High-End Renovations
By Frank O'Brien

The definition of expensive home renovations varies from coast to coast.

High-end renovations are now becoming an important segment of the Canadian market, with five- and even six-figure home makeovers becoming more common. We have asked four renovation companies from across Canada to explain their latest big contract renovations and how they go about landing - and handling - the jobs.

Newfoundland: $150,000
Hanley Construction & Renovation Inc. took the Renovator of the Year Award (over $25,000) from the Newfoundland and Labrador HBA for the second straight year with a $150,000 renovation, considered the top of the reno market in the province, which shows that hard work - real hard work - pays off.
The entire renovation proved a challenge, company president Greg Hanley explained.
Perched on the side of an Outer Battery cliff overlooking the Atlantic and the city of St. John's, the 90-year-old house had only a narrow road leading to it, which restricted access for heavy equipment. The owner, however, wanted to add both a basement and a second storey to the one-level house.
As a result, the 800-square-foot basement was shovelled out manually to a depth of 10 feet. "It was dug over a period of four months by four men and a jackhammer," Hanley said. "They are quite fit now," he added with a laugh. "One guy lost 70 pounds." For the record, the diggers were employees Brian Kelley and Brian Hanley, plus the homeowner and a relative of the owner. A series of jacks were used to support the house as the foundation was dug out.
Due to the lack of access, the concrete for the foundation walls had to be pumped up the hill. Half the basement walls are ICF forms and half are wood-frame. The downstairs now houses storage and a home office.
Above, Hanley completely gutted and redid the interior of the house and added a second floor, both with a new wall of windows. In all, the original 850-square-foot house was expanded to 2,300 square feet while retaining its heritage look.
The energy efficiency of the house was completely updated, including the addition of in-floor electric heating, a heat recovery ventilator, upgraded insulation in the roof and walls and high-performance vinyl windows. The exterior is wood siding to match the historic Signal Hill neighbourhood. One highlight of the renovation was tracking down a 1930-era cast iron American Standard claw foot bathtub that is now set proudly in the new bathroom.
The project took 14 months from start to finish, Hanley said, and is the biggest job his five-year-old company has completed.

Ottawa: "Seven figures"
David Mailing of David Mailing Architects led the renovation of a high-end house in the Ottawa area countryside that ended up costing more than $1 million to complete. The farmlands around the nation's capital are peppered with old stone houses, most built by Irish masons in the late 1800s.
The Mailing contract took a 3,500-square-foot stone country house to approximately 9,000 square feet as an executive residence, complete with an indoor pool, in one of the most stunning high-end renovations in the country. Jim Bell of David Mailing Architects was instrumental in the final design.
The original main entry is now flanked by a formal dining room and living room and a stately stairway leads to the original second floor. The refurbished second floor, part of a new wing on the house, hosts a luxury master bedroom with private ensuite, three other bedrooms and a home office.
A gourmet kitchen was created, complete with a breakfast room that opens onto a new rear deck.
And, across from a new family room that showcases the original stone walls and beamed ceiling, is a sun room that accesses the home's showpiece: an Olympic-sized indoor swimming pool with hot tub and change rooms. There is even a bar that provides "easy beverage service to the pool area," Bell explained. Above the pool is a giant games room with a big-screen home theatre and an exercise room.

Calgary: $350,000
For Clarence Burke of Calgary-based Burke Builders, who captured this year's Alberta Home Builders' Association Award of Excellence for innovation, higher-end renovations are now par for the course. Burke has a full-time crew of finishers who move among an average of five or six projects running at any time. The company, which has taken AHBA awards for renovations in the past, also has its own in-house company for doing custom cabinets.
Burke said there are some common characteristics among the high-end renovations, including hardwood floors, granite and limestone countertops and home theatre setups.
However, Burke's clients are also often specific in what they ask for. He has imported railings from Europe, fireplace mantles from Italy and stained glass from Germany and right now the company is looking for custom cast iron grills.
Burke said that "arts and crafts with a European flair" is popular right now with wealthier Calgary homeowners, as reflected in the renovation that took the most recent award. The older homes retain a heritage façade but are packed with high technology inside.
"Whole house audio systems are popular," Burke said, as are completely equipped home theatres.
According to Burke, his company's reputation keeps the high-end renovations coming. And he doesn't sweat losing a contract to a low bidder. "We are often called back in to finish contracts when the low baller fails," he said.

Vancouver: $800,00
"The challenge of renovating this 30-year-old home was preserving an understated exterior so it would not overpower an otherwise conventional neighbourhood," explains John Friswell of CCI Renovations of Vancouver (see cover profile, page 12).
The resulting high-end, whole-house renovation cost $800,000 and included the use of exotic materials and the addition of state-of-the-art windows, infloor radiant heating and high-efficiency fireplaces.
Entertaining is supplemented by a large kitchen and separate pantry with preparation area, a traditional dining room, a cantina with attached wine cellar, plus large decks and patio areas all surrounding a swimming pool.
There is also is a fitness area complete with a spa, a modern media room, a vaulted sitting room and a stunning master suite complete with custom his-and-hers closets, full ensuite and a bed area that opens to the upper deck and overlooks the new landscaped garden. The new kitchen is strategically located to serve the formal dining room, the breakfast nook and the family room and opens to a large deck.
"The interior was completely reworked to provide dramatic vaults and exposed beams and a much more efficient open plan allowing an uninterrupted flow between the social and private areas of the home," Friswell explained.
Among the materials used were native limestone and walnut, all worked by a team of crack finishers. HB