A dilapidated lakefront cottage transformed into an award-winning home. In September 2009, the Ontario Home Builders’ Association recognized Oke Woodsmith’s efforts as the cottage was declared Most Outstanding Home Renovation. It was also a finalist for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association awards in the Single Detached Home Between 1,500-2,000 Square Feet category.
As Hayter’s Turkey Products kept outgrowing their processing and packaging plant, the building took on multiple additions and renovations throughout the years to handle the growth. The latest addition was moving closer to the highway and there was a need to re-style the look. That is where Oke Woodsmith came in – take a farm building and transform it into a building that shows the quality of the product that comes from within.
“Oke Woodsmith are professionals at what they do,” Gail says. “There are builders in this area who probably could have done it, but we wanted somebody who was professional and who mirrored our own values as far as looking at something and saying, ‘Let’s do it right.’”
“Oke took them to see other homes we had built and also interviewed them in their own home before we drew new plans. On the exterior, the Keller’s had hoped to incorporate stone and stucco to give the home the appearance of permanency. Oke suggested a front porch, as well, which the couple hadn’t considered.
“
It wasn’t too long ago when in-ground pools were considered luxury features to a home. Today, they’re almost as passé as central air. Indoor pools are feasible options and can be built into existing homes. Larry and Louise wanted a pool for exercize and wanted it year round, Oke Woodsmith help design and build the addition to their existing home.
A thoughtful renovation honours the integrity of this 115-year-old home. It may not have made financial sense, but undertaking an historically sympathetic renovation to a century home was just common sense for a Goderich-area couple.
In 2001, Oke removed an addition at the rear of the home, leaving only a shell of four walls and the roof rafters intact. The company then gutted the interior, which included removing the original wooden floor joists and installing a Hambro composite floor joist system on the first and second floors. The combination of steel joists and poured concrete allowed for wider rooms and reduced the need for structural supports. Radiant in-floor heating was installed in all three levels of the home
“The most successful renovations are those in which a homeowner and a designer blend their ideas, taking their collective vision to new heights.
That was the experience of an Exeter-area couple who wanted to create a stronger sense of connection between the interior and exterior of their 1 ½-storey, yellow-brick home, which was built about 15 years ago. With their pickled wood finishes, the rooms were dated and didn’t reflect the stately appearance of the exterior.”
