Compact cabins

Sunset, Oct, 1986

Compact cabins

Here are four . . . all less than 1,000 inexpensive square feet, all but one owner-built. Our first, on San Juan Island, is open, casual, almost like glorified camping

Forget reality, at least everyday reality, when it comes to building a vacation house--that's the lesson of the country cabins on these pages. In the process, each becomes a special kind of retreat that offers a break from customary patterns.

Each is less than 1,000 square feet (the smallest is only 450 square feet), and inexpensive (from $25 to $40 per square foot). All forgo room-separating walls in favor of large, multipurpose space.

What makes these small houses different from many second homes is well demonstrated by the owner-built cabin shown on these two pages, designed and built by Seattle architect Gordon Lagerquist. Studied simplicity defines the experience of being in the house.

A remote site in Washington's San Juan Islands dictated much of the planning. Though you can drive to the site (an adventure in itself), it has neither water nor power. A primitive-looking building seemed appropriate for the site. Driftwood poles support rough-sawn trusses; salvaged wood forms walls and ceiling. The only clues that this isn't a century-old house are its new wood windows, the skylights, and the stainless steel sink.

Without electricity, ample daylight becomes a concern: the trusses over the loft stretch past the main roof peak to create a clerestory window that brightens the whole house. A skylight over the kitchen area and strategically placed windows and glass doors balance the light.

Near Mount Rainier: only 450 square feet, yet built-ins make it big enough for four people

How small can a cabin be, yet comfortably accommodate four people? Architect-owner-builders Hedy and Robert Jacklin of Tacoma decided on 450 square feet. This size meant manageable cost (about $25 per square foot) and manageable construction time.

This structure is perched up in the trees for good reason: when a nearby stream occasionally overflows its banks, it can pass beneath the house. The pole structure also reduced the amount of foundation work necessary, and the elevated entry improves security--a consideration with sporadically occupied vacation houses. Only the heavily constructed front door is approachable without a ladder.

Pole construction makes this wedge-shaped cabin feel like a treehouse. Horizontal timbers bolted to the poles cantilever in every direction; most of the house extends outside the four-pole core.

There's a spring to the floors that might be unsettling in a conventional house, but here it adds to the treehouse feeling. Though served by utilities, the house is still oriented around a central woodstove.

The window seat you see in the picture below is described in detail on page 104.

Lake Tahoe: tapered shape squeezes in between pines

Like an abstract ski boot, this 765-square-foot snow cabin high in the Sierra Nevada stands at the brow of a hill, as if poised for a downhill run. Its tapered shape allowed architect Philip Banta of Emeryville, California, to position the building in a sheltering stand of lodgepole pines without removing a single tree.

The tapering form also responds to its compass orientation: the narrow end is toward the shady, forested north; the wider end faces the sunny southwest and an exhilarating view of the valley below. The main floor and deck are 10 feet above grade, making the house appear to float over the deep midwinter snowdrifts.

The entry occupies the north end, which tapers to a width of 7 feet. Living room, kitchen, and dining area share space at the other end, which is 17 feet at its widest, and opens on a deck. A sleeping loft wraps around two sides of the living area, taking advantage of the view and of heat radiating upward from the wood-stove below. Eaves under the steeply pitched roof vary from 2 to 7 feet wide, calculated to yield most shade in summer.

A tile floor in the kitchen and a stone hearth in the living area provide thermal mass, storing the sun's and stove's warmth in winter.

To build the house, owner John Cook worked with contractor Neal Tye on weekends and vacations for the better part of a year.

"The adventure begins the moment we leave the car,' says Martha Cook. "To get to the house, we strap on our backpacks laden with groceries and clothes and ski in 3/4 mile.'

Orcas Island: First just a tent on a platform. Then a 3-week blitz, then 3 unhurried years to finish

"We never planned to build a house here,' the owners of a beachfront cabin on Washington's Orcas Island told us. For several years, they just pitched a large tent on a wood platform they had erected on the site.

When they decided to build a more permanent structure, they didn't want to disturb anything or cut down any trees. "We liked the tent, so the house had to have an interesting shape too. And, most important, we wanted to build it--but not all at once.'