Custom Home Build Featured Project: Treehouse, Part 2
If you’re a Lincoln Construction blog regular, you might recall Treehouse Part 1 from our Featured Project series. We're back at The Treehouse, and things are looking great! With the first floor walls up and the build moving towards the canopy, it's exciting to see the progress and watch the plans and renders of this custom home come to life.
One of the vital characteristics of this build is the stunning elevated design. The Treehouse will be a tall and majestic home, surrounded by beautiful trees, and the finished product will be striking. So far on the build, you’ve seen the screw piles inserted deep into the ground to provide solid foundations for the finished home. We want to share more about the other materials we’ve relied on to provide solid form and structure for this home and why these materials are so important and effective.
Building a house in BC, particularly on the Sunshine Coast, is a dream for many. The allure of accessibility to nature, living among the trees, being beside the water, and surrounded by ancient forests is an unmatched privilege. However, as every custom home builder knows (particularly the team at Lincoln Construction), construction in heavily wooded areas presents a unique set of challenges. Throw in a hillside lot, and you have a project with plenty of logistics to navigate.
What kind of challenges can you face building a home in BC?
Honestly - there are a few. The Pacific Coast is the most earthquake-prone region of Canada. To the west of Vancouver Island lies the Cascadia Subduction Zone. The Juan de Fuca Plate is moving towards North America at approximately 2-5cm per year, this friction can cause seismic activity, so it’s important when building to be mindful of any seismicity that might occur further down the line. Because of this, at Lincoln Construction, we are innovative and forward-thinking when planning construction, ensuring we use the appropriate materials so your build can withstand the elements.
Moreover, while the Sunshine Coast, BC boasts a temperate coastal climate, it's noteworthy that certain regions of The Coast often experience significant rainfall. Building a house in this mountainous terrain, characterized by its rainforest climate, demands careful planning and construction to ensure its stability and longevity. It's not just about building a house; it's about ensuring the home remains firmly anchored, come rain, quake, or shine.
How do you Build a House on a Hill in a Wooded Area?
Firstly, let's discuss the key players so far with this build: steel and screw piles. Steel columns offer solid resistance to natural forces (including seismic activity) making steel an ideal choice for regions that experience ground movement. But it's not solely about strength and stability for activity that may not happen any time soon. Steel columns are also often the secret structural support behind the large, grand windows and doors, allowing home builders to create airy, light-filled living spaces. Even with minimal plywood support, steel ensures that we can craft beautiful, robust structures that stand the test of time (and movement!).
For this project, it was crucial that we collaborated with industry experts to minimize our impact on the natural terrain. Our stellar team comprised of Allester Engineering for structural guidance, Straitland Surveying for land assessment, and Geopacific Consultants Ltd. for geotechnical expertise. Additionally, a dedicated local arborist played a vital role in ensuring the well-being of the area's trees, as per The Environmental Management and Protection Bylaw No. 484, 2009. And of course, the home designer GNAR Inc., who developed the design and plans.
Building in a forested area presents unique challenges, especially when our aim is to preserve as many trees as possible. Every choice—from pinpointing the building's exact placement on the lot to establishing the necessary construction paths—requires careful consideration. Trees hold ecological significance (the root networks hold the soil together preventing slippage and erosion) so it’s vital for us to remain mindful of this every day. We created signage welcoming trades and partners to the site, with a gentle reminder to protect the trees and tread as lightly as possible.
The sign reads:
“Welcome to the treehouse. You are entering an ecologically sensitive work site. Kindly honour and adhere to the following guidelines for the wellbeing of the ecosystem it is being built within:
Site rules
Smoking is prohibited on site
Pack out all food waste
Avoid cutting/damaging any roots, trees, limbs
Stay out of flagged areas in and around trees without special permission
Respect the site as if it is your own & please keep supplies and equipment organized
Thank you for your cooperation
Lincoln Construction, GNAR Sustainable Home Design”
Out of sight, not out of mind
The steel columns and screw piles aren’t working alone. As we were raising the walls, we were mindful to make use of many other parts and systems that work towards further stabilizing buildings, for example:
Simpson Strong-Ties - Made of Galvanized steel, these tension ties act as a large stabilizing clamp ensuring the wooden components of a structure's frame stay tightly held together.
ZIP System® - This integrated system (sheathing and tape) serves as both an air and water-resistive barrier, ensuring enhanced durability and long-lasting performance against the elements. Its design bolsters a building's defenses against potential damage and comes with a 30-year warranty, versus the industry standard 10-year warranty for similar products.
Strong-Wall® Shearwalls - Framing and sheathing are strengthened with high-performance panels that help structures resist forces such as high wind and seismic activity.
L-R: Simpson Strong-Ties, ZIP System®, Strong-Wall® Shearwalls
We are no stranger to challenging builds, find out a little more about the logistics that can go into a Lincoln build here: Coastal Building - Challenges Worth Overcoming (for more insight into a current Lincoln Construction build on a remote island in BC)
To summarize
For custom home builders navigating projects in BC's challenging terrain, steel, screw piles, and wall reinforcements aren’t just good; they're great. They ensure that homes stand strong and stable for years to come, meaning prospective homeowners can rest assured of their investments.
Interested in staying up to date on the next phase of The Treehouse? Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to get the latest updates straight to your inbox.
Do you have a lot on the Sunshine Coast or on a remote island that you’d love to build on but are feeling a little intimidated by the landscape? Let’s get planning!
If you’re looking for custom home builders on the Sunshine Coast for an upcoming project you’re dreaming of - Contact us.