Sustainable, contemporary prefab home designer and builder Stillwater Dwellings today announced another addition to their list of completed homes: a 1 bedroom, 1 bath, 1,000 square foot prefabricated home with a signature soaring butterfly roofline in Southern Utah, near Capitol Reef National Park. This model sd111 was the perfect solution to the client’s remote building site and need for an affordable, predictable process that did not require constant oversight. The home features extensive green and energy-efficient systems, and many custom modifications unique to the owners. Most important to the homeowners, it was designed in a simple, straight-forward process, built off-site in a controlled environment, and completed for an up-front, fixed price that was a fraction of the site-built alternative.
The home is just under 1,000 square feet, and is highlighted by a signature soaring butterfly roof overhang covering an outdoor living space. The 12’ high glass window wall picture frames the expansive views to the red rock formations, and provides a seamless extension of the indoor living area to the outdoor living space. Inside, the home is finished with eco-friendly micro-strip birch hardwood and Marmoleum flooring, low VOC paints, a dual flush toilet, super-insulated wall and roof construction, and recycled content quartz slab countertops. It utilizes a clean burning wood stove as heat source, which is carbon dioxide neutral: as it is burning, it releases the same amount of CO2 as if the wood were decomposing naturally. Outside, the home utilizes a standing seam metal “cool roof” that reflects over 30% of the sun’s rays, and large overhangs that assist with passive cooling. The oversized glass window wall picture frames views down the wide open valley towards the red rocks of Capitol Reef National Park and beyond.
“We love the open feeling with all of the windows, the modern design, and the attention to detail. We like the low maintenance materials and thoughtfulness to blending in with the environment.” - MIchael, homeowner.
THE PERFECT SOLUTION TO REMOTE, SECOND HOME BUILDING SITES Like many of Stillwater Dwellings clients, the owners faced a significant challenge in building their new home in a remote site where they could not monitor construction continuously. The home site is 2-3 hours from their permanent residence, local trades are scarce, and construction costs are exceptionally high. This made Stillwater’s approach and costs even more attractive to the clients. Not only were costs less, they were agreed upon in writing before any construction began. The owners were able to customize their new home to suit their needs, and then visit the production facility once prior to construction to inspect and accept the home before ever taking possession. Throughout production they were given a secure website to view progress photos taken throughout the week. We knew we didn’t want to stick build due to the rural and remote location and time required to be on-site to oversee the building. We dedicated a few hours a week to speak with Stillwater, met just a few times, and then the home was delivered. We loved how fast the process was – and easy!” - Jill, homeowner.
PRE-DESIGNED FLOOR PLAN, MODIFIED FOR THE OWNERS This is Stillwater Dwellings first sd111 design. The house was first sited and orientated to protect the fragile native landscaping and maximize the views of the red rocks and wide open spaces. The owners started with Stillwater’s Fundamental Style package, as it included cement-based HardiPanel & batten siding, which is exceptionally low maintenance and blends well with the surroundings. . Window sizes and placements were adjusted to maximize views. Minor modifications were then made to the bathroom layout, add an oversized laundry/mechanical closet, and personalize key finishes and colors. To the owners this was monumental, “The process of customizing our home was really easy and not overwhelming. We were able to work with the overall design concept yet integrate our own preferences and not get bogged down in the many, many details. Thus the final floor plan was just what we wanted.
The process to select design elements (paint colors, flooring, counter tops, etc.) was also really manageable – with a weekly Skype call with Stillwater and a few exchanges of samples, we were able to finalize our selection of materials”, noted Michael & Jill, the homeowners.
PRESERVATION OF FRAGILE NATIVE LANDSCAPE The large 14 acre home-site consisted of fragile native plants, grasses, and moss-covered dirt that if driven on would result in irreparable damage and scarring. Impacting them with normal construction processes was not an option. Modular offsite construction turned out to be the perfect solution. Needing minimal staging and work areas, the home was brought in on one load, lifted over the fragile landscape, and placed carefully down onto the foundation. “We genuinely enjoyed working with the team. They were prompt, efficient, professional, and always responded to us in a timely way. We didn’t realize that you can get a new home without significant pain and stress. Instead, we had a fun and relatively stress-free experience and ended up with a home we are thrilled with.” -Jill & Michael, homeowners.
ABOUT STILLWATER DWELLINGS:
SUSTAINABLE FEATURES: All Stillwater homes include a high level of green and sustainable living features: low VOC paints, dual flush toilets, ultra-high efficiency heating and hot water systems, natural wool carpeting, prefinished/engineering eco-friendly wood flooring, Marmoleum, engineered quartz slab countertops, over-insulated walls/ceilings/floors, and high-efficiency windows with argon gas and low-e film. EXCEPTIONAL QUALITY: All Stillwater homes are built indoors, in climate-controlled conditions to the highest quality standards and the IRC code; the same code that governs conventional site built homes. Homes are transported as 96% complete modules, installed and finished on-site by Stillwater Dwellings. Stillwater believes in utilizing proven, time-tested construction methods, not ‘gimmicky’ process.
PREDICTABLE COST: All Stillwater clients are given fixed, up-front pricing on their home before any construction begins. Unlike traditional site-built home clients who are given estimates that commonly are exceeded during the building process, Stillwater clients contractually know what their home will cost before they begin.
COMPANY PROFILE: Founded in 2008, Stillwater Dwellings is a Seattle-based company that designs and builds high quality, prefabricated, contemporary homes featuring quality materials, fine detailing, and eco-friendly features. Our process is the predictable and smart alternative to site-built homes.
The major benefits to our clients are:
• Sustainable, contemporary architecture • Upfront fixed pricing • A straightforward design modification process • Faster occupancy than the usual design/build process • Exceptional value
All homes have their signature soaring butterfly roofline, unique interior light shelf and exterior “visors”, plate steel entry canopies, and efficient layouts that emphasize indoor/outdoor living and entertaining. We build in an indoor, controlled environment in Oregon, in just a matter of weeks to obtain the highest level of quality, while drastically reducing waste and keeping costs lower and more predictable than a typical site-built home. Our designs are stunning, and shun the typical constraints of “boxy” or overly modern prefab homes.
Stillwater Dwellings portfolio also includes finished homes in Bend and Portland, Oregon, Santa Barbara, CA, and Southern Utah, as well as buildings in production and planning stages in Roslyn, WA, Los Angeles, and Northern California. Stillwater Dwellings homes are available throughout the western region of the US, as well as Alaska, Hawaii, and Canada.
