The Heimaklettur House was designed for an ambitious family of three on a 5-acre property within the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR) in Langley, BC. Their initial vision for the project included the goals of living smaller and more closely to the land. Heimaklettur (home rock) is a nod to their Icelandic heritage - the name of the mountain in their father’s hometown of Vestmannaeyjar.
Bisected by Williamson Creek, the northern half of the site consists of part forest, part swamp, and the southern half is arable farmland. The design carefully notes existing site characteristics such as solar orientation, shade from existing trees and the prevailing direction of wind in the valley, while utilizing the existing septic system and disturbed area of the site to land the house footprint.
Inspired heavily by Nordic roots, the house form references contemporary Iceland/Greenland dwellings that feature pitched roofs, lean-to additions, traditional wood framing, often highlighted by bright and contrasting cladding.
The interior is delineated into a “living gable” and a “sleeping gable” by a change in elevation of 18” and play attic above. Millwork maintains very simple detailing with carefully situated storage for coats and boots and a window seat in the mudroom. Kitchen storage follows this aesthetic with finger pulls on sliding doors for kitchen storage and an island with pull out table to transform for larger dinners. Windows are playfully oriented to provide framed views across the open floor plan with overlook of the farm to the south and the forest to the north.
The project achieved performance levels of Step 5 of the BC Building code. Thermal bridging is minimized and thick insulated exterior walls and roofs as well as high performance triple glazed fiberglass windows contribute to the structure’s performance along with a high efficiency heat recovery ventilator forced air system.
The house was self-built by the owners – collaborating with their brother who is a maker of tiny-homes. Together, they developed two types of cedar rainscreen siding profiles – adding differentiation in texture and response to the light of the two gable forms – a subtle nuance that compliments the simple beauty of the home itself.
