Camano Island, Washington
Vandeventer + Carlander Architects

Vandeventer + Carlander Architects’ Camano Cabin shows that good things can come in small packages

	Photo: © Steve Keating

By Jane F. Kolleeny

Roughly 50 miles northeast of Seattle, bucolic Camano Island attracts weekenders seeking respite from hurried city life. With 52 miles of shoreline and ample opportunities for waterfront living, the island inspired a Seattle couple to purchase a 2-acre site on a high bluff with views across Saratoga Passage to Whidbey Island and the Olympic Mountains. Working within the constraints of a modest budget, the owners took gradual steps toward fulfilling their dream of creating a weekend retreat cabin. First they cut a road through the property leading to a low area a few hundred feet from the edge of a steep cliff, which seemed an obvious place to position the house. With the equipment already on-site, they poured a simple concrete foundation to prepare for future construction. The following year they created a garden. Two years later, the owners finally began to build. Both the garden and foundation became primary organizing elements for Camano Cabin, designed by Tim Carlander of Vandeventer + Carlander Architects. In the design, the architects strove to maximize both privacy and daylight, while siting the cabin so it would take advantage of the special benefits of island living, which include watching eagles and great blue herons, as well as glorious sunsets.

The 352-square-foot, wood-framed cabin consists of a simple cube with a diagonal metal roof jutting out and creating a protective overhang on the south, garden-facing side. The living room features two sets of French doors: one opening south to the garden, the other to the west onto a lawn that extends to the edge of the bluff. “In the summer, you can open up the doors and the house becomes a covered pavilion,” says Carlander.

The choice of materials and detailing in the cabin’s interior echoes the modern aesthetic of the exterior. The owners, acting as their own general contractor and finish carpenters, used IKEA kitchen cabinets, and installed the insulation plumbing themselves. A Le Corbusier chaise longue and Miele dishwasher count among their splurges. Walls and ceiling are lined in inexpensive maple and cherry plywood; the panels have caulked reveals to mimic the fiber cement panel details used on the exterior. A wood stove provides warmth, as do radiant heating elements in the stained concrete floor.

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the People Owner Withheld Architect's firm: Vandeventer+Carlander Architects 2727 Western Avenue Suite 202 Seattle, Washington 98121 Ph. 206.323.8770 Fax 206.323.8798 www.vc-arch.com/ Personnel in architect's firm who should receive special credit Tim Carlander, Principal in charge, designer Bill Vandeventer AIA Engineer(s): Swenson Say Faget' structural www.swensonsayfaget.com/ Photographer(s) Steve Keating 360.394.9680 Renderer(s): all line drawings Kevin Sokoloski CAD system, project management, or other software used: Archicad www.graphisoft.com

the Products Structural system: Wood frame Concrete: Foundation EIFS, ACM, or other: Hardi Panel, fiber cement panels www.jameshardie.com Metal siding: Zincalume Roofing Metal: Zincalume Other: Torchdown www.torchdown.com Windows Aluminum: Storefront Glazing Glass: 1" insulated with low E and Argon filled. Doors Entrances: Aluminum storefront. Interior finishes Cabinet work: Ikea www.ikea.com Paints and stains: Benjamin Moore www.benjaminmoore.com Paneling: Prefinished Maple wood panels and ceiling panels Floor and wall tile: Main Floor Acid etched concrete, second floor cherry strip flooring. Other furniture: Cassina Corbusier Chaise Lounge www.cassinausa.com