“La Arboleda” retreat cabin | Reclaimed Space
The owners of this one-of-a-kind small dwelling wanted a place to get away and relax on their ranch in the central Texas hill country. They had an ideal building site shaded by a grove of oak trees on a knoll overlooking the ranch. With very specific ideas for what they wanted from the structure, they asked Reclaimed Space to turn their ideas into reality.
Reclaimed Space has carved out a niche for itself by building small modular dwellings using building materials that they salvage from old barns and houses slated for demolition. Founder Tracen Gardner started Reclaimed Space after receiving accolades for the small dwelling he built for himself from recycled materials. Reclaimed Space prefabricates most of their structures, including this one, at their facility in Austin, but they will also build on site.
La Arboleda provides 640 ft2 (59.5 m2) of inside floor space plus a generous porch. The rectangular floor plan puts a bedroom at one end, an open living/dining/kitchen space at the other, and the bathroom in between. The full-length porch shades the south-facing windows in summer but still allows for passive solar heating in winter. One end is screened for buggy evenings. A covered porch is a great way to expand the living area of a small house at relatively little cost. To get the most use out of a porch it should have space for a table and chairs with room for people to move around easily.
All the finish materials were reclaimed from turn of the century farmhouses and barns, giving La Arboleda the rich patina of age and a connection to the past. Barnwood was used on the exterior, along with corrugated tin on the areas most susceptible to damage from the harsh sun. The kitchen cabinetry was also handmade from barnwood.
Longleaf pine shiplap boards were applied to the inside walls and given a whitewash finish. One bedroom wall features a colorful patchwork of faded and weathered paint using lumber from a variety of sources. More corrugated tin was used on the ceilings throughout the cabin.
Large windows and doors on opposite sides allow cooling winds to flow through the living area and bedroom. When there is no wind, a high-efficiency ductless minisplit air conditioner can take over. The ductless systems are more efficient than ducted air conditioners, especially in a well-insulated house, and much more efficient than the typical window unit.
Enjoy the photos and have a great weekend!
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Photographs by Joseph Pettyjohn, courtesy of Reclaimed Space.
Text copyright 2013 SmallHouseBliss. All Rights Reserved.
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Needs a deeper covered porch. The rest is awesome!
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Needs a flag:) Fantastic rebuild!
Beautiful, simple, clean. I think though I would want to have the screened in porch weatherized so you could eat there all year round, open to the side of the kitchen plus one more room at the end of the kitchen leading into a study or another bedroom. It would be cool to have another bathroom at that end with room for a bathtub. But I would love to live in that little house, its actually what I want to scale down to in a couple years when we sell the house were in now.
My thoughts to on the screened in porch. I am gathering that it was put there so more light can come into the kitchen but to me it looks out of place beside the bedroom. Other than that I really like this one and I could live in it year round.
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What’s the total price to build this awesome house?
How can I get a set of plans for the
LA Arboleda ?
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I’ll take it as it is, just awesome… I couldn’t tell if it had a minisplit AC in bedroom or do I know if the one in the living space is enough to make it back to the bed room… plus I would add a small fire place or a wood stove for back up and just the effect it gives ones down time 🙂 I really do so enjoy this floor plan and the reclaimed materials used in it… love the screen porch door & all the teal, a big plus since teal is my all time favorite color 😉 SOLD 🙂 Now, making sure there is a nice brook on the property for H2O needs, a chicken coop, a large green house for year round growing veggies and herbs, plus a large studio out building for my art and toys 😉 I’d be willing to die right there 😀 lool Great job Founder Tracen Gardner… impressed me for sure 🙂
I am very interested in this plan with minor changes Move the screen porch to the living room/kitchen area to make a large living area Otherwise it is very cool do you work in Iowa or is it out of bounds???
Hi, I love the house. Please tell me how can I get a set of plans