There’s no sink or running water yet, so Andrews carts in 5-gallon jugs. The soon-to-be-finished kitchen has a microwave, toaster oven and a Peerless Premier gas range with battery spark ignition. “Most days, the batteries are already fully charged by 10 to 11 in the morning.” Four flat plate solar panels (aka collectors) mounted on the roof heat a radiant floor in the basement. “I could have gone with eight panels, but twelve makes it a more robust system,” explains Andrews. Eight batteries store the energy produced by a dozen 275-watt solar panels mounted on the roof. The 3.3-kilowatt photovoltaic system produces enough energy to power cabin lights, a well pump and the heating system. Mounted on the cabin’s roof are 12 photovoltaic panels for producing electricity and four flat plate collectors for hot water and space heating. Energy in Sanbornton, N.H.), who installed both the solar electric system and a solar hot water system at Andrews’ place in 2014. “The cabin has ideal solar orientation without any obstruction,” notes Vladimir Hromis (owner of V.H. And because the location is far from power lines (a half mile from the nearest pole), it didn’t make sense to bring in electricity.” ![]() “I think that’s where we should be going, producing our own energy. “The main reason was philosophical,” Andrews says. From the start, Andrews wanted the cabin to be off-grid and as self-contained as possible. The structure is built tight with a combination of blown in cellulose insulation and an inch of rigid insulation behind whitewashed pine walls. Roughly 1,000 square feet on a 22x24 footprint, the cabin includes an additional 550-square-foot walkout basement. ![]() All principal joinery is mortise and tenon with hand riven hardwood pegs. Timbers are white pine with naturally curved cherry braces. Straight white pine timbers are balanced by naturally curving cherry braces. The frame for the two-story, tall-posted cape was constructed and assembled on site in 2012. They’re like a work of art if done right.” TimberHomes Vermont co-founder Josh Jackson signed on to the project. “I worked building timber frames in college. “I really liked how they built things,” notes Andrews. ![]() While researching potential local builders, he came across TimberHomes Vermont (Vershire, Vt.). Meanwhile, as adjoining lots came up for sale, Andrews increased his original 400-acre landholding. In 1994, he purchased a lot south of Lake Sunapee with the intention of building one day. Andrews went on to earn a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of New Hampshire and earned his wings in the U.S. There, the gang would pick blueberries, build tree forts and fish all day. “We would hook a canoe to a motorboat and go to the little islands,” he says. As nature often does.The TimberHomes Vermont crew assembles the cabin’s wooden posts and beams.Īndrews grew up in Hampton, N.H., and fondly recalls boyhood summers on nearby Pawtuckaway Lake. The end result is a geometrical cabin that seems completely new and unique from each side. Given the footprint was fixed-the slab of granite which makes up the entire site offered only so much space-the cabin itself changed shape to the current, 900-square-foot faceted form, reflecting both the evolving nature of the family, and the surrounding landscape. Originally concepted as a weekend getaway for two, the two grew into a family of four during the design process, causing the architects to modify the structure to accommodate. This modular prefab process cut down on build time and again, prevented the type of extensive landscape devastation usually seen on construction sites. To further reduce overall impact on the natural landscape, all framing elements were engineered and pre-cut offsite and shipped in for assembly. Instead of using machines to level the ground, a decision was made to raise the cabin on nine hand-poured concrete footings. ![]() The entire site sits atop a single massive piece of granite. Set on a steep drop-off overlooking the White Mountains of New Hampshire, this cantilevered prefab cabin by I-Kanda Architects is a creative departure from the more rudimentary shaped cabins we often feature-it’s no secret we’re suckers for an A-Frame or “ black box.”
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