Cedar Cladding Defines this Spectacular Holiday Home in Nova Scotia
Partner Story
When Andrew and Dale Noseworthy decided to build a vacation home close to their day-to-day home in the city of Halifax, they wanted to celebrate contemporary architectural forms whilst evoking their childhood memories of cottage life. "We were constantly working on this balance between clean, modern lines and rustic cottage living," explains architect Rayleen Hill, founder of RHAD Architects.
Located less than an hour away from the couple’s main home in Halifax, the Monocular is situated on a waterside site in Chester Basin, Nova Scotia. "We were looking all along the South Shore and lucked into the land through a work colleague," reveals homeowner Dale Noseworthy. A long, winding path has been etched through indigenous low-brush plantings down to the ocean, private wharf, and firepit.
"Our home in Halifax is small so it’s nice to have a place where we can have guests and not be on top of each other," says homeowner Andrew Noseworthy. "As we look down the road, when our daughters have families of their own, we’ll have the space to all gather. Perhaps in retirement, we’ll be there full time."
The Monocular, as the home is called, is a modern interpretation of a rural cottage that celebrates its dockside location in the rural community of Chester Basin, Nova Scotia. The name of the home comes from the clever arrangement of two built forms—the main home and the "bunkie" with a screened porch—that are connected by a breezeway to frame the view to the basin with a "monocular." Access to the spectacular view is maximized by utilizing this area as the main circulation zone between various areas of the home.
The entire home is clad in Western Red Cedar siding, imbuing the built form with a rich warmth that responds to the natural surroundings while also making a striking design statement.
An outdoor shower clad in Western Red Cedar is positioned between the "monocular" breezeway and a large wood store. The shower is cut through to the roof, givin the space a soaring two-story proportion that is open to the sky.
"Access to the entry of the house, the outdoor shower, the garage, wood storage, the bunkie, the screen porch, and living room all open into this monocular," explains Hall. "It gives these constant moments of not only the view but of being outside, whether summer or winter."
The breezeway—playfully called the Monocular—separates the two buildings, links the outdoors with indoors, and provides a portal to the impressive water view. It can be closed off for security with a large, barn-style red door.
The 2,750-square-foot home is split into two levels across the two buildings, both of which are contemporary interpretations of timber-clad gable houses and echo the local vernacular of Chester Basin. The main building contains the primary living spaces for Andrew and Dale while the smaller building houses the guest areas and more seasonal spaces.
The living room features a wood stove heater that warms the entire ground floor—an open-plan arrangement of living, dining, and kitchen space.
The front deck is sunk below the first-floor level so the view to the water through the enormous windows is uninterrupted.
"We love to cook, so having the kitchen and living room open to each other allows us to be social while preparing meals," says homeowner Andrew Noseworthy.
The larger main building features open-plan living, dining, and kitchen on the ground floor, and three conventional bedrooms on the first floor. The secondary building houses a spacious "bunkie" that can accommodate up to five extra guests, responding to Andrew and Dale’s desire for a home that can be used to host friends and extended family.
A reading nook is built into a bedroom in the main house, offering a cozy spot to read and take in the surrounding forest views.
With raw barn boards on the ceiling and a casual arrangement of beds and bunks, the "bunkie" has more of a cottage feeling than the main building.
The close connection to the outside is further enhanced via the sun-facing screen porch with wood stove, which allows for immersion in nature even in cold weather. In this semi-outdoor room, the Western Red Cedar timber screen offers protection from the elements without obscuring the view, and creates a dramatic play of light and shadow throughout the day.
Real Cedar is a natural cladding material with low embodied energy that is sourced from sustainably managed forests. While other, synthetic building materials emit carbon, western red cedar stores carbon from the atmosphere.
The screen porch in front of the "bunkie" area provides a semi-outdoor living space overlooking the water that can be used in all seasons. In winter months, the space is heated by a wood stove.
While the aesthetic for the home draws on contemporary architectural forms, these are balanced with a warm material palette and more rustic elements. Take, for example, the barn boards in the bunkie ceiling, the boardbeam countertop in the powder room, or cold-rolled steel stringer and railing for the staircase and landing. "These all speak of the no-nonsense, simple, cottage feel for the house," says Hall.
The exposed 2x6 Real Cedar framing in the screen porch combined with the upcycled barn boards used for the ceiling and the string of lights give the space a rustic charm that helps achieve the "cabin" style the clients so desired.
The cold-rolled steel stringer and railing for the staircase adds a rustic touch that evokes the clients’ childhood memories of holidaying in cabins.
The exterior of the home has also been designed to respond to the forested setting, with simple shiplap Real Cedar siding that has been left to weather naturally. "Cedar was used for its availability and its widespread use in our province," says Hill. "The low maintenance aspect for cladding is important for clients, and it is interesting to watch the cedar weather over time."
The Real Cedar cladding is arranged both horizontally and vertically, adding visual interest to the simple, archetypal built forms and showcasing the striking graphic effect that can be achieved with the material.
Since it was built, the Western Red Cedar has developed a silver-gray patina that complements the metal roof and aluminum-clad windows, resulting in a strikingly monolithic built form punctuated by the windows and the bright red barn door.
Light streams through the screened facade of the porch creating a beautiful pattern of light and shadow. On warm days, the porch can be opened up to the deck outside.
"The Real Cedar is natural and simple so it fits with our design," says Andrew. "The aging process of the wood also gives it a unique look, depending on its exposure to the elements—and the ease of maintaining the cedar over the long-term is a great feature."
The breezeway is entirely clad in Real Cedar, creating a beautiful contemporary visual coherence and blurring the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces.
"We are always striving for our houses to have multiple aspects, and a lot of special moments in the house and outside, not just one—and this house achieves that," says Hall.
The clients couldn’t agree more. "There’s so much we love about the house," says Andrew. "There’s a wood stove on the three-season porch so we can hang out there even on a cool evening; the outdoor shower in the winter feels like you’re at a spa with the cold air, the hot water, and the smell of the cedar; and in the summer, we’re in and out of the water, lounging on the dock, or floating on a paddleboard."
To learn more about Real Cedar products including siding, decking, paneling and trim, visit RealCedar.com.
Project Details:
Architect: RHAD Architects
Photographer: Julian Parkinson
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