Create Your Own Modular Hut With a Brilliant Prefabricated Assembly Kit
Thanks to the cultural movement towards small, simple, and sustainable living spaces, the timing couldn't be better for The Backcountry Hut Company (BHC).
"Our customers seem to come from diverse backgrounds, but they all share an eye for design, and a creative desire to play some part in the building experience," says co-founder Wilson Edgar from the company’s headquarters in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Their direct-to-customer approach puts the power in the hands of the buyers, allowing them to customize the basic design of their prefab and order a kit that suits their needs. Co-founder Michael Leckie, a Vancouver architect whose studio designed the prefabricated kit-of-parts system, explains, "We wanted to create something that captured a certain essentialism—a product and process that is unique unto itself, that has a practicality, without sacrificing good design."
Though the exterior structure can be self-assembled from a pre-fabricated kit of parts, customers can customize the interior design, choosing from The BHC’s spec interior designs that are available in frontcountry or backcountry options. Or, clients even have the option to design the interiors themselves.
A 'flat pack' kit of parts is delivered to your location, at which point the assembly process starts. A team of four can raise the structure in less than a week, without the need for large excavators or more heavy machinery.
By engaging with the client early on in the project, the entire process is clarified: specifications outlining the total project budget are detailed; customized drawings are provided; and the team's in-house architects assist with permitting and documentation requirements.
Shown here is a rendering for The Backcountry Hut's Surf Shack, a personal planned project of co-founder and architect Michael Leckie.
Shown here is the back view of the Surf Shack. Leckie is currently siting locations for this project. The hut, as shown, is a version of the basic, three-module hut, with a few special add-ons, such as full-height glass walls and a covered-deck module.
"In a lot of cases, our customers want to build on their remote dream property, as a way to escape the 9 to 5," says Wilson. "Some of those locations can’t accommodate an intrusive, traditional building process."
The Surf Shack's interior wall and ceiling finish will be done in cedar, while the floors will be finished in oak.
The Backcountry interior options are rustic and built to make the outdoors more accessible.
The Frontcountry interior options feature a more urban look.
"While our project began with the goals of engaging user participation in design and construction, and community empowerment in architecture, it has now grown into something much larger—with overwhelming interest from a wide range of groups and individuals, including urban infill projects and the tiny house movement." - Co-founder, Michael Leckie.
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