WHEN TALENTED PROFESSIONALS TALK, WE LISTEN.
Admit it, you have an inquiring mind, and you want to know about the team designing and outfitting your your home. WhJ’s Shop Talk conversations with Bend locals are here to help.
Steel Hut Concepts
Marie Goebel, Owner
Kurtis Saldivar, Owner
Steel Hut Concepts is a Design + Build studio owned and operated by a husband and wife team and located in Bend, Oregon. Specializing in steel Quonset hut buildings, SHC brings a completely modern and sustainable approach to these iconic arches. True to the Design + Build model, SHC takes clients from a custom design process all the way through construction, in-house. The process is a dovetailing of custom and prefabricated elements, maximizing affordability while minimizing waste. SHC’s contemporary design practice is driven by issues of sustainability, function, and cost.
What services do you offer?
We design and build custom steel arched buildings here in Central Oregon. From large residential projects to smaller auxiliary and ADU spaces, our process lends well to any scale of project. Quonset shell buildings are most known for their utilitarian bolted steel shells. However, inside you’ll find extraordinary barrel ceilings and surprising open-concept spaces provided by the absence of load-bearing walls or trusses. Think giant Airstream meets ultra-modern cathedral.
How do you see construction changing in the next 5-10 years?
With regards to building practices, we are at a pivotal moment of necessary change. Collectively, we are better informed than ever of our ecological impact. More than 25% of all materials that end up in the disposed waste stream originate from the construction industry. Our hope is that in the next five to ten years, we will see significant movement towards sustainable building practices. Prefab and kit home elements considerably reduce waste, and moving away from traditional timber framing offers a chance to utilize high recycled content materials like steel. Our zero-timber optional buildings use more than 80% recycled steel content, making them green and also fire-resistant. Our latest build project filled fewer than three residential garbage cans with waste materials; that’s pretty exciting!
Beyond that, there is a real need for affordability in new construction. Creative design solutions that can meld sustainability with competitive price points are the future.
What other specialties do you have in-house?
Being one of the first Design + Build studios to work within the Quonset hut model on a residential scale, we get a lot of interest nationally from clients who want to build with us but are too far out of region. We’ve recently expanded our business to include both custom and prefab sets of plans for purchase, which we work with our local architect and engineer to produce. This is a really exciting new focus of ours, as we are able to influence the design conversation on a much larger scale. Marie is also a real estate broker for Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty, which means sometimes we get to bring a client on at the very beginning stages. Finding the right property for development means having more control over development costs, permitting, and designs specific to the landscape and overall needs of the client. The ability to integrate the land purchase is an added opportunity to have even more influence over the results of the project.
“With regards to building practices, we are at a pivotal moment of necessary change. Collectively, we are better informed than ever of our ecological impact. More than 25% of all materials that end up in the disposed waste stream originate from the construction industry.”
–Marie Goebel, Owner, Steel Hut Concepts
Describe your process—how do you work with clients?
We come together with our clients in a very collaborative way. Lots of questions from the onset act like an intake form to understand what the design needs are for the client and how they really plan to use the space. We get a lot of questions like, “Can you put windows on the side; can they be taller-longer-wider; can we put multiple together?” The answer is yes! We like to think of the Quonset as a material or a verb, a building concept far less rigid than its steel shell. Working with clients at the initial dreaming phase is one of the most exciting parts of what we get to do.
What places in the world do you find most inspirational?
We love to be outdoors! Kurtis is originally from Joshua Tree, California, and Marie grew up in Tumalo, here in Central Oregon. You could say we have a soft spot for the high-desert climate, big horizon lines, and color-changing sunsets that leave us feeling inspired and at home. But really anywhere with beautiful wilderness is our happy place, and especially if there’s water for Kurtis to fish.
What do you enjoy about living and working here?
Central Oregon has the perfect balance of small-town community, and wonderful opportunities to work with a diversified and talented pool of contractors. We’ve been thrilled with the groups we’ve worked with so far and continue to meet quality builders within our industry. There’s usually fewer than two degrees of separation in this town, and good work doesn’t go unnoticed!
What is sure to make you laugh?
