Carpenter Road Tree House

Sooke Hills

One of the principal ideals in this design, which has carried on into many of our new builds, is that we had minimal disruption of the natural landscape. Being a rancher style home, it was keyed into a flat terrace of land, the shape of which created the house footprint. The view is maximized in every room, but it looks through the old fir forest which creates a great sense of shelter and serenity. For a spec home, we had many custom features including inverted roofs, custom built doors and window walls, rail-free glass handrails, front entry pond, and used trees from the site.

Paul Clarkston is an extraordinary builder. He has always been pleasant and quick to respond when we needed him. He adds skill, common sense and integrity to his natural talent... qualities that set him apart from the norm.

Our home in Sooke is an icon of West Coast architecture. It is a beautiful building, perfectly positioned on an extraordinary property, which was executed with exceptional forethought and craftsmanship. The house plan is efficient and modern. Every product used displays a sense of quality.

One of the many special features of the home is the interior columns. Reclaimed Cedar trees, (yes, the real thing), debarked, polished and oiled, stand in place of traditional interior supports, testifying to Paul’s creativity and wonderfully unique building style. I am equally impressed with the care and connection details of interior finishes.

The house also employs some of the best modern technology, no doubt, typical Clarkston. Professional appliances, high end plumbing fixtures, contemporary lighting and heated, perfectly polished, concrete floors. Clearly, he selects his trades well. Large south-facing windows capture a 180-degree vista of the Juan de Fuca strait. An expansive deck melds the outside with the interior. Indeed, one of Paul’s many significant skills is his ability to capture the best of a site. Most builders would have found irregular terrain a major challenge.  Paul, with keen eye and great care, turned these impediments into assets. He coupled architecture and environment so well that each re-enforces the beauty of the other.

Terry Cristall, FRAIC
Architect (ret’d)