Cube House reflects striking attention to detail
In many ways, it’s unsurprising that Canvas Homes’ Cube House has earned two 2018 Georgie Award nominations (for Custom Home valued between $1,300,000 — $1,899,000, and for Best Single Family Kitchen Over $100,000).
The Georgies celebrate excellence and innovation in home building, and these are the same qualities clients attribute to Canvas, even though it was only launched in 2014 and its managing director, Avi Dhaliwal, is just 26 years old.
What distinguishes Canvas is that Dhaliwal, who grew up in the construction industry, provides both design and engineering, as well as construction services. This dramatically reduces the conflicts, costs and schedule overruns that often plague residential projects, as well as enables Dhaliwal to maintain an unusual degree of quality control.
“After determining our client’s vision and requirements, we use our design software to develop a highly accurate and detailed 3D model, so our clients know exactly what their house will look like prior to even breaking ground,” says Dhaliwal.
The clients who commissioned the Cube House, which is located in Britannia Beach facing Howe Sound on a steeply sloped lot, had one stipulation: that the home be ultra-modern in appearance with a minimalist interior. “Other than that, they gave me free rein over design, budget and finishes,” says Dhaliwal.
The design process took about three months, followed by eight months of construction, and while Canvas faced many challenges inherent in building a home on a steep slope, the outcome was worth it.
Canvas’s speed in construction can be attributed to the other director of the company, Gordy Dhaliwal. Gordy, who is one of the most sought-after framers in the Lower Mainland, was able to complete the entire foundation and framing of the Cube House in a period of just four working weeks.
Unlike so many ocean-view residences that mimic the aquatic horizon with simple horizontal lines and flat roofs, the 5,700-squarefoot Cube House is just that: a series of different-sized cubes on three levels with a variety of horizontal and vertical forms, staggered back to match the slope of the lot. (People enter at the front on the basement level and exit into the backyard at the third level).
The exterior, with its cedar accents and beautifully staggered landscaping is striking, but even more remarkable is the interior, which boasts living spaces that are unmistakably ultra-modern and linear, but also lush, thanks to warm hardwood and tiled floors throughout.
An example of Cube House’s ability to blur the lines between interior and exterior can be found in the kitchen and master bedroom, which both feature five-panel doors that fold completely aside to give the residents uninterrupted views of the seascape beyond.
Cube House was the fifth project for Canvas Homes. “It wasn’t the most expensive home I built, but it’s the most elaborate with a nice balance between esthetics and functionality, and I’m proud of the outcome,” says Dhaliwal. “To be recognized by the Georgies is doubly exciting.”