Houzz Tour: A Compact Toronto Home Gets a Super-sleek Makeover
Clean lines and generous hidden storage give a renovated family a more spacious look without the clutter
When you’re renovating a house, every inch counts. Losing space because walls need to be thicker to provide more insulation can mean the difference between a comfortable room and one where the furniture doesn’t quite fit. In this compact post-war house in Toronto, the team at Altius Architecture took pains to make the renovated space, and the extension, comfortable, green and functional.
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A family of 4
Location Toronto
Size 4 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms
Photography by Ihor Pona
Houzz at a Glance
Who lives here A family of 4
Location Toronto
Size 4 bedrooms, 2-3 bathrooms
Photography by Ihor Pona
It’s worth looking at the rear extension first, as it’s unique. This side faces east, bringing in plenty of sunlight through full-height windows leading into the kitchen and dining room on the first floor and the main bedroom upstairs. This addition, which makes the plan an L shape, includes a decking area with steps down to a cosy seating area and a fountain beneath the branches of a large tree.
Unlike the extension, which is glass and metal, the west-facing front is stucco and wood with bay windows. The stucco covers layers of new insulation on the outside of the existing walls, increasing the house’s thermal mass. This helps to moderate indoor temperatures, humidity and night-time ventilation, greatly reducing the need for air conditioning.
The main front door is up a few steps, but adjacent to the driveway is the day-to-day entrance, where a mudroom provides access to a laundry room and a family room on this lower floor, and to the stairs into the centre of the house.
The main front door is up a few steps, but adjacent to the driveway is the day-to-day entrance, where a mudroom provides access to a laundry room and a family room on this lower floor, and to the stairs into the centre of the house.
The cedar wood and copper window frame achieves a few things: It breaks up the grey stucco finish, provides shade from the afternoon sun, creates a space for plants and indicates where the front door is.
Instead of a traditional front lawn, the garden is planted with an interesting mix of ground cover, hardy plants and native grasses.
Instead of a traditional front lawn, the garden is planted with an interesting mix of ground cover, hardy plants and native grasses.
Inside it’s almost impossible to tell what’s old and what’s new, thanks to the seamless ceiling and slate flooring, which link the two spaces. (Hint: The white wall beyond the glass wall on the left is the line between old in the foreground and new beyond.)
Heating methods also tie the two parts of the house together: underfloor heating in the extension gives way to a more traditional ignition fireplace in the original house.
Heating methods also tie the two parts of the house together: underfloor heating in the extension gives way to a more traditional ignition fireplace in the original house.
The side wall of the living room shows some of the care on the part of the architects to carry certain aspects of the design throughout the house. The recess and horizontal orientation of the fireplace recalls the bay windows at the front of the house, for example.
Plenty of storage is concealed behind the richly-detailed cherrywood cupboards around the recess.
Check out how to use natural wood to stunning effect
Plenty of storage is concealed behind the richly-detailed cherrywood cupboards around the recess.
Check out how to use natural wood to stunning effect
Opposite the fireplace, the staircase is carefully designed as a single structure below wooden steps. These is a staircase that is meant to be seen behind a glass wall, not covered up by a solid one. The glass wall also means the architects have maximized the width of the house; valuable visual lines would have been lost with the framing and surfaces of a typical solid wall.
The door on the left leads to the den. The one on the right leads to a home office and a bathroom.
The door on the left leads to the den. The one on the right leads to a home office and a bathroom.
Here is the den, where shelves and a window seat, both built in, take advantage of the bay window at the front of the house.
The kitchen occupies most of the extension on the ground floor. The large windows help heat the house in the winter; the morning sun heats the tiles to create natural heating for part of the day. The tree as well as the fencing help maintain privacy.
The glass wall facing the wooden decking area slides away to partially connect the two spaces, making the house ideal for entertaining in good weather. The copper facade over the glass gives the extension its distinctive appearance.
On the second floor, light from skylights brightens the hallway, with its walnut flooring, and the living room below, thanks to the glass. (Note the handrail that looks like a continuation of the glass wall.)
The natural light reduces the need for artificial lighting during the day, saving energy. Doors to the three bedrooms and a shared bathroom are in the distance.
The natural light reduces the need for artificial lighting during the day, saving energy. Doors to the three bedrooms and a shared bathroom are in the distance.
The main bath continues the attention to detail and features like horizontal rectangles, found here in the lighted frame around the mirror. The space opens to the dressing room, which the architects made possible by enclosing both the shower and the toilet. The walnut sink unit picks up on the wood used for the flooring on this level.
A skylight brings natural light to the large bathroom, working with the white porcelain to make it a bright space despite there being no other windows.
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Let us know what you think of this home in the Comments below.
See a glass-walled home in Seattle with stunning lake views