8.26.2009

The Butterfly Roof

How about some butterfly roof houses to brighten your day? Let's start with the dreamy "Madras Oasis" in Palm Springs, California. Palm Springs has the best collection of butterfly roofed architecture (or at least the most posh) in the world. Get this: you can rent this place!!! The cost is $835-1195 per night, but it sleeps six. See more of this dreamy destination and many more at Vacation Villas California.


Little brown brick butterfly in Issaquah, Washington, via Jeff Youngstrom.
Canberra House via flickr (user forgotten, sorry!). I love this little house and its gardens.
I think the next two are in Palm Springs. Via Retro Renovation.

Location unknown, via the now defunct eastsiderealestatebuzz.com.
On the Brazilian rainforest coast, via Home Design Find.
"The architects at TYIN Tegnestue – a non-profit group of student architects – designed these unusual wood prefab houses, Soe Ker Tie Hias, which translates to “Butterfly Houses,” in Noh Bo, Tak, Thailand...Roof design enables effective natural ventilation while collecting rainwater for re-use. These compact wood houses are clad in locally harvested bamboo, and the material is woven using a traditional method on the front and rear facades that appears commonly in other homes and crafts done in the area. The homes are prefabricated and assembled on site, adding to their sustainable appeal. The houses are raised off the ground, set on four foundations cast in old tires, eliminating the problem of excessive moisture and resulting rot..." via Trendir.

Butterfly nestled in the woods, via Sucasa Magazine.
The stunningly beautiful, sustainably built RainShine House in Decatur, Georgia. Via Decor Dir




We almost bought this modest but very cool butterfly-roofed house last year. These are a rare find in my city. The 1950's neighborhood was planned to look like a suburban Florida neighborhood. All of the homes were of modern design with about 1100-1300 square feet, many were painted pastel colors, they had vaulted ceilings, decorative concrete block walls, and each lot was planted with several specimen pines. The neighborhood had seen better days, but it wasn't an unsafe area.




During our home inspection we found major electrical problems and the seller wouldn't reduce price to offset the cost of replacing all of the wiring, so we ended up letting this diamond-in-the-rough go. It all worked out for the best that we didn't purchase the house. About six months ago, right across the street from the butterfly house, a man beat one of his family members to death in the driveway. Tragic. I still hope that the neighborhood turns around one day and that renovators save these hidden gems.

16 comments:

TERI REES WANG said...

How fun would that be to have one of those Butterfly huts in the backyard, around a pool..an adult-ish playhouse?

And loving even more that RainShine!

Drawn to The Sea said...

Geez, you dodged a bullet.

The open airiness of butterfly houses is so appealing.

Hello Lindello said...

That rainshine home is gorgeous. I'm glad you didnt buy that house! Sounds like a scary neighborhood. Hopefully it will turn around and get better.

rachaelgking said...

Oh, wow, that's horrifying! Life works in funny ways, doesn't it.

Kitty Stampede said...

Wow...that's craziness! Good thing you didn't buy them...phew! But man, they are very unique!! I looove all the windows!!!! supa sweet.

Moon to Moon said...

Those houses are lovely. We dont seem to get them like that in the UK unfortunatly. keep up the good work , loving your blog
xx

Unknown said...

Thanks for introducing me to butterfly houses - great post! I'm so happy to have found your blog.

kadler said...

I had never heard of a butterfly roof before (and generally prefer multi-story homes) but some of those are gorgeous - especially the one you liked. Bummer about the price!

Christina said...

oh gosh, that's awful about the beating, my goodness. i was definitely meant to be that you not get that house.

Teresa @ good-grace said...

It's so funny that I'm so drawn to these types of houses now - b/c there was a time where I just could *not* find the beauty in them. These are all lovely.

(and so horrible hearing about what happened in the neighborhood you nearly called home... )

Awesome Sara said...

OMG these pics are sick!!! i want a hut so badly!!! OMG I mISS THIS BLOG!!!!! ive missed u so much!!!!

Gabbi said...

I had no idea, but apparently I really love butterfly roofs (I didn't even know the it had a name!). Reminds me of the Brady Bunch house... was that a butterfly roof too? Will have to search :)

Very sad about the family across the street from the diamond in the rough...

Dumbwit Tellher said...

This is yet another reason why I love your blog. I go nuts over mid-century design. Just seeing the Palm Springs images makes my heart leap. THEN - you show Issaquah. My lil' brother lives about 10 miles from there & I'm from Seattle. The Georgia home is unreal. Lots of fabulous examples. The Scottish husband & I have been through so many mid-century gems in P.S. that I've lost count. Wexler's butterfly roofed homes are my favorite. Thanks CC for the visual ecstasy!

Pretty Little World said...

The first house in Palm Springs reminds me of the house that was used in the California episodes of Mad Men in season two. I desperately wanted that kind of rich nomadic lifestyle.

Le sigh...

Roof Ventilators said...

Hi,
Gorgeous pictures. If you live in the city and are fortunate enough to have access to a balcony or a flat portion of roof, you have the potential to create a thing of rare beauty - a "garden in the sky". These areas present a unique challenge to the landscape designer, because they are liable to be in the path of every wind that blows, and scorched by sun.

jessimen

Terry said...

Aside from its elegant style, butterfly roofs also have a number of functionalities. The inward slope serves to collect rainwater, so that it can be used for other purposes. It’s also perfect for areas with strong winds because the design is very aerodynamic. Thanks for sharing these wonderful pictures!

Terry Arnold