Bartel House
Bartel Home – Marvin Bartel, designer, Jim Ryman, builder, 1972
The sloping ends create a form that emerges organically from the forest floor as a natural element of its setting. It is sited on a one acre wooded lot in Goshen, Indiana. Very few trees needed to be cut in order to site this house.
It is sided with unpainted rough sawn yellow poplar – purchased at a local sawmill. Yellow poplar, is the Indiana State Tree. After 32 years it shows no significant deterioration. Interior features include hand hewn functional posts and beams from a vintage barn, paneling from local cherry from a local sawmill and smooth natural pine reused from an area barn, and trim planed on site from local cherry. Most doors were constructed on site from cherry wood. Local materials are less costly. More labor made the cost similar to convention tract house construction at the time.
The house has four bedrooms feature sleeping lofts in two of the children’s bedrooms, an entertainment room, two and a half baths, three Bartel stoneware sinks in bathrooms, Bartel countertop and splash tile, handmade foyer tile, hickory flooring in kitchen and dining rooms, carpet and cherry flooring in living room. Basement includes a large playroom and a storage/mechanical room.
Construction Design & Photos by Marvin Bartel 2004, updated September 2004
Bartel Family Residence
Vertical siding is locally grown Indiana poplar.
Designed by Marvin Bartel, constructed in 1972
South Face of Bartel Studio
Designed and constructed from locally milled lumber
by Marvin Bartel in 1980. The double south-facing
glass had a previous use as patio doors.