Contour Project, Blog Series 1.0

Contour Residence Sequential Blog Series 1.0

CONTOUR PROJECT

November 6, 2012

This blog post is the first in a documentary series detailing a featured project by architect Peter LaBau of LaBau & LaBau Architecture and Design located in Charlottesville, VA.

In the early spring of 2010 I was approached by Erin and Michael Contour of San Diego, CA about designing them a new house on a gorgeous 50 acre property on a shoulder mountain facing the Blue Ridge Mountain just south of Roanoke, VA. The views to the south and east from a steep meadow bowl near the top of the property afforded a challenging, but potentially fabulous site for the new house.

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Erin and Michael had chosen Roanoke as the location for their next life chapter, after living on the west coast for many years. They brought with them a western architectural sensibility, but fell in love with the vernacular architecture of the Virginia Piedmont area. The house we designed strives to blend a western rustic feel with the flavor of the rural architecture of the Virginia Mountains. The house has been designed as the Contours requested; to look as though it had been assembled from different structures that had been joined together over time. There had been an existing cabin on the property that had been added to in a similar fashion, though the end result was not to the Contours’ liking. Still, the idea intrigued them and came to serve as a guide for the basic massing and layout of the new house.

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The exterior of the house was very important to Erin and Michael, and it was critical to them that the siding, exterior trim, and stonework were consistent with the coloration and textures of the site. The idea was to make the house look as though it had literally grown from the landscape. Early on, Erin showed me a photograph of an old barn, complete with weathered siding that she had fallen in love with. As we worked through the design of the house, we kept coming back to that photograph, and I did my best to suggest wood siding materials that might approximate that look. A few months ago an e-mail propitiously appeared in my inbox from the Windswept Weathered Woods out in Washington Sate that showed new/old siding material that looked for all the world like the siding on the old barn in that photograph. I contacted GlenEhrnhardt, the director of business development and marketing Windswept, who was kind enough to send a sample set of his sidings, and Erin and Michael were instantly sold. We’re going to use several of the different colors of the textured siding planks to delineate the different sections of the house, and the Carport that bridges to the house with a pergola.

Construction has begun on the house as of this writing (11/6/12). The foundation is currently underway, and the house shell and interior framing are being constructed by Connor Homes, my friend Mike Connor’s company up in Middlebury, Vermont. Scott Reid and Worth Boone of Worth, Inc. in Roanoke, VA are the general contractors on the job, and are doing a great job of pulling all this together. Completion of the house is scheduled for May of 2013. 

Stay tuned to Glen’s blog site to see it all coming together...

Peter LaBau

LaBau & LaBau Architecture and Design

2079 Hawkshill Lane

Charlottesville, VA 22911

(434) 295-5959

plabau@embarqmail.com

Windswept Weathered Woods
Glen Ehrhardt
Windswept- Business Development & Marketing
PO Box 59
Lakebay, WA 98349
(253) 884-6255
glen@harvest-timber.com
www.harvest-timber.com

Appalachian Border States

Appalachian Mountain Home States

The Appalachian Mountains range from central Maine to northern Georgia, encompassing some of the most scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands here in the US.

Not only is your state a home to the Appalachian Mountains but also you are home to some of the most amazing architecture and design elements historically witnessed in American history.

Many of these design aspects reflect an urban, cosmopolitan feel while embracing the ethos of historic Appalachia.   

Windswept weathered wood depicts the nostalgia of the Appalachian ethnicity to compliment the barn wood patina appearances commonly associated with this deep history while enhancing new architecture design with refreshing reverence.

Windswept totally embraces a new category of reclaimed categorized as ‘New-Sustainable’ in that Windswept is able to claim unwanted virgin standing dead (or dying) trees that is otherwise carbon released into the atmosphere.

These unique barn wood appearance products reflect an architects dream:

A warm Eco-Story, the stability and structural integrity of new wood, backed by regulated industry associations, at nearly half the investment of reclaimed materials and with minimal waste.

Contact me directly to discuss a potential project or simply to field any questions you may have.

Warm Regards,

Glen Ehrhardt, Business Development

Windswept, Teton West Lumber

PO Box 59 

Lakebay, WA  98349

P. (253) 884-6255  

F. (253) 884-6256

Email  windswept.rep@gmail.com 

Vertical Response Campaign

Bad Bug Alert

Are you serious about the environment?  You need to understand the term 'New-Sustainable' 

New -Sus·tain·a·ble (adjective)

1    1) able to maintain unused, unwanted wood fiber without carbon release

2     2) a new ecological category that claims unwanted virgin standing dead (or dying) wood fiber that otherwise is carbon released into the atmosphere

“Where Do All the Dead Trees Go”

This is a great question more should be asking as major beetle outbreaks continue to affect 30 million acres in the western United States and British Columbia, Canada.   A recent study analyzed data from the United States and Canadian forest services, and estimated that since 1997, bark beetles have killed 6 billion trees. The culprit in 63 percent of the cases was the mountain pine beetle.

What happens to these dead trees? 

The vast majority will simply accumulate where they fall, transforming quickly into kindling to be the catalyst and fuel for the next raging forest fire (as recently witnessed in Colorado).

Windswept Weathered Wood (Barn Wood) products are one of the very few companies that have discovered a use for these dead trees.  This model of new generation of Eco-Smart fiber recovery has created a new environmental category for reclaiming a virgin product.

