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Hayloft

Piper's Peak, Sabrina & Mike's chalet home, Jul. 2021

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For Sabrina and Mike, year-over-year in recent memory is abundant with life-changing inner and outward moments. In 2018, a spirited decision was made to relocate to the west coast of BC, thus leaving well-established Milton Ontario lives behind in favor of a recalibrated life where coexistence with nature replaced the ‘rat race’. The move also promised an abundance of unknowns as they forged a new path.

In December 2019, after exploring the wilds and tuning in with their new environment, they became the proud new owners of an original 1980s chalet in Whistler, and their dream of letting beloved Piper live out a leash-less doggy life became reality.

This CRAFT home tour follows the full home renovation side of the first chapter of Sabrina and Mike’s spirited mountain life in ‘Pikers Peak’.

Above and left: Mike, Piper and Sabrina.

The chalet is nestled among small lakes which inspire daily canoe paddles amid the whisper of the forest breezes and heady scents of pine and cedar.

SABRINA: Today, the home’s original warm pine ceiling remains, but the home is now defined by soft textures, warm whites, black fixtures and hardware, simple flush-front millwork and natural reclaimed heart pine floors.

Left and below: The home’s original form.

S+M: Despite its good bones, the house was in need of serious remodeling.

The 2020 plan was to restore and re-design it from top-to-bottom without compromising its character or original features: New wood floors were installed, a new custom kitchen now spans the original kitchen and dining room, and the bathroom was expanded. With the stairs reconfigured to landing in the entryway, the living room can breathe.

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The serious reno work commences, at right.

SABRINA: In all honesty, we did not anticipate gutting our place to this degree. We were simply going to do a “partial gut of necessary areas” over a few days, then move forward with the build. But once we saw the variety of squirrel nests in the fluffy, pink insulation, and once we factored in down-the-road aspects—things like wanting to move plumbing, or the electrician charging us for each time batting or drywall had to be moved out of the way—we knew we needed to fully strip it.

In my personal renovations, I never had the tools or the understanding of how things were built so I could understand how to un-build them, and in my television experience renovating homes on HGTV’s Save My Reno, it was all about smashing down cabinets with a hammer, and kicking through drywall. I get it—people apparently like to watch people smash things on TV to loud music—but it is 100% not the way to do demo.

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S+M: With 1400 square feet spread over three floors, the home’s existing layout did not work for us, so while gutting the space, we were also evaluating what layout did work for us. With stairs directionless and no walls, it was interesting to see what felt natural in terms of flowing from the upstairs loft, to the basement.

At left: New upper bedroom plan.

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SABRINA: Most days after demo I couldn’t make a fist or tilt my neck, but while this level of gutting was physically tiring —it had its perks. Getting to know our home so intimately helped big-time in the design process, and watching/learning from Mike about the building process has been so cool. By day we’d built together -him actively teaching me what’s and why’s, and by night when we discussed design, he would draw side-edge elevations (his favourite view) of things like footing and roof cavity details so I could understand the process and better source products at each stage.

Having this understanding and knowledge makes me feel proud, and it’s empowering a design that stems from a well-rounded and informed experience of physically seeing, touching and witnessing every nook, cranny, and cavity.

SABRINA: One of the coolest days in any renovation is when finishes arrive —I live for delivery and box opening!

CRAFT Reclaimed Heart Pine floor up-packed at right.

S+M: Hardwood flooring is a feature so prominent in a design that it’s often one of the first things you source. Going into sourcing hardwood for Piper’s Peak, we had something like vertical grain Douglas fir in mind, but the finishing work and softwood quality made it an unfitting choice for us. But we liked the grain pattern and ability to stain it to complement the ceiling. We had worked so hard to maintain the cabin’s original pine features, so finding a wood that complemented it became the goal.

We cast our net wide and brought home floor samples of all kinds—light, mid-tone, varied, uniform, hickory, maple, oak, you name it. After narrowing down our choices, we realized our favorites were all from CRAFT Floors —a Canadian company that sources all certified sustainable wood —so I immediately hopped online to see more of their selections, and that’s when I spotted the floor to end all floors! The debates and hums and haws were over: Hayloft was it.

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Post-reno, the home is now a comfortable retreat focused on promoting creative thought and expression by connecting to the natural environment, inside and out.

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Concerning Sustainability:

Choosing a modest-sized 1400 sq ft home was one excellent way Sabrina and Mike brought more sustainability into their lives, since under most conditions smaller homes have a lower environmental impact than larger homes. Small homes tend to require less electricity, generate fewer emissions, and require less building materials. They also encourage minimalist consumer habits where owners buy consumables, plus only the things they truly need, resulting in a lifestyle that reduces their impact on the planet.

Another way Sabrina and Mike lowered their carbon footprint was found amid the blood, sweat and tears of the build itself, within their building materials. Many mass-produced materials such as plastic-based materials or concrete are much more carbon-intensive than the processes used to procure a renewable resource like responsibly sourced wood. In terms of the various wood Sabrina and Mike used in their built-in cabinetry and floors, they chose quality products made from genuine certified sustainably sourced wood.

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For all its natural good looks, Hayloft is made with Reclaimed Heart Pine and a 100% certified-sustainable North American Spruce wood core, and Red List Free Glues and Coatings. Review our higher standards.

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The wood beams, ceiling and floors are full of warm character and create a textural dialogue with the trees surrounding the chalet.

Today, with the heavy lifting of the reno complete, Pikers Peak is home-base for Sabrina, Mike and Piper to enjoy golden hour yoga mornings, hands-on personal pursuits, fun gatherings, and intimate fireside evenings.

Learn More about: Sabrina Smelko, Multidisciplinary Designer & CRAFT Floor homeowner, or explore more of her home renovation journey on her blog.

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