It鈥檚 hard not to stare at the stairs when visiting this home.
The cognac-coloured structure spins hypnotically through three storeys in a helix pattern, which means unlike a spiral, it is not a circular design linked into a central pole, as commonly seen in old towers or corners where space is at a premium.
This curving staircase looks more like a glowing strand of DNA.
With handrails on each side, it is more practical than a spiral because it has more useable tread on each step. The stairs don鈥檛 narrow down to a point in the middle, so they are easier to climb, especially when carrying something.
It鈥檚 an exceptional focal point in the聽new waterfront home of Fernando and Tami dos Santos, on Salt Spring Island.
鈥淭he staircase is literally the heart of this聽house, both beautiful and functional and聽a work of art,鈥� said Fernando, adding it聽was created by Loren Mazereeuew of Nelson, who not only built it but helped design it.
鈥淥ur objective in building this home was to make something that would fit into the environment, on a very small lot, just .29 of an acre, and to use as many low-maintenance, innovative and聽green materials as possible,鈥� said Fernando.
The retired lawyer and his wife designed and managed the project themselves with the help of a large and 鈥渋ncredible鈥� team of companies and individuals. It started with Purcell Timberframes of Nelson and that company鈥檚 鈥渢imber whisperers:鈥� Geordie, Hart and Al.
鈥淧urcell was invaluable during the聽design process and provided us with聽incredible timbers that hearken back to聽the past, that are not generally聽seen in聽this day and age,鈥� said聽Fernando.
After Purcell framed the home, Alain Grange of Green Island Construction took over construction.
鈥淎lain was unflappable and worked with us to marry a plethora of ideas and myriad of products seamlessly,鈥� said Tami, who is a pianist involved in choir, chamber music and a madrigal group on the island.
The 3,800-square-foot home has many special features, including a large pool under the kitchen 鈥� not to swim in, but to store water. The 55,000-litre cistern collects rainwater from the 4,400-square-foot roof. When the cistern is full, it lasts six聽months to a year, depending on use. In聽an average year, they collect up to320,000 litres.
鈥淲e can collect far more water than we need, and during a heavy rain, it fills up very quickly,鈥� said Fernando.
A filtration system provides potable water throughout the house, and the cistern聽can be hooked up to a fire truck if聽necessary.
Fernando explained that the main concern with using rainwater is pH balance 鈥� as it falls, it becomes slightly acidic, because it absorbs atmospheric CO2. 鈥淎nd if you have needles on the roof, that number can go down even more.鈥�
Fernando installed a column filled with marble chips that the rain passes through. This simple, green technology washes and balances the water.
The house also has a geothermal heating system that features a large ocean loop on the sea floor in front of their property. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like a giant slinky in the water,鈥� said Fernando, who praised the work of Matt Beck of Salish Sea Heating on the design and installation.
The $25,000 system provides both in-floor heating and cooling.
Beck, who likes to avoid fossil fuels whenever possible, fabricated an eight-metre-square geothermal mat on the beach, sandwiching numerous coils of聽pipe between two layers of聽heavy-gauge chain-link fencing. 鈥淲e then sank it in about聽40聽feet of water, where the聽temperature is a steady [7聽degrees Celsius]. It鈥檚 not unusual for this kind of geothermal system to聽pay back the owners in savings within eight to聽12 years, even less with rising hydro rates.鈥�
He called Tami and Fernando 鈥渞emarkable, very interesting people鈥� to work with, as they have meticulously studied all their home鈥檚 systems.
The owners also complimented Paul Smith and Ken Byron of Ken Byron Excavating for the site preparation, excavation and septic installation, and for envisioning and building all the rock walls, terraces and pathways.
鈥淧aul Smith is a true artist,鈥� said Tami, who noted the property had some slope challenges.
The owners decided to cut into聽the bank to build their large聽house, as that would minimize visual impact and ensure it stood only two metres above the original grade.
鈥淲e had to take out 89 loads of聽clay and non-compactible soil,鈥� said Fernando. Seventy-nine loads of compactible material and rocks were brought in to create terraces and support a tertiary septic field.
鈥淲e also used 200 yards of concrete 鈥� so the house is well anchored,鈥� he said with a chuckle.
Beams spanning the great room are 15 cm by 46 cm thick and all are heartwood, which means they will develop small cracks and checks. 鈥淪ome love the look and some hate it, but we wanted the effect,鈥� said Fernando.
The kitchen counters are deep green soapstone, which is 30 per cent heavier and denser than granite. The island slab weighs 320 kilograms and has a聽dramatic seam of quartz darting across one corner like an iridescent lizard.
The stained-glass window frames, metal roof system and a custom front door 鈥渢hat is something to behold鈥� were designed and installed by Micah Booy of Square and Level Construction, Fernando said.
While the roofline soars over the staircase, most of the main-floor ceilings are four metres.
鈥淚 read that anything over 14 feet makes you feel inconspicuous,鈥� said Fernando, who was born in Portugal but has built and renovated several homes in Vancouver and on Bowen Island.
After their children left home, the couple spent two and a half years travelling through Central America, pondering the prospect of retirement there. A visit to Salt Spring changed their minds.
They adore their new home, and Tami especially loves its acoustics.
She has a baby grand piano聽and two baroque instruments 鈥� a harpsichord and clavichord. While there is a stunning concert sound in the great room, visitors equally enjoy the softer resonance of聽these instruments while sitting in an alcove off the living room.
The owners enjoy their home鈥檚 spaces, large and small, and also learned how to聽save big on construction.
鈥淚f you are willing to travel,聽you can save a lot,鈥� said聽Fernando, who made 19 trips to the U.S. to pick up items. Most ambitious was his聽sortie to save on windows. He rented the biggest van available on the island and returned with 5,900 kilograms of聽them.
鈥淔ernando is a super planner and online researcher,鈥� said Tami, who does all the paperwork. They estimate they saved $15,000 in聽general contractor fees, the聽same in architect鈥檚 fees and a tremendous amount on聽south-of-the-border light fixtures, pre-cut slate tiles and聽more.
On the other hand, the staircase was a bit of a splurge at $40,000.