Windswept Weathered Wood (Barn Wood) siding, structural timbers and interior lumber are produced by using salvaged standing forests that need to be utilized before they are wasted.  100 percent sound fiber is selectively claimed from the aged and dying Engelmann spruce and Lodgepole pine trees in the Rocky Mountain regions.

Windswept WeatheredWood (Barn Wood) products are governed by industry associations equal to the same stringent grade rules for new wood.  This ‘New-Sustainable’ reclaimed process is saving unnecessary carbon to be released back into the atmosphere.

- Article reported by the Colorado State University Extension -

Please visit this link from the 'Colorado State University Extension' article written by D.A. Leatherman, I. Aguayo and T.M. Mehall regarding the Mountain Pine Beetle in the Rocky Mountain regions.

For more information or product inquires please contact:

Glen Ehrhardt, Business Development

Windswept, Teton West Lumber

PO Box 59 

Lakebay, WA  98349

P. (253) 884-6255  

F. (253) 884-6256

Email  windswept.rep@gmail.com 

Blog products.harvest-timber.com

Web  www.harvest-timber.com    

In our ongoing efforts to promote Windswept Weathered Wood (Barn Wood) products that are manufactured by utilizing salvaged standing dead beetle kill trees, we discovered another company that shares a similar philosophy.

Although we share no corporate affiliation we do applaud their creative nature and desire to utilize this natural gem that most others deem as unusable or undesirable.

Quite the contrary, this unique, one of a kind look, is most appealing and never duplicates the same appearance.  Much like each of us, it has a personality all of its own that is worth sharing.

The name of this company is Greeno: “a company committed to a greener way of life”, as their slogan reads.  Based in Greenough, Montana, Greeno was born out of the need to battle the local pine beetle infestation. By logging the beetle-killed trees and protecting the survivors in PEFC-certified forests, Greeno promotes forest health and safety in Montana.

Windswept Weathered Wood (Barn Wood) shares a similar goal of creating a positive out of a negative regarding these ravished and abundant forests.  100 percent sound fiber is selectively claimed from the aged and dying Engelmann spruce and Lodgepole pine trees in the Rocky Mountain regions, yielding an impressive vintage Barn Wood appearance.

Glen Ehrhardt, Business Development
Harvest Timber Specialty Products
PO BOx 59
Lakebay, WA 98349
P. (253) 884-6255
F. (253) 884-6256
E. windswept.rep@gmail.com

W. products.harvest-timber.com
B. products.harvest-timber.com

Digital Catalog      NEW!
http://www.Harvest-timber.Com/windswept0512

"Proclaim your rarity, use wisely your power 

    of choice and travel often the extra mile"

'Windswept Barn Wood' Manufactured in the US

Windswept Weathered Wood (Barn Wood) boasts the usage of standing dead beetle kill trees; all wood fiber and manufacturing processes are 100 percent generated within the US (rather, with nothing being outsourced in a far-off country).

It wasn’t so long ago that manufacturing was the biggest, most powerful, most influential sector of the US economy.

Then along came the communication/information revolution pushing ahead of manufacturing.  After that came competition from China with labor costs of $4 - $7 per day.

Then followed the devastating impact of 9/11, the War on Terror, and the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars was followed by the longest and deepest recession in US history.

As this recession continues, sourcing economical environmental products that are not outsourced have become slim to non-existent.  Windswept Weathered  Wood (Barn Wood) is among these elite products.

This warm Eco-Story continues:  Windswept Barn Wood is backed by stringent grade rule associations, stress and span ratios can specified without guesswork or additional engineering costs.  Yield is also a tremendous selling advantage, as both minimal waste factors and accommodating length structures remain attractive.

The color and uniformity of Windswept Weathered Wood (Barn Wood), predominantly in manufacturing applications, has proven to be most beneficial.  This combined with a modest price investment supplements a healthy bottom-line.

Feel free to contact me directly:

Glen Ehrhardt, Business Development

Windswept, Teton West Lumber

PO Box 59 

Lakebay, WA  98351

P. (253) 884-6255  

F. (253) 884-6256

ORDER FREE 'Windswept Barn Wood Booklet'

Order Free Windswept Booklet

Windswept Barn Wood interior and exterior Eco-woods recently crafted a 4-page booklet you may ORDER FREE.  Simply REPLY with your mailing information.

Please include any project information you wish to share, if you would like me to contact you simply let me know as I will be delighted to answer any questions you may have.

Windswept Barn Wood products adds style, sophistication and practicality to what designers have long called for- a barn wood appearance with the stability and structural integrity of new wood, backed by regulated industry associations, at nearly half the investment of reclaimed materials and with minimal waste.

Our innovative Barn Wood style and continued focus to customer satisfaction continues to scale upward congruent to the inimitable culture of specialty wood providers as well as the A&D, Hospitality and Retail Design communities; let us know how we can help!

Glen Ehrhardt, Business Development

Windswept, Teton West Lumber

PO Box 59 

Lakebay, WA  98351

P. (253) 884-6255  

F. (253) 884-6256

Marketing Resource Links:

Email  windswept.rep@gmail.com 

Blog  products.harvest-timber.com

Web  www.harvest-timber.com

Visit our Digital Catalog, Specifier Guide

CLICK HERE