“My father always built the houses we lived in growing up, clearing the land and milling the trees,” says Marlin Hanson, who spent more than four years chipping away at a bespoke home for his family of five. “Living here means we have access to timber, and the houses we make reflect where they’re from. Our family has always built and designed things—it’s in our blood.”

Site Prep $4,400	Foundation $13,100	Raw Lumber $8,400
Electrical $19,500	Plumbing $20,000	Well Hookup $13,400
Septic System $6,100	Framing $27,000	Windows and Doors $13,240
Exterior Glass Roof $2,600	Roofing $32,000	Green Roof $3,500
Shingles $2,200	Concrete Floors $5,100	Insulation $1,400
Interior Cladding and Plaster $5,000	Cabinets and Countertops $3,600	Fireplace $14,000
Appliances $5,600	Patio $2,200
Grand Total: $202,340

Marlin’s 1,400-square-foot home sits on a 12-acre property, approximately 500 feet above Howe Sound on the side of Mount Elphinstone. Dug into a bank on the flatter, meadow-like portion of the hillside, the home’s low profile, simple silhouette, and green roof make it blend seamlessly with the land. Douglas fir lumber, sourced nearby, gives it an air of permanence. “All the timber in the house—posts, beams, the purlin log—came from an adjoining parcel of land that was being logged,” Marlin says. “I used local materials as much as possible.”

Inspired by their father, Lex, Marlin and his brother Ryan founded Hanson Land & Sea six years ago to continue the tradition of building in British Columbia. The construction and milling company takes on projects both land-bound and maritime, but the latter—they focus on dock and ramp solutions—has provided Marlin with valuable insight over the years. “Marine construction has taught me about simplicity and scale,” he says.

Those merits are readily apparent in the shingle-clad Latona House. An open-plan kitchen, dining, and living space, a family room, and three bedrooms accommodate Marlin’s family of five. “We spend most of our time at the kitchen table, where the kids do projects or my wife rolls out dough for bread,” he says. “And the built-in window seat has been used more than I could imagine.” There, in the early mornings, the family sits together as they watch birds or clouds go by.

In addition to using local lumber, Marlin introduced plenty of texture throughout, employing plaster on plywood for the walls. “I love to work with plaster,” he says. “As kids, we helped my dad plaster all of his interiors.” For the flooring, poured concrete extends outside the home to create a patio. “I’ve always liked raw materials and textures that bring a bit of the outside world into the controlled inside environment,” says Marlin.

The ceiling of the house was constructed using Douglas fir boards and beams, including a massive, 70-year-old purlin log found behind the property. “It was straight, and the right diameter for the pitch of the roof,” relays Marlin, who admits he prefers the aesthetic of square timber to round logs. In the houses his dad built, massive trees running lengthwise through the home always left Marlin with a sense of wonder.

The home’s green roof lends a playful, organic quality, and makes it appear camouflaged when viewed from above. “When I picked the site, I imagined the house looking like it was part of the field it sat in,” reflects Marlin. To achieve that effect—he skipped expensive gimmicks designed for green roofs—the family planted an evolving array of flowers, grass, moss, and succulents. “I go up with the kids in the spring, and we rip out handfuls of them and put them in new places,” Marlin says.

The self-built home is completed with found objects that heighten the personal touch. The light fixtures in the entry and above the dining room table, for example, once belonged to his stepmother. Raw bulbs in the living room, however, await adornment. “I guess I’m still waiting to find something that’s right without having to go to a store,” says Marlin.

More than anything, the family home was crafted to reflect the Hanson’s tradition of DIY homebuilding. “I wanted it to be modest in size, and its impact on the land to be imaginative and creative,” says Marlin. “I love building for clients, but building for yourself is different—it’s a lot of fun to build a vision for your family. For us, it’s about the time we spend together doing simple things.”

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More from Hanson Land & Sea:

Two Brother Build a Woody, Hexagonal Studio in the Forest

A Canadian Couple Revitalize a 1970s Airstream Using Salvaged Materials

Project Credits:

Construction and Design: Marlin Hanson/@hanson_land_and_sea

Photography: Dolf Vermeulen/@dolfvermeulen