From Starter to Mid Range

For many home owners, once a house is seen as too small for their needs the logical next step is to sell and buy a larger home.  However, with today's competitive real estate market of bully bids and seasoned speculators, enlarging ones current home becomes more attractive.  Especially if one likes their neighbourhood.  In this case the existing home in Toronto was a relatively small 'starter' home with a low basement, one washroom upstairs and two bedrooms.  How can this house be renovated and expanded effectively?

The main structure of the house has a barn-style roof, which is a strong and prominent form visible from the street.  Towards the back of the house a previous renovation added some area, though with materials inferior to the original house.  The strategy pursued here was to leave the form of the main house intact, while renovating and expanding at the back.

A family room near grade is shown as part of the addition.  This room steps down 3 risers from the main floor so that a more seamless transition is created to the terrace, without the requirement of guards.  Generous glazing allows for an enhanced relationship with the garden.  Above, the master bedroom is relocated here, complete with more storage areas and an en suite washroom.  The 2nd floor is increased to have a total of 3 bedrooms and 2 compact washrooms.

The existing structure behind the main barn form was thankfully set back a little more than 1.2m from the side.  The building code allows for a small percentage of glazing here, as well as some flexibility with cladding materials.  Hence re-cladding, and maximizing glazing at all sides of the inset was pursued.  At the family room, glazing can also be introduced to look into the inset, to allow for a cross breeze and increase natural ventilation.

At the basement, underpinning can increase the headroom and utility of the space, as well as easily connect to the new basement den area under the addition.   This den also has a small basement window facing into the inset.  While the area taken up by the addition reduces the size of the backyard, the lot is large enough to allow for a new terrace, soft landscaping and an existing storage shed to remain.

It is sometimes interesting to consider what was acceptable living generations ago, as these old houses telegraph this information.  A single family house with only one washroom, or an unfinished basement was typical.  Nowadays we have different priorities, and we also have more objects that surround us.