There’s More Deck Than Interior at This Prefab Cabin in Colorado
Welcome to Prefab Profiles, an ongoing series of interviews with people transforming how we build houses. From prefab tiny houses and modular cabin kits to entire homes ready to ship, their projects represent some of the best ideas in the industry. Do you know a prefab brand that should be on our radar? Get in touch!
After working as a data scientist and hospitality entrepreneur, Vlad Dubovskiy dreamed of a slower and more rugged existence in the Colorado Rockies. "I traded coding for building cabins," he says. He built one with his bare hands, and it became an unlikely prototype for his next endeavor: ELMNTL, a Boulder-based prefab company he founded in 2017.
While Dubovskiy hasn’t coded for quite some time, he still uses the lingo to describe his business. "The hardware we build is endlessly customizable cabins and saunas for modular delivery," he says. "The software is a hospitality platform that makes it simple for anyone to start a boutique getaway in nature." By working closely with clients to perfect their off-grid properties, Dubovskiy hopes that he can help others foster the life-changing appreciation he has for the great outdoors. Here’s what ELMNTL has on offer.
Lisa and Daniel were able to add a cabin to their hard-to-access property outside of Boulder, Colorado, using ELMNTL’s prefab system.
The 192 square foot interior feels larger than it is with a wall of windows.
What qualities make your prefab stand apart from the rest?
The ELMNTL shelter is a shape-shifting modular cabin that is endlessly configurable, so a client can choose to grow the cabin in size, extend it dimensionally, or add onto it later. Our designs are also flexible, with more than 1,000 customization options to fit the needs of each client. Our team provides support from concept to completion so that a client’s choices come together seamlessly. For hospitality owners, ELMNTL acts as a partner to start getaways, hotels, vacation rentals, and wellness retreats with its zero-to-launch services.
Lastly, ELMNTL prefabs stand out in our commitment to using pure materials. The structure is formed with a biodegradable and decarbonizing wooden frame and optional hemp insulation alongside natural siding and safe interiors—there are no plastics or toxic foams whatsoever. The structure, hemp insulation, and high-performance glazing is optimized for solar gains so that it generates three times fewer carbon emissions than traditional steel frames with conventional insulation. The materials can be reused for generations to come.
A woodburning fireplace tucks into a corner of the cabin.
What’s the most exciting project you’ve realized to date?
Our recent prefab project was a cabin and sauna for impact entrepreneurs Daniel and Lisa. They bought stunning, south-facing land in the Colorado mountains, just 25 minutes from Boulder. The land was surrounded by a national forest with epic mountain views, but it had the most narrow dirt road. The final site had to be hiked to, so we had to do earthwork for the foundation with power tools, carry flat-packed panels by hand with a team of 10 people, and assemble both on site. We prepared the wall, floor, and roof panels, as well as other components, in our workshop.
It was an exciting project because of how beautiful the site was, how challenging (and fun) the manual labor part of it was, and how that informed ELMNTL’s business model for future builds. It was hard, but we had a great time.
It has a small kitchenette and bathroom on one end and a ribbon window above the bed.
Daniel named the project The Sanctuary because he and Lisa saw it as a way to retreat into the stillness of the wild. They wanted the cabin to feature panoramic views with massive windows and to host friends on the rooftop deck, so we designed both of these features to bring them and their guests closer to nature.
But besides the opportunity the cabin provides to go off the grid, it’s full of modern comforts. It features a kitchenette with an induction stove, a composting toilet, a smart lock, in-floor radiant heating, and stunning fireproof hot-rolled steel exterior siding.
Outside, they wanted a "beautiful and burly" sauna, so we created what's now known as The Stag. We hand-troweled concrete floors, added foldable benches, and imported a Finnish IKI stove to get the sweat on. There’s also an outdoor shower to rinse off.
The kitchenette has brass fixtures and top-to-bottom storage.
What does your base model cost and what does that pricing include?
The base model, called Shelter S1, is 192 square feet and can be configured to personalize colors, materials, and a glass wall system.
It starts at $89,000, and that covers everything from the wooden structure, to the exterior yakisugi siding, to the hemp insulation. It also includes a full bathroom, kitchenette, panoramic floor-to-ceiling glass, and the main room. Clients can also choose high-end finishes like terrazzo bathroom tiles and a bronze backsplash and shelving. Additional turnkey services cover permitting and installation.
The bathroom has a wall-mount sink and toilet.
The shower is outside, as requested by the clients.
Where are your tiny homes currently available?
We currently ship our modular cabins and saunas from Colorado to anywhere in the U.S.
Are there plans to expand to different parts of the country, and the world?
Absolutely. We’d like to establish a local support network in Canada to seamlessly provide deliveries to our clients there.
A sauna called The Stag sits near the cabin.
Is your design currently pre-permitted in any U.S. municipalities?
Yes, our designs are state-certified. We are insured, bonded, and licensed contractors with a licensed factory for off-site inspections, which means that we can ship anywhere in the country. We’ve tested our designs against hundreds of local and state requirements and are confident in being able to meet and exceed localized code requirements anywhere in the country.
Like the cabin, the sauna features a wall of windows to frame the woods.
It has two levels of slatted seating.
How long can a client expect the process to take after they put down a deposit?
After a deposit is placed, clients can expect the process to take approximately four to six months. This timeline includes the design customization, fabrication, site preparation, and installation phases. Local building permitting (when required) might impact the timeline, too.
A roof deck with seating provides another vantage of the woods.
What aspects of the installation do you manage?
ELMNTL manages all aspects of the installation process, including zoning, permitting, and coordination with a local general contractor on earthwork, foundation, access, equipment mobilization, and hookups to electrical and water utilities. We provide a turnkey solution that simplifies the entire process for our clients.
What aspects can the client customize?
Clients can customize nearly every aspect of their ELMNTL shelter and sauna, from the floor plan down to the finishes, whether that’s a 192 square foot hotel cabin or a 3,000 square foot home. Some of our models come with preset designs with exterior and interior finishes and color customizations.
More Prefab Profiles:
Published
Get the Pro Newsletter
What’s new in the design world? Stay up to date with our essential dispatches for design professionals.