Crooked Tree Lodge - Alabama, USA

“I’m a big believer that buildings should get better the closer you get,” Braeden says.

“Abodo Vulcan Cladding delivered that, with a shiplap profile and a vertical grain in black gabled forms that are almost shadow-like behind the treeline that wraps the foreshore. When viewed from the lake, the home - even though its footprint is quite large at 5,000 square feet, with 6,200 square feet of space overall - is disguised, but those details start to reveal themselves as you approach.”

Braeden was born and raised in New Zealand, where he met Shelby while she was on an OE away from her home back in the States. Using New Zealand materials and design techniques in their projects is one way the couple stays connected to their roots. “New Zealand has a handmade sensibility in the way we design and build houses.” Braeden says. “Every corner, every roofline, every junction is always considered. I see an opportunity to bring that to the US and implement that attention to detail to projects at a range of scales.”

It was in New Zealand during their architecture studies that they both first learned of Abodo timber; since relocating to the US, they have been excited to incorporate it into their designs. “a lot of people in the US haven't seen a product like this before,” Shelby says, “and when they do, they’re amazed at how beautiful it is.”

The unique requirements of Crooked Tree Lodge’s location meant that Abodo Vulcan Cladding offered a superior alternative to old growth timbers like Canadian Western Red Cedar. “There is a real local challenge with carpenter bees, which drill inside old growth timbers and make a home there,” Braeden says.

The thermal modification that Abodo uses makes the wood more resistant to rot and pests,” Shelby adds. “It creates a protective shell that just lives.”

As a project commissioned by Shelby’s parents, Crooked Tree Lodge was both a labour of love and an opportunity to fully explore Scally Design + Construct’s design aspirations.

“With only a few key points to meet in the brief, we really had free rein to do what we thought was appropriate, which is pretty unusual,” Shelby says.

“They had some spatial relationships that they wanted to maintain, and they requested a single storey so they could age in place. They also wanted a space that was low maintenance and offered great durability; I knew we could achieve that for them with thermally modified cladding.”

The site required thoughtful consideration with regard to placement and orientation, Braeden says. “It drops 100 feet from the top of the site down to the water level. Their desire for a single storey, combined with steepness of the slope, created a big design challenge. We definitely worked with the contours that were there, keeping mature trees and cantilevering elements where we could, and we were able to orient the home due west; the sunsets are incredible.”

The result is a spacious, multigenerational family home, fully integrated into the lakeside landscape with thoughtfully considered materials and design elements that will stand the test of time.