Dry Creek Cabin

Project Details

Project Description

This project was selected as a Citation winner in the 2024 Residential Architect Design Awards, Renovation/Adaptive Reuse category.

“I really appreciated this one using the same footprint and creating something clear, simple, and fairly optimized. It came out really beautifully.” –Judge Ashley Heeren

Dug into a hillside 2,200 feet above the Columbia River Gorge and White Salmon, Washington, this 1,280-square-foot cabin was designed as a residence for the owner and his dog, as well as a weekend retreat for friends and family. Both economically and environmentally minded, the architects repurposed some elements of an existing cabin that stood on this site such as wall framing and the concrete foundation, slab, and retaining walls. A new gabled volume—consisting of a wood truss system, a standing seam metal roof with skylights, glazed doors and walls, and local lodgepole pine and charred western cedar—was then inserted along with interior components such as appliances, built-ins, bath fixtures, and a wood stove.

Taking cues from the experience of moving through slot canyons of the Columbia River Gorge, the project team created a path of circulation—from the primary bedroom and living spaces to the guest zone—along which the spaces are discovered and views are framed through full-height openings. Along the same lines, a breezeway sandwiched between the main and guest quarters also frame a slot canyon–like view to the Gorge below and Mount Hood beyond. This dogtrot is also strategically positioned to protect against the Gorge winds in the winter season while allowing cool breezes to pass through in the summer time.

PROJECT CREDITS:
Project: Dry Creek Cabin
Location: White Salmon, WA
Architect: Fieldwork Design & Architecture; Cornell Anderson, AIA (Principal/Architect); Tonia Hein (Principal/Interior Designer); Karen Marx (Designer); Brannon Soens (Project Architect); Caleb Couch (Designer); Lisa Kuhnhausen (Designer); Matthew Rusnac (Staff)
Construction End Date: 2023
Size in Square Feet: 1,280
Cost: $650,000

Interior Designer: Fieldwork Design & Architecture; Cornell Anderson, AIA (Principal/Architect); Tonia Hein (Principal/Interior Designer)
Structural Engineer: SCE Consulting Engineers
General Contractor: Kurisu

MATERIALS AND SOURCES:
Adhesives, Coatings and Sealants: Timber Pro
Appliances: Miele; Fulgor Milano; Vent-A-Hood
Bathroom Fixtures: Duravit; Zen Bathworks; Kohler; Elkay; California Faucets
Fireplace: Stuv
Kitchen fixtures: Kohler; Elkay; California Faucets
Lighting: Kreon; Flos
Wallcoverings: Ann Sacks
Windows and Doors: Kolbe; Velux

Photo Credit: Dana Klein