11/29/2024
Story time children!
Once upon a time in Naramata our family lived in a tiny cabin on a tiny orchard. The cabin was many things...poky, cramped and a little damp if we're being honest. It was meant to be a temporary solution to the lack of housing, a stopping place between the home we had to leave and the home we always dreamed of. The landlord was skeptical of whether the cabin was suited to fit a whole family and had been planning on tearing it down to build a dream home of his own. After many assurances that it would suffice as a temporary shelter and that we would be out of his hair in about 5 months we moved in and made the best of the situation. To absolutely no ones surprise the housing crisis worsened and we started getting nervous. Luckily the landlord turned out to be a kind and patient man because that 5 months turned into 5 years in the blink of an eye. He never once made us feel rushed or unwelcome and he put their house on hold so that we could stay as long as we needed. We developed a close friendship and I can honestly say that some of my best memories are of raising my kids in that tiny damp cabin. His family's generosity enabled us to stay in Naramata, to contribute to the community through our volunteer roles with Parks and Rec and the Elementary school PAC and allowed our children to experience a Naramata childhood.
At the end of 5 years we were finally in a position to move into our own home and he was finally free to start working on his family's multigenerational dream home. He had a very clear vision of what they needed. Room for his grown children and their growing families was high on his list of priorities, they were never going to fit three generations into a 1000 square foot cabin! He brought his designs to Jeff, who was able to turn them into a set of construction ready blueprints. While he waited for those to be completed he got to work carefully tearing down the poky old cabin. He found many treasures in the process: an old property tax receipt from 1908 for a whopping $3, some vintage glass bottles and hundred year old newspapers. The greatest treasure of them all however was the property itself. Walking distance to Okanagan Lake and nestled against a clay bank, the property was a hidden gem that most people didn't even know existed.
It hasn't been a speedy build, it has been a real labour of love and there is still work to be done. His family has had a hand in every aspect of construction from the ground up and they have all added little personal details and touches to make it a home. They've also shown a real reverence for the history of the place and the natural landscape, designing the house to incorporate the 80 year old horse chestnut tree and the oldest plum trees in Naramata. It has been a real privilege to work with these wonderful folks and call them our friends.
We can't wait to see the place once it's done but they were kind enough to give us this sneak peek. Like our page and follow us to see this beauty once it's completed.
- by Aimee
