(© Bonnie Schiedel. Originally published in Canadian House & Home, February 2009).
A Toronto Georgian goes from a mishmash of dated trends to a timeless urban retreat
Hooked on renovation after transforming their previous home, Claire and Victor Goodman purchased a classic five-bedroom Georgian house in Toronto’s sought-after Moore Park neighbourhood. They were looking for more space to accommodate their lively family, which includes daughter Audrey, 8, and son Graeme, 9, as well as far-flung relatives visiting from the United States and United Kingdom. Revising the space was always part of their plans, but water damage from a leaky roof moved the renovation to the top of their ‘to do’ list. With the help of contractor Chad King of Burke’s Restoration, a company that specializes in water and fire damaged properties, Claire spearheaded the extensive renovation. The result is a sophisticated restoration of the 1923 home’s period details.
Details
Location & size Toronto, 3000 square feet
Biggest changes A complete overhaul of the third floor, including the addition of dormers, a raised ceiling and a new roof; revamped bathrooms and kitchen.
Length of reno One year
“Oops moment” The wrong third-floor windows were delivered, resulting in a too-large hole being cut in the roof. While reversing out of the driveway, Claire was so distracted by the scale of the whole she backed into her neighbour’s car.
Pleasant surprise The overscaled crown moulding in the living and dining rooms was a risk, but once it was painted matte white, the effect was grand without being tacky, like a Paris apartment.
The before story
The Goodmans were drawn to the home’s symmetrical proportions and charming elements like arched transom windows and French doors. Their main reno goals: update the tired kitchen and bathrooms, create a grown-up third-floor space for the principal bedroom, bathroom and dressing room, and fix wear-and-tear damage to plaster, trim, windows and doors throughout the house.
You took extra steps to maintain the house’s original elements. Why?
It’s easier to just gut back to the rafters and replace everything, but I’m mindful of the integrity of old homes, so as much as I can, I like to restore rather than redo. For example, we have three sets of exterior French doors with transom windows. Instead of just pulling them out and installing brand new windows in standard sizes, we had the leading between the glass in the original windows replaced and then reinstalled the windows. The house looks fresh and neat, but not brand new.
What did you need to replace completely?
The knob-and-tube wiring all had to be redone, and since we wanted the house to be environmentally friendly, we added energy-efficient dimmers and recessed halogen lights in nearly all the rooms. We had to put on a new roof, so we added new insulation. We used a more energy-efficient, European-style radiator in the principal bedroom and chose plumbing fixtures that conserve water, such as dual-flush toilets. We also decided on individual air conditioning units for each floor, which are efficient because you target specific zones instead of the whole house.
Other than your contractor, what professionals helped you consider all the details?
We hired an architect because we needed permits and because we needed plans for the third-floor dormer windows, but we came up with the design of the house on our own. I was the project manager and found all the tradespeople. My husband is the Excel master, so all the financials were on this intricate spreadsheet. For the decorating side of things, I had a big binder—which later became a big bag—full of pictures and tiles. We balance each other out: he sees the big picture, I see minute details.
What was the hardest thing about being the boss of the entire process?
I pushed back a lot—I didn’t always accept that things have to be done a certain way. One example is that I was told there wasn’t room for a separate shower and bath in the third-floor bathroom because of the slanted roof. When people say there is one way of doing things, I try to figure out why. Is it just easier to do it that way, or is it physically impossible? I was blessed because my contractor was very open to solving problems and looking at different ways of doing things. Eventually I sourced a tub that would fit in front of the window, and had the shower head installed on the slanted wall. My advice: don’t automatically take no for an answer.
Any other advice for people considering handling their own reno?
You need to have a solid idea of what you want the house to look like. And be prepared for a huge cell phone bill! Because I’m a stay-at-home mom, I was here every day to make fast, on-the-spot decisions, which happened all the time. I was happy to pop out to stores to pick up missing parts for plumbing or trim, so the tradespeople could continue the job. A good relationship with your contractor and tradespeople is crucial. They were so respectful as us as a family—we lived in the house throughout the whole reno, in the basement! You need to be able to handle chaos, live in chaos and think on your feet. But I get such a rush from doing it.
