Homes

Home Tour: This Gorgeous Remote Cabin Took Just Two Days to Build

House of Teeth founder Sean Sikorski and Chadd Andre’s prefab abode by Daria Sheina Studio is a low-impact sanctuary on Keats Island, high above Howe Sound.

By Kristi Alexandra /
Credit: Andrew Latreille

Remote construction often has its challenges—but this gorgeous home for two Vancouverites was built on site in just two days. And thanks to its low-impact prefabricated design, it also isn’t short on style.

Dubbed “The Nest,” the building is a modern but elegant construct. Two geometric volumes rotate against one another, creating a vertical living space.

For the homeowners, The Nest is more than an architectural statement—it is a deeply personal retreat. Photo credit: Andrew Latreille.

The 1,063 square-foot, three-level home designed by Daria Sheina Studio is built with sustainability in mind. A Western red cedar exterior is meant to blend into its Pacific Northwest surroundings, while the residence operates completely off-grid, using solar power, an incinerating toilet and a rainwater collection and filtration system.

Set atop the low-population B.C. island—giving way to “breathtaking” views of Howe Sound—the building installation could have proved a challenge, but collaboration with Pemberton-based prefab company BC Passive House, who virtually modelled the project, allowed efficient production of properly sized and weighted components. Placement and installation was done in a total of two days, with pieces shipped via barge and airlifted by helicopter to the remote spot.

Inside, The Nest embraces sustainability with minimalist interiors featuring exposed wood surfaces and green Marmoleum flooring that reflects the natural beauty of the moss carpet outside. Photo Credit: Andrew Latreille.

“The process was an intricate puzzle of design, engineering, and logistics, but the result is a home that feels both intentional and effortless,” Sheina writes. “It’s a design I’m incredibly proud of, made possible through a close collaboration with the client.”

The client? Vancouverite couple Chadd Andre and Sean Sikorski—the latter of whom is the founder of hip (but judgement-free) dental practice, House of Teeth.

“Keats Island is such a special place—it’s so close to the city, and yet a million miles away,” the couple writes. In fact, the island has just 50 full-time residents, and can only be accessed by water taxi or foot-passenger ferry.

Large lift-and-slide doors further connect the interior to the landscape, blurring the line between inside and outside. Photo Credit: Andrew Latreille.

“The Nest is meant to amplify that effect for us, providing us with an escape to balance our sanity and mental health from the realities we easily get caught up in back in Vancouver. As its name implies, The Nest is a sheltering, nurturing space in the trees.”

Ultimately, the off-grid abode is an example of how pre-fabrication gives way to luxe yet eco-friendly and low impact living—especially in remote locations.

READ MORE: A Minimalist, Remote Cabin in Desolation Sound

The client’s selection of distinctive homeware adds a playful, joyful touch, balancing the pronounced architectural forms with unique character. Photo Credit: Andrew Latreille.
Kristi Alexandra

Kristi Alexandra

Kristi Alexandra is the managing editor, food and culture, at Canada Wide Media. She loves food, travel, film and wine (but most of all, writing about them for Vancouver Magazine, Western Living and BCBusiness). Send any food and culture-related pitches to her at [email protected].