Sharon Ogilvie and Stéphane Beauchamp were thinking of their old age when they bought a second piece of land in Bolton-Est in 2017. Both in the construction industry, they took advantage of their respective strengths to create a country house in their image, which will generate some rental income. Aiming for LEED Gold certification was one of the challenges they set themselves.
Together since their studies in architectural technology at the Cégep du Vieux Montréal 30 years ago, they have taken various paths at university: she opted for environmental design, while he chose engineering construction. Having founded their company Habitat-Fix some fifteen years ago, they were ready to embark on a project which they led from A to Z, taking charge of the design and management of the site, carrying out part of the work and almost all of the finishing work, including making the concrete kitchen counters themselves.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Sharon Ogilvie used her experience to design the country house that she helped build with her husband, Stéphane Beauchamp, and gave it a soul. Both have put their hands in the dough, to have a home in their image.
“Preparation is key for any project, big or small,” says Sharon Ogilvie. If things aren’t aligned, if we don’t have a plan, we won’t know what to do when something unexpected happens. And it always happens. »
Ecological house
They began drawing up the plans for their country house in 2017, thinking about it day and night and making multiple modifications, until construction began in 2021, in the midst of a pandemic. In the meantime, they have taken courses offered by Écohabitation, in order to aim for LEED Gold certification (just awarded).
“We wanted to have fun, Sharon and I, by building an ecological house,” says Stéphane Beauchamp.
As it is a self-construction, it was also important to have a seal that proves that the building is well made. We were guided. We had a pre-construction meeting to ensure that the design included the various LEED criteria.
Stéphane Beauchamp, owner
“There was a visit before the gypsum was laid to check the mechanical components and do a blower door test,” he adds. And there was a post-construction visit to ensure that everything had been respected. Insulation, sealing, glazing, all this means that we have a quality construction, which is not energy-intensive. The electricity consumption is around $100 per month, not including the electric car. »
Complying with the requirements of the LEED system has not always been easy, recognizes Sharon Ogilvie. For example, they were desperate to find a WaterSense-certified low-consumption toilet with a clean design and easy maintenance that fit their budget. “Fortunately, during the process, Produits Neptune sought certification,” she says. The toilets are also manufactured here, in Saint-Hyacinthe. »
Follow closely
They followed orders very closely. But it was worth it. “We didn’t miss a minute because of a lack of materials,” emphasizes Stéphane Beauchamp. We had everything in time and before. Écohabitation had suggested having a site container, 20 feet long, to store everything. The door was locked with a big padlock and that was very helpful. We had the windows and the IKEA furniture in there for a month, we had the hardwood floors for a few months. You have no idea of everything we bought at Costco along the way, because in addition to building it, we had to equip that chalet. We took what we needed as we went. »
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY STÉPHANE BEAUCHAMP
For the owners, it was important to use everything that came from the trees that were felled. Two sawyers came to cut 1″ and 2″ boards. These were used, among other things, to make the steps for the stairs, the furniture, part of the gallery and the lights.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY STÉPHANE BEAUCHAMP
Stéphane Beauchamp (in the center of the photo) fabricated the roof structure with the contractor Christian Ledoux and his son André Ledoux (who can be seen on the right). A lack of materials forced them to build the old fashioned way.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY STÉPHANE BEAUCHAMP
Some of the wood from the trees became firewood.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY STÉPHANE BEAUCHAMP
The owners made the worktops themselves, out of concrete. They cast the five sections they needed in molds in the kitchen.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY STÉPHANE BEAUCHAMP
Stéphane Beauchamp worked a lot on the site. His experience served him at all stages of the construction of the house.
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PHOTO PROVIDED BY STÉPHANE BEAUCHAMP
Stéphane Beauchamp cast the steel with which he shaped the structure of the bunk beds, installed in the mezzanine.
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It was important to them to use everything that came from the trees that were felled. “Nothing came out of the yard,” reveals Stéphane Beauchamp proudly. Two sawyers came to cut 1″ and 2″ boards. We used it to make the steps for our stairs, furniture, part of the gallery, lighting. It was very important for us to use wood to remind us of the existence of the wooded land. »
They are fully committed, settling in their trailer near the site from Friday evening to Tuesday evening to work there. They salute the competence and open-mindedness of the entrepreneur Christian Ledoux, who found solutions with them when problems arose.
“Despite all the surprises we had and the COVID extras, we have a cost overrun of 10% compared to the initial budget for 2018, notes with satisfaction Sharon Ogilvie. It took a lot of research, negotiation and economic gymnastics on the part of the entrepreneur. »
They remember with laughter the insulating wool they installed in the walls to respect their budget. They learned a lot from this first experience. They are already thinking about the next house, which they intend to build not far away.
In short
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The spruce paneling that covers a very large wall and the cathedral ceiling give a lot of warmth to the second floor, where the living room and the kitchen are located. The spruce paneling comes from a sawmill in Ayer’s Cliff. The same gasoline was used as the exterior coating.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The round windows give a touch of originality to the country house, nicknamed BulleTon. Sharon Ogilvie conducted countless experiments using a computer program to achieve the desired bubble effect.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The kitchen is under the mezzanine. Stéphane Beauchamp notably assembled and installed IKEA brand kitchen cabinets and cabinets. The owners went to the church of Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides to find some benches and give them a new life in their dining room.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The kitchen is open to the living room. The worktop of the island, in deep black, is made of concrete. The owners are very proud of it, since they made it themselves.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The concrete countertop is made up of two pieces, each weighing 250 lbs (113 kg). The weight influenced the decision to cast the concrete in two identical moulds, rather than just one.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
On the mezzanine, a partition separates two open rooms, each with two bunk beds (a double bed below and a single bed above). Stéphane Beauchamp cast the steel with which he shaped the structure of the beds.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The master bedroom is on the ground floor. Stéphane Beauchamp made the bench, under the flat screen TV. He welded the steel. The wood used comes from a tree cut on site.
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PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
This bathroom with a bathtub is located on the mezzanine. There is a WaterSense-certified low water consumption toilet, with a sleek design and easy to maintain, from the Quebec company Produits Neptune.
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Cost (land included): $500,000
Uncounted hours spent on the project: priceless
Start of design: 2017
Duration of works: 15 months (from May 2021 to the end of August 2022)
Essentials: oiled hardwood floors, wood paneling on one wall and the cathedral ceiling (inside), exterior cladding in local spruce, large covered gallery to admire nature sheltered from the rain, skirt (with clean design), smart home
Another must: use wood from trees felled on site.