![]() ![]() A geodesic dome had collapsed on the site. Henry Felt's 30‐foot‐diameter vacation‐house silo-not too far from the Audettes' in Marlboro-was ill‐omened from the beginning. “And it's much easier to clean because it's all open and dust doesn't gather in corners.” Bieling said, as she kept one eye on their active 18‐month‐old daughter, Tauna. As to living in the round, “I got used to it right away,” Mrs. There are two rooms in each two‐story silo and a kitchen and entry hall in the rectangular middle. The whole thing nestles into a wooded hillside above a stream. Bieling and his wife, Renate, an executive secretary for a machine tool company near Reading, Vt., where their new home is located, built a twin silo house connected by a rectangular box. “It's time‐consuming to build because everything has to be specially cut.” Bieling, who has worked at various jobs including some construction, but was tackling his first house. Henry Felt discovered to his chagrin that it is indeed different, and John Bieling believes the differences left him freer to design what he wanted. fleeting the opinion of the other pioneer silo builders, “is to really understand the principles of construction because this is so different.” ![]() And the walls, which are also the vertical structural members, have been painted yellow and white. ![]() Inside, the simple farmhouse furnishings have been kept to a minimum. There is one room on each of the three floors, and an enclosed staircase spirals up the outside. The house is on 100 wooded acres of mountaintop near Marlboro, Vt. One stands atop the other, crowned with a 15‐foot‐high round gambrel roof, which comes with the standard Unadilla package. Audette, a university medical administrator, and his wife, is a dramatic‐looking structure of dark brownstained wood consisting of two silos. “Unless,” he added, “they obviously can do it-like Lou Audette.” But a hearty band of pioneer builders have insisted on being their own designers and erectors -a thought that makes Mr. ![]() The majority of silo owners have used architects or builders or both. The rest have been used as complete houses, about evenly divided between year‐round and vacation homes. Gurney estimates, have been used as additions to conventional structures-for bathrooms, guest quarters, family rooms and studios. For residential silos, diameters have ranged from 8 feet to 36 feet, and the height has been up to about 40 feet.Ībout a third of them, Mr. What Unadilla sells is a precut package, complete with instructions, of the materials needed to erect the shell and roof. However, despite the lack of available floorspace, the first-floor living area does squeeze in some storage units, while a ladder leads up to the bedroom, which contains a 2 x 1.2 m (6.5 x 4 ft) bed.“You put one of these up in an area, and pretty soon there are three or four more,” said Albert Gurney, the company's sales engineer, who has been aide, planner and godfather to most of the houses that have gone up in recent years. Access is gained by some external steps, and it's very compact inside. Another nice touch is a lookout point up top with a clear hatch. It has been painted and had double doors cut into it and windows added. The silo reaches a maximum height of 7 m (roughly 23 ft). After they'd had a chat, he liked her idea of turning it into a dwelling so much he decided to give it away for free. Silo Living came about when Van Beers contacted a local farmer who was selling a grain silo. Named Silo Living, its snug interior is split over two floors and squeezes in a small living area and a bedroom. Now there's this charming example, which was made from an old grain silo by Netherlands-based Design Academy Eindhoven graduate Stella van Beers. We've previously reported on micro-houses that are based on everything from concrete piping to dumpsters. ![]()
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