A RENO THAT KEPT ON ROLLING
Couple liked the ‘ fabulous flow and room layout,’ but pink kitchen needed a major makeover
VICTORIA — It started when the couple decided to replace a bathroom mirror, and then wanted a new vanity, too.
“Pretty soon the ball started rolling and we were renovating the bathroom, gutting the kitchen, laying down new wood flooring,” said Jennifer Palmer. She and her husband Shane moved here from Calgary five years ago and found a lovely neighbourhood in Fairfield and a perfect home. Well, almost perfect.
“We were looking for a good place to raise our kids who are nine and seven,” said Shane.
“Enjoying nature is a bit of an ordeal in Calgary. Just getting out of the city is a chore, but in a community like this, there are so many opportunities within a short walk or drive. You can enjoy nature so much more easily — just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers.
Jennifer spotted the house online and flew out from Calgary for a closer look. She loved what she saw: A home with a historic- looking exterior, but modern interior.
“We’d probably have preferred a heritage house and did put in an offer on one, which we didn’t get,” Jennifer said.
“But then we thought how older homes are very broken up inside, whereas this house is so open and spacious.”
Their former house in Calgary was 1,000 square feet, whereas this is just shy of 3,800, which they wanted so they could do more entertaining.
The Palmers love the 14- yearold home’s “fabulous flow and room layout,” but gagged slightly when they saw the kitchen, which was completely pink inside. “The counters were pink and all the whitewashed cabinets had a pink undertone,” Jennifer said.
They planned to renovate down the road but. …
“All I did was go shopping for a bathroom mirror,” Shane said, helplessly. “And then we thought about a new vanity, and then we decided to gut the bathroom, and then the kitchen. …
“Jen was in Calgary at the time and I sent pictures of vanities from Home Depot, Rona, Slegg. Then I had a bright idea of going to a cabinetmaker. That was my fatal mistake,” he said.
He walked into the workshop of Jason Good Custom Cabinets and saw the owner covered in sawdust. “I could see Jason was a hands- on guy and that sold me.”
The meticulous Jennifer sought seven other quotes, just to be sure. One estimator said he could install a new kitchen in two days, whereas Good said his would take two weeks, and they liked that.
A makeshift kitchen was set up in the basement and they camped there for four months, during which “the fire alarm went off every day.”
“I started calling my wife General Jen,” said Shane, noting the former teacher was a brilliant general contractor who didn’t pick any tradespeople without references and multiple interviews.
“Jason’s attention to detail is incredible,” said Jennifer, who is detail- oriented herself. “We are forever in the kitchen, so it made sense to spend money here. This is where we live, where the kids do their homework, it’s the hub of the house.”
The new island seats six instead of three, and the oven, which used to be inconveniently opposite the island, is now part of the Blue Star range. It has a cast- iron top and no electronics, just simple switches, so fewer things to go wrong. The new fridge and stove are 48 inches wide instead of 30.
The house previously had white carpet in the family room, office and living room — “not very practical for our young family and dog” — so S & I Hardwood Floors laid new oak flooring to match that in the kitchen, hallway and bathroom. The matte finish is forgiving and doesn’t show dog or kid prints.
“The challenge was to lace it in, and they did a great job over the course of a week, so there is not a trace of a joint,” said Shane, who is chief pilot for VIH Aviation. His company works everywhere from Pakistan and Peru, to Taiwan, Africa, Australia and Brazil, and he has worked around the world.
“We wanted a bit of a focal point above the stove and that snowballed, too,” joked Shane, but they are delighted with the craftsmanship and way Good hid the exhaust chimney through cupboards at left.
“Just look at these joints,” said Shane, proudly pointing above the range. “Doing this reno, we learned a lot about why something is attractive. It’s not just one thing. It’s all kinds of little details.”
The fridge fit was so tight it couldn’t slide into place until Good came and trimmed a quarter inch off the base, said Jennifer. It fits like a glove, and he built a window seat, too. “It was an afterthought but we are really pleased. For one thing there is less storage now, because of our bigger appliance, and these drawers hold a lot.”
Good’s kitchen designer, Claire Reimann, “gave us unbelievable customer service.”
“I talked to a lot of kitchen people and they always went along with my suggestions. But Claire was different. She’d say, have you thought about this, or that? We didn’t need ‘ yes people.’ ”
Reimann said the kitchen was challenging because the fridge wall had an awkward U shape. “You can’t tell now, but it was really uneven. Jason camouflaged that with cabinets of different depths.
“He created furniture kicks at the bottom of the cabinets, custom profiles, so your toes can slide under,” and put a vacuum in the kick, as well as classic style corbels in the wide, custom range hood.
“He put a panel on the dishwasher so it’s hidden, put light valances under the cabinetry and took cabinets to the ceiling, whereas before there was a good gap for dust collection.
“The island has big square posts on the corners now, hand carved in cherry like the new bathroom vanity, and it’s stained rather than painted so it won’t show nicks,” Reimann said.
Thick countertops make the kitchen look more custom and the microwave is hidden in the dark wood island. “It used to be over the range — not a great focal point.”
Other features include glass doors, undermount sinks and a valance above the window, with recessed puck lights. “A nice touch in houses with tall ceilings so it doesn’t leave that high void.”