Green Is... Made Locally
The challenge: Design a prefabricated house that really works in a
high-country climate—and showcases Montana’s unique craftspeople and
materials
Who would have guessed that a former career in film design would prepare interior designer Stephanie Sandston to create a prefabricated home on the cutting edge of sustainable design?
“My whole world was prefab,” says the principal of Bozeman-based interior and furniture design firm Shack Up Studio. “The idea of modular building and how things fit together has always made perfect sense to me.”
So when her longtime clients Paul and Jeanne Moseley began talking about building a prefabricated house near the Ruby Springs Lodge, the exclusive fly-fishing retreat the couple owns in Montana’s Ruby Valley, she was ready to help. “I started doing research for them, but nothing was developed in the prefab world that was appropriate for Montana weather,” Sandston says. “The available finishes weren’t what they were interested in, either. We wanted something that had the feel of an old 1950s ranch house.” So she introduced her clients to architect E.J. Engler of the design/build firm Medicine Hat Inc., and they began work on the house they envisioned.
The plan was to build a house with a small footprint and to make it as
green, and as connected to its surroundings, as possible. As Sandston
lives next door to Engler’s studio in a small town just outside of
Bozeman, Montana, their proximity presented a unique opportunity. “The
Ruby Valley is about an hour-and-a-half drive from Bozeman,” Sandston
explains. “If we were to drive out to the site every day, the amount of
fossil fuel used would be ridiculous.” To save on vehicle trips, and to
keep close to local craftspeople and suppliers, the two decided to build
the house on two adjacent empty lots and then move it to the Moseleys’
property. “When you factor in site visits and our ability to evolve and
improve the design on a daily basis and control the fit and finish, we
easily paid for the move,” Engler says.
Read more.
Who would have guessed that a former career in film design would prepare interior designer Stephanie Sandston to create a prefabricated home on the cutting edge of sustainable design?
“My whole world was prefab,” says the principal of Bozeman-based interior and furniture design firm Shack Up Studio. “The idea of modular building and how things fit together has always made perfect sense to me.”
So when her longtime clients Paul and Jeanne Moseley began talking about building a prefabricated house near the Ruby Springs Lodge, the exclusive fly-fishing retreat the couple owns in Montana’s Ruby Valley, she was ready to help. “I started doing research for them, but nothing was developed in the prefab world that was appropriate for Montana weather,” Sandston says. “The available finishes weren’t what they were interested in, either. We wanted something that had the feel of an old 1950s ranch house.” So she introduced her clients to architect E.J. Engler of the design/build firm Medicine Hat Inc., and they began work on the house they envisioned.
Read more.
