As if moving to Orcas Island wasn't remote enough (at least the island gets visited by the ferries), someone went a bit farther by building this tiny house on top of a local promontory, and then went higher by building it on stilts. That was such a good idea, they carried that throughout the house, whether consciously or not.
Stilts can make a lot of sense for building homes on hillsides. Build back in the flat land under the forest, and miss out on a lot of light. Reach out over the edge and let some light in, and maybe even a view. Doing that with a 610 square foot cabin is a lot easier than with some mega-mansion. The fun part comes in when they used a kitchen sink without cabinetry, a pedestal sink in the bathroom, and a claw foot tub. Even the furniture, including the bed in the one bedroom, and the futon couch in the living room leave plenty of room for brooms to chase dust bunnies, but to also provide more space. Whether you use that for storage or visual appeal is up to you if you're the eventual buyer of the $450,000 place.
Rustic style was part of the recent remodel. Some rustic elements may have been there from the initial build in 2009; but regardless, they have reason to be pleased with the way they blended the use of live edge wood inside and out, sliding barn door room dividers, and Shaker sensibilities inside. Outside, local driftwood was probably the inspiration, if not the source, for the stair banisters.
Locations can be unique, and evidently the 6,957 square foot lot sits on the "highest point of the sacred & historic Madrona Point peninsula." With a heritage like that, it might be worth checking into the history and pre-history of the place. Maybe everything's on stilts to make as light a touch as possible - for good reasons.
· 46 Urner St, Orcas Island [Estately]