7 Custom Built Homes That Are One With Nature
From the coasts of the Pacific Northwest to the lakes of Ontario to the wetlands of Long Island and across the Ocean to Australia - here are 7 of the most innovative and exquisite custom-built homes that are undoubtedly one with nature.
Whether snuggled into the forest or on the banks of an island, the following custom built houses all have a devoted connection with nature - either as a view or as part of the dwelling’s identity. Each custom home compliments its natural surroundings and topography with purposeful and strategic design decisions, driven by thoughtful consideration by architects and custom home builder constructors alike.
You will notice common themes in the ways in which environmental impact and carbon footprints are reduced in our featured homes. Passive and net-zero methods such as durable and locally sourced materials, solar-powered homes, and floor to ceiling triple glazed windows are just a sprinkling of some of the trending techniques being practiced by dedicated builders today.
Lincoln Construction, our family-led custom home building company located in beautiful British Columbia, services the Sunshine Coast and surrounding remote islands - and often prioritizes and values passive and net-zero custom home design and construction. This is because our custom builds are a reflection of our values, including respect for our natural landscapes, curiosity for sustainable lifestyles, and a deep understanding of the impact of our small and large actions on the environment.
Gone are the days of elaborate finishing and fixtures, outlandish landscaping, and exorbitant waste. We welcome durable simplicity, ultra-minimalism, and smarter architecture and construction with open hearts and open arms.
1.House on Ancaster Creek
Locally sourced limestone-clad with vertically milled cedar, the House on Ancaster Creek has been dubbed an innovative multi-generational home for modern times. This sleek, sustainability-forward, and longevity-focused construction is home to a young family, alongside their elderly parents. They reside in distinctly individual but adjoining residences, harmoniously connected by a hallway and sunlit courtyard. Fluid and spiraling, the white oak staircase is illuminated by a flood of natural rays from the skylights, which are also featured amply in the 20ft ceiling of the main kitchen.
Built in: 2016
Location: Ancaster, Ontario, Canada
About the Architects/Builders: DB Custom Homes builds dream homes throughout lower Ontario, from Hamilton to Toronto and into the Niagara region - focusing on modern, high quality, and durable house designs. Partnered with the prominent architecture studio Williamson Williamson, the collaboration has won applause from The Toronto Star and Wood Design & Building Awards for their House on Ancaster Creek.
More About This Custom Home: Almost every triple glazed window of the 3,800 ft² design faces the creek, providing a visual and audio buffer from the street - creating a serene and relaxed interior with views of the bubbling brook and conservation lands beyond. Energy consumption is offset by two large solar arrays, combined with an energy-efficient furnace system and LED lighting throughout. In the harsh northern climate, insulation is enhanced by means of exceptional construction of exterior walls, enabling efficient cooling and heating all year round.
House on Ancaster Creek has received acclaim over recent years, including being awarded by the Ontario Association of Architects in 2018 in honour of its design excellence.
2.Muskoka Boathouse
The ultra-modern, double-story boathouse-inspired dwelling sits on the edge of Tobin’s Island in Muskoka, Ontario. With 2,300 ft² of contemporary interior, the guest home also boasts secure space for three boat slips on the lower level and a generously expansive cedar dock. Its durable exterior and well fitted out living space make it more than suitable for ultimate enjoyment throughout the year.
Built in: 2017
Location: Muskoka, Ontario, Canada
About the Architects/Builders: Toronto-based studio Atelier Kastelic Buffey (AKB) are the architects behind the Muskoka Boathouse. Their team is renowned for its holistic design approaches, which strive to seamlessly blend each unique building with its natural landscape. The planar wood elements of the Muskoka Boathouse in particular, which reflect and replicate the movement of water, are a testament to AKB’s thoughtful composition. With over 60 years of combined experience, Mazenga Building Group executed the vision with remarkable care and attention to detail.
More About This Custom Build: The two-bedroom custom abode not only offers enviable panoramic lakefront views but also presents low exterior maintenance. A facade coherent with its natural surroundings is created by locally derived cedar which is charred in a Japanese wood-preserving and weatherproofing style - Shou Sugi Ban. This also protects the exterior from rot.
In 2018, the Muskoka House was awarded by the Canadian Woods Council for exceptional Wood Design & Building.
3. Modern Lakefront
Noteworthy as a net-zero passive home, the Modern Lakefront’s homeowners conceptualized the 4 bedrooms, 3 bathroom project with the future in mind. Not only did they strive for such certifications as LEED Platinum Home - platinum being the highest level - they also invited their retired parents to live in their newly built sanctuary.
Built in: 2016
Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
About the Architects/Builders: Passive Design Solutions passionately advocates the benefits of durable, high-efficiency custom designs from both economical and aesthetic standpoints. Comfort, health, and warmth are promoted in such spaces where the strategic use of natural resources like the sun and wind are implemented. Passive Design Solutions continually innovates and advances their schematic designs and net-zero calculations, to ultimately slash their cumulative carbon footprint.
More About This Custom Home: The 2,200 ft² home boasts $175 in annual heating. No, that wasn’t a typo -- $175 per year! This is all thanks to the 18-panel solar array which powers almost the entire home, and in turn, reduces maintenance and energy expenditure. The design also employs as much locally sourced material as possible, further minimizing its carbon footprint.
The Modern Lakefront’s homeowners were impressed by the affordability of sustainable solutions and energy efficiency, and you can be too. To learn more about net-zero and passive home building, see our recent article on the topic.
