Bickford Park House in Toronto, Canada by Solares Architecture Inc.

Article source: Solares Architecture Inc.

Our project, Bickford Park House, was completed only a few months ago. Our client had bought the house over 20 years ago, and over those years had over 50 residents as tenants and roommates. The house needed a ton of work – the building suffered from major structural damage to the load-bearing brickwork, sagging floors, and multiple units, which cut off the home and broke the space apart in cumbersome ways. However, our clients loved the look and feel of the Victorian semi-detached home – they were adamant on a rejuvenation of the existing building, not an entirely new home. The major renovation had to retain the same charm they had loved for years. So Solares Architecture, alongside General Contractor Jesse Hayes, got right to work.

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

• Architects: Solares Architecture Inc.
• Project: Bickford Park House
• Location: Toronto, Canada
• Photography: Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

The home began with a 22 EnerGuide rating, the lowest Solares Architecture had ever worked with, and after replacing the damaged load-bearing brick, which was crumbling and dissolving on the main floor, Solares opted for traditional spray foam insulation, giving the walls insulation values of R25. The interior was completely gutted, except for the basement which was left unfinished, to be renovated as a future project. Shear walls of 4ft were built in the open concept main floor, flanking the stair, to maintain structural integrity. The urban and trendy exposed brick wall framing the stairs on all three levels was deemed well-worth the hit in air tightness and any potential noisiness from the semi-detached neighbours.

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

One the second floor, the master bedroom sits on the southern end of the hallway, with an ensuite bathroom and large south-facing window. A powder room is located just outside the master bedroom. An office and a large laundry room is located across from the star, and a large music and playroom with an office alcove takes up the northern end of the home, with a large bay window, and lots of storage space.

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

On the third floor, two children’s bedrooms are complete with slanting roofs and lots of floor space for storing and playing with toys. A small bathroom plus a tub is located on the third floor landing, in between the bedrooms.

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Even with a completely unfinished basement, the “final” stats on this house are impressive: The EnerGuide rating of 76 is expected to land upwards of 80 once the basement is finished. The home now boasts an 81% reduction in space heating, a 71% reduction in Annual Heat Loss, and a nearly 15-tonne reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions – that’s equivalent to the yearly emissions of 5 Honda Civics combined.

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

The clients love their new home, especially the unique touches, like the bathroom’s custom stone countertops and distinct wallpaper, the warm walnut floors, and the four sets of main-floor doors leading outside, to the front walk, the front garden, the back barbeque, and the back patio.

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Derek Monson

Image Courtesy © Solares Architecture Inc.

Image Courtesy © Solares Architecture Inc.

Image Courtesy © Solares Architecture Inc.

Image Courtesy © Solares Architecture Inc.

Tags: Canada, Toronto

Category: House

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 10th, 2016 at 7:07 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.