The Modern Metal Wonder: Ontario’s Scrap House

From Margaret on December 30th, 2010 in Green Remodeling

The Sherbanuk House set in a forested landscape of Toronto, Ontario, has reinvented the term  ”repurpose, refurbish, recycle.” Amidst dwellings that nod stylistically at French country style, this modern metal wonder stands out with stark innovation.

Metals broker and expert S. J. Sherbanuk got inspiration for this dwelling by his work digging through closed factories in search of materials. He certainly learned how to find treasure out of so-called trash.

In fact, Sherbanuk said in the innovation stage, “I don’t want a house—I want a shed. A nice shed.” Wanting to create modern sleekness with materials he was familiar with, Sherbanuk approached the home’s eco-intelligence through its utilitarianism as much as his design sense, creating a sustainable beauty.

Outside, galvanized steel siding covers the house like a sturdy skin. A series of exposed steel girders support the roof, and the wood interlocked between the steel was refurbished from a forestry company warehouse.

Standing out in nature and yet merging with it through material, this house manifests something intensely personal to Sherbanuk. Even reminding him of his childhood in a mining town, where he would hide away in a shed, this industrial chic space will benefit Sherbanuk and his wife Suzanne Wesetvik more and more as time passes.

And when the house has passed its prime? Well. It will go back to the place from whence it came: a pile of raw, refurbish-able materials.

Photos by Lorn Bridgman for Dwell