After surviving a severe illness and divorce, Denise Franklin was prepared to start over. With a $25,000 budget, she approached architect Henry Yorke Mann to help her construct a home match for a new start in rural British Columbia. Mann saved money by severely restricting the size and material cost. Designing the 280-square-foot space in a mandala form, Mann gave this home all of the essentials and much more.
in a Glance
Who lives here: Denise Franklin
Location: Rural area out Oliver, British Columbia
Size: 280 square feet, with a 100-square-foot basement
That’s intriguing: Only one builder was utilized, to save labor cost.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
Franklin loves character, and it was important that the home feel connected to the outdoors. A front porch reaches out into her front lawn and vegetable garden.
Mann utilized all natural and local materials — no plastic or synthetic materials were utilized in any part of the home. Durable, insulated metal roof retains the home well shielded from the elements.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
Mann looked closely in the bare minimum of what Franklin would need and what would meet local building code requirements. He chose a mandala form — a form found in Buddhist and Hindu art. The house comes with an identical layout.
A little basement under the central core stabilizes the structure, while the four peripheral construction segments are supported on posts.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
Mann split the home in accordance with function and created four well-defined regions: an outside porch and entry, a kitchen and dining room, a sleeping area and a bathroom.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
Throughout construction, Franklin decided to transfer her bed from the primary floor into a small loft over the entrance. Not only did this provide room for your dining room, but the higher spot remains warmer during rainy months.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
A little kitchen area with all the essentials sits just beside the dining room. The inside floors, ceilings and walls are all made with the same tongue and groove pine since the exterior and are finished with simple drying oils.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
To keep the house at a consistent temperature with no air conditioning or heating system, high-quality insulation was installed in every one the walls. The metallic rain-shedding roof is separated out of the insulated roof by an airspace, which helps keep the home cool through the summer. A single propane fireplace offers warmth during winter.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
Mann researched storage and space-saving techniques utilized in yacht and trailer building and applied them into the property’s design. Extra ceiling beams from the restroom help make use of every available nook and cranny. The stained glass window is just one of the Franklin creations.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
Mann wanted to reduce the use of timber in the job to save on cost, so the inside stud walls are paneled just on one side, with little shelves inserted into the spaces between the studs on the other side. Each of of the walls in the house were created as breathable constructions to increase airflow.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
The 100-square-foot basement is placed directly underneath the primary living room. Here, Franklin cans and shops goods out of her garden.
Henry Yorke Mann architect
“The house is an entire thing of itself, not an assemblage of parts,” says Mann, pictured here with Franklin. Given Franklin’s past illness, it had been important to them that the home was a healthier physical and emotional atmosphere.
Builder: Ken Silbernagel
Photography: Stuart Bish
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