Wednesday, December 6, 2000 - North Shore News - 17 e Livi LEP NTR LETTE AI ERT e 2 Company's Coming Have your pooch sparkling clean when holiday guests arrive with a convenient and gentle Bark : : g . : é , = a grooming service right at your doosstep. Lunier “T feel fantastic! old house new look SCMETIMES we remodel our homes for aesthetics and some- times we remodel for functionality. With a function issue we have no other choice — it’s sither make over or move. Such was the case for Maryanne and Grant Hill. Their 42-year-old home “was becoming too small for their growing family se they decided to take the plunge and tackle a major remodel- ing project. In a neighbourhood they loved, the house just needed a few renovation touches to adapt it to their changing lifestyle. The first step in their ren- ovation was to determing what their goals were and to develop a budget. “There was no question that we needed a family room off of the kitche remarked Maryanne. “The kids needed some room to watch TV and we felt it would open up the floor- lan.” The Hills decided that a new master bedroom and ensuite would be on the wish list because the bed- ” room set-up was cramped on the main floor, The first task was to have some structural alterations done. In order to add a fam- ily room off the kitchen, the dining room walls had to be knocked down and a new wall established 14 feet out into the backyard. _. “We basically pushed the wall to the edge of the exist- ing back patio,” said Maryanne. At times the renovation seemed like a conspiracy of complications. In fact Grant looked back at the process as _ eshausting, especially dig- ging the foundations by hand. It was no picnic living . ina house that was open and drafty 24 hours a day for five months. At times they were counting the days until their life would return to normal. (1 think we can all relate to that one!) Ir wasn't long before the extended walls were built and the windows were framed. “The added space made a remarkable difference to the kitchen and dining room,” Maryanne observed. Not ‘only did they have more space for the family to gath- er before dinner, bur the kitchen and dining room now felt more spacious and open, The walls were paint- eda soft red and new white Berber carpet was added to dress the room. The construction of the master bedroom and ensuite -. Was another story. “We wanted to keep the living room ceiling intact during the renovation,” said Grant. : quite a zs 5 NEWS photo Mike Wakefield RENOVATIONS to the exterior of this North; Vancouver home included an over- sized dormer, to help create extra bedroom space. tricky process. A large crane had to be brought in and beams were laid to support the new subfloor of the bed- room. A laborious procedure — but it worked. An oversized dormer was added to the front side of the house to help create the extra bedroom space with another spectacular oversized window facing opposite. The interior stairwell also bad to be reconfigured to gain acess to the new master bedroom, “We chose a wrought- iron railing to complement the colour of the carpet and it seemed to fit nicely with the contemporary theme of the house,” added Maryanne. There's no question that the new colour tones of the interior sections complement the antique plank floors, The house now has an irre- sistible, cozy feel. As for decorating the bathroom, Maryanne’s luxu- rious fresco scheme makes it fect place to relax — zed Jacuzzi tub sits < in the corner of the very spacious bathroom sur- rounded by white marble eo floors. Pw There are more paint effects in the master bed- room, The walls are a paint- ed fresco style of antique white with'a reddish glaze and in the corner sits a very cozy fireplace. The Hills finished the renovations with a repasi- - tioning of their front entrance AN original north-facing door now sits facing east. [ia this way they were able to construct a quaint 4x 10 foot porch area complete with white vw? 2 102 West Ist Ave. Vancouver 872-72 railings. Inside, the entrance- 25 wwverackattack.com photo submitted MARYANNE and Grant Hill envisioned a new family room, a master bedroom and ensuite. : way was finished in Red Quebee slate. “We took extra time to get the house right because we know we're here te stay,” remarks Maryanne, “! can’t imagine us being happier in any other house.” Lie LETC _ Bork, Vou, ES Yo, WN 4300 Woolridge St. Coqaitiam 526-7225 Everything you want for the Holidays. _ Come in and treat yourself to the freshest market, the most amazing shops, and everything you want for the Holidays. OPEN 7 DAYS. A WEEK Daily 9:30am-6:30pm; Friday 9:30am-8:00pm Starting Dec. 13th, shop until 9:00pm Mon. through Sat. {excluding Dec. 16) * 123 Carrie Cates Court (ar the foot of Lonsdale Avenue) North Vancouver. Tel.(604) 985-6261 www.lonsdalequay. Tania Lee - Award winning & Certified Master Groomer 808-7729 http://allpawz.8m.com