SO – I’ve been busy – do you mind?

THE CLEVER PLAN FOR THE TOWNHOUSE AND BIKE SHOP

The only connection from the townhouse to the rear yard is via a tiny door at the rear of the bike shop.  I think the townhouse needs an internal stair from the main floor to the rear yard. Lets carve out a piece of the concrete floor.....don’t forget to ask a French engineer if that‘s OK!

The new spot for the stair to the second floor- let’s hope you’re allowed to use 5 or 6 winders in a row.

Let’s take out the non-load bearing wall and put the kitchen and dining room in the new large room.  All we need now is a door between the new kitchen and the old living room.  Hey, don’t forget to put in a steel lintel when you chip out the 17” thick stone wall!

The French House

 
The front of the house (the small house on the far left) faces a beautiful chateau in a park setting (good) and a busy road (bad).

Mr Bean Goes to Normandy

I have never driven in Europe – I can’t drive a standard. I was going to take the train to St. Sauveur de Vicomte. My sister rented a car. I would learn to drive in Europe.

We picked up a Mercedes B200 - with an automatic transmission and a GPS - YE HAH! Getting out of Paris was, of course, hair-raising. Once that was done, the rest of the drive was a breeze...great roads (no pot holes), trucks that stay in the right lane, roadside service centres that have all kinds of neat French stuff.
It turns out that Normandy is quite a long way from Paris and the closer we get to St. Sauveur, the more it looks like Quebec – rolling hills, apple trees, stone gables and steep roof pitches. And Normandy has the curious distinction of being the only region in France that doesn’t produce wine. They make lot’s of cider, Calvados and camembert, but no wine.

Paris in the Spring…

 An overnight flight to Paris in steerage....video screen on the back of the seat makes anything possible. (you know, “Morning Glory” was way better than I expected).

The first week of April and Paris was in full bloom – wisteria, lilacs, cherry blossoms. It was 20 degrees – North America is for suckers. I stayed with my sister in her apartment in the 12^th – upstairs from the D’Aligre market, about 5 minutes from the Gare de Lyon, 10 minutes to the Bastille and 20 minutes to Notre Dame. 

Elevation Goes International!

I’m flying to Paris tonight.  Clients with a house in Normandy have asked us to help them renovate their 16^th century stone pile.  It’s about a 3 hour drive north west from Paris to the picturesque town of Saint Sauveur le Vicomte. 

It's Spring Time!

The flowers are coming up in the garden.  The huge beautiful moon the other night marked the vernal equinox.  Today, I was looking out my little kitchen window and saw the robin back, starting to build her nest.  How exciting, to see spring is finally here.

I’ve been working with Elevation Architects for almost 4 years now.  What a fantastic, friendly, creative place to work.  Of course, it’d help if I had a creative bone in my body, but I just do the office slogging – and leave the creating to Julia and Maxine.  Julia’s been at me for years now to cut a hole in the side of our house and install huge glass doors, like barn doors made of glass.  Looking out at Mrs. Robin, I think maybe it is time …

IT WAS A DARK AND DAUNTING NIGHT...

This Riverdale house was dark.  The varnished wood trim had been lovingly restored by previous owners – dark wainscoting filled the ground floor.  At dinner parties, the formal living and dining room sat empty while guests crowded into the kitchen. Our clients wanted:

• Light and
• Wide Open Spaces

...was that so wrong?

Watch and see how we elevated this Space

The Elevation Empire

In December 2009 we bought a 90 year old, 3 storey commercial building on Queen Street East. It was a noble pile, but in need of care and attention - basic maintenance was an idea last visited in the 1970’s.  We moved from our Kingston Rd storefront to a   cozy, non-hierarchical office space (ie: small) on the second floor. However, without a retail presence on the ground floor we worried about visibility. We didn’t need a storefront, but we needed a sign.  It had to say “Elevation Architects lives here”.

Live/Work Loft on a Lane - A Modern Design!

THE SET UP

This 2 storey, 3000 ft², light industrial building was zoned live/work.   It was being used as a prop house on the ground floor and living space on the second floor. There were two enclosed staircases to the second floor and many small dark rooms. An unstable spiral staircase led to the 3^rd floor catwalk entrance to the roof deck. A rotting green house with leaky window sat on the roof.

 With the 11 foot ceilings, exposed steel structure and unobstructed floor plate this pile of bricks had potential! Originally the clients had planned to make just a few small changes....move a few walls, change a few fixtures, update the kitchen, a good scrub and a coat of paint...... It became apparent through a brief design investigation that a bolder intervention would be required.

THE CLIENTS DESIGN BRIEF

The owners needs were simple – a couple of bedrooms, a multi-media studio, professional kitchen, expansive walls for a fantastic  art collection, massive and uninterrupted living space for soirees,  and roof deck capable of accommodating 50 for dinner...and possibly dancing.

OUR CUNNING PLAN

We decided to turn the space upside down.  With the bedrooms, studio and storage on the ground floor, the entire second floor could be devoted to living/entertaining space.  The existing steel structure allowed the design to be entirely open concept.  And, of course, a big space screams out for a big stair – an organizing element that ties all the spaces together – from the ground floor entry hall to the 3^rd floor roof terrace.  The stair became the star of the space.

 THE DETAILS

The five foot wide switchback steel stair with glass rails was expertly fabricated by RealeBorn

The existing ground floor concrete slab was a bit of a mess.  We levelled it with a lightweight concrete topping and included in-floor hydronic heat.  The floor was polished and sealed. 

The smaller bedroom has a sleeping loft with walk-in closet and ensuite bath below – it’s very cool.

Rolling barn doors and pocket doors are custom sizes

The kitchen cabinet doors and gables were constructed out of resin (Olympic kitchens, “parapan” high gloss acrylic)....it’s very cool.
Brilliant green paint finish on the drywall window returns eliminated the need for casing/trim – yeah.

WATCH OUR VIDEO!

Welcome!

We've finally dragged Julia and Maxine (the partners), kicking and screaming, into the blogosphere.  On our blog, you'll find useful ideas to help you design your space for work, family or leisure. We'll be posting news from architectural publications and stories about adventures in renovating ... our own space and our clients'. And since we all love food -- you can find us here at the office, noshing on delectable tidbits almost any day of the week -- maybe we'll even share a recipe or two. We're really looking forward to receiving your comments and questions. Check back to see what's happening here at Elevate Your Space.