On Chemin du Bord-du-Lac-Lakeshore in Dorval, an ancestral house erected on an enchanting site is magnified by a contemporary construction equipped with a footbridge worthy of a time machine.
The Dr Hai Nguyen and his wife acquired this land inhabited by a heritage house 13 years ago. “We absolutely wanted to be at the water’s edge because we have always loved it, it’s serene and it allows you to completely forget the worries of work,” he emphasizes.
The couple fell in love with this place planted with mature trees, which has the advantage of not being flood-proof since it is on a hillock. Initially, it was a large plot of land that a Chinese developer divided in two to build a large house. “He didn’t know how to deal with the restrictions of a heritage building, which is why he decided to sell the part where it was located. The house was falling into disrepair, but we wanted to renovate it while retaining its historic character,” continues the orthopedic surgeon.
Family needs also required an expansion to accommodate the parents of the Dr Nguyen full-time, as well as his grandparents who visited them in the summer.
Furthermore, it was important to plan the space so that the children could stay close to both their parents and their grandparents. “We are both doctors and sometimes work on-call at the same time, which involves 24-hour absences. Ideally, the children’s rooms had to be in the same building as my parents’, but at the same time close to us. »
The couple then contacted the architect Henri Cleinge, because he really liked his modern houses and wanted to know his suggestions. “We wanted open spaces with large windows and Henri Cleinge offered us something very contemporary. Also, he started from the principle that the best way to highlight heritage is not to try to replicate it,” specifies the Dr Nguyen.
Henri Cleinge therefore imagined a building with current architecture connected by a footbridge to the ancestral home. For the owner, it’s a way of leaving the mark of our times without trampling on what existed.
This bridge amazes visitors as soon as they cross it, because they pass from an extremely glassy, up-to-date universe to a mysterious corridor clad in stone in the old part. “It’s impressive, because we have the feeling of being in a machine that travels through time,” enthuses the owner.
Well-thought-out planning
The ground floor of the expansion includes common areas for parents and their children, while the master suite occupies the upper level. From there, the footbridge provides access to the children’s bedrooms located on the first floor of the old house, the first level of which is entirely intended for grandparents. They have all their spaces there, including their living room, their dining room, their kitchen, their bathroom as well as two bedrooms, one of which, formerly intended for guests, is now converted into an office.
The big advantage is that the children’s rooms are on the same floor as ours at the end of the bridge, but at the same time, when we are not there, they are in my parents’ building; their way of life is therefore not disrupted.
The Dr Hai Nguyen, co-owner
“It’s ideal for professionals who have to be away, because the children don’t have to be transported elsewhere,” says the surgeon. It works very well, it’s very harmonious, but everyone preserves their privacy, like with neighbors. »
Although the style of the two houses is decidedly distinct, majestic wooden beams and white walls unite them inside.
The activities on the estate are not left out, since, in addition to the breathtaking swimming pool and access to the lake, the property has a cinema room and an exercise space located in the basement of the building. recent.
The call of the city
Today, the children have grown up and their interests have changed, since they especially appreciate life in an urban environment. “My senior studies medicine and does a lot of internships at the CHUM. We therefore purchased an even older building in the Old Port of Montreal which we are in the process of restoring and expanding to move there soon. We will miss the land by the water a lot, but it will be different and still pleasant,” concludes the Dr Hai Nguyen, who made sure her mother was her neighbor again.
Consult the property file
The property in brief
Asking price: $5,850,000
Municipal assessment: $3,160,900
Year of construction: 1846 (ancestral house) and 2011 (contemporary house)
Land area: 3207 m2
Total living area: 511.1 m2
Property tax: $13,832
School tax: $2737
Brokers: Geoffroy Barrette, The Agency Montréal, Marie-Noëlle Nadeau, Profusion Immobilier, Christina Miller, Profusion Immobiliers