New Wave of Mobile Eco-Homes
Written by S. Kim Henson
For two adventurous builders, saving the landscape happened by accident. When Michal Friedrich bought the 44 acres to build accommodations for visitors to Washington’s Methow Valley, the property came along with a zoning issue. And since architect Tom Kundig had always wanted to design a house on wheels anyway, the team decided to forgo “fighting city hall” and simply construct rollaway homes. Thus, the Rolling Huts were born.
Amenities for the Rolling Huts include portable toilets and Wi-Fi. We do have our hi-tech priorities, don’t we? But even better than being “plugged in” in the middle of nature is the environmental consciousness of this project. The guest cottages are six huts, grouped together in a “herd,” that share full bathrooms and showers in a centrally located barn. Each home also has its own porta-potty. The structures were built identically to one another, with butterfly roofs that collect rain for the water supply and hold snow to insulate during winter. And the rusty steel exteriors are low-maintenance (rust = no upkeep), as well as low-impact since they sit on large wheels to keep the foundations off the ground.
Inside, the furnishings are simple. Plywood walls and cork floors house boxy furniture that can be mixed and matched to create dining tables, extra sleeping space and comfortable lounging in front of the wood-burning stove. More than half the 440-square foot living space is outdoors on decks with mountain views. And if you want to get deeper into nature, there’s hiking, mountain biking, river rafting, fly fishing and so much more.
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