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.
Constructed of textured grey stone, the front of the home features a recessed entry flanked by a round Victorian-style covered porch supported by four columns. A side entry connects the home with a two-car garage faced in pine board-and-batten siding.
Oke spent a year with the couple planning their home, which is constructed of Insulated Concrete Forms and heated with radiant in-floor heat. The result is a stunning lakeside residence that features large, airy rooms within a surprisingly small square footage. Square-cut limestone tiles in shades of tan and stone, used throughout both levels, convey the sense of a tropical retreat. The tiles provide a neutral contrast to the vibrant walls, rich woods and wrought iron that form a consistent theme throughout the home.
An innovative floorplan ensures this home’s relevance for years to come When homeowners intend to remain in a house indefinitely, the stakes are much higher during the design process. They want to ensure the floorplan and the features they incorporate will see them through several stages of life. That was the situation that faced David […]
Oke’s aim in designing the exterior was to evoke the spirit of a well-built 50- or 60-year-old cottage. He chose natural materials suited to that era, including Owen Sound ledge rock paired with maintenance-free B.C. red cedar shingles and a steeply pitched cedar shingle roof.
Determining the optimum location for a home on a property is a critical part of the design process – particularly when there are outstanding views of forests, rivers and ravines to take into consideration.
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 Merrywood, truly spectacular! The original Hottage…
“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.”
The home, with its rustic pine timbers and open-concept design, appealed to the couple who had purchased a lot high on a bluff overlooking Lake Huron in St. Joseph, north of Grand Bend. They believed a timber frame home’s natural materials and relaxed floorplan mirrored their own way of life.
