Nestled in the foothills of Mount Rainier, the El Osito BnB is a showcase of what's possible with modern cabin plans that balance style, efficiency, and a deep connection to nature. Built by Kevin and Devin, this Scandinavian-inspired retreat combines clean architectural lines with warm wood finishes to create an unforgettable stay in the Washington forest.
What makes El Osito stand out is how it started from DEN cabin plans and evolved into a custom build that feels both timeless and highly functional. With the help of small cabin floor plans designed for modern living, the couple was able to maximize square footage without sacrificing comfort or luxury. The result is a cozy alpine hideaway that offers the best of both worlds: efficiency in design and big visual impact.
The cabin is defined by its floor-to-ceiling glass walls and panoramic views — perfectly fitting the growing demand for a cabin with big windows that blur the line between indoors and outdoors. Unlike traditional rustic cottages, El Osito feels firmly contemporary, embodying the qualities of a modern alpine cabin while still maintaining that sense of remoteness and tranquility travelers crave.
See El Osito on their website, and follow along on Instagram @elositobnb.
Introduction to the El Osito BnB: Cabin Plans in Ashford, Washington
Mike: Let's start with some context. Who are you guys, what DEN design did you build, and where?
Devin: I'm Devin.
Kevin: And I'm Kevin. We built in Ashford, Washington — widely known as the town right outside Mount Rainier, on the west side near the main gate entrance. We built a Modern Alpine Cabin out there. We love it.
Adventure Lifestyle: From Mount Rainier Climbs to Modern Cabin Stays
Mike: Fun fact — I have summited Mount Rainier. Who here has?
Kevin: I have.
Devin: We did it in one day.
Kevin: Yeah. I enjoy the suffering.
Mike: I did it in one day also. As long as you train beforehand, whether or not you make it up and down is determined in the weeks prior. If you're in good shape, you can just do it.
Kevin: It took us more time to come down than to go up. That about sums up how I was feeling by the end.
Mike: I had trained hard — running half marathons to prep. I was feeling pretty cocky. I told myself I was going to take a Rainier beer up and drink it on the summit. The guide said, "no, you're not." I said, "watch me." Of course I get to the summit and I'd never done pressure breathing before. Two sips of the beer. Poured the rest out. Said "I kind of did it." He said, "that doesn't count."
Kevin: We brought a heavy IPA to the top of Mount Hood. I don't think I've ever had one beer hit me that hard. But anywho.
The Story Behind Kevin & Devin's Modern Alpine Cabin Build
Mike: So when you guys started dating and realized your first names rhyme, what did you do with that?
Kevin: Oh, it is the worst — I mean, not the worst — but you know...
Devin: I think it's funny. I like that it's spelled the same.
Kevin: It is spelled the same. First-meeting talking points for sure.
Devin: When he first met me, he thought my name was Danielle. I was like, "excuse me, my name is Devin. It rhymes with yours — how did that not register?"
Kevin: I was super confident too. I walked up like, "what's up, Danielle?" And then...
Devin: "No, name's Devin. Nice to meet you though." It obviously all worked out.
Why Devin and Kevin Chose DEN Cabin Plans for Their Mount Rainier Build
Mike: Tell us what inspired this project.
Kevin: We're both transplants — Devin from Maryland, me from Illinois — now fully committed to the Pacific Northwest. We love all the mountain things. We're annoying about it. We spend all our time there, we dream about spending all our time there.
We were on a career change and thought, "if not now, when?" We should build a house in one of these mountain zones. Up here in the Pacific Northwest, there are no massive resort towns like Breckenridge or Vail. There are a bunch of zones — Baker, Snoqualmie, Eastern Washington, the Olympics, the whole Cascade corridor — all with really cool mountain towns. We'd circle areas on a map and then... honestly, the algorithm found us. We discovered you can use the equity in land as a down payment on construction. We had no idea. We were total beginners. And DEN Outdoors had the coolest, most aesthetically pleasing designs.
So we found a piece of land in Ashford, in our price range, exactly what we wanted, and said, "if not now, when?" We bought it and gave it a crack.
From Foundation to Finish: Watching a Modern Cabin Come to Life
Mike: What was your favorite part of the building experience?
Devin: Seeing it — watching how quickly it comes together over time. But definitely seeing the end: the paint going on, the windows and doors getting put in. Those aesthetically pleasing moments were exciting.
Kevin: For the first home, I cannot stress enough how little we knew at the beginning. My favorite part was thinking, "this is what actually goes into a home." I've always wondered. What electrical, plumbing, and utilities look like going into a building. I was surprised at how daunting I thought it was going to be — and then realizing: it's a fixed scope, it's something builders have done time and time again, and with the right specs and a good relationship with your builder, it's very manageable. If I can do it, anyone can do it.
"You know me. You knew me in college. If I can do it, you can do it." — Kevin, El Osito BnB
Mike: That's pretty much our core message. You can do this. This interview series exists precisely to show people that — normal folks who love cool design and want a house in the mountains can absolutely make it happen.
Modern Alpine Cabin Living: Favorite Features and Build Challenges
Mike: Let's turn the corner. What was your least favorite experience?
Devin: Not knowing a lot of the terms and not being comfortable with construction. For example, we had the electrical panel — our contractor had it positioned on the side of the house, which was correct. He asked me if I wanted it there. In my head, I thought the breaker panel only went on the inside of the home. I didn't know it shows on the outside. So I put it on the front of the house. Now when you drive up, it's right there. My contractor should have told me it goes outside — but he assumed that was basic knowledge. It's a small thing, but I kick myself every time.
