In 2015, a trio of Vancouverites including architect Michael Leckie got the idea of making wilderness cabins available in an IKEA-style kit for quick assembly in a suitably spectacular site. A couple of years later, the Backcountry Hut Company‘s designs for prefabricated Surf Shacks are available starting at $45,000 apiece and getting some international buzz as a result.
Co-founder Wilson Edgar says a team of four can raise the structure in less than a week, without the need for large excavators and other heavy machinery.
Mr Edgar said: “In a lot of cases, our customers want to build on their remote dream property, as a way to escape the 9 to 5.
“Some of those locations can’t accommodate an intrusive, traditional building process.”
Leckie and BHC were honoured with an award of merit by Canadian Architect for the design in 2016.
