The Dunbar Home
CRAFTSMAN REVIVAL · DUNBAR, VANCOUVER, BC
A complete teardown and rebuild on a corner lot in Vancouver’s Dunbar neighbourhood — designed to honour the craftsman tradition while building something unmistakably new. A home with personality, warmth, and stories already woven into its walls.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
A Craftsman Custom Home Built for a Life Well Lived
The brief was clear from the start: this young family — recently arrived from Australia, with two children and two large huskies — didn’t want a house. They wanted a home. One that could hold their history, handle their life, and grow with them.
The original structure came down entirely. In its place, Kerr Design Build designed and built a new two-storey craftsman custom home on a corner lot in Dunbar — complete with a secondary rental suite, a dedicated brewery room, and an interior that manages to feel both vibrant and timeless.
TYPE OF PROJECT:Custom Home — New Build
LOCATION: Dunbar, Vancouver, BC
DESIGNER: Steven Butler, Kerr Design Build
INTERIOR DESIGNER: Nisha MacNeil, Kerr Design Build
STATUS: Completed
SCOPE: Full Teardown & Rebuild · Secondary Suite · Brewery Room
Where Craft Meets Character
The Floors That Could Handle Everything The family needed a floor that could survive two active children, two large huskies, and daily life without showing it. The answer: a glue-down vinyl with a vintage border detail — oak panel centre, darker border, decorative corner keys — that evokes the patterned floors found in older Vancouver homes. Durable, distinctive, and completely specific to this family.
The Antique Chandelier in the Powder Room The client’s mother contributed an antique crystal chandelier — a family piece that could have ended up in storage. Instead it became the centrepiece of the powder room, integrated into the lighting plan as though it had always been there. It is the detail visitors remember.
The Peephole Between the Closets A small door and a salvaged peephole from the original house were incorporated between the two children’s bedroom closets — a passage for passing notes between siblings. It is the kind of detail that only happens when a designer listens carefully enough. It will be remembered long after the finishes are forgotten.
The Kitchen That Set the Tone The accent backsplash behind the stove came first. Everything else — the colour palette, the cabinetry choices, the pendant selection — followed from it. The kitchen is also obsessively functional: custom inserts, pull-outs, and bins throughout, because a family of four needs a kitchen that works as hard as it looks.
A Rental Suite Done Right
The lower level houses a two-bedroom secondary suite designed with the same attention the main home received. A sage green and cream palette keeps it fresh and cohesive — not an afterthought, but a considered space in its own right. The same corner lot that required careful negotiation with the city over setbacks also accommodates a dedicated brewery room for the homeowner — a space as personal as any other in the house.
DESIGNED BY
Steven Butler · Designer Director
Steven Butler is Design Director at Kerr Design Build with over 20 years of experience designing custom homes and complex renovations across Greater Vancouver. Interior design by Nisha MacNeil.
