Latest news with #homeRenovation
Globe and Mail
35 minutes ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
A home of catwalks in Toronto's Annex evokes New York – but with more natural light
90 Madison, Ave., Toronto Asking price: $5,369,490 Lot size: 40 by 127 feet Property taxes: $26,916.32 (2025) Listing agent: Motria Dzulynsky, Re/Max Professionals Take a simple idea, such as wanting more light, and then keep pushing on what that can mean – what you're willing to spend to get it – and what you end up with can be something far from the same-old, same-old. That's what happened with 90 Madison Ave., which is a fusion of a classic Annex-style Toronto brick mansion – on a street filled with similarly large brick homes – with a huge addition built around a three-storey-tall atrium focused on maximizing the available light. 'Where I grew up in the East Village in New York, natural light was rare,' said owner Roxanne Chemych. 'The railroad apartments we lived in never allowed us to see sunshine or light.' (Railroad apartments are a type where the rooms connect one after the other like a series of train cars, from the front door to an exterior, or even interior light-well, window.) The renovated house on Madison was to have no shortage of windows. 'We'd often wear sunglasses in our living room, the afternoon sun just really streamed in. You felt like you were outdoors,' said Ms. Chemych. She compares the feeling to being in a ski chalet or a backcountry cottage, which the couple decided they didn't need to build: 'We had one every day in our urban home.' Before buying 90 Madison, they had lived across the street, in a heritage-style house that coupled dark wood with modest exterior windows and long hallways between rooms. Ms. Chemych would look at 90 Madison, with the creaky old garage sitting next to it, and imagine the possibilities. When they bought it in the early 2000s and took stock of the original interiors they came up with an idea: What if we kept some of these spaces and melded them with something entirely new? 'We felt there was potential,' she said. 'We always wanted to custom-build our home and once we had children it was time; we needed the extra space.' Today, the addition is actually taller than the original. And, while parts of the Victorian mansion are woven into the fabric of the new home, there are still two separate apartments in the original building. 'The primary home is 3,200 square feet, and the two other apartments if you added them you could make it into a 7,000-square-foot mansion,' Ms. Chemych said. It's either a nice income stream, or a potential for expansion. 'I'm from New York, I'm used to people in my apartment building,' she said. There are two entrances to the home, up the original Victorian staircase which shares a common lobby with the apartments, or through the back under the five-vehicle car port, which also provides access to the elevator at the rear of the building. 'That came about because my mother had a terrible accident, she lost her legs, and the plan was to have her stay half with me, half with her brother,' said Ms. Chemych. As it is, the elevator now provides an accessible connection to all three levels of the new addition (handy for hauling in groceries and suitcases too). The main floor of the addition is a massive interior volume; a three-level atrium with a window wall on the back of the house that climbs up to the roofline. There's also an office that faces the street. There's a lot of brushed steel, thanks to two suspended catwalks that connect the rear elevator to the rest of the home. The second-floor catwalk starts above the kitchen and extends at an angle to the rear; the third-floor catwalk is shorter and connects to the upstairs bedrooms. Both have perforated steel grates for floors, so light still filters through these spans. Stairs done in the same material connect levels, starting just off the kitchen and winding around a corner to a second-floor space that extends into the original Victorian home: a bedroom on the back (with ensuite bath) and a den/library space that's open to the atrium. The catwalk runs past this upper den, and then a section of it loops back to connect the den to the primary suite and also to the second set of stairs, clinging to the wall of the atrium as they climb to the third and final floor. The primary suite also makes use of the Victorian's second floor for its ensuite bath, which connects to the new structure via a short set of stairs. The bathrooms eschew the steel and glass and go for stone and water for whimsy. 'We spent a lot of time in Turks and Caicos Islands – so we took the bathrooms and put in beach stones and beach pebbles and waterfall faucets and rain head showers,' said Ms. Chemych. 'We couldn't reflect it everywhere – I'm not going to put palm trees in the house – but for us also the beach was really important.' The primary bedroom has a wall of glass doors under a sheltered balcony: All three levels have the same balcony across the front of the new structure. This bedroom is the same basic size as an almost identical one above, but it shares its bathroom with the second bedroom on that level that has large angled windows that look down into the atrium. This is an interesting adaptation of the railroad apartment: sure this room has no exterior windows, but the light flowing into the atrium is a good substitute for the open-air version. Having a network of walkways hanging in a huge open volume of space provided a lot of interesting entertainment options. 'The kids would have treasure hunts, laser battles on the catwalks,' said Ms. Chemych. They even turned the catwalk into a stage for bands to perform on, and also turned the atrium into an art gallery for special functions. The windows provided sunlight during the day, but at night they also provided an excellent backdrop for a bedtime story. 'We'd curl up on the couch – when the moon is full it's almost as if you're sitting outdoors. Those are wonderful memories I'm going through right now.' With the kids out of the house it's a lot of space for just two people, and it's time for a downsize, but she's also hoping to stay in the area. 'I feel the most comfortable in the Annex. I love the energy, the different people … you can walk out the door and steps away you have everything at your feet. I used to take a stroller for a walk in the middle of the night and I felt safe,' she said.
