sneaks under that overhang and pours warmth into the living space. Deep porches on the West side of the house block the hot afternoon sun.
A post and beam breeze way leading from the garage doubles as the front porch entry for the house providing shelter for the entrance and safe passage to the outbuilding. A distinctly mid century modern front door welcomes visitors and leads them into a small foyer and quick access to the mudroom. From the foyer, one can see straight through the house to the magnificent view of Mt Gardner.
Sunlight bathes the open kitchen through big south facing windows providing winter warmth and a wonderful space to sit. The dining space is surrounded by views to the south and west and is capped by a stylish modern chandelier.
A custom designed two sided gas fire place separates the kitchen from the living space. Book shelves with storage cabinets below line an entire wall of the living space. The richness of the wood adds a warmth to the room that is irreplaceable. Natural light and long views towards the mountains are provided by a bank of west facing windows.
Specs:
The Red Dog Guest House is a project that seeks to bridge modern and traditional design while bringing beauty and added utility to a property in the Methow Valley. The RDGH sits prominently in an open field and as such takes in huge views in three directions. The combination of shed and gable roof lines looks to fit with the character of the buildings in the surrounding landscape while making a strong sculptural statement of its own. A roof system of wood beams covered in Douglas Fir decking makes for a rich earthy feel and ensures that this space is built for the long term.
Visitors to the Red Dog Guest House are greeted by a large porch roof and entry deck with a custom storage bench to give quick respite from summers heat or winters snow. Deep greys and muted browns color the exterior of the building and help mask its presence in a wide-open field. The natural wood tone of the roof beams helps to soften and warm the exterior at close range.
A second story guest space focuses banks of windows toward the beautiful up-valley views giving a sense of being perched on the land. A north-facing porch gives the visitor an area from which to take in the vista and watch the hawks ride breezes rising off the nearby bluff. Long banks of joined windows allow one to take in sweeping views of the landscape from virtually anywhere in the main living space..
The interior makes use of efficient living and sleeping spaces. Bedrooms are purposefully kept small to leave more space for kitchen, living, and dining. The kitchen features a beautiful custom designed cherry and maple built-in dining area tucked into a windowed corner. Graphite grey cabinetry and white quartz countertops add a cohesive beauty through out.
Construction of the Red Dog Guest House started with the removal of an old RV Barn and reuse of the existing foundation and infrastructure. To reuse and improve upon was a guiding principal from the start. Working with Blackcap Builders Collective ensured that the old building was recycled into the community or back into the new structure. The building is sided with Hardie Board to protect it from fire and provide a highly durable low maintenance finish. Insulation values were ramped up to provide a comfortable low energy living space. Higher insulation values were added to south and west walls to block summers heat. High insulation values in the roof help conserve heat in the winter.
One can’t miss the strong presence of the roof’s beams and decking. Natural wood tones and the inherent strength of the beams give one a sense of safety amid such a powerful landscape. The repetitive pattern of beam and decking create a rich interior and enhance the connection from outside to inside on the second floor.
Outdoor living spaces abound to foster a comfortable time spent outside. A large shaded south-facing entry deck welcomes visitors and provides a place to watch the days’ events change over the long-distance valley view. A north-facing porch on the first floor provides a place to gather with groups and enjoy the shaded side of the house. Above, a second-floor north-facing porch gives an intimate place to sit with the view.
The Pine Forest Shadow House is a modern, shed-roof cabin and the owners consider it an architectural sculpture in the Methow Valley. From sun up to down, light moves around the property, casting shadows. The intent is to create another shadow in the forest. The building hides in the pines to not take away from the beauty that stood there for millennia before its existence.
Architecturally, the structure steps away from you in 5 planes: entryway, foyer, mud room, bedroom, and towards the forest lanai. The material choices and colors blend in with the shrub-steppe hillside. Functionally, the Shadow House is meant to be a true getaway cabin for an active couple and their family and friends. The living space is open but retains a human scale to emphasize a feeling of comfort.
Carefully placed windows open the main room to the beauty of the forest around the house allowing a sense of immersion in nature from the comfort of the cabin. Sleeping quarters are intentionally kept small to encourage use of the main space. The entry layout is specifically designed around an active lifestyle with quick access to a mudroom and laundry space. The bathroom features a soaking tub for relaxation and recovery after the days long adventures in the mountains of the Methow.
Constructed with a 4-ft foundation, Hardipanel, and metal roof it will house the owners comfortably through 4 seasons and protect them in the event of a wildfire. The lanai is a defensible space and in the summer, the soffit extends the living area to the outside with shade.
The Shadow House was designed and is being built by Black Cap Builders Collective. It’s constructed with green materials and modern techniques. Black Cap brings attention to detail, craftsmanship, and ability to realize the vision the clients had for a home in the Methow.
On a budget.
Methow Valley Home Design always start with several visits to the site in order to find the essence of the land and identify its most prized traits. Each piece of property in the Methow has invaluable characteristics that need to be worked into the siting and design of the house. Large scale views, intimate spaces, the ability to gather solar energy or tuck in out of the wind all come in to play when assessing a site. Finding a balance of the sites attributes and the practical needs of the client gets our design underway.
Once the landscape is assessed, it’s time to sit with the clients and find what their needs are for the new building. I like to start with an interview where we go through questions that help build a written model of what the home should accommodate and what dreams are hoped for. Is this home design intended to be a get away space for a couple and friends or is it a full time home for a family raising kids? Are we looking for a home that is pushing sculptural boundaries or are we looking to stay with traditional forms.
Setting a reasonable budget for the project is also invaluable from the beginning. It is very important to me that we design a home that meets your budget and allows you to realize your dreams. If we budget carefully, you should be able to fit some special additions into your design.
Environmental house design is one of the most important elements that I can bring to you the client and to us as a culture. The buildings that we live, work and shop in consume 30% of our energy and 70% of our electricity. The more our projects help to bring those numbers down the more positive for the environment and our planet.
I hope to work as many energy saving strategies into my designs as I can. We can start with a robust insulation package to help conserve every bit of energy that we put into the home. Adding elements of passive solar energy collection and storage bolster the buildings energy effectiveness. Creating high tech building envelopes, using ingenious framing techniques and looking to creative solutions for heat and cold management all play a part in reducing a buildings carbon footprint.
We can design in active solar energy production working with local solar designers and installers. Be it to stand alone from the grid or to tie in and feed your excess electricity back to the grid. We can do it. Would you like to be able to capture rain to water your zeri scape plantings? We can do that too.
I am here to help you build a home that sits lightly on the land. It’s my passion and I would love to help make your home meet your environmental goals.
