Yolo County Cabin | Butler Armsden

This unusual cabin is sited next to equipment sheds on a working farm in California’s Sacramento Valley. That wouldn’t be everyone’s dream location for a vacation home, but the owners had spent their lives operating farms. It was designed by their son, Lewis Butler of Butler Armsden Architects.

Because the surrounding land is quite flat, a tall form was chosen to allow for extended views. The cabin’s design was based on two typical farm buildings. The tower was modeled on the old-fashioned water towers in the area while the lower part is an upscale version of a lean-to shed. The shed portion houses the open living area, with sliding doors leading to a wide covered porch. Contrasting with the simple agrarian outer appearance, the interior is quite contemporary with cork flooring and fir plywood wall finish.

The main bedroom is at the base of the tower, and there is a second sleeping space in a loft over the bathroom. The main bedroom has a very high ceiling, and looks to be almost double height. With a bit of extra height to the tower, it might have been possible to stack another bedroom over the first. A spiral stair leads from the bedroom up to the observation deck atop the tower, from which the owners have a 360 degree view over the pastoral landscape.

Plans for the Yolo County Cabin are available from Houseplans.com. Have a wonderful weekend!

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Photographs by David Duncan Livingston, courtesy of Butler Armsden Architects. Via Houzz.

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