“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.’”
City dwellers who vacation in northern Ontario appreciate the sense of tranquillity a lakeside setting instills in them. One London couple decided they wanted to capture that feeling year-round.
Oke Woodsmith designed the home for privacy, which was a challenge on a relatively small lot in a subdivision. They situated the functional areas – the elevator, pantry, laundry room, two-piece bathroom and a walk-in closet – at the front of the home. A hallway separates those rooms from the main living area, which faces the lake and stretches the full width of the home. It incorporates a master bedroom retreat, a two-storey great room and a kitchen-dining area.
Take a simple design and create a masterpeice, this home was popular as one of the dream homes in the London Hospital Lotteries.
Instead of having a house that you’re limited to, why not design this in and then have your house available to you indefinitely? Most of our clients feel it’s going to be an investment in a home that they won’t have to move out of and a necessity, possibly, down the road.
“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.
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The exterior of the home resembles a one-floor plan, inspired by Craftsman design. It features a combination of natural Owen Sound ledgerock, quarried in the Wiarton area, and cedar shingle siding, both chosen for their low-maintenance qualities. Two stone piers at the front entry anchor massive timber frame posts joined by an arch. Copper rain chains hang from the corners of the eaves, giving the home a distinctly Asian appearance. The rain chains act as an alternative to downspouts by breaking the fall of the water and guiding it downward, preventing ice from forming in the eavestroughs.
Because the kit allowed for flexibility in the layout of the interior walls, Oke designed the rooms to take advantage of the beauty of the structural logs. They face all of the exterior perimeter walls and are also used as ceiling beams and massive structural supports. Concrete floors throughout the home are warmed with radiant in-floor heat and finished with engineered maple flooring, which decreases the possibility of shrinkage inherent in natural hardwoods. Radiant in-floor heat also heats the home through a boiler system.
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.
