Published at 12:00 p.m.
In 2014, Geneviève Tousignant and Philippe Beauchamp purchased this lovely, century-old shoebox in the heart of Rosemont, a stone’s throw from Molson Park and the lively Rue Beaubien. These single-family homes for workers, which appeared in Montreal at the beginning of the 20th century, continued to multiply until the 1960s. Like several families who lived in these small one-story houses, Geneviève Tousignant and Philippe Beauchamp, parents of two children, appreciated the dream of expanding their home.
“When we arrived it was clear that it would be tight, four people in 800 square meters,” says Philippe Beauchamp. It was small. We loved the neighborhood, the alley full of children. We wanted to stay in the area. »
“When the moratorium came, it shocked us because it changed our plans,” continues Geneviève Tousignant. There were some pitfalls in our project. The first is the moratorium, the second is the pandemic. » (The work began a few months after the first birth.)
In 2018, the Rosemont-La Petite-Patrie district placed a moratorium on conversion and demolition projects for shoebox-style houses that proliferated in its area.
Although they agreed with the need to preserve this humble heritage, several owners expressed dissatisfaction with this restrictive measure. As one of the leaders of this opposition, Geneviève Tousignant sat on a working committee set up by the district. There she met architect Laurent McComber, whose firm L. McComber – Architektur vivant signed the plans for this expansion, a project they aptly called “Shoe Up!” “.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The owners Philippe Beauchamp and Geneviève Tousignant are surrounded by architects Laurent McComber and Olivier Lord.
The moratorium was lifted the following year because a new ordinance was passed to protect these homes. The 561 shoeboxes that were then in the district’s territory were classified according to their architectural value. Since Geneviève Tousignant and Philippe Beauchamp scored the highest (3), the possible interventions were limited.
“There are shoeboxes worth keeping, others not,” says architect Laurent McComber. Here it’s a nice, friendly little street-scale facade, on a street where the buildings aren’t very tall. For a central neighborhood it’s not very dense. »
“I am a historian. “We are not against the idea of preserving modest heritage,” adds Philippe Beauchamp. But the fact remains that if you tell a young family, in the end you might not be able to stay there… We had to find a way. Ultimately we are very satisfied. »
Another floor
PHOTO PROVIDED BY L. MCCOMBER – LIVING ARCHITECTURE
The facade of the house before the work
PHOTO PROVIDED BY L. MCCOMBER – LIVING ARCHITECTURE
Renovating the non-functional kitchen was one of the owners’ wishes.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY L. MCCOMBER – LIVING ARCHITECTURE
The ground floor consisted of a large open area, as well as two enclosed bedrooms and a bathroom.
1/3
It was therefore possible to add a new floor, but it had to be set back at least one meter from the facade of the ground floor. “ [Le règlement exige] not to build in alignment, and that’s a good thing because it would destroy the volume, notes architect Laurent McComber. But that means a small piece of roof needs to be drained. »
To meet this requirement, façade drainage with a gargoyle was installed. “This meant we were able to save ourselves having to install an internal drain,” explains the architect. When you bring water into the house, you bring with it cold and the risk of intrusion. » Not to mention the additional costs that would have been incurred by installing an internal drain in the basement. In order to regain the space lost due to this retreat, the rear area of the extension was expanded using a cantilever structure. “This retreat was not particularly complicated for us,” summarizes architect Olivier Lord.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The space lost at the front due to the forced expansion was regained at the rear through a cantilever assembly.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The new kitchen now occupies the space previously reserved as a bedroom.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
To minimize the loss of space, the stairs to the upper floor were placed above the stairs to the basement.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The small living room on the ground floor. There is a larger family room in the basement.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The angle of the straps has been designed to make movement easier for the owner with knee pain.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
A skylight brings the sun’s rays to the ground floor.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The owners have separate rooms and everyone has their own space.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The two bedrooms are connected by a hidden hallway that serves as a cloakroom.
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
Monsieur’s room
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
A child’s room
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The new bathroom upstairs
PHOTO ALAIN ROBERGE, THE PRESS
The fourth bedroom
1/12
Wood cladding, lighter than masonry, was preferred and accepted by the district. The original shoebox still dominates the facade. For reasons of visual harmony, the large openings on the upper floor are adapted to the geometry of the crown and the old sash windows on the ground floor.
When they embarked on this project just before the pandemic, the couple had a budget that was considered tight given the scope of the work they wanted. He wanted to add four bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs and renovate the kitchen downstairs. Architectural firms rejected the project because the budget was not sufficient. For some it was imperative to renovate the entire ground floor. “We have evidence that it is possible not to take everything off,” emphasizes Laurent McComber.
Prefabricated modules
To save costs, the architects decided on a modular construction method. To her knowledge, this is the first time in Montreal that this technique has been used to add a floor. So three modules of the same size housing the bedrooms and bathroom were manufactured at the factory, then shipped and assembled on site. Each of the wood-framed modules, measuring 25 feet by 12 feet, was lifted by crane, a spectacle witnessed by many neighbors.
It was like big Lego bricks being delivered. I’ve never seen that before. It requires a lot of logistics to transport three modules weighing 25,000 pounds each. We stayed cool. It was special and unprecedented.
Olivier Lord, architect
The operation still left the owners in cold sweats. Lightning appeared in the weather forecast, forcing delivery to be postponed by about a month. Since this required a power interruption on the road, they had to obtain a permit from Hydro-Québec, cover the costs and cover the delays associated with this interruption.
Originally, Laurent McComber was enthusiastic about the cost reduction and reduction of construction disruption through modular construction, but today he is less categorical. “At that time we said to ourselves: ‘Of course it will be cheaper in the modular system.’ Today we would take a slightly more differentiated approach. »
However, the architect sees other advantages: “Instead of being exposed to the dangers of a construction site with traffic, traffic jams, the absence of an electrician, storms and frost, there are controlled conditions in the factory.” Waste is managed better. It’s cleaner, it’s drier, it’s straight. »
The fact that the budget was adhered to was mainly due to the fact that the existing structure did not need to be consolidated. It was strong enough to hold the weight of the expansion.
After living, working and studying in an 850 square meter space (plus a partially finished basement) for the first few months of the pandemic, the family is now enjoying their own space. “Instead of sitting at the kitchen table, I’m in an office. Each of us has our own room. The room is brighter,” says Geneviève Tousignant happily. And although they have separate bedrooms, their space is connected by a wardrobe that blocks out the sounds of sleepless nights without completely isolating the two parties.
The “Shoes up!” ” In summary
Duration of the project: approx. 6 months
Labor cost: approximately $300,000
Construction: Falcon Modular Structures/Gestion Étoc and Construction Racine Carrée