Bermuda Post

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Take in Panoramic Desert Views in This Off-Grid Cabin

Take in Panoramic Desert Views in This Off-Grid Cabin

An entrepreneur-turned-DIY builder expands his eco-friendly Yucca Valley property with this translucent desert structure.

After selling a successful car parking app (called ParkMe), Los Angeles-based tech developer Sam Friedman craved an absorbing, hands-on experience somewhere far away from the California city's infamous car culture. When he discovered a neglected but sprawling property of 112 acres in the Yucca Valley, a short drive from Joshua Tree National Park, he boldly snatched it up. Its centerpiece was a run-down, poorly designed, 1,600-square-foot geodesic dome. Armed solely with determination, Friedman, with the help of his pals, gut-renovated the skylight-topped structure in 2017, renaming it Hawkeye House.

Now, Friedman has enlivened the property with a petite new cabin.



The walls of this contemporary one-room cabin are covered in insulating polycarbonate siding.



Large expanses of glass lead to the deck and panoramic desert views.

With the help of Venice, California-based Stephen Vitalich Architects, Friedman spent three months building a 160-square-foot cabin. The final scheme was designed to appeal to sustainability-minded, outdoor adventure enthusiasts. Myriad hiking trails can be found just mere steps from the cabin's wrap around deck.



A table and chairs encourage alfresco dining on the deck.



Even in the chilly evenings, guests spend ample time on the deck thanks to a warming fire pit.

Originally, Friedman planned to build a group of these cabins on site, "but before I do that, I wanted to see how guests would enjoy it, how it held up in the elements, and if it was a good idea in reality," he says. "So far the feedback has been wonderful and it has had an occupancy rate of close to 100 percent every day for the last two months."



Like the Hawkeye House geodesic dome, the cabin is fully off the grid, powered by a small 12-volt system.



As a construction rookie, Friedman learned a number of lessons while putting together Hawkeye House, and although he describes the cabin as a more seamless experience, it came with its own set of challenges. As a new build instead of a renovation, foundation needed to be poured, for example, and a pier and girder system put into place. Reminiscent of a greenhouse, the cabin also flaunts open framing, so nothing could be hidden in the walls.

High on the desert, the cabin's greatest draw is its environs.

Hawkeye House runs on a full solar system with an inverter and the cabin, equally green, is fueled by a smaller, alternative 12-volt power system, including a duo of 300-watt solar panels and USB chargers. "Finding the right fixtures, lights, heating elements, and fans-that also looked okay-was somewhat difficult. We are basically running the same system as an RV," Friedman explains.



Natural light fills the white-and-wood cabin.

Although the structure is simply framed with wood easily sourced from any local home-building warehouse, the multi-wall polycarbonate siding creates a distinctive contrast. "It’s a unique choice to provide an indoor/outdoor feeling while also offering some insulation," Friedman explains. A Cor-ten steel roof, he adds, was chosen because of its significant weathering capabilities: "It rusts quickly and stays at a certain level without going beyond and sacrificing any structural integrity. We thought by choosing a rusting steel it would look like the cabin has been there for years. It blends in with the natural environment."



With a well-stocked kitchen and grill, there is little incentive to leave the property.



For a change of scenery, guests can enjoy the warm, rustic kitchen.

It is this landscape, remote and mystical, that bolsters the cabin’s personality. Solely comprised of an airy bedroom with pops of black and peekaboo views, it magnifies the mighty surroundings with a wraparound deck, where guests can sit down to breakfast, unwind on a cushioned bench by the fire pit, or just spend the afternoon with a book and cup of coffee planted down on the tree-stump table. A kitchen and bathroom, complete with outdoor shower, are contained in separate buildings.



An outdoor shower lets guests fully connect with nature.



Lovely woodworking even graces the bathroom.

Julia Ehrlich, a stylist friend of Friedman’s, handled the interiors of the dome, but for this contemporary cabin, the dedicated Friedman and his friend Nick Stolz made all the furniture by hand. Fittingly, says Friedman of the wood pieces, "We got a lot of inspiration from Donald Judd."



The cabin's floor plan.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
'I just lost it' Lowe’s worker fired after 13 years of employment for confronting thieves trying to steal $2K of merchandise
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
×