All
living spaces to face fabulous view across valley to ski mountains and glacier.
Though on a steep slope, provide easy access for groceries from garage to
kitchen, and for firewood from garage to wood storage to wood heater.
Main
features:
The
open plan with kitchen, dining and living rooms all facing the view through
large windows, makes this house light and spacious. The ceilings on the 1st
floor are 9ft high to accomodate the arched living room ceiling (see raised
ceiling in drawing). Even though this house is only 2264 sq.ft. it feels much
larger because there are no claustrophobic passages. The bedrooms and study
on the second floor also face the view, as does the roof deck.
As
one can see from one of the photographs of this roofdeck house there is a
steep 14ft wide concrete drive leading to the turning area outside the double
garage at the back of the house. This area provides parking for three cars
outside, with space to turn around and exit frontwards.
Walk
through description:
Visitors
on nonskid tiles at the 8ft high front door (flanked by glass blocks) cannot
see into the house - though visitors can be seen from a small (6"square)
window on first stair landing. On entering, one's eyes are drawn to look up
the stair well to the sky light two and a half stories above. Turning to the
front of the house one sees the panoramic mountain view through all the windows
from living room through dining room to kitchen. The living room is defined
by it's arched ceiling, the dining room by it's concealed perimeter lighting,
and the kitchen has a 9 ft eating bar with stools opening into the dining
room.
Notice
the TV and audio equipment recesses in the living room opposite the window,
and the guest toilet off the entrance hall, and the fire wood storage under
the stairs with access for loading from the garage (holds 2 cords of split
firewood). All rooms have thermostats with electric baseboard heat, but the
airtight wood heater plus tall chimney provides more than enough heat to keep
the house, crawl space and garage heated to summer temperatures (there's a
5ft high crawl space under the front living section of the house).
Residents
enter from the garage through the utility room where groceries are stored
in pantry closets or passed through the hatch to the kitchen counter next
to the fridge. There is a 6ft wide coat closet and under counter washer and
dryer, with a back door to let the dog out into a dog run.
Going
up stairs (4ft wide, 12" run, 6" rise) there is a storage room (4'x8'x6')
off the second landing. Bedroom #2 is a guest bedroom with an ensuite bathroom.
The double arched doors opening into the study fit neatly into wall recesses
when open. Bedroom #1 has an ensuite bathroom with soaker tub plus shower
stall. The study serves as a 3rd bedroom when necessary - hence second door
into guest bathroom.
An
ironing board is stored in the linen closet since the landing is ideal for
ironing without creating an obstruction. Five steps lead one onto the garage
roof deck which has a 3.5ft high solid wall around it for privacy. The windows
onto the stair well provide daylight to the stairs and first floor below -
in addition to the light provided by the sky light above the wood heater.
All
roof deck areas have 2 inches of protective concrete poured on two layers
of torched-on bitumen roofing. (Concrete can be tiled if required). Metal
stairs (with concrete steps) lead up to the roof deck which has 360 degree
views. A large canvass umbrella is mounted on the roof deck during summer
to provide shade.
Why
is this house affordable?
As
usual it's the simple construction
details that make this house inexpensive to build. The living
room span is only 14ft, the dining span is also only14ft, and the kitchen
span is 10ft. The garage 24ft span requires 2.5ft deep trusses, giving a 12ft
garage ceiling with no posts or beams - which is perfect for playing doubles
table tennis - one of the design parameters.
Any
questions? Don't hesitate to email Plum Design and ask. Suggestions will be
welcomed too.
