Good Neighbors
Nestled into the hillside overlooking Flathead Lake, this Montana home welcomes friends of all kinds.
March/April 2008
By Amy Grisak
 |
By hiring a neighbor's excavating company, the homeowners minimized truck fuel use. And instead of blasting through bedrock, they moved the house 60 feet to softer ground. Strategically placed plants and boulders make the home look tucked into the landscape.
Photography by Michael Shopenn
|
When Mary Laud and James Boyes tucked their home into a sliver of cliff overlooking northwest Montana’s Flathead Lake, they did their best not to disturb any of their neighbors—including the area’s local birds, deer and black bears. They created a house that could settle into its surroundings thanks to local stone and a living roof that blends into the mountainous terrain near Glacier National Park.
RELATED CONTENT
Carefully selected, stone is a durable, natural material for your home....
Using rock from their property in rural upstate New York, an architect and his wife hand build a ti...
Home works: Green cleaning made simple....
As green as a home can be, it's size can diminish its environmentally conscious purpose....
This exhibition displays examples of green technology and sustainable architecture, with a special ...
The home’s east side is its most exposed and overlooks the lake. But even this side of the house sinks into the landscape: It’s composed of large boulders and low-E, wood-frame windows and is camouflaged by strategically placed perennials, shrubs and cascading pools. A manmade ravine and stone steps wind up along the hill on the home’s north end, leading to the flat roof that’s carpeted with sedums, sempervivums and other succulents.
The camouflage garden
The green roof and extensive plantings are among numerous techniques the couple used to hide their home’s mechanical infrastructure. They concealed the power and water systems by building a dry-stack stone "ruin," and obscured power and light poles by strategically planting a dwarf peach tree and building a trellis. To reduce runoff, the couple diverts rainwater into "creek beds" planted with low-growing Japanese yew, lady ferns, mints, hardy heath varieties and variegated broad-leafed sedges.
Mary’s pesticide-free, water-saving garden is a hotbed of wildlife activity. She planted several hundred types of plants to attract butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and hummingbird moths. The water garden’s shallows provide bathing and drinking water for birds, squirrels and raccoons; snakes and foxes find a hunting grounds in the organic roses, irises and cypress. Even bears wander through from time to time.
Although Mary and James welcome wildlife, they draw the line with deer in their rooftop garden. They deter them by applying mountain-lion urine and a garlic-pepper spray around the perimeter. They also stretched a fishing-line "fence" at chest height; the deer can’t see it well enough to jump over it, so they usually move along. "We still end up with the odd deer on the roof," Mary says, "but our efforts mostly do the trick."
Solid as a rock
The design of this 2,400-square-foot, eco-minded home takes its cue from its surroundings—for aesthetics as well as budget. "To minimize costs, we chose to work with what was easily obtainable," James says. After examining the alternatives, the couple decided the local rock that surrounds the property was the obvious choice. James’s contracting business, A Different Perspective, specializes in unique designs and has led him to see the artistry in working with stone. "To me, stone anchors a structure to the earth, gives character and texture, and has timeless appeal," James says. "It can be a creative medium for expressing feelings." The couple designed and built the house themselves, sourcing many materials locally to reduce transportation fuel and to support the regional economy. James is a building contractor, so his relationships with suppliers made it easier to find salvaged and local items. Mary’s background as a painter, carver and sculptor came in handy for the home’s finish work. Mary and James wanted to build into the hillside to reduce site disturbance and for its thermal benefits, but it was also a necessity—their narrow slice of property is steep and just above the road. "The basic shape of the house was determined by what we could fit onto the lot," James says.
Page: 1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
Next >>