While they wanted to maximize the lake view, he also wanted to give the couple some privacy. The 15-foot setbacks on each side of the home greatly reduced the frontage, which was just 50 feet along the lakefront.
Wining entry for the 2009 National Sam Awards; Custom Homes: Single Detached Home Between 1,500 – 2,200 sq.ft.
A dilapidated lakefront cottage transformed into an award-winning home. In September 2009, the Ontario Home Builders’ Association recognized Oke Woodsmith’s efforts as the cottage was declared Most Outstanding Home Renovation. It was also a finalist for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association awards in the Single Detached Home Between 1,500-2,000 Square Feet category.
Because of it’s size, the lot had been considered to be “unbuildable.” The company invested in slope stability tests – a requirement for securing a building permit. As a result of the tests a new tertiary septic system that required less land, it became possible to build the home there.
City dwellers who vacation in northern Ontario appreciate the sense of tranquillity a lakeside setting instills in them. One London couple decided they wanted to capture that feeling year-round.
Oke Woodsmith designed the home for privacy, which was a challenge on a relatively small lot in a subdivision. They situated the functional areas – the elevator, pantry, laundry room, two-piece bathroom and a walk-in closet – at the front of the home. A hallway separates those rooms from the main living area, which faces the lake and stretches the full width of the home. It incorporates a master bedroom retreat, a two-storey great room and a kitchen-dining area.
Take a simple design and create a masterpeice, this home was popular as one of the dream homes in the London Hospital Lotteries.
“Oke took them to see other homes we had built and also interviewed them in their own home before we drew new plans. On the exterior, the Keller’s had hoped to incorporate stone and stucco to give the home the appearance of permanency. Oke suggested a front porch, as well, which the couple hadn’t considered.
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Because the kit allowed for flexibility in the layout of the interior walls, Oke designed the rooms to take advantage of the beauty of the structural logs. They face all of the exterior perimeter walls and are also used as ceiling beams and massive structural supports. Concrete floors throughout the home are warmed with radiant in-floor heat and finished with engineered maple flooring, which decreases the possibility of shrinkage inherent in natural hardwoods. Radiant in-floor heat also heats the home through a boiler system.
The Merrywood, truly spectacular! The original Hottage…
