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Architect Stephane Gaulin-Brown designed this 600-square-foot cabin for her mother and aunt on a rocky cliff on Pender Island, British Columbia. The two sisters built it as a shared vacation space during the pandemic — while everyone else was on lockdown, they were busy on site. The foundation is anchored directly into the bedrock, the south-facing wall has 12 feet of floor-to-ceiling glass, and the exterior is finished in dark stained cedar.
Perched on the Rocks with Mountain Views
The cabin sits right on a rocky outcrop with peek-a-boo views of the Olympic Mountains. A wrap-around deck extends the living space outdoors and takes full advantage of the elevated position.
12-Foot Wall of Glass and Open Living Space
The layout puts the bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen along the back half of the building, which frees up the entire front half for a generous open living space. The south-facing wall is covered in a 12-foot-tall expanse of windows that descend right to the floor, and a large sliding glass door opens onto the deck. The effect is a room that feels far larger than 600 square feet.
Cedar Details and Custom Soffit
The exterior is finished in dark stained cedar siding, and a custom soffit detail angles up from the outside wall toward the thin edge of the roof, with the underside finished in clear stained cedar boards. The architect designed it so the main facade would be like “an open and gleaming face.”
Bedrooms and Bathroom
Highlights
- 600 square feet designed by architect Stephane Gaulin-Brown
- Built for two sisters as a shared vacation cabin during the pandemic
- Foundation anchored directly into the bedrock of a rocky cliff on Pender Island, BC
- 12-foot south-facing wall of floor-to-ceiling windows
- Peek-a-boo views of the Olympic Mountains
- Wrap-around deck for outdoor living
- Custom soffit detail with clear stained cedar underside
- Dark stained cedar siding exterior
- Bedrooms, bathroom, and kitchen in the back; generous living space across the entire front
- Wood-burning stove for heat
Learn More
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Natalie C. McKee
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I love what I can see. Wish they’d share pictures of the kitchen and bathroom.
Me too, I would also like to know how they get the food they eat from the kitchen in the back to the little dining area they have in the front. Is there a doorway? A pass through window? or do they carry it around the cabin? Carrying it around would seem like a pain in the ass in the winter.
Love it! How close is the nearest fire station?
As I recall Pender Island has a volunteer fire dept., and one fire house on the Islands. The island isn’t large. There are some fire hydrants on the island. A house fire would be put out fairly quickly and forest fires are handled by the province and given its the Gulf Islands, there would be a fast response.
Would love to see pictures of the kitchen.
Lovely but not enough pictures
Would love to have seen pictures of the kitchen, bedrooms and bath. What was the cost of the unit to build?
I love the look of the black and cedar together so nicely done! I agree that it would have been nice to see photos of the kitchen and bathroom but the rest of it is fabulous. Just from the description, I know there is one change I would make and that is to add a bathroom. Two women set in their ways sharing a bathroom would, I think, be awkward. Even if they got along famously, I would hate sharing a bathroom with guests that would come over. That extra bathroom would be so nice. LOVE that wrap around deck!
Yes, more photos would have been helpful and welcome. The wrap-around deck is a joy! I’m thinking how lovely it is that two grown sisters are so loving and close to each other that they want to share a country cabin together. I wish it were that way for me and my brothers. But it isn’t.
Stephan of Arkansas
Would like pictures of the Kitchen and an expanation on how the get the food from the kitchen in the back to the little dining area in the front, is there a door? a pass thru window or do they carry it outside and around the side of the house? Over all GOOD idea but still needs more picture and more explaintion on how the lay=out works.