Houzz Tours
My Houzz: Honoring the Past, Building for the Future in Ontario
A Canadian family’s ski chalet soars to new heights with a light-filled addition
For Braden Henry, Devil’s Glen in Ontario, Canada, was an inspirational place where family, lifelong friends and scenery all came together. After joining the local ski club in the 1960s, he purchased land in the area in 1965 and built his own home. Though he had no formal building knowledge, his hard work and perseverance resulted in a Craftsman-style chalet. His family would spend every weekend skiing, snowshoeing and partaking in the great outdoors; you could count the number of weekends they missed in 50 years on one hand.
After his passing, his son, Paul Henry, and daughter-in-law, Jennifer Ferguson, decided to renovate the home and build a much-needed addition that honored the original structure Paul’s father had created. They contacted Nathan Buhler of BLDG Workshop and began a conversation that led to the current home, which stands out architecturally while respecting the landscape around it.
After his passing, his son, Paul Henry, and daughter-in-law, Jennifer Ferguson, decided to renovate the home and build a much-needed addition that honored the original structure Paul’s father had created. They contacted Nathan Buhler of BLDG Workshop and began a conversation that led to the current home, which stands out architecturally while respecting the landscape around it.
The cedar soffit and rough-hewn stone continue from the exterior of the home into the front foyer, pulling you through the hall and to the stairway leading to the great room. The flooring is made of a locally quarried stone named Eramosa, durable enough to withstand the ski boots that traverse the hallways all winter.
Located in the “hinge” between the old and new structures, the striking staircase combines industrial mesh railings with maple treads. The contractor had to cut down a large maple to make enough space for the new addition. Instead of using the logs for firewood, they were milled into 3-inch-thick treads with the bark still visible along the back face to form the stair’s treads.
Tucked into the trees, the second-story great room makes clever use of a shed roof that pitches upward toward the windows, drawing the eye out to the nearby mountain views. The crisp, clean white walls and the hardwood flooring are tempered by heavy wooden beams and a cedar-lined ceiling. The overall effect is warm and slightly rustic, but very refined.
The chair under the plaques in the background is the chair that Braden Henry always sat in. His framed ski hat and badge hang above the chair, along with a plaque given by a friend that was mounted on the chalet’s original wooden wall boards.
The chair under the plaques in the background is the chair that Braden Henry always sat in. His framed ski hat and badge hang above the chair, along with a plaque given by a friend that was mounted on the chalet’s original wooden wall boards.
Skiing, the main reason this property was originally built, remains front and center of the family’s life when they’re here. There’s even a dedicated ski-tuning room on the ground floor.
Proudly hanging on the main wall in the dining room are two large canvases by an artist from the west coast of Canada, Angela Morgan. The first one, of a father pulling his child with all their gear, was bought during the 2010 Vancouver Olympics. It reminded Ferguson of their family’s early life with five children under 8 years old and the sheer effort it took to get everyone down to the ski hill in the morning.
She thought the scale worked perfectly in the old chalet, but once it was moved into the addition, it seemed dwarfed by the immense ceiling height. Ferguson commissioned the same artist to paint a second painting that would hang above the first, reflecting the children when they were older.
She thought the scale worked perfectly in the old chalet, but once it was moved into the addition, it seemed dwarfed by the immense ceiling height. Ferguson commissioned the same artist to paint a second painting that would hang above the first, reflecting the children when they were older.
An expansive kitchen was planned to satisfy the homeowners’ love of cooking and entertaining. They can often have up to 25 guests visiting, so lots of prep space and work areas were paramount. A long island is flanked by an inset appliance counter and pantry closet.
The kitchen looks out on the sheltered woodland behind the house.
Clad in a woodland-inspired wallpaper, the pantry is characterized by its simple design with mostly shallow shelving. An inset area provides enough space to store bowls and cookbooks.
The master bedroom is on the second floor of the original cottage. The original ceiling was exposed when the existing roof was replaced, refinished and then painted white to soften the space. In addition, new hardwood was laid to match the flooring in the addition. Henry and Ferguson have their own private patio in the treetops where they can wind down at the end of a long day.
On the ground floor, the hard-wearing Eramosa stone continues into the children’s bedrooms. The red-painted doors were part of the original cottage, and were salvaged and refinished for use along the length of the private hallway. They’re a bright reminder of the children’s grandfather and the wonderful legacy he helped create while at the chalet.
Ferguson acted as interior decorator on the project, selecting tile patterns and paint colors, and planning the kitchen. She aimed to maintain a high-impact look but reduce the budget by strategically locating bands of pricey tile in the bathrooms while cladding the rest of the wet walls in cheap and cheerful subway tile.
A large sectional, big enough for the whole family to gather together and hunker down for a movie, anchors the game room. The TV is inset into the marble fireplace hearth, giving a polished look to a room that’s often hidden away in a dark basement. Taking advantage of its prime ground-floor location, the space is filled with year-round light from a large corner window.
While prepping food in the kitchen, Ferguson reflects on the success of the project they undertook. “Being open to the creativity on both sides allows for a synergy to create something truly spectacular and yet very personal, almost intimate,” she says.
Says Buhler, “As a result, a new generation of skiers is engaged with the mountain and its community in the same way the owner’s father provided him.” A worthwhile undertaking indeed.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
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Says Buhler, “As a result, a new generation of skiers is engaged with the mountain and its community in the same way the owner’s father provided him.” A worthwhile undertaking indeed.
My Houzz is a series in which we visit and photograph creative, personality-filled homes and the people who inhabit them. Share your home with us and see more projects.
Browse more homes by style: Apartments | Barn Homes | Colorful Homes | Contemporary Homes | Eclectic Homes | Farmhouses | Floating Homes | Guesthouses | Homes Around the World | Lofts | Midcentury Homes | Modern Homes | Ranch Homes | Small Homes | Townhouses | Traditional Homes | Transitional Homes | Vacation Homes
Who lives here: Paul Henry, Jennifer Ferguson and their five children, ranging in age from 13 to 21. Joyce Henry, one of the original owners, also stays here.
Location: Near Devil’s Glen Provincial Park, Ontario, Canada
Size: 3,000 square feet
(279 square meters); five bedrooms, 2½ bathrooms
Designer: Nathan Buhler of BLDG Workshop
Year built: Original chalet in 1967; renovation and addition completed in 2015
“The addition was anchored by the intent to honor the original structure,” Buhler says. “I doubt this was the most cost-effective way to create the home, but it was the most important part — the idea that the home was part of the family’s history and would continue to be so.” To Buhler, this meant that the Craftsman aesthetic of the original structure would help inform the design direction he would take with the new addition.
The result is a complementary structure that respects the original home while breathing new life into the site. Buhler’s addition contains the public spaces, including a double-height kitchen, living area and dining area. The original cottage holds most of the private bedrooms and bathrooms. Buhler raised the main living spaces to the second floor and rotated the addition 30 degrees, opening up panoramic views to the nearby mountain.
The lofty expanses of glass in the addition are rooted to the site by a massive stone fireplace. The dark gray cedar siding on the rest of the addition was also used to re-cover the existing cottage, helping to tie old and new together.