A Cabin of Windows

Wouldn’t it be cool if a house had a wall of windows, so it couldn’t confine the sunset to just one little space?

Lilah Horwitz and Nick Olson mused at this while watching a sunset on their first date. Just under 1 year later the two returned to those same mountains in West Virginia to assemble their dream cabin, from used and disgarded windows they collected on a road trip along the way.

“As an artist, over time you learn that if you have an idea, you can figure out a way to make it happen,” said Nick. He was inspired to build the project in that spot after being given a box of old photo negatives that his great grandmother took of his relatives exploring and vacationing there. He learned to develop the negatives, which grew into a love of photography, his current passionate profession.

Lilah, a designer, seamstress, and lifelong advocate of the value of making things with your hands, expressed about building a large cabin that “in a way it sort of calmed all of my fears. When you build something like this you’re sort of like, “I can do anything!””

Most of the materials were salvaged from a local dilapidated barn. Many of the windows were located at salvage yards, flea markets, and some at antique and second-hand shops. All in the cabin cost them only $500 to build. It does not include plumbing or electricity, but there is a toasty wood stove, and they often make use of candles at night.

It is not lived in year round, as the couple primarily resides in Milwaukee, but the cabin serves as a retreat spot from time to time, especially during summer months. Returning to the spot instantly connects them to the surrounding nature, reminding them to savor the beauty.

To read more, and for photo credits, go to: Charming Cabin Built for $500 with Repurposed Windows

Also, here is a short documentary about their project called, Makers: