Properties on Gambier Island, accessible only by boat, offer an escape from the commotion of city life. This BattersbyHowat-designed property showcases striking architecture while highlighting the growing appeal of slower, nature-immersed living.
The property
- Type: House/Single Family
- Neighbourhood: Gambier Island
- Beds: 3
- Baths: 2
- Year built: 2005
- Parking: Open
- Lot area: 21,300.00 sq.ft
- Title to Land: Freehold Non-Strata
- Taxes: $4,773.38
- Listed price: $2,850,000
- Listing agent: Elliot Funt and Jamie MacDougall with Engel & Völkers Vancouver and David Matiru with Stilhavn
This three-bedroom, two-bath home features a private dock and is designed to maximize views of the coast on its doorstep. But with Horseshoe Bay just 20 minutes away, realtor Elliot Funt says the property appeals to those who want to immerse themselves in nature without being more than an hour from downtown Vancouver.
“[On Gambier Island] the market is people that want to be out of the city, but don’t want to drive five, six hours to get to it,” Funt says.
What makes this property especially unique, Funt adds, is its “design by well-known architect BattersbyHowat and construction by high-end builder Hart Tipton.” Two elements, he says, you “rarely see on Gambier.”
According to Funt, while Bowen Island and other ferry-accessible islands can more often host high-end homes, Gambier’s limited access makes construction more challenging. Materials must be delivered by barge, requiring careful planning at every stage of the design process.
Architect Heather Howat of BattersbyHowat says the design and layout of the property was conceptualized with its waterfront views and natural light in mind.
“As the lot was long with less frontage than depth, we wanted to ensure that many of the rooms in the home still had a connection to the views,” Howat says.
“The south facing courtyard design ensured that the home was always bright with floor to ceiling glass,” she says. “It also provided an additional focus on the natural qualities of the site, such as the rocky outcropping that the house was designed around, and to offer an alternative view on rainy west coast days when the views were less prominent.”
The property’s materials were additionally chosen to echo the surrounding landscape, with black-stained cedar reflecting the Douglas firs around the property, and naturally stained warm cedar mirroring the “peeling skin” of the nearby arbutus trees.
Listed in early May, Funt says spring and summer are the ideal time for marketing waterfront and boat-access properties like this. Though the market has cooled since the COVID-19 boom, he notes that “there is still a steady demand for this type of property.” The listing may also reflect a broader shift in demand for remote, off-grid-style homes.
With convenient access to the city, that still maintains the privacy and calm of island living, the property offers a rare balance that Funt believes will strongly appeal to buyers. Ultimately, though, Funt says the property’s design by BattersbyHowat and construction by Hart Tippin will be its key selling point: “This is the most unique property I’ve seen on Gambier Island in my career.”
