House Near Deadwood

Surrounded by natural beauty and steeped in history, the House Near Deadwood is positioned high above the old mining town of Deadwood, South Dakota, bordering the Black Hills National Forest and just a few hundred yards from a working limestone quarry. The land even contains an obsolete gold mine claim and the remnants of old mining railroad tracks.

The client’s original wish was to purchase an old log cabin and relocate it to the site, but that was forbidden by the restrictive local covenants. Instead, the design is composed of a central form with the look and feel of an original two-story log home with additions surrounding it, designed to appear as if they were built at a later time. The architecture is based on the area’s vernacular structures of particular timeframes; a late 19th century log cabin and early 20th century additions. The residence commands views of the surrounding forest and creates cozy indoor and outdoor spaces to be enjoyed during the green summers and snowy winters.

Sustainable Design Elements Include:

• Ground source geothermal closed-loop radiant heating system
• Optimized solar orientation, high-performance windows, and an extra-insulated building cavity for energy efficiency.
• Local and recycled/reclaimed materials: Dakota limestone from the surrounding hills compose the four fireplaces while local Douglas Fir logs, posts, and beams provide the structure. The board and batten siding is reclaimed from abandoned area barns, and a local fabricator provided the fire-resistant Cor-ten steel roof that will rust over time to give the house an aged appearance.