Elbow Coulee is a 1,400 square foot cabin located in the mountains of North-Central Washington State, sitting on a south-facing slope with views to the south and east. The materials selected, including logs, sawn beams, rough formed concrete and corrugated metal, are rough in nature to reflect the natural and untamed setting. Two concrete walls form terraces on which the 2 level house sits. The lower terrace contains 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 contains 2 bedrooms and a bath. Two 8 foot by 8 foot sliding glass doors on the south side of the lower level opens the house to the outdoors. To further connect the house with the outside, all of the rooms have doors that open to the outside, including the bath, which opens to an outdoor bath for use in the summer months.
In 2014, the client returned with a desire to turn the cabin 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. 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.
Steel planters filled with ornamental grasses and dwarf birches line a new concrete walkway from garage to 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. 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.
