2025 - From dream to reality | Bringing a century-old house back to life

Any renovation requires a good dose of planning. We introduce projects of various sizes, which could give ideas.

Updated November 10

Several reasons prompted Étienne Vigneron to buy a century-old house in very poor condition, in Waterloo, in 2019. His limited budget weighed heavily in his decision, as did his desire to give it a second life, by leveraging his expertise in the construction of highly energy efficient houses.

“It was a personal challenge, but also a way of showing that with a little vision, we can transform a dump into a beautiful, ecological and efficient house, with an accessible budget,” explains the 36-year-old entrepreneur, who started in the construction field in 2008 as a carpenter and turned to green construction in 2014, following training in Toronto to build buildings according to “passive house” principles (Passivhaus).

After doing this, there’s not much that stresses me out anymore. I grew a lot through this project started during the pandemic, when everyone was on edge. I have gained wisdom and maturity.

Étienne Vigneron

He knew from the start that he would have to completely redo the century-old house, which had been moved in the 1980s and placed on new foundations. Since he had founded his company ÉcoNovation around the same time, in 2020, it went without saying for him that the home would be renovated to meet the standards of a passive house.

“I tore everything out, salvaging what I could put back,” he explains. Everything has been redone with durable and high-performance materials. I put a steel roof and triple glass windows. I insulated the house from the outside using the Larsen Truss double frame wall technique. The big advantage is that we have continuous insulation and sealing. There are no thermal bridges and we are assured of super high energy efficiency. In addition, I just used materials with a low environmental footprint. The 12-inch-thick walls were insulated with rock wool. The house stays cool in the summer and it doesn’t even cost $400 a year in heating costs. »

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ÉTIENNE VIGNERON

This is what the kitchen looked like when we bought the house in 2019.

He also took on the challenge of optimizing the space, without expanding it. The ground floor, first floor and basement have retained their surface area of 600 sq. ft.^⁠2(55.7m^⁠2). “It’s possible to have a compact house, which is still spacious and user-friendly,” he believes. I moved the staircase to the center so as not to have a corridor upstairs. Then I converted the basement so that it was ready to become a separate apartment. I thought about this during the COVID-19 crisis, thinking that maybe my mother could move there. I excavated the back of the house and built stone walls so that it could be accessed through an exterior door. »

He often turned to his relatives to shelter him when the house was uninhabitable.

I did the majority of the work alone, and occasionally with members of my team, in the evenings, during weekends and during the confinement period. The police even checked if I was the owner of the house and that I had the right to work!

Étienne Vigneron

A soul

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ÉTIENNE VIGNERON

The house, which has a double frame, was insulated from the outside using a system of joists known as “Larsen Truss”. The structure therefore has no thermal bridges and makes it possible to aim for high energy efficiency.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ÉTIENNE VIGNERON

Étienne Vigneron noticed, while demolishing the staircase, that it had been made using wooden pallet boards. The “Fragile” message was still clearly visible.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ÉTIENNE VIGNERON

Étienne Vigneron discovered Gizèle Laliberté’s CD in the structure of the floor. “Gizèle sings about the taste for living, a bit like this century-old house, which changed location in the 1980s and then has another life under my hands,” he says. She wants to live! »

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He wasn’t able to salvage much, other than the original floor structure on the ground floor. He removed the boards one by one and reinstalled them on the ceiling, when he created the structure of the floor of the first floor. A few boards serve as shelves at the bottom of the windows. As for the antique-looking parquet flooring on the ground floor, it is made of maple slats from a Montreal condo.

Being one of the experts in ecological housing at the Solution ERA training center, he believes that the renovation of such a home echoes the major challenges of society, both environmental, economic and social (by countering the isolation of the elderly ).

As his personal life is taking a new direction, he has decided to sell the house this fall. Buyers share the same environmental values as him and appreciate the quality of his work, he is delighted.

“It’s a compact house that has a lot of character. They liked all the love I put into it, he explains. There are lots of nice touches. The staircase is spectacular, with light streaming through. »

It’s a passion for me. It’s inconceivable that I would do a simple and standard, cubic gypsum project. I like to work with materials and then transform them to create inspiring, comfortable living spaces where you feel good.

Étienne Vigneron

He estimates he has given an additional 100 years to the century-old house, which has retained its soul. “It is the next generations who will benefit from it and who will benefit from a healthy and comfortable home, with very little maintenance costs,” he points out. Which gives him great pride.

In short

PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS

Étienne Vigneron tore out everything inside and salvaged what he could put back to good use. Elements of the original floor structure on the ground floor are visible on the ceiling. They are now part of the floor structure of the floor above.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS

Étienne Vigneron moved the staircase to the center of the house in order to optimize space. He made the staircase with cherry wood, bought at the hardware store.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS

Each level has an area of 600 ft^⁠2 (55.7m^⁠2). Étienne Vigneron believes that a compact house can be spacious and welcoming.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS

A maple floor from a Montreal condo was recovered and re-enhanced on the ground floor.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS

The house, insulated from the outside, has a double frame. This explains why the walls are 12 inches (30 cm) thick. The shelf at the bottom of the window (triple-glazed) comes from the original floor structure on the ground floor.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS

The reclaimed wooden planks, which form the ceiling of the ground floor, contribute to the charm of the house, which has preserved its soul.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS

Upstairs, a small passage at the top of the staircase leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom. Here is one of the two bedrooms.