KEENS IN THE CRESCENTS
“
Every space has a unique story to tell
- The Keens
The first time we walked through the Keens’ Leopold house was before we had even wrote an offer. We had been on holidays and hadn’t joined for the first viewing of the home, but when Dionne called I could tell she was excited to show me the home that “could be the one”. Pulling up to the home we saw this big square box with an awkward solarium above the garage. Tons of potential but definitely missed the mark when it came to curb appeal.
Located on one of Regina’s most prestigious streets, we were surprised this home was still on the market. I guess it just needed someone to see past the awkward and bring a vision to the entire space.
Before and After // Exterior
The remodel process begins!
We loved that this home had a true front entrance, allowing guests to kick off their shoes and hang their coats before coming into the space. The living room was large but the dining room and especially the kitchen were small and cramped. There was lots of wall details on the main floor which at the time we thought we could paint and incorporate into our design (more on that later… haha).
Before and After // Living room
The house was massive with many levels, rooms, and unique features. It even has a swimming pool and pool house in the backyard! The space had everything and checked MOST of Dionne and Tim’s wish list. Which I can’t say really was a real list as Dionne and Tim had told us that they were open to every end of the city, every style of home, and when we found them the right one they would know…. no pressure right??
Looks like we found the right one…
This home truly had all the boxes checked, except an ensuite. Standing in the master bedroom I had an aha moment when I realized I could combine 2 closets (one on the master side and one on the 2nd bedroom side) and create them a small but functional ensuite.
Master bedroom with ensuite add-on
We absolutely loved remodelling an old home and truly learned so much on this project! Here are some things that we learnt along the way:
Asbestos is NOT fun and it also sucks to spend money on… but you gotta do it right. While it wasn’t a surprise that the house had asbestos (always get a home inspection!) it still wasn’t a fun thing to pay for. Dionne and I would have much rather been spending thousands on wallpaper or tile but instead had to allocate a rather large chunk of the budget to asbestos removal.
1940s homes may not have straight exterior walls… and therefore won’t have straight interior ones. If straight lines are your thing, a remodel may not be for you. You have to love the character that comes with the crooked and the creaky! For me it’s’ the charm and the story of the older homes. The imperfections remind you why you fell in the love with the home in the first place.
What you have is free… what you want to change costs money. Don’t mind the staircase and the hand rail… keep it! It’s already paid for! Interior shelves within closets… keep those and just add new cabinet doors. Same goes for light fixtures, appliances, door knobs and plumbing fixtures. What you currently have in the house is there and “free” so if you’re looking for ways to be budget savvy look around and see what you have to work with first!
Be flexible. Things wont always go according to plan and when it comes to a remodel you gotta go with the flow. When you start taking down walls you may find some items you weren’t expecting that could change the whole layout of the house. No need to cry and pout, just smile, we will come up with the best next option! That’s why you hired us!
This isn’t HGTV. They forget to show the budget talks, the material costs, labour costs, the walkthroughs, and to be honest about 80% of the process. We love that our clients enjoy every minute of the journey but there are going to be hard decisions and you may not always afford what you saw on Pinterest. It’s a lot of details but we promise it’s 100% worth it in the end!
Before//During//After
Before//Visual Render//After
We are proud of this project and loved working alongside with the Keen’s to create their forever home. We are so excited to be invited back into the space and see how Tim and Dionne have added their personal style to each room. Reveal day stirred up many happy emotions. Standing back watching them take it all in will be a cherished memory. Home is a persons safe place, a place to live life, and create memories. We get the opportunity to start that foundation for our families. Thank you for trusting us, it’s been a wonderful journey.
Reveal Day Video!