After last week's freak snowstorm on the United States' East Coast, we're looking to the west for examples of sturdy homes capable of withstanding the worst weather. And where better to look than Lake Tahoe, where the beautiful Tahoe Ridge House by WA Design was built from stout recycled timber poles and strong metals to ensure that even the heaviest snowfall won't bring this home down!

The Tahoe Ridge house takes its design inspiration from the region’s former incarnation as a Gold Rush town. Vernacular mining architecture, such as stamp mills used to break up hard rock, were vertically elongated – hence the home’s similar length. The floor plan is arranged around two orthogonal axes and receives its structural support from 10′ x 10′ recycled douglas fir posts.

Given the vast amount of snow that Tahoe receives every year, it was particularly important to ensure that the Tahoe Ridge House was built to be not only sustainable, but strong. This is easily achieved with galvulume metal siding and locally-sourced Western Red Cedar on the exterior, while the interior is buttressed with large recycled timbers and heavy metal bracketing. Not neglecting to warm the place, WA Design used granite from the nearby mountains to construct massive, heart-warming fireplaces. This place makes us want to pull out our mittens and make a cup of hot cider. How about you?

+ WA Design Architecture

Via Architizer