Posted at 12:00 p.m.
On this Thursday afternoon at the end of summer, the children are playing in the alley with their friends, or rather the street-alley that is Avenue de Chateaubriand in the Plateau. The main entrance to their century-old house may be located on rue Saint-Hubert, but it’s behind it: where their courtyard, their alley, their friends and even their school are.
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The family in the beloved alley: parents Virginie Morin and Maxime Brunelle, with their children Valentine and Morgane. Absent from the photo: Romeo, who was at daycare that day!
However, the parents, Maxime Brunelle and Virginie Morin, almost had to abandon the neighborhood for lack of space in their ground floor triplex. They did have an old garage in the yard, topped with a small attic that could be used as storage, but that wasn’t enough anymore. “We were starting to feel a little cramped,” says Maxime, father of Valentine, 13, Morgane, 9, and Romeo, 5. We were looking for something a little bigger, we visited elsewhere in Montreal, and even on the South Shore… But when we happened to chat with Marc at a family gathering, he said: “Ah, there may be possibilities that you haven’t seen.” »
Marc is Marc Blouin, uncle of Virginie and also architect co-founder of the firm Blouin Orzes. He saw the potential of the old garage, especially since we already had access to it through the house. “It had lived, but on the other hand, it had an interesting quality: it was a garage of almost two floors. »
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The extension was built on the right-of-way of the old garage. The sliding door still leads to a garage, but… for bicycles rather. Upstairs, we built a room for the eldest.
“I went for a little tour of the Plateau borough,” continues the architect. He knew he had a project in his hands when the borough confirmed that it was possible to demolish the garage, rebuild it on two floors and dig a basement. Even better than expected!
PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
Marc Blouin, architect
The idea, at the start, was to have a family room. But when we learned that we could build on two floors, it was like a real bonus… And then by digging, it allows for storage, which is another plus.
Marc Blouin, architect
Digging down and building up made it possible to add several missing functions all at once: a family room, a bedroom for the older one, storage space in the basement, and even a bicycle garage.
However, the project has had its share of challenges, and everything is measured to the nearest millimetre. Thus, even if it was possible to build a second floor, the architect was very limited in height. Among other technical feats, he designed a ceiling made of small wooden slats which, in addition to having an original look, has the advantage of taking up very little space. “We stretched the height to the max. We found a way to make the roof like a small sandwich, in order to have the thinnest possible roof and a habitable room. »
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The family room is very popular with friends. The flight of stairs leads to Valentine’s bedroom upstairs.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLOUIN ORZES ARCHITECTES
The architect Marc Blouin managed to integrate a bedroom on the second floor, despite the limited space, to the delight of the eldest of the family.
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PHOTO MARCO CAMPANOZZI, THE PRESS
The alley dotted with grasses allows you to go directly from the courtyard to the alley. Through the door, you can see the white brick wall, which was the old exterior wall.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLOUIN ORZES ARCHITECTES
The roof of the extension creates a terrace for the apartment above. The fire escape has also been moved a little further.
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The courtyard has also been redesigned according to the new configuration. The roof of the extension had the advantage of creating a terrace for the apartment above. We also moved one of the fire escapes, in compliance with (many) regulations.
All this without touching — or almost — the original apartment. Indeed, the only clue to the intervention remains the hole made in a wall of the kitchen, which leads to the extension. The additional bedroom therefore enjoys great privacy. A little cocoon where Valentine loves to receive her friends!
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BLOUIN ORZES ARCHITECTES
The expansion seen from the alley
Precisely, that day, a friend is in the yard with the family. And it’s always like that, confirm the parents, who are very happy. “It’s fun, the children are here all the time, it’s the rallying point. We like there to be action”, says Virginie in the middle of the whirlwind. “We want it to continue like this,” adds Maxime.
Unfortunately, the youngest was conspicuous by his absence, since that day marked his last day of daycare. The next day, Romeo also started school, just behind the alley. And the wheel keeps turning. “We still have a couple of years to go… and that was the plan! concludes Virginie.