From dream to reality | Long work that is worth it

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

Antoni Forgues has always cherished the dream of transforming a house with solid foundations, in need of renovation, into an architect’s residence. He fell in love with a spacious, almost century-old duplex on the edge of the Plateau, in Montreal, in 2015, while jogging. He managed to convince his partner, Sue Kwan, to embark on the adventure, by promising her that she would have the kitchen of her dreams. The path to achieving their goals has been bumpy, but they are now happy with the results.

“You have to be careful what you wish for,” emphasizes Antoni Forgues. My dream sometimes turned into a nightmare. We were forced to do much more extensive work than we thought, because after we bought the house, there was a drought and the land subsided. The foundation, which we thought was solid, was not. A lot of money was spent to resolve the problem. Once that was behind us, in 2021, we were able to focus on what we wanted to do all along, which was renovating the kitchen to Sue’s liking. »

They embarked on major work, transforming the ground floor of the building, built for a religious congregation in 1929. It was partitioned and dark. A corridor was between the living room and the kitchen, lined with walls. There was also neither a bathroom nor direct access to the courtyard, located to the side of the house.

“We wanted it to be much more conducive to family life and much more pleasant, with a large island,” adds her husband. For the same reasons, we replaced a window in the kitchen with a French window to easily access the courtyard. Before, you had to go through the front door. We had barbecues twice a year. »

The 1^er May 2021, they moved into the upstairs accommodation, which had become available, with their three children, London, Pénélope and Lili, who are now 10, 12 and 14 years old respectively.

What in the optimistic mind of Antoni Forgues was supposed to take two months ultimately stretched over more than a year. The family returned to their quarters on June 22, 2022. The pandemic and the labor shortage only partly explain the duration of the work. These have taken on a scale that was not initially anticipated.

“As we demolished everything in the kitchen, removed walls and had a 22-foot-long beam installed, we took the opportunity to renovate the electrical system, redo certain walls, install an air conditioning system in the ceiling, insulate and waterproof a few walls, soundproof the ceiling, remove almost all of the carpet, repair the floor, fit out a new bathroom,” lists the owner.

Sue Kwan chose Taraneh Khaleghi, co-founder and artistic director of the Accordéon Architecture agency, to design a modern kitchen, which fits harmoniously into the almost century-old house. The architect also guided the owners in their efforts with their district so that they could enjoy the side yard, in complete privacy. As the house is located on a major thoroughfare, it was important that they be able to install a fence.

Antoni Forgues took charge of project management, for better and for worse. “I had no experience and I didn’t plan anything,” he admits. I looked for workers as we needed them and decided to do new work. »

“We wanted it to be done once and for all,” explains Sue Kwan. The renovations took a long time, but it takes time when you want to preserve old elements, like the ceiling moldings and the floor. »

The couple entrusted the creation and installation of the kitchen to Ébénisterie Les Boisseliers, acquired a few years ago by Jacques Forgues, the father of Antoni Forgues. The latter salutes the know-how of his two brothers, who work in the family business. “They almost performed a miracle because the floor and walls are crooked,” he explains.

His planning was flawed, but he was right when he budgeted $250,000. He and his partner have found a thousand and one ways to save money to respect it, for example having the floor repaired rather than replacing it and buying household appliances at a discount. Antoni Forgues also did a lot of work himself.

The businessman has another dream, that of adding a glass floor to admire the city and live in a modern space to his liking, for Sue and him. He will then divide the ground floor into two apartments. But it’s not coming soon. Two major renovations in a row, that’s enough for now.