The Knotts family loved their little mountain cabin and were devastated when they lost it in the fire. They were very happy with the original home and liked the look and feel of the Tahoe Cabin that it embodied and wanted to keep that character in the new design. The Knotts were also interested in a Green home that was energy and resource efficient, healthy, comfortable and an example of what can be done to build better homes in the Tahoe basin.

This house retains the basic cabin form with an updated feel. The dormers are not just stuck on the roof but are articulated as separate elements in the mass of the building.  These towers serve as the solar component of the structure, harvesting natural daylight and solar heat. While the main block of the house has a concrete finish, the towers expand the material palette with recycled wood fencing and glass. Weathering steel siding, which will oxidize to a rust finish, is also used to express features in the building form. The interior embraces the same modernized rustic character in an open and light plan.

The house is oriented to the south to take advantage of the sun and the view. Drawing out the floor plan East-West allows more of the building to be accessible to the southern sun. The Living space of the building is open in plan, using the fireplace and loft to divide the space into separate functions. This space receives direct sunlight during the colder weather and stores it in the thermal mass to keep the home at a relatively constant temperature. The bedrooms are located on the East side of the structure so that they receive the morning sun and are kept separate and quiet from the public spaces. The overhangs have been sized using computer modeling to allow the winter sun to enter and to block the summer sun so that the house stays comfortable year round, yet allows for exceptional daylighting.

Exterior walls are constructed using the TridiPanel system. This revolutionary wall construction uses panels of 5” foam with a wire mesh on both sides on which 1-1/2” of concrete is applied. The result is a well insulated, tightly constructed thermal mass wall 8” thick. Besides being an important element in an energy saving design the wall is also fire and water damage resistant. Although solar electric and solar hydronic panels could not be included in the initial construction the home was pre wired and pre plumbed for their installation in the near future. Recycled wood fence boards were used for the exterior siding which helps to achieve the rustic character and control costs.