Bedrock House

On the Market
Bedrock House by Ambrose Reoch, 1977
Deep Cove, North Vancouver

Photography by James Han
Story by Nadine Cuttingham

A vertical house for a horizontal landscape.

At the end of a quiet lane in Deep Cove, high above the waters of Indian Arm, stands a house built on a conviction that would elude most architects. Completed in 1977 on a rocky hilltop that presented significant construction challenges, the Bedrock House was designed by its architect as his own residence, a personal statement of what a West Coast Modern house could be. The result is a work of remarkable spatial generosity, its elevated position above the Indian Arm as much a product of conviction as of circumstance.

Location and Context

Deep Cove occupies a particular position on the North Shore, where the city gives way to the wilderness more completely than almost anywhere else in Metro Vancouver. A quiet beach and the longstanding community of the Deep Cove Yacht Club reflect a way of life that moves easily between urban and natural worlds. Nearby, Cates Park offers further access to the landscape, while Indian Arm, the vast glacial fjord extending south from Burrard Inlet, shifts in character with the hour and the season.

Siting of the House

From the street, the home feels deeply hidden, sheltered behind the local vegetation of its site and streetscape, absorbed into the hillside as though it had always been there. From afar, it stands prominently atop an ancient glacial hilltop, open to expansive views in every direction. Privacy and openness, often so difficult to reconcile, are resolved here with unusual clarity.

Following the ethos of earlier West Coast Modern architects, the design embraces the steep, rocky terrain that is typical of the region. Using the elevation of the site as an asset, the design allows the house to engage fully with its surroundings in a way that a lower position never could. A working funicular, built into the hillside and still in use today for transporting groceries and furnishings, speaks quietly to the ingenuity the site demanded.

A Unique Form

Built in 1977, the home draws from the architectural language of West Coast Modernism while arriving at a form entirely its own. Where the Wrightian tradition extends outward, settling into the landscape, the Bedrock House rises—vertical and deliberate. Its massing reads as carved rather than assembled, as though shaped from a single volume in response to light, view, and terrain. Vertical cedar siding reinforces this upward movement while an angled standing-seam metal roof projects outward, sheltering the structure from coastal rain and introducing a note of dynamism to an otherwise grounded form.

An original study model, carefully resolving the sloped conditions of the site, remains as a record of the rigour behind the design.

The Plan

The home unfolds across three levels with clear intent.

The lower level establishes arrival through a generous foyer alongside a bedroom once used as a private gallery, its floor-to-ceiling windows oriented toward the lush surrounding canopy. A workshop, unusually well-lit from both east and west, occupies the same level.

Above, the middle level places the private bedrooms at either extremity of the plan, the primary bedroom to the north and the second bedroom to the south, with its own dedicated outdoor deck.

The upper level, occupying the full height of the property, reserves its position for the communal rooms: kitchen, dining, and living, each arranged to capture light and views from every angle.

A Vertical Ascent

"A sense of sanctuary and awe, immersed in nature.” — Current custodians

The ascent to the upper level is one of the home’s most considered moments. An open-riser stair climbs through a double-height space alongside a large window, framing a close view of moss-covered rock and dense vegetation. It is an intimate, fleeting encounter with the landscape that unfolds gradually before giving way to the expansive outlook above.

Post-and-Beam Expression

As one finally arrives at the upper level, the mossy hillside gives way to the neighbourhood below and, in the distance, the waters of Indian Arm and the ridgelines of Belcarra. There, the house opens fully to its surroundings. A vaulted ceiling rises to over thirteen feet, supported by an exposed post-and-beam structure that echoes the forest in the distance. The material palette is direct and honest, with wood, steel, and glass working together with clarity.

Wood planks span the ceiling, hardwood runs underfoot, and between them, continuous glazing wraps the perimeter. Skylights above the kitchen and dining areas draw shifting columns of light through the centre of the plan, animating surfaces throughout the day.

At the kitchen, a broad expanse of glazing frames a layered view of trees, rocks, and water beyond, transforming daily routines into something more considered.

Steps away in the living room, the house reaches its full expression. The vaulted volume extends outward, connecting to expansive decks to the south and east, where the interior gives way seamlessly to the pristine and immediate backdrop of Indian Arm.

A generously proportioned wood deck bridges outward toward the neighbouring rocky outcropping, transforming a challenging condition into the defining gesture of the house. It is a move that captures the essence of West Coast Modernism: an architecture inseparable from its site.

The Private Quarters

The private spaces of the home occupy the middle level, where the connection to the landscape becomes more immediate and enclosed. The north-facing primary bedroom is quietly luminous, structurally expressive with exposed wood beams prominently revealed, and bears a direct relationship to the outdoors. To the south, the second bedroom opens to a covered deck, where an original wooden barrel hot tub remains nestled within the natural setting. Both spaces are sized generously, creating ample opportunity for the display of furnishings and artwork.

These rooms prioritize stillness and retreat, each with its own framed view and a strong sense of separation from the more public areas of the house.

Beyond the main house, a separate outbuilding sits quietly among the trees. Whether used as a studio, guest space, or retreat, it offers a degree of separation that expands the possibilities of the property.

A Home that Holds its Ground

For nearly five decades, the Bedrock House has stood quietly above one of the North Shore’s most cherished landscapes, its form both deliberate and enduring. It has sheltered generations of creative and family life, each drawn to the sanctuary and stillness that the house and its setting so naturally provide. Its next custodian will inherit not only a remarkable home but a way of living closely attuned to its surroundings.

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Home Facts

Name: Bedrock House
Address: 4477 Strathcona Rd, North Vancouver, V7G 1G7
Neighbourhood: Deep Cove
Architect: Ambrose Reoch
Price: $2,075,000
Year Completed: 1977
Interior Living: Multi-level West Coast Modern home with expansive glazing, large feature windows, abundant natural light, and strong indoor-outdoor connections with ocean and mountain views.
Site Area: 9,890 sqft
Levels: 3
Bedrooms: 3
Bathrooms: 3
Interior Living: 2,127 sqft
Exterior Living: 563 sqft

Structural / Engineering Highlights:
- Home built into a large rock/small mountain
- Large vertical window spanning two floors
- Home positioned to maximize ocean and mountain views
- Funicular (incline lift) built for transporting appliances and groceries up the slope

Landscape and Planning:
- Designed to integrate with natural surroundings
- Built to maximize views of ocean, forest, and mountain
- Quiet beach community setting
- Natural rock integration

Views / Orientation:
- Ocean views
- Mountain views
- Forest views
- Views on multiple sides
- Large windows maximizing natural light

Features:
- Large floor-to-ceiling windows
- Two-storey feature window
- Former in-home art gallery
- Large entertaining decks
- Hot tub (original 1970s wooden barrel tub)
- Vernacular transport system
- Designed for entertaining and gatherings
- Strong indoor-outdoor connection

Download Floorplan