Houzz Tour: Childhood Memories Shape a Lakeside Cottage
A Canadian man couldn’t salvage his grandfather’s cottage, but he keeps the family connection alive with a new structure in the same space
Mitchell Parker
January 11, 2015
Houzz Editorial Staff. Home design journalist writing about cool spaces, innovative trends, breaking news, industry analysis and humor.
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Mike Mulvagh has a deep history with his family’s summer lakeside property in Quebec. In 1948 his grandfather built a cottage on the land, and Mulvagh spent nearly every summer there from the time he was born. The one-story cottage got handed down through his family over the decades, and by the time Mulvagh inherited it, carpenter ants had left it uninhabitable. He had hoped he’d be able to renovate the home, but he soon realized nothing was salvageable.
He found architect Paul Kariouk through an Internet search, and the two connected immediately. Since Kariouk was working with a relatively blank slate, he produced several design iterations, including a U-shaped design with a courtyard and a two-story version. But though Mulvagh loved the designs, he found himself reluctant to lose the original feel of the home. In the end he let his emotions win. “I was anxious about tearing down the family history and all the memories we had there, so we decided to keep it exactly on the same footprint,” says Mulvagh, who lives in Manhattan with his partner, Chip Crosby. “We decided to default back to the emotional side.”
He found architect Paul Kariouk through an Internet search, and the two connected immediately. Since Kariouk was working with a relatively blank slate, he produced several design iterations, including a U-shaped design with a courtyard and a two-story version. But though Mulvagh loved the designs, he found himself reluctant to lose the original feel of the home. In the end he let his emotions win. “I was anxious about tearing down the family history and all the memories we had there, so we decided to keep it exactly on the same footprint,” says Mulvagh, who lives in Manhattan with his partner, Chip Crosby. “We decided to default back to the emotional side.”
Before Photo
Houzz at a Glance
Location: Ladysmith, Quebec
Who lives here: This is a vacation home for Mike Mulvagh, head of corporate communications for Moody’s, and Chip Crosby, a child psychologist.
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters); 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
BEFORE: The original cottage didn’t have indoor plumbing, so an outhouse was used until the 1960s or 1970s, when the home got its only previous update — two bedrooms and a bathroom.
The home was also poorly insulated, making it difficult to visit during chillier months. “It was often cold when it shouldn’t have been,” Mulvagh says. “It wasn’t really that great to be there in the spring or fall.”
Because Quebec law states that any dwelling within 100 feet of a shoreline can’t be changed, Mulvagh and Kariouk had to stay within the same footprint if they kept the cottage in the same place. They could have moved farther away from the water and built anything they wanted, but Mulvagh says it just didn’t seem practical. Plus, the view of the lake was what the home was all about, and Mulvagh had some sentimental attachment to the cottage’s location.
Location: Ladysmith, Quebec
Who lives here: This is a vacation home for Mike Mulvagh, head of corporate communications for Moody’s, and Chip Crosby, a child psychologist.
Size: 1,000 square feet (93 square meters); 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom
BEFORE: The original cottage didn’t have indoor plumbing, so an outhouse was used until the 1960s or 1970s, when the home got its only previous update — two bedrooms and a bathroom.
The home was also poorly insulated, making it difficult to visit during chillier months. “It was often cold when it shouldn’t have been,” Mulvagh says. “It wasn’t really that great to be there in the spring or fall.”
Because Quebec law states that any dwelling within 100 feet of a shoreline can’t be changed, Mulvagh and Kariouk had to stay within the same footprint if they kept the cottage in the same place. They could have moved farther away from the water and built anything they wanted, but Mulvagh says it just didn’t seem practical. Plus, the view of the lake was what the home was all about, and Mulvagh had some sentimental attachment to the cottage’s location.
Photos by Photolux Commercial Studio
AFTER: The old cottage came down and was replaced with a new structure. This isn’t Mulvagh’s grandfather’s cottage: While the new home is in the same footprint, it has 10 times more windows, and the materials are entirely modern. Mulvagh and Crosby chose a construction method that used cedar laminated timber (CLT).
Six-inch wood panels were designed and built offsite, then delivered to the property. The home was assembled in a couple of days by Gilles Langlois of GPL Construction. “Ninety percent of the home was built offsite and assembled onsite, including the kitchen cabinets,” architect Kariouk says. The electrical, plumbing and roof membrane were all done onsite.
While the method cost the same as it would have had they built a stick-frame construction, CLTs make for a more durable, longer-lasting home. “We wanted to build a summer place that would last and that would suit us into older age and that wasn’t going to break the bank,” Mulvagh says.
AFTER: The old cottage came down and was replaced with a new structure. This isn’t Mulvagh’s grandfather’s cottage: While the new home is in the same footprint, it has 10 times more windows, and the materials are entirely modern. Mulvagh and Crosby chose a construction method that used cedar laminated timber (CLT).
Six-inch wood panels were designed and built offsite, then delivered to the property. The home was assembled in a couple of days by Gilles Langlois of GPL Construction. “Ninety percent of the home was built offsite and assembled onsite, including the kitchen cabinets,” architect Kariouk says. The electrical, plumbing and roof membrane were all done onsite.
While the method cost the same as it would have had they built a stick-frame construction, CLTs make for a more durable, longer-lasting home. “We wanted to build a summer place that would last and that would suit us into older age and that wasn’t going to break the bank,” Mulvagh says.
The layout stayed generally the same. For example, you still enter by taking the stairs up to the porch.
The sloping land meant there was 5 to 12 feet of space beneath the home that wasn’t being used. Kariouk brought the siding down to the ground to create enclosed storage for canoes and outdoor furniture.
