The client’s brief for this small cottage and sauna on French Island was shaped by their Finnish cultural traditions. Conventional bathrooms are replaced by the daily sauna, and water for the kitchen is collected by hand from the tanks. Building regulation was adhered to at its most minimum level. Other parameters were dictated by the builder on the island who had received a shipment of red cedar and requested only 90 or 45 degree corners. Set amongst low-slung coastal gums and sandy soil on a hillside the views across western port bay are rugged and expansive.