Kettle House Wisconsin

Description

Kettle House is a single family home built for a family of three in the Kettle Moraine district of southern Wisconsin. The family consists of an artist, a writer, and a 10 year old boy who loves animals and nature.

The home is located on the edge of a kettle, a depression in the earth left after the glaciers withdrew. The area has a size restriction for new construction that the minimum dimension of any side must be 28’. The home is built within a 28’ x 28’ x 28’ cube.

The house is heated by passive solar energy and kept warm in the winter even before the solar radiant system was installed. All living spaces are oriented to the south of the house capturing the views as well as the energy of the sun. All service spaces form a bar across the north side of the house and protect the house from northerly winter winds. Corner windows are used throughout to help open the house to the incredible views as well as to appreciate and capture the full arc of the sun.

Materials are simple and straightforward. The basement floor is exposed concrete with radiant flooring. The first floor walls and flooring is locally sourced walnut. The exterior cladding is a cedar rain screen of board and batten. The wrap-around southern deck is cantilevered and serves as the summer sunshade for the basement glass.