From dream to reality | Now or never to dive

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

Danielle Bonneau
The Press

Marie Brunelle and Marc Cowan bought their stylish house shoe box, in Villeray, in 2012. They completely renovated the ground floor the following year. The two well-lit bedrooms in the basement have long met the needs of the family, which grew with the birth of Gabriel and Charlotte, now aged 7 and 4. Needing one more bedroom, the parents hesitated between selling their home, to buy a bigger one, and adding a floor. The explosion in house prices during the pandemic settled the question.

“Our house, by the same token, has increased in value,” explains Marc Cowan. This gave us some financial leverage to fund the work. »

Mr. Cowan, it should be noted, is a contractor specializing in residential renovation. However, he had never added a floor. Although he already had a team he trusted, he was dealing with some vendors he had never worked with.

The works, initially planned for 2020, have been postponed to 2021.

The couple began the process to obtain a permit in May 2021. “We had to respect the site planning and architectural integration plan,” says Mr. Cowan. The city inspector was a great help. She told us what to do for the exterior, so that it would be approved by the planning advisory committee. We had no restrictions for the floor, apart from the height. But in terms of the look, the trace of time had to be visible. It had to look like a floor was added. We did what is called a dropout. The perimeter of the floor is a little smaller than that of the ground floor. We leave the brick and the stone on the ground floor, then we will add a metal coating on the floor, more modern. It will imitate wood, but it will be steel. It’s more durable and requires less maintenance. »

The owners got their permits over the summer. They moved nearby to a furnished apartment. “We lived there for four months. It was important that we stay close, because I spent my evenings and my weekends there, so that things would move faster. »

He also bought the materials before prices started to rise again. Approximately $20,000 was thus saved out of the $350,000 budget that they had allocated.

“My wife and I don’t have expensive tastes,” he explains. We are frugal. We wanted to add a floor because we needed a little more space. In my work, I see people spending a fortune on things they love. So much the better, but I spend the money where it counts, on the structure, the insulation, the plumbing, the electricity. I am down to earth. When I see large openings, I think of the lack of insulation and the lack of privacy. »

Their goal was to add a floor to their taste, functional and solid, within their budget. “We had no intention of going on a spending spree,” adds Mr. Cowan. It’s not our style. But we spoiled ourselves with this project. »