A space of their own, both inside and out
Paul Edmond Robichaud and Isabelle Lafortune work in the technology industry. In the early 2000s, they were renting a “lovely” apartment in N.D.G., but realizing that they would have to move to a bigger place if they wanted to start a family, they started casting around for somewhere to buy that would also be a good investment.
In 2006, they came across a five-plex in St-Henri, an area they knew had its downsides but that was also starting to emerge from years of neglect. Now in their early 40s, Robichaud and Lafortune are the parents of two delightful little girls. Weren’t you worried about the risks of buying in a part of town that has its share of social problems?
Paul: Actually, no. And our hunch about the five-plex being a good investment has proven correct. Properties are being upgraded all around the area. When we arrived, there was an abandoned garage next door, but now it’s been converted into condos.
Also, the building was affordable. Together, the five apartments cost $585,000 — much less than they would have been in another part of town. The rent from the other four apartments covers our mortgage. All we need to do is pay our taxes.
Isabelle: In N.D.G., for the same price, we’d probably have ended up with only a duplex and one renter upstairs. The technology industry goes up and down, so we didn’t want to buy something that might require two salaries to support. Your own apartment is certainly spacious and very handsome.
Paul: It’s a 7½ — an old building, probably constructed between 1905 and 1920. We love the high ceilings and all the nice architectural details. (He points out the stained glass on the front door, the archway that divides the dining area from the living room, and the grained wood trim around the window and support beams.) We’ve probably got about $100,000 worth of oak around here! (Laughs.) Was there much to do when you moved in?
Paul: All the apartments were in pretty good shape. We gave our own place a coat of paint here and there and redid the hardwood floors. They were covered in some kind of chemical stuff and they had a yellowish tinge. Isabelle and I prefer ecofriendly products, so we redid the floors with a water-based preservative. You mentioned that before you had kids, you and Isabelle went off around the world?
Paul: We did a big backpacking trip for 14 months, all over eastern Europe and Asia — Croatia, Romania, Tibet, Burma, Australia. … A lot of the things you see around here came from our travels. We brought the rugs back from Turkey, rolled up at the bottom of our packs.
(We sit down at the sturdy and large dining room table.) Surely you didn’t lug this back with you?
Paul: It does come from Asia — India, actually — but we found it in a store on St. Laurent. Believe it or not, the top is made from teak railway ties. Imagine using teak to make railway ties! You can see somebody has patched over the holes where the spikes would have been driven in.
When we’re eating here and have guests, we can close the French doors to the hallway so the kids aren’t disturbed by the noise.
(Paul and Isabelle lead me through the hall, showing me 4-year-old Julianne’s child-friendly bedroom, Paul’s home office and the kitchen, which is roomy and bright. Painted a cheery yellow, which contrasts nicely with the royal blue tiles on the counter top, the kitchen has a “mix of Ikea and Réno Dépôt” cabinets, whose door handles are fashioned like cutlery. The kitchen leads to a secluded backyard with a wooden deck, space for storing garden tools and a patch of grass strewn with children’s toys.)
Isabelle: When we were looking around for a place, we wanted something that had been well renovated or not renovated at all, so we could get it the way we liked. We lucked out on the building, but the backyard clinched it. As soon as we walked out here, we looked at one another and said, “This is where we’re going to be living.”