An inspired home reno
A surprise lake view is among discoveries to spur owners’ ingenious design tweaks
When John Scoffield took to the third floor of his home’s renovation-in-progress, it was to help workers frame out two bedrooms for his stepdaughters. What he saw stopped him in his tracks.
“He called me and said, ‘Get over here. There’s something you need to see!’ ” confirms his wife Shea Warrington, 45.
An experienced realtor, Warrington braced herself for a house-related horror. Instead, she encountered a grinning husband — and a stunning view of Lake Ontario that the couple didn’t realize came with the turn-ofthe-century house in Toronto’s Beach neighbourhood.
“It’s a beautiful lake view directly to the south, unencumbered by trees. At night we can see Rochester lit up. In the summer, blue water and sailboats,” Warrington says.
The discovery of the lake vista changed everything. Scoffield, 45, quickly rejigged the design for the third floor to include a kids’ lounge and homework room with a wall of windows.
Their teenage daughter agreed to relocate her bedroom to the basement where she’d enjoy more privacy and her own bathroom.
The couple’s massive renovation began in 2013, when they bought a snug, $1.05-million, three-bedroom cottage in The Beach, just three doors down from their previous home.
“We wanted the house for the lane (behind the house). The kids ride bikes and play out there, and the elementary school is so close we can hear the recess bells,” Warrington says.
They knew they would renovate, but the family of six — including kids Mattie, 15, Jessie, 12 and twins Chace and Johnny, 8 — made a go of co-habitating in the 1,200-square-foot home for two years while plans and permits were put in place.
“The basement was failing, there was no heat in the kitchen and we used to kid that you could windsurf through the house because there was such a strong breeze,” Warrington notes.
Built in the early 1900s, the house had slim, two-by-threefoot framing boards and was cold from top to bottom.
The master bedroom on the main floor at the front of the house was so chilly, they joked their memory foam mattress would take 20 minutes of body heat to unfreeze.
“It was a cold house, but we had good times there. We had a portable heater and we’d all cuddle up,” Warrington says. “We don’t need a big house for the six of us. For us, it’s all about cosy.”
They may not need the space, but their 3,400-square-foot, $1.2 million renovation offers a lot of it.
“We want our kids at home with their friends as much as possible. It’s great to offer them a number of separate places to be,” Warrington says.
Scoffield, who owns a foundation and excavating company, envisioned a five-bedroom, midcentury modern design with a contemporary beach exterior.
He designed the home, poured the foundation, contributed to other construction elements and built a number of custom finishings, including built-in closets, kitchen shelving units and a handmade, walnutwrapped half-wall in the family room.
“People assume that the design is all me and John’s the tradesman, but he’s the one who has the brilliant design ideas,” Warrington adds.
She points to what’s behind the family room’s half-wall and abutting the back entrance that’s used dozens of times every day. “He comes up with amazing ideas like cubbies for kids’ backpacks, boots and stuff. And the half-wall, which gives us a mud room hidden in plain sight.”
Another highlight of the home is a theatre room that cost close to six figures.
“I was really concerned about what we were going to do with a 20-by-24-foot room with no light. We started tabling the theatre idea rather than a traditional rec room,” Scoffield says.
Progressive Interiors did all the theatre work, featuring soundproofed walls, state-ofthe-art surround sound and a 168-inch projector screen. The family hosts viewings of sporting events and movie screenings and the room is a favourite sleepover spot for the kids.
After their frigid experience in the original home, they didn’t skimp on heating, either. All three floors feature hot-water radiant in-floor heating which, at $70,000, ran them roughly double the cost of a forced-air furnace system.
“In-floor heating is reasonably efficient and extremely comfortable. You can turn it on separately for each level. With new- er insulation standards you can find a lot of efficiencies. We’ve never had the heat on in the basement,” Scoffield says.
Although the heating decision was a no-brainer, Warrington and Scoffield had to find compromises in other design elements throughout the house.
“Shea wanted an open environment, but I like defined rooms, so we balanced that out by putting the kitchen in the middle (of the main floor),” he says.
The dining room, with a 12person table, and lounge are the face of the house for guests who enter through the front door.
Behind the kitchen is the family room featuring a lift-and- glide, floor-to-ceiling door that opens to the backyard.
“Even though we have this great big house, we live in the kitchen space. The kids do their homework after school and we hang out there a lot,” Warrington says.
Still, everyone has their own sanctuary. Jessie sleeps among the treetops on the third floor, the boys each have a room down the hall from the cathedral-ceilinged master bedroom on the second floor and Mattie has a retreat in the basement.
Like all renovated family homes, every room has a story.
But none of them hold a candle to that dazzling view from the third floor.