4. Wetlands House
Hopping south of the border, let’s explore an American beauty - and where better to explore, than New York! The Brooklyn couple from our #4 featured home, often retreat to their 15 acres of zen at the tip of Long Island - just a 100 mile or short 2-hour drive east. With energy efficiency appearing again as a focus for this custom build, this three-bedroom, two and a half bath home has some unique customizations due to the marshes which comprise the wetlands of the area. With desks that appear to hover, elegant floor to ceiling windows, and a luxurious saltwater lap pool that somehow manages to effortlessly blend into the meadow in which it lays, the Wetlands House is quintessentially a custom build.
Built in: 2018
Location: Orient, New York, USA
About the Architects/Builders: Manhattan-based Ryall Sheridan Architects incorporated triple glazed windows, eco-friendly wall insulation, and solar panels, just to name a few features - into their clients’ construction custom passion project. To ensure the Wetlands House integrated harmoniously and intuitively with its natural setting, the architects also deemed it vital to replace overgrown, invasive plants with native vegetation and landscaping.
More About This Custom Home: Due to the unique topography, this steel and wood house is raised ten feet high, in turn promising panoramic views of Peconic Bay which simply cannot be beaten. Furthermore, the restored and redesigned indigenous flora attract butterflies and birds who call the surroundings of Wetlands House home. The property is undoubtedly a retreat, but moreover, a tranquil refuge from the bustle of Brooklyn, a place where one can truly connect with nature.
Wetlands House has been featured on Dwell.com for its green attributes and materials, and Architectural Digest praises its outstanding passive home standards. Last but not least, did we mention that the monthly energy bill is just US$20.00?
5. Newberg Residence
As we gallivant over to the Pacific Northwest Coast, let us delve into two custom builds in this scenic region, beginning with the Newberg Residence. Here the goal was to purposefully blend the pond together with the house perched upon it. The 1,650 ft² residence is reached by foot, after parking your vehicle and strolling 150 feet through the forest and across a small bridge to the main entry. This is undeniably a one-of-a-kind arrival experience to remember.
Built in: 2013
Location: Newberg, Oregon, USA
About the Architects/Builders: Washington-based Cutler Anderson Architects has been endeavouring to ‘reveal nature in every circumstance’ and showcase the significance of place since 1977. Architects incorporated steel in the framework, wood for the built-in cabinetry, and ceiling-high glass throughout the opulent open plan design for this property. Sleekly, an expansive glass door slides immaculately between the living room and pond diving platform.
More About This Custom Home: The Newberg Residence sits as a bridge over the purposefully expanded pond, and it is not uncommon for the homeowners to connect with and enjoy the wildlife that visits the water - from ducks and frogs to raccoons and coyotes.
Notable accolades bestowed upon the Newberg Residence include the AIA Northwest Pacific Region Merit Award and the Canadian Wood Council Merit Award.
6. Case Inlet Retreat
With unobstructed views towards the glorious Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains, this 2,200 ft² custom Washington home deserves a mention. Nestled on the Key Peninsula, the cedar-clad retreat can be described as refined, yet subtle.
Built in: 2011
Location: Case Inlet, Washington, USA
About the Architects/Builders: Since their formation in 2007, Seattle’s MW works have revealed compelling residential as well as commercial architecture and interior designs. The vision of each and every client is combined with the architects’ rich crafts to produce inspiring results. Family-run, hands-on custom home builders, Alford Homes worked closely alongside MW works on every detail of this project. Their conjunctive choice of concrete slabs complements the Cast Inlet Retreat’s natural wood finishes in a style of urbane minimalism.
More About This Custom Home: A sanctuary outside of the city, the Cast Inlet Retreat blurs the lines between indoors and outdoors. The master alfresco washroom extends fluidly to an enclosed balcony, encouraging an incredible experience of bathing in the forest. The materials extending from the kitchen to the patio soften the sense of interior versus exterior as the retreat becomes one with its woodland surroundings.
This custom home encourages a genuine connection with nature, whether you are taking a breath on the rooftop terrace, barbequing on the patio, or indulging in a bath.
7. Stealth House
We swim on over now to the Sunshine Coast -- of Queensland, Australia that is. Perched 220 metres above sea level on a hillside ridge with a backdrop of waterfalls, creeks, and rainforest- the Stealth House faces towards the majestic Pacific Ocean. The common areas of this custom home, including the deck and angular pool, enjoy illustrious ocean views; while private bedrooms and bathrooms revel in intimate subtropical glimpses. Most significantly, however, the Stealth House is accomplished in being a stand-alone ecosystem.
Built in: 2015
Location: Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
About the Architects/Builders: Teeland Architects and JW Constructions of Queensland, Australia custom-built the coastal home to compliment the landscape so that the homeowners would feel a tangible connection with their surroundings. The purposefully dark grey exterior intends to blend with the forest that will grow around it over time, while installations are meticulously calibrated to maximize the sun, wind, and shade of the local climate.
More About This Custom Home: It was paramount for the homeowners, who are avid gardeners, to have their 1,500 ft² custom home perform as its own environmental ecosystem. Solar energy and rainwater are collected and harnessed to operate the dwelling, and wastewater is recycled into an irrigation system.
A rustic, unpolished timber verandah wraps the Stealth House’s border, balancing the ultra-modern fixtures and finishes - as the golden sun sets on another stunning custom home.
Your Dream Home: Build A Custom Home with Lincoln Construction
If you are beginning to feel the inspiration, our dedicated team at Lincoln Construction is ready to creatively collaborate with you through your custom home building process. We look forward to blending our high-quality construction with innovative building techniques and passive & net-zero practices like the ones showcased in this list. See some of our custom-built home projects.
Epitomizing the new generation of builders, you can trust that our ongoing research and technological advancements will deliver an avant-garde, yet truly timeless home, for years to come. Whether the retreat of your dreams is on the shores of a remote island off the Sunshine Coast, or in the very heart of Sechelt with stretching ocean views, we can guide you in designing and building your unique vision, where a lasting legacy of memories is awaiting.