31 Days of Cozy: Day 18

Photo by Audrey Hall

Location: Big Sky, Montana Cozy Factor: An exterior emphasizing log columns and beams and stone walls makes this rustic cabin look like it was built beside a natural mountain pond more than a century ago. In fact, both the home and the pond are new and meet the highest standards of the United States Green Building Council. Standing-dead timbers from the property, as well as trees cleared from the homesite, were used in construction. Afterward, wood scraps were chipped and used as fuel for a manufacturing plant in Idaho. Lining the pond’s 20-foot-deep bottom are radiator-like stainless-steel geothermal exchangers through which a glycol-based heat-transfer liquid circulates, collecting warmth from the pond even on sub-freezing days to heat radiant units in the cabin’s floor. As night falls, the cabin’s exterior glows warmly as if lit by lanterns. In fact, all of the home’s lighting utilizes fixtures that consume little energy or that use energy-efficient compact fluorescent bulbs. Learn more here: http://www.mountainliving.com/article/perfecting-past