First, this was one of the most challenging and rewarding projects I have ever been associated with and the client was an amazing person.

This project had so many challenges. First was location, on top of a mountain road surrounded by finished houses. Second, was the lot being almost unbuildable as it dropped off perceptibly in the rear. The house itself is a hybrid design bringing together many different disciplines. The house is sitting on an ICF (insulated concrete forms) basement. This type of basement wall is highly energy efficient and requires a specialized concrete contractor to install. On top of this sits a timber frame structure creating the frame of the house. All the beams and columns are fir timbers fitted together with mortise and tenon joints. On top of the timber frame sits a SIP (structural insulated panel) skin. Think of this as an Oreo cookie with the outside of the cookie OSB and the inside filled with insulating foam. These panels are extremely energy efficient as well as very large and heavy and must be craned into position to assemble into the final product. To achieve the energy efficiency we were looking for, all seams in the panels were sealed and all joints caulked. A highly efficient heating system was installed and an on demand hot water heater to round out the package. We had the house pressure tested using a blower door and the house tested so tight that the machine could barely read it. The machine reads how much air is leaking from the house under pressure.

As you can see from the photos fit and finish on the inside and out was over the top. The client had a great eye for color and material selection. All and all a great project that we are proud to be associated with.