Modern warmth at the cottagePublished on April 11, 2019

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  • The Bryk Cottage

  • Danielle Bryk

  • Danielle Bryk

In preparation for the 2019 Ottawa Cottage Life & Backyard Show, taking place April 12-14 at The EY Centre, Ottawa At Home caught up with celebrity guest Danielle Bryk. Danielle will be at the show to discuss her new documentary series, The Bryk Cottage, and share what it was like to knock down and rebuild her sister and brother-in-law’s run down cabin to turn it into a beautiful, eco-friendly, vacation home.

What materials were used to build the cottage? We decided to use all natural materials including a cinder block foundation, wood framing and Maibec siding, a wood product made in Quebec with a long and amazing warranty.

Is this a seasonal or year-round property? This is a four season, heavily insulated, property. It’s a passive house with a low carbon footprint and very energy efficient. You technically don’t need a source of heating or cooling. Any heat that’s created is done so through things like the sun, human activity or your fridge motor. You’re capturing all the passive heating and cooling that you create. Insulation is one of the biggest components behind it.

What went it to making it energy efficient? Aside from the insulation, because we were knocking the building down and starting from scratch we could maximize our south facing windows and doors to maximize sunshine. We also did triple pane windows and doors which was a big investment but made a huge difference.

How did you combine efficiency while still achieving a stylish look? From the start, we had this vision of a very modern black building. We used black siding that was very modern and sleek. But at the same time, because we used natural materials, there’s a warmth to it. With the black it’s almost negative space so the trees really pop. We lucked out that the south facing windows and doors are facing towards the lake. It was about taking the exterior and making it part of the impact.

What can people expect from your appearance on stage at the 2019 Ottawa Cottage Life & Backyard Show? One of the things we’ll talk about with Sam Linton is what goes into making a show. There will also be a back and forth with me to talk through the whole experience of filming. Because the show is a documentary it’s very informative with no sponsors or an agenda to push. We’ll talk about some of the mistakes we made and some of the best things we did.

For more details about the 2019 Ottawa Cottage Life & Backyard Show visit the website.


Olivia Taggart

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