Project of the Week – Rockhouse

BUILDING DESIGNER: Sandrin Leung Design
PHOTOS: Ana Sandrin
LOCATION: Sechelt, British Columbia, Canada

There’s just something about a giant exposed rock wall in one’s living room that attracts a lot of attention. Ana Sandrin and Howard Leung probably know this better than anyone else. Not only did they design the aptly titled Rockhouse – they bought it!

“Almost everyone, upon entering the house for the first time, has stopped in their tracks for a moment and exclaimed, ‘Now, how on earth did you do that?’ ” says Sandrin.

It’s a good question. After all, the Sandrin Leung Design team managed to build this beautiful home around a rugged cliff without actually blasting any of the omnipresent bluff.

Sandrin explains: “We applied conventional techniques used in basement and commercial construction in unconventional ways. A concrete frame was built up against the rock face. A bentonite rope was inserted within it to act as a flexible seal. A full commercial-type gutter system with flashing and overlapping membranes was constructed overhead to drain water away and to the side.”

The other attention-grabbing aspect of their home is the outdoor sanctuary Sandrin Leung Design created with Western Red Cedar.

“We wanted the house to have a natural, warm and welcoming feel,” says Sandrin. “The presence of wood in the courtyard, as cedar siding and as cedar deck, surrounds the space with warmth, as if one were being held in the privacy of a womb.”

In keeping with the boulder’s perfectly imperfect beauty, they chose a knotty grade of cedar for both interior and exterior applications. “We wanted the house to have a bit of a rustic and natural feel to complement the ruggedness of the rock face, rather than being clad in a more ‘pristine’ material such as clear cedar,” she says. “We also appreciate the texture variation that it creates on what would otherwise be a ‘flat-looking’ façade. Knotty is beautiful!”

WRC SPECIFICATIONS
GRADE: Select knotty Western Red Cedar
SIZE: Various widths of tongue and groove
FASTENING: Stainless steel siding nails
APPLIED FINISH: Clear coat

Get the full story behind more wooded wonders like this in Cedar Book 8. Download a PDF or order a free hardcopy today: https://www.realcedar.com/cedarbook/