Mike: Breaker panel on the inside — my trick is always putting a piece of art over it.
Devin: We did that on the interior one. But the outside one — yeah, that's a different situation.
Kevin: Least favorite part, for me, was the daily research load on top of our jobs. But more specifically — not knowing the questions to ask. Our builder was incredible. Dave Wilson, Cherry Creek Construction, down in Packwood. The man. But even he, after four months, was genuinely surprised by how little we knew.
The wall event: so the DEN Modern Alpine Cabin has an open loft — it's the hallmark piece of the design. I come in one day and there's a crew framing up a solid wall across the entire loft. I was like, "Dave, why is that guy putting a wall in the loft?" And Dave pulls out the plans and says, "if you look right here..." and there'd been a miscommunication during redraw with the engineer. We had to go back to the architect and redraw it. Lesson learned.
After that, we had a meeting and I asked Dave, "are there electrical outlets getting put in this house?" He looked at me like I was kidding. We were like, "we didn't know walls were being built, so we're checking on outlets." He had infinite patience with us. He was perfect. But yeah — the hardest part was frustrating myself with the questions I didn't know to ask. I've since written a whole document for friends who want to do this.
Mike: Can you send us that document?
Kevin: Sure. It literally starts with "how to find land, step one."
Favorite Spots & The Elk Herd: Property Features Worth Knowing
Mike: Now that it's built and you've had a chance to enjoy it — what's your favorite spot?
Devin: Our house is so cute and tiny. I love every part. Probably by the windows, or up in the loft. We also added a custom railing with mountains cut into it, which is really cool from up there looking out. And the deck — we made it a big deck instead of a wraparound. It's just so nice to be on the deck with those windows behind you.
Kevin: The kitchen orients toward the vaulted windows and I love to cook. But the windows are what makes it. Incredible.
Mike: What's your favorite feature of the property itself?
Devin: We have a huge elk herd that comes through. Like 30 to 50 elk.
Mike: An elk herd?!
Kevin: Yeah. Our property is a quarter acre, but it backs up to a giant uninhabitable wetland bog that stretches maybe a quarter mile to the next house. Because we're backed up to it and oriented our home toward those views, very frequently the elk herd shows up on the deck side. We're like a quarter acre going on 50. We got really lucky with the siting.
Managing a Cabin Airbnb: Guest Reviews, Occupancy, and Lessons Learned
Mike: You're renting on Airbnb. How's that going?
Devin: It's good. I love it — I wouldn't have traction without a platform like Airbnb. My most stressful part is the five-star rating system. On Airbnb, a 4-star review is brutal. You can get pushed off the first page and your overall score tanks. So now I tell everyone: if you don't have a great time, just don't leave a review. The worst thing you can do to a host is leave a 4-star.
Mike: But from an occupancy standpoint — is the cabin booked out?
Devin: Yeah, it is.
Kevin: And actually, one of the coolest things about DEN is that you guys made a YouTube video years ago featuring Ryan Southard, who built the exact same cabin down in Packwood, Washington. I shot him an email out of nowhere, and he invited us to come look at the exact cabin in real life. Before we ever broke ground, we were talking to Ryan about how well-booked his cabin was, what guests wanted, what he'd change. He was an open book. So before we'd even started, we kind of understood the financial picture and what success looked like. That community is a real asset.
Tips for First-Time Builders Using Pre-Designed Cabin Plans
Mike: Last question: if you had a friend who wanted to pursue this project and use a DEN design, what advice would you give?
Devin: Use it, but be aware of where you're building — there may be permitting requirements. For us, local code required a bedroom on the first floor with a closet, so we had to make a small tweak. But the spirit of the design still comes through. DEN plans are a great jumpstart. When you're confused by architect or engineer drawings, being able to point at a picture and say "this is the vision" gives you confidence and keeps everyone aligned.
Kevin: Between DEN and YouTube, you can get to about 90 percent. The last remaining questions are super technical things you're just not going to know ahead of time. Trust your gut that you can do this. Listen to podcasts of normal people, like me and Devin, who built one. It's not that challenging. Really.
Tips for Choosing a Reliable Contractor for Your Cabin Build
Mike: How did you know you found the right builder? What advice would you give on vetting a contractor?
Kevin: I talk a lot. No fear of talking. Here's what I tell all my friends, and it's in that document: in most mountain towns where people are going to be building DENs, you're in rural America — small banks where everybody knows each other. So I went to the local banks and asked: who are the builders doing the most work? Who's paying you on time? Who has the best reputations? Our builder's name came up frequently from multiple sources.
Then I hit them up. And the key thing — beyond Google reviews and all that — was responsiveness. Dave Wilson hit me right back. He was the most responsive builder and had a great reputation with all the local banks. For first-timers, you want someone you can ask dumb questions to. You just want to be comforted sometimes. Knowing questions to ask is huge — and if your builder picks up the phone and answers them, that's your person.
"Go to the banks. Ask who's doing the most work, who's paying them on time. Everybody has a guy — don't trust the homie hookup." — Kevin's contractor vetting strategy
Mike: Amazing. So: go to the banks, look for responsiveness, and when all else fails — get yourself a Kevin. Guys, thanks so much. You rock, the project looks incredible, and I'll hit stop on the interview right here.
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