The opportunity to expand came a year later. A neighbouring plot of land, three times the size of their home’s footprint, became available, and by then the pair had become accustomed to the town’s natural rhythm. “We got to know the neighbourhood, the landscape, how the weather changes,” says Ng. “So when we bought the land, we pretty much knew what we wanted to do.” This time they wanted more than a cottage. But rather than one grand house, the pair conceived something more like a hamlet – four smaller, interlinked buildings arranged along the slope, each with a distinct purpose. “I didn’t want to build a huge mansion that didn’t fit in with the landscape,” explains Ng. The original house, they decided, would become a guesthouse, while a newly built home would be the heart of their mountain life. In addition, there was a building to house a gym and garage, essential for the area’s heavy snowfalls, and a sizable greenhouse to provide year-round foliage.
