THE ULTIMATE FACELIFT
Bungalow opened up inside to create a more contemporary feel
Danny Ritchie has a routine.
Drive through a neighbourhood, usually around Lake Bonavista somewhere, spot a “for sale” sign, call for a walk-through, and then — if he likes what he sees — buys the place. It’s happened countless times before to the president of Ultimate Renovations, but the looking, buying, and transforming an older home is what Ritchie does for a living.
Founded in 1979, Ultimate Renovations has won 31 housing industry awards, including being named Renovator of the Year eight times by the Canadian Home Builders’ Association-Calgary Region.
This latest home is located on Lake Fraser Way, and is the fourth renovation show home Ultimate has done.
This one is some 400 square feet larger than the 1,500-square-foot bungalow originally built in the 1970s by Keith Construction that Ritchie bought in May and spent the next nine months recreating. The $1.2-million home, now with a natural stone front elevation, is now open for public viewing.
“The home has good bones, and is built without interior load-bearing walls, which makes renovation easier,” says Ritchie on a walk-through prior to completion.
“We bought it on May 16 and had a pretty good idea right away what we wanted to do with it — but that meant pretty much gutting the whole place including the whole front wall to make it larger and brighter,” he says.
The rebuild sent the square footage up to more than 1,900, added a 16-foot vaulted ceiling to the living room area, pushed other ceilings from eight feet to nine feet high, and generally opened up the complete interior.
There are only two woods used in the home, maple for the cabinetry, and Indonesian Batu for the interior flooring, both front and back decks, and trim around windows and doors.
Batu is a member of the mahogany family and blends that visual appeal with the ability to stand up to harsh weather conditions and heavy traffic. It is decay resistant, and easy to maintain.
“The Batu also works well with the modern-contemporary interior feel we were looking for,” says Ritchie. “And young people like the modern/contemporary look.”
Stepping into the foyer, the main living area of the home is on display. From the vaulted ceiling, the eye drifts back to a stylish and very workable kitchen with a massive central island/informal dining area topped with Cambria quartz.
Appliances include a commercial- style cooktop, convection oven, and steam oven. Flanking the long rows of upper and lower cabinetry are a pair of pantries. The first is pretty conventional with pullout drawers and lots of shelves; the other, though, is unique in that the floor-to-ceiling pantry not only pulls out, but the shelving rotates for easier access. The refrigerator and double-freezer are hidden behind wood grain panelling.
Opposite the appliances is a wet bar/ home management area finished in Cambria quartz.
“We always like to add some interesting little touches to our homes, and the pantry is one of them,” says Ritchie.
Beyond the kitchen the outdoors are brought indoors via full-width, eight-foot-tall sliding doors that open to the rear deck that covers something like 250 square feet.
Coming back through the kitchen, a short hall leads to a pair of bedrooms separated by a fullheight glass wall.
Behind the master bedroom is an elegant ensuite with stand-alone tub, Cambria quartz-topped vanity with twin sinks, and a glassed stall shower finished with porcelain tile. Beyond the ensuite is the large dressing room/ walk-in closet with custom-designed maple shelving and closets.
So, with this latest complete and showing itself off to the public, Ritchie is moving on to something different — new construction.
Ultimate Renovations has bought a lot in Kelvin Grove, subdivided it, and is getting ready to build a couple of upscale homes in the community.
“This will be my first new build in something like 20 years,” he says. “I’m looking forward to it.”
He envisions creating a 2,500-square foot bungalow as well as a 4,000-square-foot two-storey in the modern/contemporary vein.
“We’ve still got a dozen renovations jobs on the go, but once all city approvals have been received we can start,” he says.
EFFICIENT BY DESIGN
Besides having good looks, the home renovated by Ultimate Renovations is also very energy efficient.
Spray foam insulation is used throughout the home to improve energy efficiency.
In addition to having large windows and sliding patio doors, the home has eight solar tubes to provide even more natural light.
To ensure electrical energy savings, the home uses LED lighting.
Nothing like a warm floor to raise comfort levels. This home uses a Delta FL flooring system under the final floor finish.
We always like to add some interesting little touches to our homes, and the pantry is one of them.