The sloping land meant there was 5 to 12 feet of space beneath the home that wasn’t being used. Kariouk brought the siding down to the ground to create enclosed storage for canoes and outdoor furniture.
Pine siding covers the exterior of the home.
Dark brown and off-white portions delineate the separate spaces. To the left is the master bedroom; to the right, the guest room. A reading nook is between the two.
Even the deck remained the same size as the original. CLT treated with epoxy paint forms the floor of the porch. Here you get a glimpse of the view to the private lake.
Mulvagh says they wanted to lean toward a more Scandinavian look. Keeping the light-blonde spruce CLT panels raw helped give the interior of the home that vibe.
The woodstove on the left provides heat, while the thick CLT panels keep that heat contained. “It’s a modern version of a log cabin,” Kariouk says. A plate of quarter-inch steel creates a noncombustible surface in front of the fireplace.
The woodstove on the left provides heat, while the thick CLT panels keep that heat contained. “It’s a modern version of a log cabin,” Kariouk says. A plate of quarter-inch steel creates a noncombustible surface in front of the fireplace.
A large glulam beam on the upper left extends across the living space to hold up the roof and achieve an unobstructed wall of windows.
A hallway leads to the two bedrooms and the reading nook. Mulvagh and Crosby are considering a rock wall treatment for behind the woodstove.
Mosaic tile in the bathroom offers a slight break from all the wood in the cottage.
In the master bedroom, conventional pine cabinets were matched to look like the CLT.
Also in the bedroom, you can see the end of the structural glulam beam that runs across the living room. Kariouk says he could have covered it with a piece of wood, but he wanted to reveal the construction behind the home. “You can see how it fits like a hand in a glove. It’s so precise,” he says.
This is what the CLT panels look like from the side. You can see the five layers that form the solid insulation.
Here Kariouk recessed the light switch but left the conduit exposed for an added ornament.
For the construction, 20 8-inch-diameter steel columns were screwed into the ground until they reached bedrock.
Kariouk and his team spent about a year designing the home, making sure each CLT panel was planned accordingly. For example, because the panels are multiple layers of wood totaling 6 inches thick, none of the plumbing or electrical could be run through the walls. So, whenever possible, Kariouk had to plan ahead and route conduit niches into the panels, as shown here.
The panels were then delivered to the site on a flatbed truck.
A crane lowered the panels into place, and they were snapped in and screwed together, forming the skeleton of the home in a couple of days. The rest, like the plumbing and electrical, took a few weeks.
Kariouk says the cost for this type of construction probably is about the same as the traditional method of lumber framing, but this method is a much higher-quality form of construction that will last longer.
Kariouk says the cost for this type of construction probably is about the same as the traditional method of lumber framing, but this method is a much higher-quality form of construction that will last longer.
Here you can see the overall layout of the rooms, which stayed within the 1,000-square-foot footprint of the original cottage.
Mulvagh estimates that the project cost was about $400,000, with the CLT material accounting for about $80,000 of that. “For us it was a really affordable way of building something that’s just a summer home,” he says. “It’s durable, has good insulation, and it’s interesting to look at.”
Architect: Paul Kariouk, Kariouk Associates
General contractor: Gilles Langlois, GPL Construction
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Mulvagh estimates that the project cost was about $400,000, with the CLT material accounting for about $80,000 of that. “For us it was a really affordable way of building something that’s just a summer home,” he says. “It’s durable, has good insulation, and it’s interesting to look at.”
Architect: Paul Kariouk, Kariouk Associates
General contractor: Gilles Langlois, GPL Construction
Browse more homes by style:
Small Homes | Colorful Homes | Eclectic Homes | Modern Homes | Contemporary Homes | Midcentury Homes | Ranch Homes | Traditional Homes | Barn Homes | Townhouses | Apartments | Lofts | Vacation Homes
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The cedar panels are interesting, but quite expensive. I like the look and the simplicity of construction. The R value is around 1.5 per inch, so that would make the walls about an R9, but that much wood also holds heat and radiates it at night, so it will perform quite well.
I don't mind the modern design, but some landscaping and a bit more detail in the back would have been more welcoming. I also think a bit larger roof overhang, especially in the rear, would help protect the siding from weather and would have been a bit of a tip of the hat to the original structure.
That is also rather long run of stairs, and I would have considered adding a landing and maybe a small secondary deck if building codes would allow. Or as suggested above, to run alternate access to the slope by/through the BBQ area.
It brings to mind a type of vernacular housing that was used in mining towns and such around 1900 called plank construction. These basically used vertical boards of lumber for the walls, and the exterior walls were covered with siding and the interior walls with plaster and lathe or more planking. Often they look just like conventional houses, until you have to do some electrical or plumbing work. They are quite sturdy, except they were often built with insufficient footings/foundation, sometimes with the bottom hefty sill sitting on just some rocks and touching the ground.
In Germany, many sheds are built with stacked milled wood that is horizontally tongue and grooved that are about 4" thick, with the ends exposed almost like a log cabin. They can be quite fancy and finished inside almost like a house. Light planked ceilings and walls are quite popular in Northern Europe and the Alps, and with some more color, it will look bright and cozy.
Unfortunate about the obviously fertilized lawn and for what purpose - I'll bet it is never used? The house could have been easily designed to blend with native vegetation and a much more effective shoreline buffer. I do like the design approach and even the way the home turned out. I love the open space inside, views and finishes. It would be nice to see some effort towards the conservation so clearly intended by the code and which ultimately benefits the homeowner whose property (and aesthetic) values are impacted by water quality.