We build the
homes Ottawa
wants to live in.

The owners — both architects — had outgrown the original galley kitchen but wanted to preserve the home's 1908 character. The brief was specific: open the rear of the house to the back garden, restore the original crown moulding profile, and make a kitchen that looked like it had always been there.

Removing the load-bearing wall between the kitchen and the back parlour required two LVL beams and a sistered floor joist run we engineered in coordination with their consulting structural firm. We salvaged the original 4¼" white-oak flooring from the demo'd sections, kiln-dried it, and reused it as the new island top — every plank traceable to the home's original 1908 milling.

Soapstone for the perimeter counters came in from a Vermont quarry; the slab was honed on-site to match the satin patina of the original soapstone laundry sink in the basement, which we kept in service. Brass hardware is unlacquered — it will tarnish and dull over the next decade, which the owners specifically wanted. The Carrara backsplash was bookmatched from a single block.

Total build was 14 weeks from demolition to walk-through — three weeks ahead of contract. The home was occupied throughout; we built temporary cooking facilities in the dining room and ran dust barriers nightly. Final budget came in at $184,200 against a $185,000 contract.