It represents the owners' quest for authenticity; not only for the look of their farm and home, but for the way they live.

Their house [...] started life as a 70s salt-box design but is now quintessential West Coast modern - clean and crisp.

Coulson, for example, was commissioned by a local home-owning single mom to build a secondary suite on her property.  That suite is now rented by another single mom, generating a mortgage helper for the homeowner and affordable living for another single-parent family

David Coulson wanted to show the real estate industry that old buildings could have a soft energy footprint.

He says, "The unique qualities that old houses contribute to sustainability are not fully understood or appreciated yet."

"It's the ultimate dance," says Dave Coulson, "When you apply adaptive re-use to a heritage structure, you can address energy efficiency concerns while retaining the character of the house."

"The building inspector remarked that this house was likely the safest wood-frame building in Victoria."

The [finished] house operates with a higher EnerGuide rating than most new builds.

A 10-storey deep geothermal well works in tandem with a heat pump and a heat exchanger; subfloor piping distributes warmth throughout the home, and solar collectors on the roof provide energy for domestic hot water

The home that once drew double-wide-trailer comparisons now looks like a woodsy Whistler chalet.

Changes to the home were not only cosmetic; they were done with an eye to energy efficiency.  Double-glazed, leaded windows were installed throughout, and casements preserved to maintain the integrity of the style.

A home that is true to its heritage, yet includes all the comfort of today's lifestyle.

His do-it-yourself philosophy started at home, when Dad made the Coulson kids take apart their bikes, clean and grease the moving parts and put them back together every spring. 

"That's how we learned to look after things."