Trace Design

03/19/2026

When the clients need serious storage, but don’t want to actually see any of it.

In response, we designed a massive wall of casework to provide a central place for the living and kitchen areas. These are hard-working cabinets. They conceal everything from daily clutter to house speakers to a garage for the robot vacuums and mops. The contractor routed honeycomb grilles to let hidden electronics breathe. We were also able to tuck a full ductless mini split in there (it supplies through a gooseneck on the top, out of sight).

With a line of clerestory windows above, we think this is a slight improvement above a closet.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Millwork by: South Shore Cabinetry
Photographed by: Jody Beck

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

03/17/2026

Winter framing in the Pacific Northwest guarantees wet timber.

To prevent water damage on this exposed frame, the entire timber package arrived pre-treated with Sansin KP-12. This penetrating protective undercoat did not alter the appearance of the Douglas-fir and allowed us the finishing team more flexibility in their finish coats.

I also like how this photo shows the concealed timber connectors pre-installed on the rafters: Simpson CBTZ to connect to the posts below and Sherpa cleats to connect to the perimeter blocking.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Nathan Huisman

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

03/15/2026

How do you work with an uninterrupted view? I like to interrupt it.

At Mt. Tuam, we framed the expanse of the Salish Sea and Gulf Islands with a cedar timber pergola to give scale and rhythm to a wild, remote site. Since the owners are largely homebound, creating robust, accessible outdoor connections was critical to making the residence a sanctuary. The slatted overhead canopy creates some really beautiful moments of dappled shade both inside and out.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Todd Rotkis

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

03/13/2026

We spend a lot of time thinking about exactly how light hits wood.

In the dressing area at Mt. Tuam, the custom Douglas fir millwork brings a distinct warmth to a hardworking space. The flat-panel cabinetry eases into a curved tambour niche, where integrated lighting catches the tight, natural grain. It brings a quiet rhythm and an organic texture to the room, turning a simple daily routine into something far more deliberate.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Jody Beck

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

03/08/2026

When your site overlooks the Salish Sea and a 900-acre ecological reserve, the architecture really needs to know when to shut up.

We designed Mt. Tuam as a long, dark shadow against the natural rock and moss outcroppings. The simple form defers to the landscape, while a continuous sawtooth roof quietly pulls daylight into the interior through a band of clerestory windows. Up here, there's nothing to do but watch the islands wake up.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Todd Rotkis

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

03/06/2026

Some rooms are designed to wake you up. This one is designed to let you exhale.

We engineered the high-performance envelope so that once you're inside, you never have to think about it. By pushing the insulation to the exterior, we were able to leave the Douglas Fir timber frame completely exposed and coat it in a VOC-absorbing finish. The air inside is as clean as the breeze coming off the Gulf Islands. Step onto the warmed concrete floors, draw a bath, and let the architecture simply get out of the way.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Jody Beck

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

03/03/2026

We know you're looking at the soaking tub, but we're talking about the exterior envelope.

Because a space only feels like a retreat if the building science backs it up. By wrapping Mt. Tuam in a PERSIST system and dark metal siding, we created a robust barrier against the coastal elements. Paired with triple-pane fiberglass windows, that high-performance shell directly shapes the interior experience—resulting in a chemically neutral, ultra-quiet sanctuary where the architecture simply gets out of the way and lets the landscape take over.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Todd Rotkis

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

03/01/2026

We didn't just want a solid view from the living room; we wanted a decent view from the pond, too.

Once the sun drops, the expansive glass wall acts as a lantern, casting the warm light of the exposed timber frame right back across the water. It turns the natural swim pond into a landscape-scale mirror against the rugged coastal site, making a fairly compelling argument for a night swim.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Todd Rotkis

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

02/26/2026

There’s a fine line between a deliberate architectural view and just leaving a massive hole in the side of your house. The trick is structural rhythm.

By wrapping the building in a PERSIST envelope—essentially putting the insulation on the outside—we were able to leave the primary timber structure completely exposed to the interior. Covering up a frame this nice with drywall felt like a tragedy anyway. Now, instead of staring at blank walls, those repeating columns set a steady cadence that pulls your eye right out toward the swim pond, while conveniently leaving absolutely nowhere for moisture, or bad wiring, to hide.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Jody Beck

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

02/24/2026

Not a bad spot to park the van.

We anchored this structure right into the rock outcroppings on the southern tip of Salt Spring Island. Wrapped in a metal-clad PERSIST envelope, it's built to quietly shrug off the rugged marine weather while keeping the interior chemically neutral. It's just a solid, grounded refuge with a quiet view out over the Salish Sea and the Gulf Islands.

Project: Mt. Tuam
Built by: MDRN Built
Photographed by: Todd Rotkis

Area: 3750 sf
Elevation: 1475’
Climate Zone: 4C
Heating Degree Days (HDD): 2754
Cooling Degree Days (CDD): 86
Winter Design Temp: 16° F
Frost Depth: 18”

04/24/2022

09/17/2021

Just finished insulating the walls on Post-Coal: a full 6 5/16" thick layer of uninterrupted wood fiber insulation around the exterior of the house.⁠
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This translates to a total wall R value of 26.5. ⁠
1.6 times better than energy code.⁠
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