Step inside this upscale Mississauga townhouse. Here’s the first thing you’ll see; this is the view that greets you at the front door.
The narrow space has rear windows and a sliding door at the back, and it shares its east and west walls with two neighbours, one on each side. The townhouse was built in the 1970s, and is 2400 square feet in size, including the basement. The main floor was originally carved into four small rooms which was common in that era because such layouts are easier to heat and afford more privacy to occupants. Times have changed and building materials have improved; thermal-paned windows and spray foam insulation means the whole structure can be better managed for temperature and noise.
The homeowner purchased the property on a hunch, doing quick math with an eye on price and location. The place was a dump when we first arrived, but we could see its potential. Property values in Mississauga have rivaled those in Toronto and this proved to be a good investment because it’s well-situated near major highways and is walking-distance to public schools and parks.
Mississauga offers home buyers many advantages. The city is considered a desirable place to live because it’s safe and has lots of employment opportunities and good education and medical institutions. The city also has an excellent transit system linking a diverse economy with many jobs available in a steadily expanding IT sector. Additionally, there are unique neighbourhoods and cultural communities in Mississauga and so it’s no wonder residential housing prices have been steadily climbing.
Eastview Homes was instrumental in the redesign of this townhouse because the new owners weren’t clear about how to proceed. Our ideas were approved right away, despite being the most ambitious submission, because they liked our plans and the vision we presented. We conceived an open space around a handy kitchen, but to make this happen our carpenters had to remove two load bearing walls and replace them with metal beams and support columns. All structural improvements were done based on schematics made by Eastview Homes’ own interior designer and structural engineer, and we handled all the permits and building inspections throughout the process.
HVAC ducts were altered to accommodate the new floor plan and the central heating and cooling system was redesigned to be more intelligently controlled with a Nest thermostat, visible on the wall in the photo below. The existing metal railing on the staircase was 4” below the current building code’s height requirements which meant we had to replace the entire banister, and we selected wood spindles and knewl post with an oak railing. We replaced the carpet on the stairs but left that design feature in place because carpeted stairs are safer and quieter.
As previously mentioned, the renovation began with the removal of two walls to expand the space and make room for a new kitchen with shaker style cabinets and modern appliances. The new layout boasts a centerpiece island with a quartz countertop. Such a handy fixture defines the room because its surface can be used for food prep and buffet station, or as a dinner table and lounge bar in its own right. The kitchen backsplash was resurfaced with white subway tile (as seen in subway stations) to imbue a modern appearance that’s effortless to keep clean.
White cabinets are statistically proven to be more appealing to homebuyers, and their inclusion can add value beyond their cost and installation. Built-in custom cabinetry increases the value of a home because the work is unique to the space. Many older buildings cannot easily accommodate pre-made cabinetry because their factory dimensions don’t jive with the available space. This is sometimes remedied on site by adding spacers and quick fixes to the assembly. Such jury-rigs are made invisible to guests, but easily spotted by home inspectors and buyers shopping for quality. The kitchen cupboards in this renovation were part of the plan from the beginning and the custom shop work we installed is another perfect fit.
All exterior-facing walls, including those in the basement were stripped down to the studs and reinsulated with spray foam insulation before being expertly rewired and re-drywalled with 5/8′ thick high grade gyprock for improved sound and fire resistance.
Stipple ceilings were removed and replaced with a smooth gloss finish. Stippling is a paint-on treatment that was introduced in the 1970’s, but remains popular today. Popcorn stippling is created by spraying tiny particles of vermiculite or polystyrene, about 1/2 inch thick, and is alleged to have some sound-deadening properties, but this more myth than reality. Smooth ceilings look more sophisticated and lend an upscale appearance to the home’s interior.
The smooth white ceiling is artfully punctuated with LED pot lights. Eastview Homes selects LEDs for recessed lighting fixtures because of their ease of installation and their improved energy efficiency. LEDs have much longer lifespans than other bulbs which means the homeowner won’t have to change them nearly as often, or ever, as LEDs can live for up to 50,000 hours.
Engineered hardwood floors replaced the original parquet floors. The boards were screwed down to eliminate what had been, up-to-that-point, a persistent squeak.
Eastview Homes replaced all the existing interior finishes. We refurbished the window casing, doors, baseboards, selecting our designers’ preferences whenever possible. His preferred finishes include 3 ½” casing, 2 panel square top doors, 7” baseboards and matching base shoe. The moulding and custom carpentry was installed by our experienced finish carpenters, on time and under budget.
This project was completed in less than ninety days and was budgeted at approximately $160,000.