Faced with a tricky lot that was both narrow and “unusually flat and low,” Toronto–based firm Altius decided to flip this cottage’s floor plan, clustering the bedrooms on the ground floor and locating shared living spaces up top. “A potential drawback of this approach is that it can cause the living spaces to feel disconnected from the outdoors—not ideal for a cottage,” says the firm.

Their solution was to place a screened-in porch, or Muskoka Room, halfway between the two levels. “In this way, the role of the Muskoka Room is extended to mediate between high and low, as well as interior and exterior,” says the firm.

The firm took a “hybrid approach” to the cottage’s construction, first installing a prefab module to form the core of the building. The screened-in porch, high-ceilinged living room, and carport were all added on site.

“This resulted in a significantly reduced construction timeline compared with our traditionally built projects,” says the firm, which has its own prefab division and construction facility. “We use the hybrid approach to a lot of our prefab projects as it allows greater flexibility in the floor plans and building dimensions while using the modules to create inexpensive floor space, which will be delivered to the site by truck or barge.”

Related Reading: Step Inside Will Arnett’s Prefab-Hybrid Home

Project Credits:

Architecture: Altius / @altiusinc

Builder: Altius Prefab and Altius CM

Civil Engineering: Altius, in consultation with Hamman Engineering

Photography: Greg van Riel Photography