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Amy Childs sparks concern after sharing snaps of construction work on new pool at home as fans issue stark warning
AMY Childs has sparked concern after revealing her latest home renovation plans. It comes off the back of a tough week for the TOWIE star, who revealed her wedding to fiance Billy Delbosq had been cancelled - and the reason why. 6 6 6 Mum of four Amy, 34, has also been fighting the comments on body-shamers and confessed the real reason she has lost so much weight. Yet now she has been bombarded with comments from Instagram followers fearing for her security. It came as she posted a video of her outdoor swimming pool being created in the grounds of her stunning Essex home. Billy, 42, and her eldest daughter Polly, eight, could be seen carefully clambering down the concrete levels as they explored the space, which is yet to be filled with water. In her caption, the ITVBe star wrote: "Moments like this is everything. "We are counting down the days. Thank you for making our dream turn into a reality." Yet some were more concerned about the apparent depth of the pool - and this posing a threat for her offspring. One took to the comments to bluntly write: "No need be so deep with 3 kids." A second put: "Please get security around it like a gated area etc x" 'Gutted' Amy Childs 'cancels wedding to Billy Delbosq' after fan backlash over extreme weight loss A third quizzed: "That pool looks so deep? It's taller then Billy, why so deep? Will be lovely for you all in summer months, asl ong as you are happy, is what matters." Another then wrote: "I wouldn't have a pool with young kids." Yet others were quick to share in her happiness, and one wrote: "Living the absolute dream." A second posted: "Going to be amazing Amy." Who is Amy Childs? Amy Childs was born June 7, 1990, and is a reality star, model, businesswoman and fashion designer. She shot to fame in 2010 by appearing in ITV2's reality TV show The Only Way Is Essex. She became known for her ditsy, likeable personality and briefly dated fellow cast member Kirk Norcoss. A particularly memorable scene involved her "vajazzling" Sam Faiers in a barbie pink-coloured salon. She left the show in 2011 and took part in Celebrity Big Brother, finishing fourth. She also took part in a fly-on-the-wall documentary, It's All About Amy on Channel 5. Two years later she competed in Channel 4's daredevil show The Jump and was the second person to be eliminated. She is now said to be worth around £5million through her fashion and beauty products. WEDDING WOE Amy pushed back her plans to get married due to "last minute changes", it was revealed this week. She is said to have been left "gutted" at the recent turn of events. Sources told Closer Magazine: "Amy has had to cancel her wedding and she's absolutely gutted. "There was going to be a show around it, following the run-up to their big day, but they've had to make some last-minute changes based on what's going on in their lives." The news came just weeks after The Sun previously reported how her "perfect" wedding plans were under threat. Amy shares two of her four children with Billy, who she first met in 2000. She referred to him as her "Prince Charming" after they set eyes on each other during lockdown. In 2023, the pair welcomed twins, Amelia and Billy, into the world after a "long and exhausting" labour - yet their marriage plans have taken a back seat. HUGE CONCERN Over the last few months, the reality star's shrinking frame has also caused some concern amongst fans. In a bid to put rumours of "fat jabs" to bed, Amy has finally opened up about her extreme weight loss, which has seen her shed two stone. Speaking to OK! magazine, she said: "People don't know what is going on behind closed doors. 'I'm going through so much at the minute that the weight has fallen off me. I worry about my mum constantly. 'She's very emotional – she thinks she's going to have another heart attack. 'People think I'm not eating, but I do eat. To be honest, I do feel better when I'm a bit heavier than I am at the moment. 'There's so much going on at the minute – it's the result of pure stress." Addressing fans who had speculated she had used medication to shed the pounds she said: 'I just want to be clear that, as I've said before, I'm not using weight-loss injections." 6 6 6
Washington Post
23-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
Homeowners spend on renovations and repairs despite the uncertain economy and higher prices
LOS ANGELES — U.S. homeowners are spending more on home renovation projects, bucking a broader pullback by consumers amid diminished confidence in the economy . Sales at building materials and garden supply retailers rose 0.8% last month from March, the biggest gain since 2022, and were up 3.2% from April last year. At the same time, U.S. retail sales overall rose 0.1%, a sharp slowdown from March.
