{Forbidden Plateau} Project – Modern, yet Timeless, Chalet.

Joe and I moved to this valley in 2005. We purchased a good-sized townhouse in Comox and lived there for a couple years. During that time we renovated and dreamed of where we would go next…

In the months of exploring the Comox Valley for our next place, we kept a keen eye on Forbidden Plateau. We looked at a couple places, and even put an offer on one. The offer was rejected – since we offered much lower than what they were asking. (This is another story entirely and has something to do with the fact that the building “inspector” who looked at the house reported it as having a full foundation – which it did not.)

The house that we bid on could be described as a “gingerbread swiss-inspired ski chalet”. It looked a lot like this:

We never did purchase a home on Forbidden Plateau. But the idea hasn’t left our minds…

This week our instructor at the NIC Drafting program introduced us to our next project. We’ll be learning about architectural drafting - while incorporating studies in building design, site orientation, bc building code, interior detailing (millwork etc.), amonst other areas.

After much begging, he allowed us to choose our own house plans out of various old plan magazines. At first I wanted to choose a clasic Craftman home, but I changed my mind when I spied a 1987 plan for a swiss-inspired gingerbread vacation chalet. The gears started turning…

For my project I’m going to take this vintage plan and attempt to modernize it while infusing some classic design to help it become more timeless. I’m one for dreaming, and today I’ve been dreaming about how satisfying it would be to take the history of Forbidden Plateau and incorporate it into a home that pays tribute to the area and looks after the land it sits on.

It’s going to be a major challenge to the the “kitch” out of this type of architecture – but I’m game!

If you want to read a great post about Forbidden Plateau head over to Keira-Anne.com. She wrote about it back in September…

Some Inspirational Photos:

Via: www.vacationrentalpeople.com

Via: www.dgspc.co.uk 

Via: www.ofis-a.si