The British arts-and-crafts movement that captured people’s imaginations in the mid-1800s emphasized a superior level of workmanship, millwork and creativity, while disdaining anything mass-produced.
It evolved as an intense reaction to expanding industrialization.
The owners of this North Saanich home have a similar aversion to much of today’s architecture. “We didn’t want to go too contemporary, as it looks too industrial to us,” said Lee Anne, noting she and husband Greg like a home that’s relaxed and homey, “where you feel you can put your feet up on the furniture.”
So they asked their builders, Ian Baker and Doug Sadler of East Bay Developments, to create a custom home with a classic arts-and-crafts vibe, with a dash of Cape Cod character thrown in, too.
The result is a welcoming home that features solid forms, deep porches, steep rooflines, a shingle exterior and multiple gables in a setting that offers spectacular views looking east toward James and Sidney Islands, and north to Sidney.
The home is a CARE award winner, having taken silvers for best single-family detached home in the $1 million to $1.5 million range, best new home design (for Step One Design) and best traditional kitchen over 300 square feet.
“The house has a wonderful view of the morning sun and is on a dead flat lot, about 15 feet above sea level, with private steps down to the beach … so it would be perfect for a wedding,” said Step One Design’s Mike Dunsmuir, who created the house plan. His partner and wife, Lisa, helped with some interior elements.
“The owners wanted a more traditional look, with an all-shingle, wood exterior,” he said. “It’s very authentic arts and crafts, but slightly more refined, with a bit more Tudor board, gable ends, knee braces.”
The L-shaped house has a garage that stands at right angles to the home’s north side, creating a courtyard effect by the entrance.
Inside, a long hallway lined with large windows wraps around the inner angle, connecting the mudroom and dog-washing station to the rest of the home.
This generously proportioned hallway, which opens onto a barrel-vaulted entry, acts as a light tunnel, drawing in sunshine and increasing solar gain from west and south.
Another appealing element is a patio under the upper deck, which sinks into the ground several feet, creating a level walkout. The owners wanted it to nestle a little below grade, so it offers protection from the elements and views that are closer to sea level.
All of the key rooms face the water — from master bedroom and ensuite to living, dining room and kitchen — and that was a challenge, said the designer.
“The lot is a good width, but in this part of North Saanich, the setbacks on both sides total 25 feet, whereas on smaller lots, you can go closer to property lines. We had to be very careful right down to inches because of the tight envelope.”
But there is nothing constricted-feeling about the interiors.
The living room has a high ceiling and wall of tall windows. “It’s easy to throw in a huge picture window, but here they are more narrow and tall, as they would have been back in the day,” said Mike Dunsmuir.
Lisa Dunsmuir assisted with general kitchen layout and fireplace treatments, adding side shelving and built-ins for both master bedroom and living rooms. For the latter, she designed cabinet doors to hide a large flat panel television.
The living-room fireplace features a pillar-like effect on either side of a deep mantle, with a shadow-box effect above, where a painting leans rather than hangs.
A temperature-controlled “cellar” off the dining room keeps the couple’s wine collection at a steady 58 F and looks appealing, too, behind glass doors. Greg likes the idea of seeing the attractive bottles, rather than storing them in a basement cave or garage.
“We used foam insulation, I bought a refrigeration unit and the shelving is from a supplier in Quebec,” said Greg, who recently joined a wine group.
While he was born and raised on the coast, Greg still commutes to Calgary for work, but spends more and more time here fishing nearby.
Lee Anne lives here full time since they moved into the house last year, teaching yoga locally and designing jewelry in her home studio.
Next to his office on the lower level is Greg’s favourite space: a custom man cave that doesn’t feature the typical monster TV, sofa and bar. This room is a sport-fisherman’s heaven, with a wall of photos showing big fish and big smiles, along with a huge smelly fridge and workshop.
The owners were hands-on when it came to landscaping, as Greg had an old bobcat and peeled off most of the weeds and surface debris.
“We brought in yards and yards of topsoil,” said Lee Anne, who planted hardy grasses and fragrant lavender, keeping the plantings low to retain views.
One of her favourite places in the 4,400-square-foot house is the exceptionally well laid-out, bright and open kitchen, which has a pocket door next to the fridge that leads into a spacious walk-through pantry connecting to the main hallway.
On the broad counters here she keeps all the small appliances, but has not managed to fill even half the shelves and cabinets.
“A lot of people have pantry envy when they see it,” she said with a chuckle.
Baker, the builder, said the home is a winner because the creative team and owners spent a lot of time checking elevations and getting the sightlines perfect before even starting on the design phase.
“We wanted to nail it, to take advantage of the views and provide as much shelter as possible, which was part of the reason for the sunken patio.
“And the owners were excellent to deal with. They made up their minds quickly, which always keeps the ball rolling,” said Baker, who began renovating homes in the early 1980s with his brother Keith, of Keith Baker Designs.
Ian Baker and Sadler, who were both born and raised in Victoria, formed East Bay in 2003 and worked together on the North Saanich house, along with their long-time employee Scott Ofstie, who did much of the interior and exterior finishing.
The homeowners praised the team for their fine woodworking skills and meticulous project management. “Doug and Ian were awesome to deal with,” said Lee Anne, who said she enjoyed the whole process.
While not a designer, she’d like to be one in another life.
“This is our fifth home, but the first we’ve built and I spent hours and hours looking and studying home design. I’m a HGTV home-show junkie and if you have even a bit of a clue, there is a lot of info out there.
“And we had the perfect building scenario with Doug and Ian, so everything went according to plan.”
