Large rooms, a large plot of land and a garage, this is what charmed Julie Conseiller and Denis Saillant when they bought the house located in the Montchâtel district, in Quebec, in 2006. The couple was also seduced by the decor set in the 1970s, whose look is still relevant today.
Julie Conseiller and Denis Saillant already lived in the Montchâtel district when they bought the house 17 years ago. They were parents of three young children and they were short on space.
“My parents had just moved to a condo,” remembers M.me Advise. The family home became ours. »
They never lacked space, especially for entertaining.
The immense living room has already hosted a reception of 50 people. The house could accommodate even more people, notes the owner.
Since all the rear rooms have a French door opening onto the terrace, when they are opened in summer, the surface area is doubled.
The exterior floor is covered with the same tiles as the interior. The effect of grandeur is thus amplified.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
The walls covered with wooden slats betray the age of the house. Quality materials made to last.
The choice of materials
The terracotta-colored hexagonal tiles, the interior walls covered in wood and the green granite kitchen counter betray the age of the house, built in 1974. It is precisely the quality of the materials chosen at the time that convinced Denis Saillant to buy.
There are no knots in the wooden planks that cover the living room’s cathedral ceiling. These are the kinds of details that we no longer see today.
Denis Saillant, co-owner of the residence
This large piece of 50 m2 is bathed in the sun from midday until the end of the day. The mature trees on the land and the height difference also provide privacy.
In the kitchen, a propane oven with six rings has an industrial hood. On the wall, a control panel allows you to choose the source of the air intake, so that the wood fireplace installed in the room can be used at the same time as the hood.
This double-sided fireplace separates the kitchen from a boudoir where the owners have installed the television. “I like that there is no TV in the living room where I receive visitors,” adds Mme Advise.
Annexed to the kitchen, the laundry room includes a counter and a sink. The room thus becomes an extension of the kitchen to hide dirty dishes and small appliances when the visitor arrives.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
It was the architect Alfred Martel who signed the plans for this house.
“I missed my vocation,” she continues. I would have liked to be an architect. I bought an architect-designed house instead. » Alfred Martel, architect from Quebec, signed the original plans of 1974 as well as those of the expansion carried out six years later.
Children’s happiness
Upstairs, the surface area of the master bedroom, 20 m2, is impressive for a building from the 1970s. The couple installed a reading corner and a make-up area. The room also includes a large hallway-wardrobe type walk-in accessible by two doors.
“The children had so much fun running around in this room,” recalls the owner.
In one of the children’s rooms, another place has multiplied laughter and memories: a hiding place. The room had two wardrobes, one of which did not go down to the floor. The parents removed the doors and placed a mattress on the floor for the greatest pleasure of the little ones.
The fourth bedroom on the first floor is accessible only by crossing the third. This arrangement might displease some families. The owners had also considered building a corridor to isolate the two bedrooms. Instead, they chose to put the two boys in the same room and convert the other into a playroom. Now that the children are gone, it has been converted into an office.
PHOTO EDOUARD PLANTE-FRÉCHETTE, LA PRESS
A camouflaged hatch in the living room floor provides access to storage located on the garden level where the owners store firewood.
No basement
The house does not have a basement, but a garden level located under the living room. “The garage, the living room, the boys’ bedroom and the garden level are part of the expansion carried out in 1980 by the former owner,” explains Mr. Saillant.
When purchased, the downstairs room was used as a bedroom. Over the years, this space has had several uses. It now serves as a cloakroom accessible directly through an independent door on the front.
Another storage space is located on the garden level. It includes a cedar wardrobe and an unfinished wine cellar.
Now that the children are gone, the couple still enjoy entertaining. However, he no longer needs such a large space on a daily basis. He hopes another family will fall in love with it.
The property in brief
Asking price: $699,000
Municipal assessment: $520,000
Year of construction: 1974
Rooms: 18, including 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms
Area of the main building: 275 m2
Land area: 865 m2
Property tax: $5,279
School tax: $243