Pyramid House
 Pyramid House |
| When New Jersey transplant Whitney Lake told Ennis, Montana builder Tikker Jones, Wickiup Builders, he wanted to build an energy efficient house that was “out of the box” he wasn’t kidding. “The Pyramid House” was the most unusual house I’ve ever built,” says Tikker. Rising 45 feet above the first floor, the observatory on the top floor provides a fabulous view of the Madison Valley below and Sphinx Mountain in the distant Madison mountain range. Unusual in many ways, one of the things I found most interesting is the fact the footprint of the Pyramid House is the exact same dimension as the top of the Great Pyramid in Egypt, which by the way is missing it’s top. Well, here it is. I have to admit walking through all the rooms of the Pyramid House was an adventure. Rope ladders, spectacular views from every window, a weather station, and all the electronic gadgets monitoring the electricity generated by the Solar Array and wind generator outside all seemed pretty normal after talking with Whitney. The house also has a passive solar Trombe Wall, composed of a layer of glass, an air barrier and a concrete wall one foot thick. I asked Whitney what his energy bill was. He laughed and said,” I don’t even have a line from the power company.” I should have known better. The panels were made by Big Sky Insulation in Bozeman, Montana. “It was a pleasure working with Big Sky,” says Tikker. “Those guys really know what they’re doing.” |
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