{"id":555369,"date":"2023-02-22T17:46:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-22T14:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/this-former-pro-snowboarder-built-a-dream-chalet-outside-quebec-city\/"},"modified":"2023-02-22T17:46:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-22T14:46:00","slug":"this-former-pro-snowboarder-built-a-dream-chalet-outside-quebec-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/this-former-pro-snowboarder-built-a-dream-chalet-outside-quebec-city\/","title":{"rendered":"#This former pro snowboarder built a dream chalet outside Quebec City"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2555043b6c6\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2555043b6c6\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/this-former-pro-snowboarder-built-a-dream-chalet-outside-quebec-city\/#%E2%80%9CThis_former_pro_snowboarder_built_a_dream_chalet_outside_Quebec_City%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;This former pro snowboarder built a dream chalet outside Quebec City&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CThis_former_pro_snowboarder_built_a_dream_chalet_outside_Quebec_City%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;This former pro snowboarder built a dream chalet outside Quebec City&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n                            Surrounded by a lush forest and sublime trails, this micro-home is an escapist fantasy\n                        <\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">When Nicolas Sauve <\/span><span class=\"s2\">was a child, his parents would take him and his sister to a rented cabin by Lac-Saint-Joseph near Quebec City, where he learned to windsurf and practised soccer, taking free kicks against the cabin\u2019s cement wall. Eventually, his passion for outdoor sports became a career. He criss-crossed the globe as a professional snowboarder for 12 years, clinching two medals at the 2011 Winter X <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/game\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"7\" title=\"Game\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Game<\/a>s. Now he works as the <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> manager at Sentiers du Moulin, an outdoors centre in Lac-Beauport, developing a recreational trail network in the Quebec hinterlands with enough sn<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>y turns and steep inclines to attract mountain bikers from across the country.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243542\" style=\"width: 1260px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243542 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DSC1534-B-e1677015016605.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1250\" height=\"835\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Citizen North)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">In 2018, he got word that a private developer who owned more than 900 acres of property on nearby Mont Tourbillon wanted to subdivide his land into 80 parcels. The developer offered Sauve the opportunity to purchase his pick of the lots for $60,000. (Similar lots now sell for close to $350,000.) Sauve chose a 10-acre forested property close to the top of the mountain, surrounded by trees and a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of cliffs that look like a giant staircase. But first, the town of Lac-Beauport had to approve the deal. In the end, it was agreed that each owner would open up part of <\/span>their land to public recreational use.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243539\" style=\"width: 4010px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243539 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DIO_9978-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"4000\" height=\"2667\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sauve rents out the space on Airbnb. He loves hearing from guests, who tell him all about their outdoor adventures. (Photo by Etienne Dionne)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\">The lot is a five-minute drive from the four-bedroom home Sauve shares with his wife, Genevi\u00e8ve Gaumond, an ER doctor, and their two daughters, aged three and four. The family enlisted the help of a contractor friend to help them build their dream chalet, where they could return from mountain biking or snowshoeing and warm up under sunset skies while overlooking endless vistas of boreal forest. Land-use regulations usually prohibit residential builds in the area, but Sauve\u2019s family got an exemption when they agreed to allow recreational use on their property. The catch: their chalet\u2019s footprint had to be no bigger than 24 square metres, which is roughly equivalent to three mid-size cars side by side.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243541\" style=\"width: 1260px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243541 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/A734078-1-e1677014936627.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1250\" height=\"833\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">(Photo by Nick Dignard)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Inspired by their mutual love of Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois architect Pierre Thibault, Sauve and Gaumond envisioned a tiny two-floor retreat that used only three materials\u2014bleached wood, grey aluminum and white tile\u2014to minimize visual noise. The build cost roughly $400,000. \u201cWe wanted the design, textures and colours of the chalet to be linear, sober and clean, so the house kind of fades away and lets you connect with the surrounding nature,\u201d says Sauve.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">The family also had to figure out how to make the chalet feel bigger than it was. There are some much-needed space-saving hacks: the stove is only 60 centimetres wide, and the main floor connects to the upper by a small steel ladder instead of a staircase. With their indoor layout so limited, they took advantage of the outdoor space with a 30-metre patio and large glass windows. In the winter, the doors stay closed and the family enjoy a panoramic view of the snow-capped forest by the outdoor wood-burning stove. Come summer, the doors open back up, and they grill moose steaks on the barbecue.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243540\" style=\"width: 1260px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243540 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DSC07010-HDR-B-e1677014855244.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1250\" height=\"703\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Micro-chalet is the name and space-saving is the game. Each room was designed to balance aesthetics with compact functionality. (Photo by Citizen North)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\">Every time Sauve walks around the property, his mind quiets down. \u201cYou can look outside and not see a living soul for hundreds of kilometres,\u201d he says. They get their drinking water from a well, drilled 91 metres into the earth,<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>which yields crystalline water that tastes remarkably crisp. The unit, which rents for $400 per night on Airbnb, is now so popular that if Sauve and his family want to spend the weekend there, they need to block off the dates months in advance. (If snowfall leads to difficult road conditions in the winter, they\u2019ll head up the mountain on a snowmobile instead of a car.)<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s3\">They\u2019ve received a number of offers for the property, but Sauve has no intention of selling. He sees himself living there full time once his children are grown. \u201cI can see my family paring things down to the <\/span>more essential stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1243549\" style=\"width: 1260px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"wp-image-1243549 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DJI_0235-1-e1677017290164.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1250\" height=\"833\"\/><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sauve\u2019s family takes part in winter sports on the surrounding land. (Photo by Citizen North)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1243544 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/71_Jan-21_Mica-Cabin-HDR-e1677017720145.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1241\" height=\"1023\"\/><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em>This article appears in print in the March 2023 issue of<\/em> Maclean\u2019s <em>magazine. Buy the issue for <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/canadianmags.ca\/products\/macleans-march-2023\">$9.99<\/a>\u00a0or better yet, subscribe to the monthly print magazine for just\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/secure.macleans.ca\/loc\/MME\/head_subscribe\">$29.99<\/a><\/em>.<br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-sizes=\"auto\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1243445 size-full lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/Cover_March_DRE-e1677076261650.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"337\" height=\"460\"\/>\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer crossorigin=\"anonymous\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/general\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/economy\/realestateeconomy\/habitat-quebec-ski-chalet-airbnb\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;This former pro snowboarder built a dream chalet outside Quebec City&#8221; Surrounded by a lush forest and sublime trails, this micro-home is an escapist fantasy When Nicolas Sauve was a child, his parents would take him and his sister to a rented cabin by Lac-Saint-Joseph near Quebec City, where he learned to windsurf and practised&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":555370,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.macleans.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/DJI_0762-HDR-copy-1-766x431.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[73744,133834,132744,14090,71226],"class_list":["post-555369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-airbnb","tag-chalet","tag-habitat","tag-quebec","tag-real-estate"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=555369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/555369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/555370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=555369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=555369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=555369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}