EDITORS CHOICE
Access to the site , meanwhile , was down narrow , winding roads . So narrow , in fact , that the lengths of Douglas fir for the living room flooring could only be delivered by lorry as far as the local village . It was up to Tristan and his flatbed to haul them to the house from there .
Natural materials are at the heart of this project from the outset . There are also numerous significant family connections . Everything above ground is made of timber supplied by Stones Marine Timber , sourced in Canada . The beams were felled on Vancouver Island – home to Tristan ’ s father – and then shipped to the UK .
Tristan ’ s expertise , built up thanks to the family boatmaking firm , meant that the best quality wood featured strongly in the build . Yellow cedar tiles and cladding adorn the roof and exterior , while the upstairs floor is made of Douglas fir . The long , straight grain of the wood has been deliberately exposed at all levels to show off its beauty .
" Building into a steep slope presented both challenges and opportunities . We came up with a design that placed the living space at the top , to maximise the stunning views ."
Interestingly , the house ’ s design is inverted , with the main living spaces set above the bedrooms . Other interesting design features included the eaves , which were inspired by thatched roofs , and the use of copper left over from the roof – beautifully crafted by a local metalworker – in the form of a copper shelf in the main bathroom and copper brassware throughout .
There were various reasons for the design quirks and the inverted nature of the building , as Adams + Collingwood Architects ’ Tamsin Bryant explains .
“ Building into a steep slope presented both challenges and opportunities . We came up with a design that placed the living space at the top , to maximise the stunning views . We then arranged the lower ground floor so that bathrooms and corridors faced into the hillside , to ensure that the bedrooms enjoyed plenty of natural light .” Tamsin Bryant , Adams + Collingwood Architects
The large , open plan living space is flooded with light and features a lovely glass and timber balcony above the lower level entrance door that gets the evening sun . In order for the glazing sightlines not to interfere with the structure and external cladding , the finest glazing section was specified and manufactured ( by the appropriately named Fineline glazing company ).
The Boathouse looks out over the Salcombe Estuary , which has played a key role in the Stone family ’ s history . Tristan ’ s family has lived in the area for generations . They are the locals behind Stones Boatyard , which was founded by James Stone in 1938 and has built a reputation for constructing fast , well-made racing craft .
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