2 590 SF
Renovation + Addition
This house started as a two level home with a hipped roof and white vinyl cladding, and we “prettied” it up with new siding, windows and heritage-style details, while adding an upper storey and new gabled roof… it was therefore dubbed ‘The Updo’ by the clients.
The architectural challenge with this home was to give character, and the illusion of depth, to a purely rectangular footprint. The existing house already exceeded the front yard setback, so extensions, porches, or bay windows were out of the question. Instead the subtle variations in siding, including shingles paired with lap siding in the same colour and the slightly darker siding around the lower third of the home, provide a richness without breaking the bank. The ornate trim work around the large living room windows provides a unique architectural feature which balances the front elevation. The counter-point is a new grand front stair with distinctive tiled treads, stainless steel accents, and a gabled roof overhead. Finally, the new upper storey steps back from the front elevation, and is completed with a wrap-around roof which ties into the covered entrance.
The clients, an enthusiastic young family, have a love of dramatic colours and entertaining. As such the design for the interior has a much more contemporary and exuberant quality than the classical exterior. Features include a playful washroom to be shared by the children with a large soaker tub and funky shower. The master ensuite boasts sleek custom millwork and a huge no-threshold shower. On the main floor an underused living room was opened up with the removal a dividing wall and the addition of wall-to-wall windows. It is now undeniably the anchor of the open concept main floor with its bright red paint and dramatic linear gas fireplace feature wall. A new open riser staircase made from reclaimed timber is paired with an Alto-esque wood screen, each maintaining the open feel of the main floor.
Sustainability was a priority, as is evidenced by the use of soy-based spray foam insulation, new high-performance windows, low-maintenance recycled content siding, and feature millwork and stairs made from salvaged and recycled lumber. East facing operable skylights were strategically located in the new roof to provide daylight to the upper storey as well as the main floor. In addition, the stack effect created by the operable skylights above the staircase is designed to ventilate and cool the kitchen and bedrooms in the summer.
Builders: Green City Builders
