To assist a household with their lakeside compound, Chris Van Lierop and Tim Wisener designed a 260-square-foot home that’s wrapped in timber from high to backside and full of nooks and built-ins.
Tucked right into a cluster of old-growth timber and only a hop, skip, and bounce from the shores of Sturgeon Lake in Ontario, Canada, this 260-square-foot retreat feels so much like a tree home, with all of the comforts of dwelling. “We needed it to mix with the trunks of the timber, to really feel like a part of the environment,” designer Chris Van Lierop says.
Van Lierop’s agency, House by Tim + Chris, designed the getaway for Katelyn Mills, her husband, and their two youngsters, who reside full-time in Brooklyn, New York, and have been escaping to the Kawartha Lakes space for so long as they will keep in mind. “It’s a gathering place for our household and associates in the summertime,” Katelyn says. “My husband’s household has been coming for generations.”

This pine-clad visitor cottage designed by House by Tim + Chris in Kawartha Lakes, Ontario, Canada, measures 260 sq. toes and is shaded by a stand of old-growth timber.
Picture by Perspective by Peel

Giant energy-efficient home windows present the sensation of sleeping amidst the timber. Corrugated steel planters encompass the construction.
Picture by Perspective by Peel
Once they bought the property, set simply down the street from household, in 2020, it got here with a three-bedroom, one-bathroom cottage, a one-room log cabin, and a shed. They deliberate to occupy the principle cottage, use the log cabin as an workplace, and substitute the shed with a guesthouse for visiting family and friends.
The Mills household spent three summers on the property earlier than they have been able to construct, and in 2023 they reached out to Van Lierop and Tim Wisener to create a compact construction with a funds of $300,000 CAD (about $216,000 USD). “The neighborhood is small and tight-knit, and Tim and Chris have been part of it for a very long time,” Katelyn says. “They’ve executed initiatives on my husband’s mother and father’ place, in addition to renovations on the principle home on our property.”

The guesthouse’s inside is wrapped in plywood , and it includes a sleeping nook with a queen mattress and built-in storage. The upholstered armchairs, desk, and stools are from Gus Trendy, and the flooring is Marmoleum by Forbo.
Picture by Perspective by Peel
See the complete story on Dwell.com: Funds Breakdown: If You Love Plywood, Peek Inside This $209K Tiny Cabin in Ontario










