The Cabin on Pinery Line – although “cabin” is a bit more of a rustic word than the cool, steel-focused dwelling that it is – is a sleek, glowing residence, nestled into the woods along the Maitland River. It’s not a commercial or industrial building. You won’t find it on a map. It’s a small home in the town of Auburn, a few minutes drive from Lake Huron’s east coast, a winterized retreat for a pair of professors who spend their summers on study abroad field trips.

It is also, undeniably, gorgeous: designed from scratch in 2022 and featuring a mix of raw-appearing materials, pre-painted timber, expansive windows, and, of course, steel: steel roof, steel stairs, a steel woodstove, and a pop of warm, orange-red colour in the form of Indaten® Weathering Steel paneling supplied by Agway Metals.

From Renovation to Renovision

“This really was a dream project, a dream scenario,” says Steve Sims – chief designer and owner of The Barnswallow Company, a boutique design house in London, Ontario. Sims was initially contacted by the clients shortly after they purchased a truly rustic cabin about an hour and a half drive north. “We went up to see the site with them,” Sims explains, “and what was immediately obvious was that, to meet their vision for the building, we would need to start from scratch.” 

That meant higher costs, of course. But it also meant freedom for Sims to stretch his vision and skills into a unique shape, one that checked all of his clients’ boxes. 

That doesn’t mean that Sims had unfettered plans, though. “We had to stay in the same footprint of the old building, because of conservation regulations” he says. “So, our plan became ‘drop a new house in the old hole’.” 

The result is humble, but striking: a multi-level cabin, under that 3000 square feet, that is built into the side of a bank, surrounded by trees and a short stroll away 

The Right Tools for the Right Job

As a designer, Sims tries not to get set into specific grooves: different clients want different things. “Every project is unique,” Sims says. “They have specific needs and specific requirements.”

But that doesn’t mean that trends don’t pop up. Looking through Sims’ portfolio, you’ll notice a lot of timber. “I spent a good number of years designing timber frame buildings,” recounts Sims. 

So, why didn’t the Cabin on Pinery Line get the timber treatment? It did – sort of. “The siding is all pre-painted Jack Pine from the east coast,” Sims points out, lauding the durability and natural texture of the material. But at the same time, the Cabin needed more durability: it needed to withstand harsh winters – Auburn lies right in Lake Huron’s snowbelt and gets more than its fair share of winter storms as a result – and it needed to look good doing it. 

Sims turned to steel: steel roofing, for protection. Steel spans inside, for strength and creating open spaces to make the smaller building feel much larger. Steel stairs and a steel wood stove to complement the more bare, industrial interior. And an accent pop of Indaten® Weathering Steel surrounding the entrance. 

“Steel lends itself to the same framing technique that I learned from timber framing,” Sims explains. “So, I’m very comfortable with it. It’s kind of a no-brainer for me to use.” 

“I think what people like about steel is the durability and the robustness of it. It lends itself well to the scale of those big rooms, and the sense that this is their forever home and is going to outlive everyone. It has a permanence to it.”

Weathering Gracefully

It’s a little surprising, then, that Sims uses weathering steel on a focal point of the building: surrounding the main entrance from the lane. But Sims disagrees. “I just find it very attractive,” he laughs. “I love the colour, basically, and the approach of allowing it to weather as opposed to fighting Mother Nature is similar to the way we deal with wood.” 

The appeal is something that ages with you, Sims says, and isn’t just getting worn down. “Inside the building, we have exposed concrete and zinc counters. There are imperfections. We’re not trying to hide all the little things – they add character to the house.” 

“It's just part of the whole idea that this is going to stay beautiful, even as the weather affects it and changes it.” 

Berton Dykstra, owner of Dykstra Construction, who built the house, agrees. “It turned out to be a very nice product! The way it has weathered now, it looks great!” 

“As with anything,” Sims says, “you need to plan for it. So, if you just use Indaten® like any other steel panel, you’re going to get runoff that will stain the concrete.”

But if you plan a little, by making a small gutter for the runoff to get shuttled off into the landscaping, then nothing gets stained. 

“Louis Kahn said, ‘Let a brick be a brick’, right?” Sims points out. “You need to work with the material, not against it.”

More Steel

Overall, construction of the Cabin on Pinery Line took almost two years – a surprising amount of time for a relatively small build. Part of that was some difficulty in construction. “It’s a small site, with a narrow laneway for access,” Dykstra says, which meant materials were slower to get to site. 

That wasn’t all that took time, however. “We spent a lot of time on the details,” Sims explains. “The staircase is all custom steel as well. But it had to be broken down into individual components and carried into the house by hand, not just because of the access, but because by that point in construction, it had to pass through finished doors.” 

(“It was a challenge!” says Dykstra.) 

The wood stove, too, was its own unique puzzle to solve. “We had originally planned for a larger wood stove in the middle of the main space, to delineate between the kitchen and the living room,” Sims says. “But then the clients found a stove they fell in love with in Denmark, and it was much smaller. 

“So, we added a steel box on the floor to act as a hearth. And now that the fireplace is sitting on it, it has that heft we needed.” 

Generally speaking, steel is considered a macro material: useful for large spans and larger buildings. Its use comes quickly to mind for the grand and giant. But it’s useful to remind ourselves that steel is beautiful in small applications, too, and that the things we love about steel in big projects also lend themselves to wonderful details. 

It’s always good to see projects like the Cabin on Pinery Line to remind us of that.