This project includes an addition and complete renovation to an existing 55 yr old house. The owners are a family of four, including two teenage daughters, who had outgrown the space. The existing house was 2000sf, which included 800sf of unfinished basement, which means the livable space was only 1200sf.

The owners made a conscious decision not to demolish the existing house in order to minimize the waste sent to the landfill. They also chose to build only the area required for their family, not the maximum build-out area of the property. These simple notions provided the direction needed to follow through on the project. The final redesign included an additional 500sf to the renovated house, bringing the total area to 2,500sf of living space

The final design provided the girls their own bedrooms, bathroom and T.V. room in the enlarged basement. The main floor addition included a new entrance and completely renovated master bedroom, closet, bathroom, living and dining room. The kitchen had been redesigned several years earlier when they bought the house, and only required to be repainted.

One of the primary needs of the family was storage space, which became one of the primary focuses of the addition. New walnut finished closets and cabinets were designed as part of the new entrance and dining room. This finish was matched with the walnut screen separating the entry from the living room, as well as the new flooring installed throughout the main floor.

In order to bring as much natural light into the spaces as possible, new windows were added in specific locations on the south and west sides of the house. This included the glazed main entry and high windows on the addition which provide late day sun into the dining room, while providing privacy from the neighbours.

The exterior of the existing house was painted charcoal grey while the new addition was clad in horizontal cedar cladding, creating separate unique masses that work together, but highlight the new entrance. The completed house is modern and simple and fits in well with the surrounding context and scale of other single family residences. Completed 2018.