From dream to reality | Metamorphosis of a condo in Orford

Any renovation requires a good deal of planning and crowns a long-term process. Once a month, we will discover projects of various sizes that could give ideas.

Danielle Bonneau
The Press

Louise Laferrière and Gilles Drouin were seduced by the Domaine des Cèdres, in Orford, even before buying their condominium there. As guests, they played tennis and bathed there for a summer. When they heard that a condo was going to be put up for sale, Ms.^me Laferrière was the first to want to buy it. Before committing, Mr. Drouin set one condition: they had to renovate and expand the accommodation.

Initially, Louise Laferrière had no intention of embarking on major work. But she surrendered to the arguments of her husband, who found the place too small. It must be said that they had been living for nine years in a spacious house in Eastman, which they had made to their liking. But the maintenance of the property, on a plot of three acres, was beginning to weigh on them. They were ripe for a change. They bought the semi-detached condo in November 2017 and took possession of it in February 2018.

The very small kitchen was surrounded by walls, while the wooden ceiling was almost black. “There was a small wood stove, which heated the interior,” she says. They called it chalets, initially. They had been made for people who rented, to go skiing, but they were quite well built, on a concrete slab. There is no basement, of course. But that suited us. »

Both retired, they used their time to lend a hand to their trusted entrepreneur, Michel Perreault, to whom they had already entrusted several projects. The trio stripped everything inside. The work really began in March, after an initial blower door test was carried out to identify air leaks. This energy assessment allowed the couple to make informed decisions and then take advantage of two energy efficiency programs.

This reflex was natural for Louise Laferrière and Gilles Drouin, whose former home in Eastman was none other than the famous EcoTerra house, with exceptional energy efficiency and aiming for NetZero. It was built as part of the EQuilibrium Sustainable Homes Demonstration Initiative, a pan-Canadian competition launched in 2006 and led by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

From top to bottom

During the first months, they made the Eastman-Orford route (and the reverse) morning and evening. They managed the work themselves, which took on a lot of scope. All the walls have been knocked down, except the one that separates the secondary bedroom from the living room, which has become huge. The old shed has been removed. This allowed the concrete slab to be extended to accommodate a spacious room measuring 14.10 ft (4.53 m) by 12 ft (3.65 m). This one, with two windows, now serves as the master bedroom. A shed was built at the back.

The kitchen is open to the dining room and the living room. Equipped with an island, it runs along the adjoining wall of the semi-detached condo, as does the main bathroom, which houses a washer and dryer.

The ceiling was also high enough to add a mezzanine. The old attic was demolished and the roof was insulated with urethane. The mezzanine has a small bathroom with a freestanding bathtub, a craft area and a TV corner.

Good memories

Louise Laferrière and Gilles Drouin laugh as they think of the dust generated by the man they hired to clean the bulky wooden beams on the ceiling. Fortunately, it was at the beginning of the works. They have only fond memories of the three weeks when they washed the dishes in a makeshift sink outside, because they had agreed to move ahead of their move. “The weather was particularly nice that summer,” recalls M^me Laferriere.

Even the period during which Mr. Drouin was compelled to assemble the various components of the IKEA kitchen finds favor in his eyes today. “At first, I didn’t understand anything,” he reveals. It was to cry. There were 98 boxes! »

“Luckily, we had a former neighbor who knew about it. I have become a drawer specialist. Now I’m good,” he adds.

He finished plastering the mezzanine when the guy they hired had health issues. The couple also struggled to obtain enough ceramic tiles to cover the floor of all the rooms on the ground floor, which has underfloor heating. The only downside? The windows, which they have all replaced, but which are a problem in winter.

They bought at the right time. The value of their condo skyrocketed. But they plan to stay there for a long time. “Being in nature changes everything,” says Ms.^me Laferriere.

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