2024 - From dream to reality | From the unhealthiest to the most ecological house in Lac-Beauport

Any renovation requires a good deal of planning and crowns a more or less long-term process. We present projects of various sizes, which could give ideas.

Posted at 12:00 p.m.

Danielle Bonneau
The Press

Dominique Rainville and Mickael Paris had several goals in mind when they started building their house in October 2018 in Lac-Beauport.

They had already braved a terrible storm and were walking a tightrope. Their nightmare began on Christmas morning 2015, when dry rot, a fungus that attacks wood, revealed its presence in their home, a few months after taking possession. The contamination was such that they were forced to tear it down and start from scratch.

It was very difficult on the family, on the couple. My partner had miscarriages, we had our daughter Louna through all that. The objective was to live this project together, from start to finish.

Michael Paris

Communication was one of their lifelines. In order to speak the same language, they took training together during the year preceding the start of construction. A graduate in business management, the environment and green building design, Mickael Paris embarked on self-construction with confidence, since he also has training as a cabinetmaker and carpenter-carpenter. It was important that his wife, physiotherapist and kinesiologist, also be able to measure the importance of the countless decisions they had to make.

They prepared carefully. “I consider that 90% of the project is carried out before doing anything, estimates Mr. Paris. We took the time to assess our needs and brainstorm ideas to make the right choices. This allowed us to write the book of our history before starting. Then we just had to turn the pages. We followed what we had thought upstream, with peace of mind, at all levels. »

Before starting, he also went to consult in psychotherapy. “I wanted to anticipate emotional lows during construction. The stress was high and it was useful to defuse some situations that could have happened. You have to be emotionally stable to be able to make good decisions. »

Before the renovations

PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICKAEL PARIS

Dominique Rainville and Mickael Paris were seduced by the yellow house, located between the ski mountain and the forest, in Lac-Beauport. Their dream ended when they discovered the presence of dry rot, a fungus that attacks wood.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICKAEL PARIS

The contamination was such that the owners were forced to demolish their homes and start from scratch. On October 16, 2018, the mechanical shovel sounded the death knell for the house eaten away by weeping dry rot.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICKAEL PARIS

Mickael Paris has chosen materials that will last a long time and require little maintenance. The roof covering, for example, is made of steel.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICKAEL PARIS

A lot of wood has been salvaged and is found in various forms in the house. The exterior cladding of a house in Lac-Beauport, made of torrefied Douglas fir from Western Canada, now covers a wall of the solarium and part of the entrance hall. The cherry moldings of a building also have a new vocation, as do floor joists converted into benches.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MICKAEL PARIS

Before undertaking the construction of the Phoenix house, Mickael Paris transformed the shed, spared by the weeping dry rot, into a very well organized workshop.

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Six months to rebuild

The construction of the Phoenix House began as soon as their former home was demolished in October 2018. A tight schedule had been established so that they could move in six months later. The family of four was staying with friends. As Mickael was the project manager and devoted all his energy to the project, financial considerations also came into play. He took the opportunity to launch his business, ecoconcept.

From the beginning, it was clear that LEED certification was targeted. “I have confidence in the quality of what I’ve done,” he explains. I also wanted to make sure that I had a certification that could support me and say: “look, he has met all the criteria that are necessary for a level A+ construction”. »

They were aiming for the Gold level, they reached the Platinum level by including a professional component.

Often, we have houses that are way too big for our needs. Having a clinic made it possible to get additional points, because we added another use.

Michael Paris

These globetrotters, who have always traveled lightly, wanted to optimize the space available to them. “We wanted to do something that looks like us. It’s simple, efficient, affordable, and the property requires little maintenance, he points out. The area, 42 ft by 23 ft, is smaller than that of the old house. Slightly more than a quarter of the ground floor is devoted solely to professional use. »

Dominique Rainville and Mickael Paris also wanted to take full advantage of the environment in which they found themselves, which had seduced them in the first place. The very large windows (with triple glazing) give them the impression of being surrounded by nature. The ground floor is flooded with light.

Regularly, during the construction, they gave each other time to go and recharge their batteries in the forest. They came out of it more united, with their children Mahé and Louna, who are now 9 and four and a half years old. “It generated a strength, to go through all this adversity, observes Mickael Paris. For us, it made a lot of sense, that after having the most moldy and rotten house in the village, we would have the most green, ecological and sustainable house. »

Achieving the Platinum level of LEED certification was the ultimate reward, crowning all their efforts.

After the renovations

PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

The ground floor is lined with large windows. The light floods in. The kitchen is open to the dining room and the living room. You can also see the solarium, which was completed in the fall of 2019. French windows give access to it.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

The sun enters through the huge windows and heats the electric radiant slab. There is no basement.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

The ground floor, with an area of 42 feet by 23, has been maximized to meet the needs of the family. There is no window at the end of the living room, since a clinic has been set up on the other side of the wall.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

The concrete slab of the solarium was poured during the construction of the house. Columns and a roof were then installed. All that remained was to put up the walls to enjoy this additional space open to nature all year round. This was done in the fall of 2019.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

Cabinetmaker, carpenter and joiner, Mickael Paris put his love of wood to good use. The torrefied Western Canadian Douglas fir, which gives a lot of character to the solarium, previously covered the exterior of a house in the municipality of Lac-Beauport.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

The solarium is the link between the interior and the exterior.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

Obtaining LEED v4 Platinum certification crowned the couple’s efforts.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

Very sporty, the owners have another shower outside.
PHOTO PASCAL RATTHÉ, SPECIAL COLLABORATION

The landscaping was done in such a way as to earn points under the LEED rating system. Ecological, it requires little maintenance.