the “castle cabin” pays homage to the fairytale woods of the Pacific Northwest
the castle cabin in the woods
As part of the ever-evolving cabin series, Jacob Witzling and Sara Underwood unveil their ‘Castle Cabin’. After completing a handful of gem-like cabins, the adventurous couple celebrate the project’s completion as their “forever home.” with the help of family and friends, the project was completed in eighteen months. the structure comprises three interconnected timber volumes wrapped in shingles and topped with moss-covered roofs sculpted by triangular skylights – a defining feature of the cabin. the language of accommodation reflects the duo’s larger body of work, including the Diamond Cabin, with its tiny separate wardrobe and pump, and an octagonal cabin, which looks straight out of a fairy tale.
the castle cabin celebrates the secluded rainforest setting in the Pacific Northwest. although there are no roads on the wooded property, the structure was largely built by hand as a true labor of love. the couple cleared the site of discarded rubbish and hand-hauled building materials to the clearing, while playfully documenting their process for the cabinland video series. (Look at this here!)
images courtesy jacob witzling and sara undergrowth
the growing cabin
sara undergrowth and jacob witzling create their castle hut for cabin like a dream retreat in the woods. with its natural materials, and especially its mossy green roof, the dwellings seem to have emerged like an artifact from a fairytale forest. on social media, the duo celebrate the completion of the project, with special thanks to jacob’s father, bix hamby’for taking our sketches and turning them into legitimate architectural designs. his conception of some design features, like the collar tie system, was ingenious and his help with some of the more difficult calculations was invaluable.’
the couple further acknowledged the help of jacob’s brother ethan hamby ‘who spent an entire year living on the property to help us with this build. he shingled nearly the entire structure, hung the interior walls and ceiling, and sanded every square inch of the house.’
from rainforest to desert
While the Cabinland series, with its new castle cabin, has so far been set against a Pacific Northwest backdrop, the travel couple can’t stay put for long. their spirit of adventure was on display from the start with the unveiling of the truck cabin built on top of a 1979 pickup. now sara underwood and jacob witzling have announced their latest plans for cabinland, commenting: ‘we have already started working on other projects here in the rainforest as well as cabinland 2.0 in the desert southwest and we can’t wait to share it all with you!‘
the boardwalk is constructed of western red cedar
patterned wooden handrails show meticulous attention to craftsmanship
the bridge is nestled between the three interconnected volumes of the house
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