Case Study: Great Lakes Cabin

The Great Lakes Cabin is a single instance of System 01 - it was the original prototype cabin.

In January of 2019, The Backcountry Hut Company launched the Great Lakes Cabin as the IDS 2019 ‘Concept House’ in Toronto, and was purchased by an attendee at the trade show. The prototype ‘kit-of-parts’ cabin was assembled over a 72-hour period in Toronto for the show, dismantled and stored in a warehouse until the spring, and finally trucked, barged, and re-assembled on a remote island in Georgian Bay. The Great Lakes Cabin was the original prototype cabin for The Backcountry Hut Company.

The materials and aesthetic of the Great Lakes Cabin take cues from the environment of the landscape of the Canadian Shield, Ontario Cottage Country, and the Great Lakes Region of North America. The compact structure is crafted to have a minimal environmental impact on the site. Every square inch of its 595 square foot footprint is utilized – featuring a lofted sleeping area, a full bathroom, and covered exterior decks at front and back entries. The structural system is comprised of a sustainably harvested engineered glulam timber frame, clad with prefabricated insulated wall/roof/floor panels. The envelope system can be customized to meet Net Zero and Passive House standards.

Project Details

• Kit Purchased: 2019 Built: 2019

• System 01 | 3 Module | A Plan

• 1 Bedroom + Sleeping Loft

• 1 Bathroom

• Gross Built Area: 725 sq ft

• Building Footprint: 595 sq ft

• Net Usable Area: 582 sq ft

• Deck Area: 122 sq ft

• Location: Georgian Bay, Ontario

• Interior Design: Leckie Studio

• Timeline: 10 days build exterior shell