Project Tag Archives

Pine Forest Shadow House

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.

The Pine Forest Shadow House is tucked away into a hillside.

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.

Pine Forest Shadow House Construction

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.

Specs

  • 5 Red Pine Ct, Winthrop Wa, 98862
  • 4-acre lot in Pine Forest at 3300 Ft
  • 1100 SQ FT
  • 2 bedroom
  • 1 and ½ bath
  • Cement foundation
  • Hardipanel exterior with a wood-wrapped entryway on 3 walls
  • Metal shed roof
  • Metal south facing, the snow wall.

Methow Valley Home Design

Designing for the Landscape

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.

Designing for the Clients Needs

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.

Designing for the Envirionment

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.