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IT WAS ONE FATEFUL visit to Banff. A Pennsylvania couple had travelled the world, but that trip to the Rockies seven years ago did them in—and they knew it was where they wanted to be. Sights set on Canmore, they soon purchased a home in the hills. “We knew no one,” explains the couple, he an attorney and she a doctor of clinical psychology. “But we were inspired by the breathtaking vistas to build the cabin.”
Architect Alasdair Russell of Russell and Russell Design Studios was brought in to design their dream home, with builder Robert Mitchell of Natural Abode and Calgary’s Connie Young of Ce De Ce handling the interiors. Russell’s plans started with the building site. “Rather than orientating the building ‘square’ on the lot, the home sits at 45 degrees,” explains Russell. “The living room and kitchen axis face the Three Sisters mountain range, and the entry and dining axis faces toward Rundle Mountain. The homeowners get a far wider panorama than their neighbours.”
The timber-frame home boasts four bedrooms, two half bathrooms and a few luxuries too: a sauna, steam shower, media room and an elevator. The home is a ski getaway, a summer retreat and a year-round showcase for timber-frame design. “The house represents a five-year fantasy for us,” says the homeowner. “We now happily share it with friends, all year round.”
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INSTANT CABIN
Prefab construction, which perfectly suits the economy of in vogue modernism, has become tighter, more beautiful, and certainly more sustainable. We searched the continent for ready-made (and affordable) vacation homes that don’t skimp on design. By Michael Harris
The Cowboy
Who Form & Forest
Cost $68,100 Size 635 square feet
From the design mind of Vancouverite D’arcy Jones (darcyjones.com) comes a brand-new line of flat-pack cabin kits. We love the Cowboy model, an iconic habitat that begs for an Eames chair. formandforest.com
Private Commission
Who Stillwater Dwellings
Cost $130 to $199 per square foot Size 2,950 square feet
This beauty was built in three weeks at the factory and took just over five hours to install by crane. stillwaterdwellings.com
The Rincon 5
Who Marmol Radziner
Cost $179,000 Size 660 square feet
A full kitchen, bamboo flooring and capacious patio convinced us that prefab homes can be dream homes, too. This California firm delivers cabins that retain a sense of the lush life. marmolradzinerprefab.com
The Trio
Who Sustain Design Studio
Cost $150,000 Size 432 square feet
Built entirely from sustainable materials and designed to be completely off-grid, this wooden wonder employs solar panels, advanced insulation and a propane-powered fridge. sustain.ca
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