Refurbishment and Restore Issue 08 2018 | Page 44

The Sisters House ANIK PÉLOQUIN ARCHITECTE The owners purchased a small house on a secluded lakeside lot in La Malbaie. For its first three decades, the house was used as a hunting lodge, then it became the summer home for the Sisters of Charity. The urbanite owners lived there sporadically for six years to acclimate themselves to the natural setting and define their needs. Because it would have been very expensive to renovate the house, they soon decided to opt for new construction instead. The existing house would remain standing as the “big sister” bearing witness to the history of the place. It would become a bunkhouse for guests. The new house – the “little sister” – is clad in tamarack. It has two bedrooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and lounge areas. To ensure strong integration, the volume was defined before the interior was laid out. Its size is modest, and the unique shape of the roof meets the owners’ requirements while harmonizing with the big sister and the landscape. On the west and south sides, the roof’s overhang makes it possible to keep the outside walls low, consistent with the scale of the older house. The proportions are also in line with the lake www.anikpeloquin.ca Images: www.prudhommephotographe.com 44 - www.refurbandrestore.co.uk