Fox Island

A Timber Frame Home Rooted in Craft, Nature, and Purpose

This traditional timber frame home—with stick-built infill—was designed as a retirement residence for a couple whose lives have revolved around woodcraft, horticulture, and early childhood education. Set in a natural landscape shaped and maintained by the clients themselves, the home embodies warmth, practicality, and enduring comfort. It’s a place that, by the owners’ own words, feels even better today than it did the day it was completed.

The structure features exceptionally high-quality, old-growth timbers, salvaged by the clients from an old sawmill and stored for years in anticipation of this very project. Every timber joint is crafted using traditional joinery—no metal connectors—reflecting a deep commitment to time-honored building techniques. The design challenge was to maximize the use of these precious, long-saved materials, minimizing the need for new lumber and honoring the couple’s longstanding dedication to sustainability and craft.

Throughout the home, solid wood, natural stone, and locally sourced materials anchor the design. Cabinetry was built on-site. The fireplace, faced in stone originally sold as garden bench components at a local landscape store, was thoughtfully repurposed to become the heart of the living space.

The interiors are filled with personal history: an extensive collection of Group of Seven and early Canadian fine art hangs alongside handcrafted furniture made by the husband, a master woodworker whose detailed paneling and custom pieces enrich the home. The wife, a master gardener, designed and maintains the surrounding landscape, which blends seamlessly into the architecture, reflecting the couple’s shared vision and tireless involvement throughout every phase of the project.

This home is a living expression of a life’s work—crafted slowly, with care, meaning, and profound respect for material, place, and purpose.