Colorful Schell Wheeler Cabin Made of Blown Down Forest Trees

This eco retreat in Snoqualmie, Washington is not your typical forest cabin. Designed by <a href="http://johnstonarchitects.com/">Johnston Architects</a> for mountain guides Scott Schell and Margaret Wheeler, the house is made largely from blown down trees from the area and adds a pop of modern color to its piney surroundings. The house also boasts several other sustainable features that have it on its way to receive a <a href="http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.aspx?CMSPageID=222">LEED Silver</a> certification.

Being that both of the home's owners are mountain guides in the area, they felt a need to do what is right for the environment when building their new home.

As such, the architects, along with <a href="http://www.manta.com/c/mmcwbsb/tall-tree-construction-inc">Tall Tree Construction</a>, made use of blown-down trees from storms to provide the logs that were milled into the siding, fascias and trim of the house.

The <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/energy">energy</a> used to heat the home comes from a ground source heat pump supplemented by solar water preheating.

Inside, natural wood is the star building material but does not make the house feel stuffy or like an outdated log cabin at all.

Generous windows (some spanning both the top and bottom floors) provide <a href="http://www.inhabitat.com/daylighting">daylighting</a> to cut down on electricity.

The house's sloped roof adds a modern touch not typical to forest cabins.