This award-winning family retreat in the woods north of Bancroft, Ontario started out as a larger house but, with careful planning and collaboration with the client and contractor, the volume was made as efficient as possible so that it fits in nicely with the structures and pond on the site. Inspired by the wooden barns found in the surrounding landscape, one of the goals of the project was to keep the form and finishes as simple and pure to the vernacular as possible, and to make strong connections to the exterior through large windows carefully oriented toward the stunning surroundings. The contractor, Patrick Marcotte from Haven Craft, built the roof on the ground out of wood trusses, which allowed for a large insulation cavity, and then clad it with metal roofing. His crew craned it up, which reduced building time and cost.