wee out West

Howdy! 

Although "wee" calls the prairie home, it's decided to venture out West in partnership with a preservation community in the Black Hills of South Dakota (well, 'out East' to those of you already out West!).

THE RIM at Red Canyon Ranch yields epic views that make a perfect setting for the weeHouse's wall of floor to ceiling windows. The wee's small footprint treads lightly on this idyllic site as well, making mother nature happy (we assume as no thunder claps yet).

Black Hills Wilderness Preservation CommunityTM is wee's first "pardner" so-to-speak. A lot of people ask about representing the weeHouse in certain territories, but this is the first organization to make it work. We are so looking forward to sleeping under the stars! And certainly welcome you making your home campfire with us. 

Homesteads at The Rim begin at $175,000, and offer weeHouse as well as other "Retreat Architecture" packages. Take a look—and be one of the first to put a wee Home on the Range!

Winner! 2009 AIA-MN Home of the Month Award

    

We're pleased to accept one of the twelve AIA-MN 2009/2010 Home of the Month awards chosen last week by a distinguished jury of peers. The Goodrich Bungalow Renovation was recently completed after the addition of its front entry porch. We have the exterior before and after photos as well as the backyard and its twin peaks garages! Landscaping by Phillips Garden, Minneapolis and owners. Interior photos copyright Karen Melvin Photography.

The house’s “shell” is respectful of its 1911 origins while “objects”

are inserted as contemporary additions

Interior “pathway elements” create an axial organizing arrangement

PROJECT GOALS

• Flexible floor plan for family of 4 with 2 grade school children
  
• Phase renovations over a period of 7 years to fit with the owners’ budget
  
• Create a working kitchen for daily cooking and frequent entertaining
  
• Create an urban garden retreat 
  
• Energy efficiency

TECHNICAL

• Spray-in Icynene foam insulation
  
• Energy efficient Andersen windows, doors and updated storm doors including self-modulating sky lights
  
• In-floor hydronic heat combined with flat-panel radiators controlled by automatic thermostat 
  
• Natural ventilation core
  
• Salvaged + typically industrial objects and materials used including doors, hardware, parachute, metals and lumber
  
• IKEA kitchen, customized, with sanded glass island and FireSlate counter tops
  
• Polygal greenhouse plastic, random-orbit sanded
  
• Tech lighting low-voltage fixtures
  
• Galvanized and cold-rolled perforated steel railings
  

Living Green with Alchemy

Geoffrey Warner, AIA, will be speaking at the 2009 Living Green Expo in St. Paul, MN on Saturday, May 2, from 2 to 3 p.m.

The topic is Prefab (surprise, surprise!):

Architectural design + prefab technologies create sustainable solutions with environmental sense and time + cost efficiencies. Learn about sustainable prefab buildings built right here in Minnesota.

We hope to see you there! More information is available at the Web site (linked above).