At the end of a quiet lane in Deep Cove, North Vancouver, Bedrock House sits high above Indian Arm on a steep, rocky hillside. Designed by Ambrose Reoch as his own residence and completed in 1977, the house takes an uncommon approach to its setting, rising vertically from the terrain rather than extending across it.

The structure is set directly into the rock, its mass organised as a series of stacked levels that follow the slope. Vertical cedar siding emphasises this upward movement, while an angled standing-seam metal roof projects outward, responding to the coastal climate.

The plan is arranged across three levels. Entry occurs at the lower floor, where a foyer sits alongside a flexible room once used as a private gallery and a workshop lit from the east and west. Bedrooms occupy the middle level, positioned at opposite ends of the plan with access to outdoor decks. Above, the main living spaces sit beneath a vaulted ceiling supported by exposed post-and-beam construction. Continuous glazing wraps the perimeter, framing views of forest, rock and water, while skylights introduce shifting light through the centre of the plan.

The property has its own working funicular, built into the hillside so goods can be transported from street to house. Together with the structure’s siting, it reflects a direct response to the constraints of the terrain. Nearly five decades on, Bedrock House remains closely tied to its site, its form and organisation shaped by slope, outlook and the conditions of the North Shore landscape. It’s listed for sale with West Coast Modern Homes for $2,075,000.

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