Off The Grid
Off the grid was the only choice when we designed and built for our clients on Gaviola Island. Located about 20 minutes by water from the northeast tip of Gabriola Island, our first building task was to barge tires to place along the waterfront to preserve the moss and marine life while bringing our construction tools and materials to the site. A 12’ buffer zone around the perimeter of the building was roped off to prevent any impact to the surrounding environment.
To further achieve the owners’ requirement of a benign and healthy building, a high-efficiency, clean-burning, air-tight fireplace was artistically designed and built on site from local stone and finished with hand-milled cedar, also from the site. The countertops were fashioned from PaperStone®, a sustainable composite product made from 100% recycled paper that looks like real stone. A metal roof was chosen to provide a strong, durable and sustainable crown.
With no municipal services available, power is collected from rooftop solar panels feeding a battery back-up augmented by a generator, and roof water is collected and stored in a cistern.
Although this woodsy abode has a small footprint, it clearly possesses large bucolic charm.
