Tucked away in the wilderness of Nelson, B.C. lives a couple who, with their design company, aims to change the way we build homes.
Lars Chose and Rachel Ross run Mandala Homes, a firm that uses sustainable B.C. wood to build energy efficient houses. Bonus: they look like adorable little beach huts.
Ross describes the circular homes as "exquisite celebrations of shape, design, and wood," with domed ceilings and a ton of natural light.
The company, founded in 2000, uses special techniques to design passive solar homes with everything from heat pumps to gas furnaces to electric baseboards — they built the province's first Energy Star qualified home.
While they have basic designs for you to work with, you get to customize it to fit your personal requirements. Prices start at $49,000.
"We live within a fertile forest of cedar, spruce, pine and fir famous for its world-class quality," states Mandala's website. "We hike, bike and ski among these trees and are proud to craft sustainable homes, for all over the world, made from this special B.C. wood."
Mandala projects can be found in Alberta, Alaska, and even Norway.
"We are so lucky with the quality of life (and amazing out-of-the-box-thinking customers!) that we get to enjoy as we engage in meaningful work," Ross told The Huffington Post B.C. in an email.
See for yourself:
Energy Efficient Homes By Mandala
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