This is our first-ever award nomination, and we’re feeling like we’ve hit the big leagues. The Georgie Awards, organized by Canadian Home Builders’ Association of British Columbia (CHBA BC), is considered Canada’s premier housing awards program.
Our project, “West Vancouver Coastal Remodel” is recognized as a finalist in the category for Best Residential Renovation $300,000 – $499,999 for the 2021 Georgie Awards(R). CHBA’s intention with the awards platform is to recognize excellence and to give “builders an opportunity to showcase their projects’ quality, durability, and techniques to minimize callbacks.”
“We’re so fortunate in this opportunity to have one of our projects highlighted among bigger industry players, companies that we’ve admired since we set our sights on growing NOVERO Homes & Renovations,” says Suzanne Di Meglio, our Director of Operations & Client Management. “The CHBA says the competition was ‘fierce’ this year which makes this recognition even more rewarding.”
President Joele Di Meglio adds, “We’re thankful that this project wrapped up in March (2020) right before the pandemic shut-down, and our clients were able to enjoy working from their updated home.”
The winner of the category will be announced March 21, 2021, at the virtual Gala. Until then, learn more about this impressive renovation below.
Coastal Remodel Project Background
The overall goal for this remodel: make a chilly, dated home more comfortable and functional. It wasn’t working for the young family’s social lifestyle. Plus, the home’s situation perched high on a secluded street in the trees with beautiful westward views was ripe for an improved outdoor-indoor living situation.
We set about planning an airy, modern open-concept main living space that would easily open up to an expansive deck space.
However, the house needed to be brought up to code as well as addressing inefficiencies for comfort. It was a challenge to balance the aesthetics wish list with the functional basics. Some of the home efficiency updates that we addressed in this project:
- Improve building envelope (e.g. roofing, insulation R-value, rainscreen/siding/soffits/painting at front of house)
- Upgrade garage door, add frost walls, and insulate
- Replace all west-facing glass (including numerous skylights) with NAFS-approved Low-E windows and doors
- Install high-efficiency combi boiler and radiant baseboards
- Replace flooring throughout lower and main floors
If you enjoyed the video, keep reading to learn about the details of the home’s transformation!
Kitchen Renovation
The existing kitchen had impeded aisles and walkways. The homeowners wished for a more spacious feel, with a dine-in island. But expanding the space was restricted by the central staircase, deck, and split-level family room (seen beyond the kitchen in the photo below).
BEFORE
So we got creative within the same footprint by opening up sightlines across the house through removing a powder room (to the right of the island), corner cabinetry, and eliminating most of the central staircase wall—more on this stunning feature below!
AFTER
The kitchen becomes the focal point and hub of the main floor.
In the remodelled kitchen, the homeowners gain a large eat-in island comfortably seating their family of four. It separates the work area from traffic while allowing chefs to socialize.
Streamlined storage is maximized with full-height cabinetry and eight substantial island drawers. Energy-efficient appliances and adjusted layout improve ergonomics and workflow.
Family Room & Deck Renovation
Just off of the kitchen is the sunken family room, which felt off balance: one side had a chunky fireplace and TV, while the other side had a dining table obstructing deck access and views.
BEFORE
AFTER
We design a family relaxation space with flexibility for entertaining, better indoor-outdoor living connection, and streamlined storage solutions. Removing the fireplace and dining table makes the room more spacious.
The look of the custom cabinetry and quartz countertops carry over from the kitchen. Across the central wall, we built ample storage for less-used kitchen items as well as a home electronics racking system.
In the first ‘after’ photo above, you’ll see the dry bar tucked into the corner, perfectly situated between kitchen and deck. But our favourite feature here has to be the addition of the expansive 16’ Grandview multi-sliding door:
This type of sliding door creates the largest opening without using deck real estate, improving flow between two living spaces. It invites natural light and a seamless connection to their outdoor dining and entertainment area.
The expansive deck was rebuilt as a one-level fluid space overtop insulated storage. The deck is finished with weatherproof composite decking and a frameless glass railing, seamlessly blending into its gorgeous forested surroundings. Who wouldn’t want to spend all their warm-weather days here?
The BIG Challenge: Rebuilding the Staircase
Replacing the staircase was by far the biggest challenge from start to finish in this home renovation. The homeowners originally envisioned a wrap-around 360 degree staircase, but keeping a wall section with mechanical in it was necessary to keep costs down.
“The stairs are at the centre of the home. The original ones were bulky and closed off, returning into the living room.” says Joele. “The new floating stairs – white oak glulam beam steps enclosed in glass – are airy and enhance the spaciousness.”
BEFORE
AFTER
Here’s where the project got even more “interesting” for our team: The whole stair structure was built off site and had to be carried by eight people up a steep driveway (crane wasn’t an option). The old house didn’t have straight walls, leading us to scribe a lot of finishing materials to existing walls to make it look straight.
And that massive piece of glass. As you can imagine, it’s extremely heavy, so bringing it in took as many people that we had on hand; carrying it up the hill and through the back door at a 45 degree angle.
Living-Dining Room Upgrade
The last stop on our home tour is the living room, the third piece in this open concept redesign. The homeowners sought a flexible large-group entertaining space with combined living-dining that also highlighted the western views.
BEFORE
The layout is awkward with a dining table tucked underneath the skylights (not seen in image), a large gap from the sofa to TV, and an eyesore of a fireplace.
AFTER
Surprise—we removed that fireplace. Our interior designer designed a fireplace wall feature with an integrated television surrounded by white oak panels, elegant black reveals, and porcelain slabs around the lower face.
Shifting the fireplace to the left and floating the sectional in front establishes a cozy living room area while providing plenty of space around the dining table. Hot tip: pot lights (no pendant) allow the homeowners to rearrange the furniture for different types of gatherings.
That wraps up our Georgie Award Finalist home tour. If you’re interested in updating parts of your home, check out our project gallery and blog for inspiration. If a dated fireplace is on your remodel radar, be sure to read “How to Update the Look of Your Fireplace.”