The owner’s tour | Where La Grive made its nest

Owners open the doors of their exceptional homes, offered on the resale market.

There are some lovely, cozy and eco-friendly nests concocted by architect Julia Lianis in the Sainte-Marguerite-du-Lac-Masson area. Notably La Mésange and Le Colibri, with their passive solar design, but also La Grive. However, the latter, which the professional lived in for a few years, is taking flight again and is looking for new owners to continue making it sing.

While she was supervising various residential construction sites in the Laurentians, including those mentioned above, Ms.^me Lianis succumbed to the charms of the region. As for many Quebecers, the pandemic period and teleworking paved the way for a small, extended exodus towards nature. In the spring of 2021, the first branch of a new project was filed: alongside La Mésange and Le Colibri, their little sister, La Grive, would be born, built according to the same energy-efficient and environmental principles. But this time, the house is not intended for clients, but for the architect and his family, and custom-designed for their needs. After 15 years of living in the city, the transition was gradual… with a stopover under the tent.

“I had set up a prospector’s tent and we lived in it while the construction was being completed. My son, who was going to change schools, was able to go to the Sainte-Marguerite summer day camp to acclimatize. In November, we were able to move in,” recalls Julia Lianis.

Plant waterfall

Before discussing the ecological characteristics of La Grive, a word about its architecture and location. Arranged on three levels, it has common living spaces on the ground floor, as well as a bedroom and a bathroom. Upstairs, three other bedrooms are nestled, sheltered by a 15-foot (about 4.6-meter) cathedral ceiling. Finally, the garden level accommodates a large family room and amenities.

All wrapped in a contemporary design topped with a single-pitched roof, it blends into the surrounding nature, namely a dense wooded area on the edge of Lake Piché. The link between the interior and exterior is also the heart of the project, with, for example, panoramic windows allowing you to appreciate the morning song of birds against the backdrop of the sunrise.

But the most beautiful illustration of the concept, which sets La Grive apart from its big sisters, is materialized with a plant trail starting upstairs. “The idea was to bring vegetation into the house and create an exterior continuity. We thus find a first planting box upstairs, linked to a second box lower down, and which continues outside in the garden, which is in fact an area initially intended to be transformed into a greenhouse,” explains M^me Lianis. This second phase, which consists of building a protected growing space, has not had time to be undertaken, but all the foundations are in place. Which leaves the future owners with several options on the table. “It faces south, we can build a greenhouse there, but it could just as well be a veranda or a solarium,” suggests the architect.

Healthy air

Beyond these specificities, La Grive inherits the DNA of its siblings, that is to say a meticulous choice of ecological materials and a passive solar design, elements constituting the architect’s signature.

“On the ground, a LEED concrete screed, with recycled content, helps to better regulate the interior temperature,” says the owner.

In addition, mechanical equipment, such as ventilation or the water heater, operates according to energy-efficient systems. The materials have also been carefully selected, largely recyclable and sustainable, or even recycled and from natural sources; such as insulation, with panels made from wood fiber and cellulose from recycled paper. Paint, raw materials and coatings comply with standards to limit harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). “This allows for healthy air in the home, without emanations from glues, for example,” illustrates M^me Lianis.

A fledgling in the making

While waiting for La Grive to take off on the real estate market, the architect has, of course, plans for the future. On a plot of land acquired in Sainte-Adèle, she will build a house better adapted to her new needs, that is to say on a much smaller scale. In short, a fledgling. Will it be a mini-Grive? Not necessarily, since a double roof and cedar shingles are planned, but she will draw inspiration from them in some respects, with a passive solar design and an even smaller ecological footprint. “In a degrowth mentality, I want to reduce at the source and go according to our exact needs, for my son and me, no more,” she projects.

Will the future residence also have a bird name? We don’t know for the moment, but we propose La Pie or La Corneille, two corvids very good at building their nests from recycled materials.

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