NATURE LOVERS- The homeowners enjoy a lot of outdoor living space with a big cedar deck, hot tub, and outdoor shower.
Location: Galiano Island, BC, Canada
Architect: Trim Studio
Photos: Jarusha Brown
When it comes to designing tiny homes, a little Western Red Cedar goes a long way. The wood’s naturally beautiful tonal range and texture create warm, inviting indoor and outdoor living spaces, even with extremely limited square footage. It also connects the structures to natural surroundings in a way that man-made materials can’t achieve.
“Our main goal was to integrate the house with the context as much as possible,” explains Rodrigo Munguia, Trim’s principal. “The property, the views, and the nature surrounding it are stunning. We wanted to embrace that, which is one of the reasons we wanted to use as much Western Red Cedar as possible.”
“Cedar enhances the lines of the design, grounds it to the context, and gives the natural and local feel we were looking to achieve” – Rodrigo Munguia, Trim Studio
The result is Western Red Cedar on the ceiling, soffits and trim. To make the most of the outdoor living space, Munguia selected Architect Knotty cedar decking. Smart choice. Cedar’s natural properties make it naturally resistant to rot, decay and insects, so this freestanding deck which provides amazing views of the water, the coastline, downtown Vancouver and the north shore mountains will last the clients a long time. Additionally, Western Red Cedar is a green choice. This is always important, especially somewhere as beautiful and pristine as Galiano, often referred to as “the gem of the Gulf Islands.”
STRATEGIC SPECIFICATIONS – For aesthetic and budgetary reasons, a combination of knotty and clear grades of cedar were specified for this project.
As the name suggests, the base of this two-storey tiny home is only 100 sq ft, but Trim’s innovative slanted wall design allows the interior space to accommodate a kitchenette, living room, electric-incinerating toilet, and a queen size bed. Meanwhile, the use of naturally finished, knotty Western Red Cedar inside and out allow the structure and its inhabitants to be at one with nature.
ROMANTIC GETAWAY- The clients are newlyweds who bought this property as a vacation spot to spend quality time together.
GRADE: KD Architect Knotty decking, KD Select Knotty ceiling & ‘A’ & Better trim boards
SIZE: Varies
FASTENING: Stainless steel
APPLIED FINISH: Clear stain