Perched above a lake in southern British Columbia, Boundary Point Cabin is a gathering place for an extended family to reconnect each summer. Our clients, a young family who enjoy seasonal visits to the lake, desired a home that opened to the landscape and provided flexibility for their favorite outdoor activities.

The site is the highest on the lake, with views of the surrounding peaks and brilliant reflections off the water below. On an initial visit with the family, we explored the sloping hillside, where stands of Douglas fir, cedar, and pine give way to a rocky overlook. Embracing the sensation of floating in the forest, we designed a cabin that cantilevers over the outcropping and follows the landscape in its wedge-like form. The 2,500 square-foot home celebrates the exhilaration of its surroundings and the communal nature of lakeside family gatherings.

Our clients wanted to protect the natural beauty of the site while making minimal additions, including new campsites, a fire pit, and a stair to the lake. As part of the site design, we also found opportunity in an aging log cabin on the property, which we relocated and renovated for guest use. Addressing the challenges inherent to building in a remote location and our clients’ desire for a cost-effective process, we engaged regional builders and fabricators and sourced nearly 80% of construction materials locally. We were inspired by the notion of visually dissolving the home into the landscape and used dark-stained Western red cedar siding and economical fiber cement panels to encourage light and shadow to blur the line between built structure and the natural world. Maintaining privacy from the nearby road, the western façade is unadorned except for minimally framed windows.

Emerging from the structure supporting the home’s lofted bedrooms, a trellis made of Douglas fir beams guides the arrival sequence and introduces lake views. The kitchen is the social heart of the compound, where family cooking seamlessly transitions to outdoor dining under the trellis. A light-filled great room, warmed with pre-finished birch plywood panels, provides a relaxed framework for the family to gather. By carving away a portion of the façade along the deck, we brought the southern curve of the lake into view and created a panoramic vantage point. Slender steel cross bracing at the window wall provides needed stiffening and shear while preserving views.
Sitting outside the home’s main volume, a stair connects the first floor with two bedrooms and bathrooms in a loft above. Carefully framed views give the effect of transitioning from open landscape to sheltered forest. An additional bunk room (a favorite of the children) is tucked above the bedrooms and accessed by a ladder. While primarily intended for summer use, an energy-efficient fireplace and heating system, and continuous exterior insulation, provide ample comfort in cold weather. After a day on the lake or hiking in the forested hillsides, the family now returns to a home that feels nestled within the sweeping terrain – a contemplative perch and a welcoming gathering place.