Times
16-05-2025
- General
- Times
Soak in the views: a Perth farmhouse is on sale for £450,000
When the Perthshire native Julie Campbell and her Spanish husband, José González, bought part of a derelict farm steading on a hillside north of Pitlochry back in 2009, it contained just one thing: a beautiful, beaten-up, old Victorian rolltop cast-iron bathtub. As they undertook an architect-designed conversion of the steading to turn it into what is today — the sublime, four-bedroom semi-detached countryside home they call simply The Barn — it seemed a shame to throw the old bath away. So it was shifted into the front garden, where it stands ornamentally on a raised deck, against a backdrop of a lush green hillside. It has been put to a multitude of uses ever since. 'I was going to make it into a pond,' Campbell
News.com.au
15-05-2025
- General
- News.com.au
Abandoned Otway Shire council office reborn as a groovy 1970s home
A glam 1970s-inspired conversion has given an abandoned Otway Shire office a groovy rebirth as a quirky residential home. Once the municipal heart of Beech Forest, the distinctive brown brick building was in dire condition before current owner Lorraine Tribe revived it with a sympathetic mid-century makeover. Ms Tribe said several years of sitting vacant had taken its toll on 6 Main Rd, Beech Forest, where the ceiling was caving in and every window smashed by vandals. 'It was absolutely disgusting,' Ms Tribe said. 'When we went to see it as you walked in the door there was this big hole in the roof and all the rain came in and it was completely flooded with mouldy carpets. 'But the most difficult part of it was that it was like Rapunzel's castle in the that the vines and blackberries had grown around it so ferociously that you couldn't even go around the property.' The former council office, completed in 1979, was sold off in the late 1990s after the Otway Shire was abolished and amalgamated into the Colac Otway Shire and later become a private residence. Through the dense overgrowth, Ms Tribe fell in love with its 1970s style, particularly the floor-to-ceiling windows in every room, and its solid construction. 'When you are buying properties in these treed areas it's very rare to get something that's completely fireproof,' she said. 'It has been solidly built with all metal and brick and concrete.' She's kept as many original features as possible and beefed up the 1970s vibe with mirrored tile feature walls, chandeliers and a vintage burgundy fireplace that will have you reaching for a martini. Visitors still arrive via the original entrance foyer with its atrium-style ceiling, while the old council chambers is now a vast living space. Original timber office partitions have been incorporated into the redesign, where they separate a contemporary ensuite from the main bedroom. Even the women's toilets have been retained and renovated with a floral orange theme – taking the total number of toilets at the house to five. Ms Tribe said given the beautiful Otway setting, the floor-to-ceiling windows were the hero. 'There is no room in that building where you don't feel like the outside is inside,' she said. Richardson, Colac agent Jake Theodore is calling for expressions of interest in the 758sq m property by May 27. Price hopes are $850,000 to $900,000. He said the vendors had done a magnificent renovation, as the former council chamber was in 'dire straits' when he sold it to them almost three years ago.
