In 2011, Angelika and Scot Whitham bought themselves a gift to mark their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary: an acre of land on the Muskoka River, complete with water access, an abundance of trees, and a 420-square-foot shelter. “When we bought it, it was a garage, but that’s all we could afford,” says Angelika.

In short order, the Whithams’ son Todd McMillan and his wife, Kristen—both principals of Ben Homes in Burlington, Ontario—renovated the garage into a small cottage so that Angelika and Scot could stay at the property on weekend breaks from city life in Toronto. The rest of the family joined in—now 13 total, including grandkids—and the former garage was augmented with more outbuildings, including a converted shipping container with more beds, called the “bunkie” and a few tents.

“It became a family compound,” says Angelika. “We knew we wanted to retire here, but we had to build something sustainable that would take us through the winters.”

In 2022, Todd and Kristen stepped in again, this time to design and build something fresh: a 2,470-square-foot home that would be comfortable for Angelika and Scot when they’re there solo, but also flex for family arrivals during holidays and extended summer hangs. “They wanted it to fit in with nature, to be low to the ground, and to be made of natural materials,” says Todd. “Having the ability to see the outside from the inside was also very important to my mom, but they gave us a lot of flexibility. The only constraint was a fairly tight budget.”

The resulting plan balances easygoing communal spaces with private quarters for Angelika and Scot, as well as plenty of beds for everyone else, all on a single level. At the center is the combined kitchen, family room, and dining area with an extra-large banquette for meals or games. “We can all fit around it,” says Kristen, and it’s cozy enough for Angelika and Scot to dine alone, or use as a de facto desk for their laptops.

On one side of this core area is a screened porch that the family calls the “Muskoka room.” “It’s like a porch, but there’s a lot of bugs here in Muskoka,” says Angelika, so the screens are important. It’s an excellent spot for sleeping on cool nights, and it’s currently where all the teenagers hang out, but it also acts as a buffer to Angelika and Scot’s primary suite down the hall.

The living area is wrapped on two sides by airy, covered corridors. At the front, there’s a quiet spot for a cup of coffee or a smaller group conversation, made cool by the stonework sitting in the shade. Along the side, a breezeway connects the main house to a bunkroom, Angelika’s potting room, and Scot’s workshop.

There’s an additional bedroom and bathroom in the main house, and the bunkie is still in the same spot out back—it’s where the McMillans always stay with their kids. “That was always my mom’s mission, to make it very easy for everybody to come stay here,” says Todd. “Although they didn't want a massive, big house to clean,” adds Kristen.

For cost savings, the McMillans utilized an exposed post-and-beam structure, then planned walls of glass and sight lines around standard-sized windows, doors, and clerestories in off-the-shelf colors. Any cabinetry is kept to the lower sill of the clerestories, so they can open for airflow. The material palette is simple—primarily concrete floors with an embedded heating system, and vertical-grain hemlock walls.

“The fact that a truckload of carpenters could drive up from Toronto and assemble this in a two-week period really helped keep costs down for the framing process, as did not having layers of finishes,” says Todd.

Angelika and Scot both spend a lot of time in the kitchen (she likes cooking and he bakes, a newfound hobby in retirement). That room was kept minimalist, with butcher-block counters, yellow cabinets, and KitchenAid appliances. “We spend a lot of time in the kitchen as a family, so that was important to get right,” says Todd.

The island is great for prep, and Scot often uses it to whip up cakes, cookies, and strawberry shortcakes. “Scot kind of takes over the whole island,” says Kristen. “While we have a cocktail,” adds Todd. “And then we get to enjoy his baked goods,” finishes Kristen.

According to Angelika and Scot, day-to-day life in the home, completed in 2022, is as joyful as the communal family get-togethers. The couple enjoy the quiet, and the feeling of spending their days in the forest, thanks to the home’s “transparency,” says Scot, adding that living there is like a daily sigh of relief. “I can breathe easy here,” says Angelika.

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Project Credits:

Architect of Record: Ben Homes / @_benhomes

Builder: Ben Homes

Structural Engineer: Nick Lapadula

Landscape Design: Ben Homes and homeowner

Lighting, Cabinetry, and Interior Design: Ben Homes

Kitchen Cabinets: GLN