Houzz Tour: A Modern Cabin With ‘Sound of Music’ Views
In this cozy Alpine guesthouse, clean lines and picture windows harmonize with traditional Austrian comforts
Two 350-year-old sycamore trees mark the most beautiful spot on this old Austrian farm, which has been passed down for generations. So it’s not surprising that the current owners had long been thinking about building a guesthouse here. With great attention to detail and obvious love for the landscape, architect Georg Gappmaier built a small, well-thought-out house that fits perfectly between the two trees.
“Guests sometimes say that the house feels like it’s moving. Really it’s just the branches swaying in the wind that give that impression,” Gappmaier says.
The house stands stable on eight steel columns, each supported by an isolated footing (a type of foundation in which individual foundation pads transfer weight into the ground). These columns support the house’s two 10-inch-thick slabs of reinforced concrete.
“The soil work was the biggest challenge. We had to replace the soil to a depth of up to [about 20 feet], taking care not to damage the roots of the trees,” Gappmaier says.
Once the concrete slabs were poured and leveled, insulation was placed on top. Then came the underfloor heating and the screed (a thin layer of special concrete that creates a smooth, level surface for the final floor covering). The heating is driven by a wood-chip system in the main building.
The house stands stable on eight steel columns, each supported by an isolated footing (a type of foundation in which individual foundation pads transfer weight into the ground). These columns support the house’s two 10-inch-thick slabs of reinforced concrete.
“The soil work was the biggest challenge. We had to replace the soil to a depth of up to [about 20 feet], taking care not to damage the roots of the trees,” Gappmaier says.
Once the concrete slabs were poured and leveled, insulation was placed on top. Then came the underfloor heating and the screed (a thin layer of special concrete that creates a smooth, level surface for the final floor covering). The heating is driven by a wood-chip system in the main building.
The slabs, which were necessary for structural reasons, do not interfere with the woodland character of the home. The house is built of prefabricated, preinsulated wood panels — known in German as Holztafelbauweise — covered in larch.
“The house was prefabricated and then mounted onto the concrete slabs. It was exciting to see how perfectly everything worked out. Only a few branches had to be cut off or shortened,” Gappmaier says. A 23-foot-long deck leads to the entrance.
“The house was prefabricated and then mounted onto the concrete slabs. It was exciting to see how perfectly everything worked out. Only a few branches had to be cut off or shortened,” Gappmaier says. A 23-foot-long deck leads to the entrance.
Oiled spruce appears throughout the open interior. “The clients wanted a uniform material inside,” Gappmaier says. The floor is also spruce, even though this wood is not very hardy and may need to be sanded frequently.
The birch trunks next to the entrance serve as coat hooks. There is a shoe rack opposite, and the kitchenette, with its green granite counter, is straight ahead. “We kept the high-traffic areas to a minimum,” Gappmaier says.
The birch trunks next to the entrance serve as coat hooks. There is a shoe rack opposite, and the kitchenette, with its green granite counter, is straight ahead. “We kept the high-traffic areas to a minimum,” Gappmaier says.
Opposite the main entrance and at the end of the kitchenette, a floor-to-ceiling window offers an unobstructed view of the surroundings.
Parallel to the kitchenette runs a small balcony, which is especially inviting in the summer. The house opens toward the valley in the southwest. In summer, the trees provide pleasant shade, while the low-hanging sun warms up the rooms in winter.
Parallel to the kitchenette runs a small balcony, which is especially inviting in the summer. The house opens toward the valley in the southwest. In summer, the trees provide pleasant shade, while the low-hanging sun warms up the rooms in winter.
Tucked behind the kitchenette is the bathroom, the only room in the house with a door. Cement-based paint covers the walls, floor and ceiling. The eggshell hue echoes the color of the wood in the rest of the house. “The bathroom had to be seamless. That’s why we chose this paint,” Gappmaier says.
A sauna completes the space. A window makes it possible to enjoy the view of the landscape without being seen.
From the kitchen, a few steps lead down to an area that serves as a living-dining room. The niche under the stairs can also be used as an extra cot. It is lined with loden, the traditional Austrian green wool fabric. It is a colorful complement to the kitchen counter.
“We kept a close eye on the surrounding landscape in every part of the house. The trees needed to be visible without obstructing the view. The window seat is a good example of how we succeeded with this approach,” the architect says.
In the back corner of the room, the square dining table stands in front of a corner bench custom-made by a carpenter. The Herrgottswinkel — a small altar with a crucifix, which is usually placed where two perpendicular walls meet — is a traditional regional touch, while the window seats and built-in niches bring modernity into play. The spare color palette and, above all, the choice of wood as a building material create a cozy, tidy atmosphere.
The ceiling in the living-dining area is laminated wood paneling, which is also used for the floor in the bedroom.
The ceiling in the living-dining area is laminated wood paneling, which is also used for the floor in the bedroom.
A recessed handrail provides support along the stairs from the living-dining area to the entrance level. A light railing with a net protects the few steps from here to the bedroom mezzanine. The material and color of the netting work well with the wood.
In the bedroom, closets and shelves are built into the wall. The bed offers a view out over the valley.
The window extends over two stories down to the living-dining room below. “The wonderful thing about this house is that it is completely closed off on the side facing the main building but opens toward the valley, so you get the wonderful views without having to worry about being watched,” Gappmaier says.
The floor plans show how the two parts of the house open to one side while being closed off from each other and the main house. The ground- and lower (living-dining) floors are shown on the plan on the left, and the position of the mezzanine is indicated on the right.
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More home tours: Apartments | Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | All
Guesthouse at a Glance
Location: Bruck, about 60 miles south of Salzburg, Austria
Size: 592 square feet (55 square meters)
Architect: Architekturbüro Gappmaier
That’s interesting: The guesthouse, which accommodates up to three people, can be booked for your next vacation.
This guesthouse is in Bruck, the northern entrance to the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. “Our goal was to preserve the trees as much as possible. We also had to make sure they would be visible from every room,” Gappmaier says.
He used a wood scaffold to try out possible locations for the house, looking for a vantage point that would offer as open a view as possible over the valley and the surrounding mountains.
In the end, he placed the house snugly between the two sycamores so that the trunks and branches are right up close to it but do not bump against it in the wind. To do this, he designed a two-part structure consisting of a one-story section and a two-story section. Each section features a low-pitched shed roof. The roofs absorb the noise from heavy rains or falling branches.