A Sustainable Full-Build with Recycled & Reclaimed Materials
Handcrafted In La Conner
A new, owner-built “forever home” designed with sustainable practices and materials.
With an empty nest, these homeowners found themselves ready to build their very own forever home. Deciding on La Conner, Washington as the ideal place to settle in, they began evaluating what features they wanted and needed in their long-term home. We knew aging-in-place focused design would be essential to ensuring the home is comfortable and functional for years to come. The homeowners were also interested in incorporating sustainable elements that could reduce the home’s carbon and energy footprints.
The client, an experienced building tradesman, served as their own general contractor for this project. With the homeowners directly involved in the building process, this project was highly collaborative and now features many unique details as a result of tight-knit, flexible teamwork between our design teams and a hands-on client.
Aesthetics were just as important as functionality — and finding the balance between sustainability and a timeless style that would also age well was a top priority. To achieve a rustic yet modern aesthetic, we used natural, reclaimed, and recycled materials throughout the home. The floating staircase to the upper level of the home is built with slabs of fir for a classic Pacific Northwest aesthetic. Various reclaimed woods are used to create a patchwork finish for barndoors repeated throughout the home – a unique touch giving the space character and anchoring it to its location.
South-facing windows and concrete floors accompanied with air-tight insulation of the exterior walls means the temperature can be easily and naturally regulated through passive solar design. Geothermal water heating heats water in a more eco-friendly way, and highly efficient appliances and PV electric panels also work to make this a highly resilient home.
The exterior of the home blends with the flowering landscaping, nested among tall evergreens. The muted material palette helps merge the home with the trees – almost suggesting it was meant to be there — and the angles at which the roofs intersect create a dynamic moment of interest like tree branches intertwining in the forest. In the back of the house, a spacious ground-level deck provides the homeowners with a secluded area to relax and enjoy the outdoors. Large glass doors help foster a seamless indoor-outdoor connection.
Natural, organic materials help make, the interior of the home feel warm, cozy, and inviting. The neutral walls and concrete flooring are complemented by the rich hues of wooden accents, like the window frames and heavy timber beams. The shed roofs and vaulted ceilings create varied room heights that help distinguish and compartmentalize spaces within the open floor plan without inhibiting the area’s flow. Tall, abundant windows work to both brighten the home and regulate its temperature.
Through close collaboration with the homeowners during the design and construction phases, we achieved a home that’s both highly functional, sustainable, and reflective of the original vision. Sustainable design methods and repurposed materials helped define the rustic aesthetic of the home, and will continue to accommodate this pair for years to come.
Notes & Credits
This project was built by the homeowners.
Photography from project archive.
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Services
Our design services encompass architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture, with teams specializing in projects across the spectrum, from single-family homes to multifamily and mixed-use buildings, and from boutique commercial spaces to civic spaces, like parks. We love designing the integrated fabric of structures, spaces, and places that create vibrant neighborhoods.
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