Our go-to humor is narrating our dogs’ thoughts out loud. We’ve created some pretty in-depth characters for both of them, and you’d be surprised how long some of the bits go on. Dogs in general are pretty good comic relief.
R.H.C. Selections
Robert Hayes, Owner
R.H.C. Selections features a focused curation of the best wines from around the world at a variety of price points. We assist with selection, pairing, and acquisition of wines. We are able to advise on a wide variety of topics surrounding wine; cellar balancing, stemware, decanters, wine openers dinner and event planning and more. We have several ways of providing personal shopping and delivery services as well as educational events.
When did you start your business?
In 2014, after several years in the industry.
What services do you offer?
R. H. C. Selections is first a wine shop. We also do tastings as well as private, educational, and special events. We offer cellar consultations, evaluations, specialty procurement, and balancing guidance to maintain an enjoy-able cellar.
How long have you been passionate about wine?
The first time I remember tasting wine was around the age of four. My great uncle told my mother to give me a sip to improve my appetite before dinner. Obviously, it worked.
I became more serious at 21 when I started going to nice restaurants. Not knowing a lot about ordering wine, I decided to learn. I soon had a case of wine in the house at all times followed quickly by several more. I was on my way.
When did that passion turn into a profession?
I knew that I needed to get out of the grind in Silicon Valley. I was not sure what I was going to do outside of some cycling and hiking. I had plenty of time to read and enjoyed going to the coffee shop first thing in the morning for a long wine study session, sometimes all day.
I had the good fortune of meeting several wine professionals in the area who helped connect me to what I was reading. The opportunity to taste 25 to 30 wines a week even as a non-professional was key to better understanding. The more I learned, the more I enjoyed the experience, and the more passionate I became about wine and its role in human history.
Its role in human history?
Humans have enjoyed wine or beer or other beverages with meals, gathering around the meal to strengthen family and community bonds, for as long as we can discern history. Of course, for much of history it was also the healthy alternative to water.
What do you enjoy most about working in Bend?
The people and their outlook. I have incredible clients, getting to meet and know them has been such a rewarding part of living here. Of course, it goes without saying that being able to jump on a bike for a great ride, or go for a hike before work is
great as well.
Last book you read?
Understanding Burgundy, older but foundational.
Do you have a favorite recreational activity?
Cycling. Great for the mind, body, and soul.
What are you known for?
I have been known for my Champagne selection. I would guess I have tasted 6,000-plus Champagnes, and it is my personal go-to. I love great wines from everywhere; I offer a large selection of French wines including Champagne and have a selection from every major wine region and many smaller unknown regions. I was severely bitten by the Burgundy bug a few years back.
“The first time I remember tasting wine was around the age of four. My great uncle told my mother to give me a sip to improve my appetite before dinner.”
–Robert Hayes, Owner, R.H.C. Selections
What is your source of inspiration?
I am inspired by how much is involved in the world of wine. Everything probably has some connection. There is the pure sensual side of enjoying it, pairing it with food. Plus the history, architecture, and the science involved in the wine making, economics, and so forth. It is a never-ending learning experience. It really comes down to the people. Few things in the world can compare to the satisfaction of getting a special wine for somebody or turning them on to a new wine experience that proves epiphanous.
If you were not in the wine business, what would you be doing?
I have no idea; once I started down this path, I never looked back. Probably something to do with bikes or cars. Machines can be
great fun too.
What is the best part of living in Bend?
The people and the recreation.
How do you meet your clients?
I live by the “build it and they will come” principle. Live your life with passion and it will attract like-minded people who send their friends who appreciate similar things. It is truly amazing to work with my clients.
What is something in your background that sets you apart?
The knowledge of what the shop needs for a given region, style, and price point, and the ability to acquire it. I work with an incredible group of professionals who understand and support my vision. The whole supply chain from beginning to end enables me to build the dream. Relationships at all points are important.
How do you work with your clients?
It is completely up to them. I meet them at their needs, and everybody is unique.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your work?
When you see the “click.” When people gain knowledge, and a new level of understanding. Sharing that is great.
What is the difference between good wine and bad wine?
Good question, a tough one. It is different for everybody depending on their tastes and level of experience. I enjoy complexity, balance, nuance, and elegance.
