Categorie du projet: Single family

A family builds a new intergenerational chalet above their ancestral Mont-Tremblant cabin dating back to the 1940s.

When everyone was going up north, the family lived in tight quarters in this modest, self-built cottage nearly 60 years ago on a beautiful lakefront property. To preserve the family’s heritage but also to limit the building’s footprint, the architects decided to support the expansion with a new post-and-beam frame over the original structure. The restored old cabin accommodates a part of the family in this new intergenerational residence, which now includes a second upstairs cabin with a mezzanine suite and a large shared basement.

The gabled design is characterized by a large dormer window on one side and an upper level terrace on the other to enjoy scenic views of the woods and lake. The very large windows flood the red pine and Douglas fir interiors with warm and inviting natural light. The thick walls offer superior insulation with the bottom part finished in limestone and upper in cedar shingles. The volume composes an almost monumental architecture, softened by the use of natural materials in harmony with the vegetation. The family is now ready to resume its traditional festivities for many generations to come !

An Upper Westmount Victorian home is refurbished to better open onto the garden and its pool.

Built in 1910, this house on the hill had an addition built in 1928, a concrete swimming pool back from the 1970s and some interior upgrades with varying degrees of success over the years. The purpose of the project was to preserve and enhance the original Victorian-style character of the house, so all the interventions were done in accordance with the architecture of the time. Strategic openings, a new terrace and the redesign of the swimming pool have improved the free-flowing layout at the rear of the house.

On the garden level, a former dark laundry room now offers a beautiful spacious and bright family room. The varying ground levels allow direct access to the English garden. By maximizing the windows, modifying the position of mechanical and service areas, the architects have created new, bright living spaces while showcasing this beautiful example of Victorian architecture of Upper Westmount.

A typical Canadian house in the Laurentians is turning completely new from the inside out.

Perched on a forested cliff, this Canadian fieldstone house built in the early 1970s suffered from a view obstructed by its large painted wooden terrace. By rethinking the interiors, the architects proposed to relocate the gallery on the east side and to enlarge the windows down to the floor to reveal the superb panoramic view from above.

The kitchen is now open on the living room and the light stairs to better enjoy the abundant natural light on site. A large steel bookshelf celebrates the transition from the living room to the master bedroom. This new layout provides a variety of views of the lake and its cliff. From the inside, you can feel the strong sensation of a landscape à flanc de montagne !

A wooden chalet from the 80s is metamorphosed into a large country house overlooking the lake.

Self-built in the 1980s, this wooden cottage in the Eastern Townships had a strange volume with its corner entrance door, asymmetrical roof slopes, sloped skylights and irregular windows.

By transforming the skylights intodormers and extending the west wing to the lake, the architects completely transformed the volume. The ground floor windows have been enlarged to open onto the spectacular view of the lake. The old board cladding has been replaced by a natural cedar cladding on the main part of the chalet. The openings in the dormers and around the entrance are punched by a siding of burned wood planks. A powerful strike on the lake, here’s the Grand Rock!

The basement of a century-old Outremont house is now fully equipped for a journey in the city!

This dark, damp basement of a Outremont single-family home was dispair for love. By replacing the garage door with two large glass swing doors, the space has become bright and welcoming. A workbench, bicycle racks and storage under the stair form a spacious and dynamic open space. In the second part of the basement, an integrated oak desk highlights the rubble stone foundations while a basswood sauna promises a well deserved relaxation! Here is a house fully equipped for a journey in the city!

Access to the courtyard completely redesigned for this Westmount residence

With a large terrace overlooking the backyard, this semi-detached house built in the 1920s offered little contact with vegetation and suffered from cramped, dark access to the basement.

By building a large terrace, the kitchen opens directly to the courtyard. Goodbye railing! In front of the new wood stained terrace, a St-Marc stone patio surrounded by vegetation welcomes summer meals and open-air cinema projections. The BBQ sits on top on the upper level of the terrace while the space below hosts outdoor storage for garden tools and bicycles. On the side, a long ramp enables easy bicycles transport. The double access under the platform provides a nice indirect light inside.

In the basement, the reorganization of the mechanical room freed extra space for a small office overlooking the garden, a laundry room and a large storage wall. Overall, the new terrace creates a strong and practicle link between the two floors and the garden, making a smooth transition from inside to outside, between this ancient house and its new garden.

An old triplex becomes a life-changer for a Villeray family.

This run-down triplex was in much need of some TLC when a young family bought it to convert it into a single family home. Upstairs, the small, cramped units were transformed into four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a den. Separating the front rooms from the back ones, a big void breaks up the house from one common wall to the other, featuring a solid maple staircase on one end and an open space above the kitchen on the other. Above the impressive double-storey atrium, two enormous light wells funnel in daylight, revealing the beauty of the floors made from large black slate tiles. A slice of heaven!

Bringing a breath of freshness into a semi-detached Tudor in Ville-Saint-Laurent.

Extended with multiple annexes, the back of this semi-detached house from the 1950s had only one opaque door and four small windows. Built without a foundation and worn by time, these annexes were keeping the abundant natural light outside from coming inside into the kitchen.

The extension copies the Tudor style of the existing house by continuing the portion that encompasses the garage towards the back. Striking a contrast with the light grey walls, black half-timbers frame the windows and multiply in the back in a triangular gable pattern. The red clay brick wraps around the ground floor to the back. The different spaces are abstractly set off by black sheet metal punctuated by abundant windows.

Inside, the living spaces are open-plan. Fitted with a frosted glass panel, the staircase funnels light in from the upstairs all the way to the entrance. Installed in the extension, the kitchen island reveals a change in level that offers a standing or seated work surface. Above, a narrow walkway connects the master bedroom to its bathroom, providing a spectacular top view into the yard or living room below.

The floors and cabinetwork pick up from the stained red oak panelling of the walls in the dining room. Countertops and bathroom finishes in black and white marble complete the warm yet decidedly contemporary palette—bringing a breath of freshness to Cardinal Street!

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