ULTIMATE IN RENOVATION
This retrofit of a 1980s walkout bungalow showcases update potential for mature homes
Ultimate Renovation’s overhaul on this 1980s-vintage walkout bungalow in Edgemont is an eye-opener on the potential for updates to homes in mature neighbourhoods.
This notable renovator — named renovator of the year nine times by the regional Canadian Home Builders’ Association among many other accolades — does a top-tobottom job on a house and uses it like a show home to feature its work and present possibilities for updating homes.
Along with ideas for popular kitchen and bathroom renovations, the showcase also highlights ideas for other parts of the home, from a better organized mudroom to a fireplace update.
The Edgemont home is a spacious home, with 1,704 square feet on the main floor and 1,490 in the walkout basement. There is a second bedroom on the main floor and three on the lower level, giving older children or guests more privacy or independence.
To start, Ultimate raised the roof on the home by two feet, creating a sense of grandeur in the openconcept main floor with a 10-foot ceiling. The walkout basement already featured a lofty nine-foot ceiling, which contributes to the overall feeling of spaciousness.
Anchoring the great room is a horizontal fireplace encased in a floor-to-ceiling surround faced with brick tile and featuring a full-width wood mantel and two built-in cabinets to tuck items out of sight.
Large windows along the front wall of the great room and the back wall of the kitchen bookend the main living space with natural light. And, with eight solar tubes throughout the home, natural light also filters in elsewhere.
A large quartz- topped island will be a gathering space for family. With seating along extended edges on two sides for up to seven people, there are opportunities ranging from a quiet coffee with a solo breakfast to hosting a large party. The island also provides plenty of storage on all sides, hidden behind panelling along the outside, and providing drawers and cupboards along the working side.
Floor to ceiling cabinets on both sides of the kitchen provide ample space for storing items used on a daily basis along with seasonal items that can be tucked away in more out-of-reach places.
Glass doors offer access out onto the back deck. Its glass fences provide an uninterrupted view of the green space behind the home, an area with a walking path below the escarpment to homes on the ridge above.
The master bedroom is sunny with long windows and doors out onto the deck that stretches across the back of the home.
The main floor includes a spacious mudroom with built-in lockers and the laundry appliances. The main bathroom is next to the mudroom.
The space in the lower level is particularly thoughtfully laid out. Stairs come down into a rec room that makes use of the back width of the home with windows looking out onto the backyard and covered patio. To the right is a workout area. To the left is a pool table, built-in bar, fireplace, TV and couches.
The stairs provide a central pillar for traffic flow, and no space is wasted. The pillar includes an attractive powder room, along with storage closets. It also serves to separate the more public rec room from the three bedrooms accessed off the hallway behind it.
Finally, for those who like cars, the front-attached garage can handle the height of car lifts, bringing the ability to double the capacity of the two-car space.