There are those people whose appearance is always impeccable. We all know them. Their hairstyle, their clothes, their outfit, everything fits perfectly. It’s a bit like this impression that we had while browsing the house of Isabelle Levac and her husband Normand. Their vast bungalow in Laval is beyond reproach. Nothing clashes, from floor to ceiling. It’s that the couple, who acquired the property in 2018, spent hundreds of hours perfecting it.
Posted at 12:00 p.m.
“When we bought it, we immediately understood that the house had potential,” says Isabelle. But she needed love. We did not hesitate. »
Located near the marina and Lac des Deux Montagnes in the privileged enclave of Laval-sur-le-Lac, the house sits on a “very, very quiet” street corner, says its owner. The land of nearly 20,000 sq.2 is surrounded by greenery, including a high (read huge) cedar hedge that borders the rear part of the perimeter.
If the exteriors have kept their character mid century modern from the early 1960s, the interiors entered modernity. Partitions fell, stones were updated, ceiling beams were painted white, like all surfaces. “The last owners liked one color, beige. And the carpets. They were in every room. And the wallpaper. It was an interesting style, even luxurious, but frozen in the 1980s, when the last renovations had taken place. »
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The vestibule sets the tone for this resolutely very modern residence.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The kitchen island is 8′ long by 5′ wide. Confidence of the owner: “We wanted it big, because despite all the salons in the house, this is where people meet most often! »
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The dining room is the link between the kitchen and the living room.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
It was by removing the panels that covered the hearth that the owners decided to update the stones. Immaculate white, it has become the focal point of the common rooms and sets the tone for the rest of the house.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
There are four bedrooms in a row, this one, at the end of the corridor, is the largest. Each of them has access to a large balcony above the courtyard and the swimming pool.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
This is the parents’ bathroom. It is adjacent to the master bedroom and has an exterior door that leads to the courtyard.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Smaller than the other bedrooms, this one has been transformed into an office by the owner.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
We only see here the concrete part that surrounds the swimming pool, but on the other side of the low wall, there is a large expanse of greenery.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Previously, this space on the ground floor near the swimming pool was used as a storage room. The owners have transformed it into a mini kitchen for guests.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
There are several seating areas in this property. Here, this charming little corner installed near the kitchen.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The basement space is multiple. In addition to the pool table and the card table, there is a gym, a spa, a full bathroom (with access to the courtyard), a storage room, etc.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
It is here, next to the kitchen, that the family likes to spend their evenings. The large openings allow you to find yourself in nature, summer and winter.
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The total
Upon entering, Isabelle knew exactly what she wanted: a new kitchen (with coffee area AND minibar), airy and full of storage, bright rooms, new floor coverings, heated of course, new windows, new doors with pretty ironwork… in short, the total.
Exit the prefinished, the strips of wallpaper that run along the ceiling and the popcorn in the basement.
It all happened. We didn’t think we’d do the same, but you know, when you suffer from the “so much to do” syndrome, it’s easy to let yourself be carried away…
Isabelle Levac, co-owner
With the contribution of a contractor who accompanied them for four years, the couple carried out major work. “There were days when we dismantled the scaffold to make a dining table! At 5 p.m., it was happy hour, even though we were in the middle of the gallons of paint. During this period, the two sons of the family preferred to live with their aunt who lives 400 m away. We understand them.
The demolition revealed a few surprises. “By removing one of the partitions between the dining room and the living room, we discovered that the foyer was covered with the same stones as those of the exterior facades. We removed the wooden panels that hid them and painted them. The foyer, in the center, now defines the main floor with its immaculate white. Speaking of paint, some elements took up to 12 coats to adequately cover.
Unfortunately, the ceiling slats of part of the ground floor could not be recovered, they were too damaged. “We covered those that were damaged with gypsum, but we kept the others that only needed a thorough cleaning,” explains Isabelle. In three of the four bedrooms on the ground floor as well as in the laundry room, the ceilings have retained the wooden slats so typical of constructions of this period.
Backyard at the madmen
If the storefront plunges us into the universe of madmen with its half-moon driveway and large openings, the backyard truly takes us back to that era.
In this space split in two by a rounded rectangular stone wall housing a fireplace and an oven, we find on one side the essential lawn and its shrubs and on the other, a kidney-shaped inground pool, very fashionable during the 1960s. The ground floor allows you to leave the games room to reach the edges of the swimming pool. This room houses a spa, a gym, a small kitchen, a bathroom and a large room for playing cards or billiards. A definite asset for the couple’s twins who have often partied in this space.
Now that the adult children have left their house, the parents find it very big. Their project is to transform Isabelle’s parents’ home into an intergenerational residence. The grandparents live nearby, a few meters from the golf course and opposite the house of the aunt who had hosted the twins. “We will all be together and we will have more time to play golf! »
The property in brief
Asking price: $1,879,000
Year of construction: 1964, renovated in 2008
Rooms: 16 rooms including 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 1 powder room, 2 gas fireplaces, spa, inground pool with outdoor fireplace
Land area: 19,550 sq.ft.2
Municipal assessment: $1,031,300
Property tax: $7315
School tax: $900
Broker: Erick Véziau, RE/MAX 2001