Design-savvy reno updates an aging urban home
No. 2 Virtue St. in Toronto’s West End. In renovating the home, designers Reigo & Bauer left the basic footprint unchanged, but fully updated the home while giving it a contemporary skin.Ben Rahn
The owners, originally from Germany, liked the solution of fibre cement panels – a product that originated there and is becoming popular in Europe and starting to catch on in North America. Intended as a “skin” to modernize existing structures, the panels have a finely lined surface, which give them a more organic look than the alternative of high-pressure laminate. The white colour reflects the heat in the summer, and a ventilated rain screen has open horizontal joints to allow air to pass through and moisture to drain out.Ben Rahn
The designers removed the heavy front porch and replaced the door with a custom steel model, also from Germany, which adds to the contemporary feel. They replaced the upstairs bay window with a flat design with weathered zinc cladding. They turned the other front-facing upstairs window into a door opening onto a new second-floor balcony.Ben Rahn
A remake of the back of the house created a welcoming oasis in the shade of a giant walnut tree. Stairs leading up to the first floor are of metal grating, which also allows in more light. And the same colour of powder-coated aluminum rails tie in with the front of the house and provide an interesting counterpoint to the white cement panels in the back.Ben Rahn
A view of the house before the renovation.