Downsizing from a home to an apartment can be a difficult transition for many seniors who are accustomed to a spacious floor plan and outdoor gardening areas. For one senior in London, Ontario, the transition to smaller living accommodations was much easier, thanks to the renovation of a 1915 cottage that resulted in a high-quality, one-floor living space.
The renovation, undertaken by Bill and Marney Warder, enabled Marney's mother, Ruby, to live closer to them. The stucco cottage had been used as a rental property for many years.
"There's something very comforting having her this close," Marney says.
The bungalow was close to 1,000 square feet and encompassed a series of tiny rooms. Bill and Marney's goal was to create an open-concept floor plan with modern conveniences, including a main-floor laundry room.
The Warders spent three months fine-tuning the design to maximize the available square footage. They took Ruby's preferences into account, as well as their own lifestyle since they plan to eventually move into the home.
The floor plan they settled on divided the interior evenly from front to back with an open-concept living/dining area and a kitchen/dinette on the east side and a master bedroom with an en suite bathroom, walk-in closet and laundry room on the west side.
The couple decided to tackle the demolition work on their own since they had many years experience renovating other rental properties they owned. The six-month project began in June 2008 when Bill and his brother, Chuck, began gutting the interior. Tropical Sunrooms and Remodelling, the general contractor, then rebuilt the home.
"We left the four walls of the foundation and three exterior walls of the house," Bill says. As with many older homes, there were unexpected surprises along the way. The cottage had been constructed in two sections, and the rear portion was framed differently from the front.
"When it was gutted and all the rafters were exposed, there was actually just bale wire that was holding the roof together," says John Dyck, general manager of Tropical Sunrooms and Remodelling.
The structural defects, the age of the roof and the requirements of the Ontario Building Code meant the entire roof had to be removed and new engineered trusses installed. Replacing the cottage roof with a gable roof was an advantage since it allowed the contractor to create vaulted ceilings throughout the main living area. A gable roof was also added over the front porch, giving the home a greater sense of presence.
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The contractor had hoped to retain the original oak floors, but discovered that wasn't possible because the wooden structural components at the foundation were rotten. Replacing the floors made it possible to raise them a foot, which proved to be advantageous in the lower level where the ceiling height was elevated to seven feet, four inches.
"On the upside, it gave us another foot of headroom in the basement," Bill says. "It was a major redo – there's no question."
Tropical Sunrooms removed the rear wall of the home and created an eight-foot addition to accommodate a casual eating area off the kitchen. The footings for the addition had to be re-dug and re-poured after they were completed–testing by city engineers revealed the soil had insufficient bearing capacity.
"A slurry was poured to create a stable base. Then we poured the concrete footings according to the engineers' recommendations, and the foundation went up from there," Dyck says.
Winding steps of natural stone create a gentle incline up to the front porch, where two wicker chairs form a comfortable sitting area. Inside, a neutral colour scheme consisting of off-white walls, pale cabinetry and golden oak hardwood flooring unifies the main level.
An angled wall in the front entry provides an introduction to the living room, which is outfitted with built-in cabinetry that flanks either side of a gas fireplace. Vaulted ceilings convey a sense of airiness that is accentuated by long casement windows.
A peninsula provides visual separation between the dining area and the kitchen/dinette, cleverly distinguishing the living area from the workspace. The kitchen features traditional maple cabinetry with a brushed glaze, dark laminate counters and a long island that houses a dishwasher and stainless steel sinks. A wall of windows in the dinette overlooks a deck and curving flowerbeds below that brim with Japanese willows and hostas.
A partial wall separates the kitchen/dinette from the laundry room and the walk-in closet, which are located off the bathroom and bedroom at the front of the home. Pocket doors open from the laundry room into the dinette, which stretches across the back of the cottage.
"Bringing this wall down partly cuts down on the bowling alley feel because the house is long and narrow," Marney says.
Stairs from a rear entry lead to the lower level, which includes a crafts room lined with shelving, a den, a walk-in cedar-lined closet, and a four-piece bathroom.
As a result of the renovation, Ruby is able to enjoy the benefits of a one-bedroom apartment in a single-family home.
"It's very easy to prepare meals, and everything is right there," Ruby says. "When I moved in, this little house just hugged me."
Photos by Tomasz Majcherczyk, March 2010
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