Budget Breakdown: In Nova Scotia, a Master Metalworker Builds a Steely ADU for $292K
"If you do wood, you have to maintain it. Galvanized steel rusts. Cor-Ten, though, lasts for a lifetime—I don’t have to touch it," says homeowner Marc Schaedler. "It’s the only material I really think will last in this climate."
"If you do wood, you have to maintain it. Galvanized steel rusts. Cor-Ten, though, lasts for a lifetime—I don’t have to touch it," says homeowner Marc Schaedler. "It’s the only material I really think will last in this climate."
Metalworker Marc Schaedler spends his days fabricating steel railings, planters, and range hoods for other people’s architectural visions. For his own backyard suite in the West End neighborhood of Halifax, Nova Scotia, he wanted something bigger: proof that steel could carry an entire project, not just accent one.
"I work with top architects on bits and pieces," says Marc, who founded the firm Urban Handcraft. "This was my opportunity to do a full project."
The 735-square-foot ADU, tucked behind Marc’s existing home on historic Chebucto Road, began not with a wish for more space, but as an experiment to push the boundaries of his craftsmanship. "Should I do a normal wood-framed house? More metal fabrication? Something totally different?" Marc recalls asking himself. "It was kind of scary, but I started to sketch something super simple—a garage."
In Halifax, Canada, Urban Handcraft founder Marc Schaedler teamed up with David Bourque Architecture to design and build a 735-square-foot ADU behind Marc’s home. It’s wrapped in Cor-Ten steel, and the corrugated material elevates what would otherwise be a simple shed form.
Photo by Julian Parkinson
The exterior will continue developing a rusted patina over time, requiring no maintenance.
Photo by Julian Parkinson
Architect David Bourque, principal of David Bourque Architecture and a frequent collaborator with Marc, saw larger potential. "It’s a project to show the versatility of the material he works with every day," Bourque says. "Not just a railing or planter or range hood. You can do an entire project with metal, and it was a nice opportunity to demonstrate that."
A wood credenza leans against the blackened steel feature wall.
Photo by Julian Parkinson
See the full story on Dwell.com: Budget Breakdown: In Nova Scotia, a Master Metalworker Builds a Steely ADU for $293K
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