Cramped home gets flow, function, personality
Buying a new home can cause a dilemma. If you invest in a brand new property, you might endure the noise of construction for the next few years. However, if purchasing a resale home, you’ll forgo the noise but inherit the previous homeowner’s design choices.
For a family on Sandgate Ridge in Barrhaven, moving into an existing home meant inheriting a few problems, such as an unfinished basement with poorly designed mechanical systems. The furnace, hot water tank and plumbing were located at the foot of the stairs and the small, narrow stairway closed off entry to the basement. The unfinished space was primarily used for storage.
Upstairs, the kitchen’s poorly designed layout offered no flow or functionality. A large island took up the centre of the room, leaving only small space to navigate and work within the kitchen. It also needed more seating, but adding another table would only further clutter the area.
The kitchen also lacked personality — with its standard white cabinetry and subway tile backsplash, it could have belonged to anyone. The family wanted something that stood out, something that made it their own.
The homeowners hired Amsted Design-Build for the project. The family wanted to create a beautiful, welcoming space in their unfinished basement and they also wanted their kitchen to have more flow and function. They worked with the team at Amsted to redesign and build the home they’ve always wanted.
To achieve the design intent when finishing the basement, Amsted created a new dedicated mechanical room and relocated it to one end of the basement. The team dismantled the existing furnace and trunk lines for the HVAC system, and relocated the floor drain to the new mechanical room, where they set up a new furnace. They also redesigned the trunk lines for maximum efficiency and esthetically pleasing sight lines in the new space.
The newly finished basement features a family room, bedroom, three-piece bathroom and an exercise area. It functions as a location for the family to get together but also offers a private retreat for the teenagers. To add a personal touch, the homeowners used barnboard to cover the pillars and plumbing stacks as well as to create a standout accent wall. It also frames the mirrors of their new home gym.
For the main-level kitchen redesign, Amsted reclaimed the space from a walk-in pantry to create a grand kitchen with lots of space for multiple cooks. The room now features an elongated island with extra seating, LED potlights, pendants and task lighting. It also has additional cabinetry, extended to the ceiling, to increase storage space. The homeowners finished the kitchen off with a herringbone marble backsplash, white quartz countertops, two-tone millwork and custom glass inserts that showcase their love of horses.
With a newly finished basement, a redesigned kitchen and some personal touches, the family’s house was finally transformed into the home they’ve always wanted.