Principal Tod McMillan, Ben Holmes, took nature’s in mind because he always designs a budget for his parents-to live with a screen porch and room for relatives.
In 2011, Angelica and Scott Whitam bought a gift themselves to mark their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary: one acre land on the Mascoca River, water access, an abundance of trees and a 420-class foot shelter. “When we bought it, it was a garage, but we could all bear it all,” Angelica says.
In short, Whitals’s son Tod McMillan and his wife, Christon – both principal Ben Holmes In Burlington, Ontario converted the garage into a small hut so that Angelica and Scott Toronto could live on property on weekend breaks from the city’s life. The rest of the family now joined the 13 family, including grandchildren – and the former garage was enhanced with more outbuilding, including a converted shipping container with more beds, called “banking” and some tents.
“It became a family complex,” Angelica says. “We knew we wanted to retire here, but we had to make something durable that would take us through winter.”
Angelica and Scott Whitam tapped to build a retirement house on their property near the Muscoka River in Ontario, Canada, both principals of their son Tod McMillan and his wife, Christon, firm Ben Holmes.
Chryston mcMillan
In 2022, Todd and Kristen re-entered, this time to design and create something new: a 2,470-class house that would be comfortable for angelica and scott when they would be single there, but hanged in flexes and summer for family arrival during the holidays. “They wanted it to fit with nature, reduce the ground, and be made of natural materials,” Tod says. “It was also very important for my mother to have the ability to look out from inside, but she gave us a lot of flexibility. The only obstacle was a fairly tight budget.”
A flagstone floor and a covered porch with a wall offers a cool, shady location out of the sun.
Chryston mcMillan
The entrance is covered with the Rocky River by Sherwin Williams. “The cabinetry ends at the height of all the clarestory bands, so that the wind and light can flow.”
Chryston mcMillan
See full story on dwell.com: In Ontario, this ritual retirement home is a couple in the form of a family complex.
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