Jacinthe Paiement and Benoit Le Blanc waited a long time before carrying out the necessary work in a duplex dating from 1948, in Villeray. He was thinking big, but she had one foot on the brake, until they had no choice but to act.
“Benoit wanted to demolish everything on the ground floor and in the basement to make an extension,” she explains. We had 900 square feet per floor, which wasn’t too bad for our two children and us, and I thought the basement was still OK, with the bathroom redone in 2012. I agreed because that everything had to be torn out from the back anyway. »
It was necessary to redo the brick, the balconies and the stairs and change the windows. The plumbing and electricity also had to be redone. Once we agreed on how far we were going, we teamed up together.
Jacinta Payment
In 2018, they started working on plans with a friend, who is an architect. A year later, they contacted a structural engineer, who produced the plans submitted to the borough in November 2020. They obtained their permit in July 2021, just before the start of the demolition work, on 1er august.
They had the yard dug. The foundations were extended across the entire width of the house, 30 ft (9.1 m) by 12 ft (3.6 m) deep, adding 360 ft2 (33.4m2) in the basement and on the ground floor. Upstairs, the area above the extension has become the tenants’ terrace.
“It’s especially the common spaces that we have enlarged, because we like to entertain,” says M.me Payment. We have big families and music is part of our lives. My boyfriend is a musician and singer, and our son is in the Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal. We wanted the piano to be at the heart of the house.
“The goal was to make each room more efficient and have more storage space,” she continues. We have a walk-in and a bathroom attached to our room. There is also a small bathroom on the ground floor. We gained comfort by installing a heat pump, a ventilation system and a heated floor in the basement, where the children’s bedrooms are located, a large room with a ping-pong table and a bathroom. »
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OWNERS
The land at the back was leveled and the foundations were dug, under the watchful eye of Benoit Le Blanc.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OWNERS
Before the work, the ground floor was partitioned. The kitchen was much less functional than now.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OWNERS
This is what the back of the duplex looked like before the work.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OWNERS
Like the other members of the family, Charlotte has shown resilience.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OWNERS
Every day, Jacinthe Paiement provided her share of efforts to help the work progress. Inside, blowing away dust was a challenge in itself.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OWNERS
Family members stuck together during the work, keeping their goals in sight. Émilien seemed to enjoy this moment, between heaven and earth.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OWNERS
The work was far from finished on December 19, 2021, when the family returned to their home. Despite the mess, Jacinthe Paiement wanted to decorate a tree, so that Christmas would be festive.
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A family involved in the work
The owners wanted to follow the work closely. They rented an apartment in the area for tenants, then they moved in upstairs with their children Émilien and Charlotte, who were then 11 and 9 years old. They continued to work full time. While she made sure everything went smoothly (back to school, Halloween, concerts, children’s hockey, etc.) and fought daily against dust, he saw to the smooth running of the site, coordinating the trades. Benoit Le Blanc is also a painter and joint shooter. At every stage, he was hands-on. And he had to face many unforeseen events, largely caused by the pandemic.
“It was quite a challenge to complete the tenants’ accommodation and ours in such a short time frame,” he reveals. In their home, each room was touched. At one point, we focused on allowing them to come back. »
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Charlotte and Émilien are with their parents, Jacinthe Paiement and Benoit Le Blanc. The swing was installed under the terrace, on the garden level. Next to the shed, a French window gives access to the basement.
What was supposed to last two months took four. “The tenants were extraordinary,” emphasizes M.me Payment. On December 19, we went down, then they returned home. We had no doors, we had one sink throughout the house. We were camping, but we made ourselves a Christmas tree. We were really happy to have space, because upstairs it was a mess with the tenants’ belongings and ours. We were happy to have our home back, even if it wasn’t finished. We agreed to swallow a little dust for a few more months. »
“We had objectives,” adds Benoit Le Blanc. We had to deal with shortages and delays, and turn around to deal with the situations. Our friend Patrick Mallette, who is a specialized contractor, helped us a lot to hire the workers and prepare things for the next day, so that we didn’t waste time. »
Seeing the price spike before starting the work, they wondered if they were completely crazy. The high price of houses in their neighborhood convinced them to persevere. “We made a custom house,” says Jacinthe Paiement.
“We wanted a house that would suit everyone,” adds Benoit Le Blanc, proud to point out that they never quarreled.
“The trick is to always say that the other person is right,” he explains.
And, she adds, knowing when to let go.
In short
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Music being part of family life, a special place has been reserved for the piano, at the heart of the house. The space where it is located is open to the kitchen and its unifying island.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The owners had a raised terrace built, with direct access to the kitchen. Above the kitchen, fitted out in the extension, is the tenants’ terrace.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
In summer, the terrace is an extension of the kitchen, which is bathed in light. The homeowners opted for a refrigerator and freezer placed side by side, totaling 68 inches. A coffee corner has also been set up.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
On the ground floor, the owners now have a bathroom adjoining their bedroom (at the back). Between the two is a stylish wardrobe walk-in.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
From the alley, the duplex of Jacinthe Paiement and Benoit Le Blanc stands out from neighboring properties.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
Charlotte has her room in the basement (here), just like her brother Émilien.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The staircase leading to the basement has been moved. It is now located between the living room and the kitchen.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
A powder room was added to the ground floor.
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PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, THE PRESS
The owners’ terrace is raised. Below, the owners have access to the basement, located on the garden level, as well as a shed.
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Duration of the main works: four months (from 1er August to December 19, 2021)
Project: extension 30 ft (9.1 m) long by 12 ft (3.6 m) wide (basement and ground floor)
Initial budget: approximately $400,000
Total cost: $700,000 (including the courtyard and terrace)
Essential: a large space for entertaining, where the piano would go
Another essential: a bright kitchen
An unforeseen event: Jacinthe Paiement and her son having caught COVID, the work was paralyzed on a few occasions.
Surprise: cost overruns
General contractor: Martin Charbonneau, Marcha Construction