This century-old home in Toronto’s High Park/Bloor West neighbourhood underwent a complete gut renovation and energy retrofit, transforming a dark, uninsulated house into a bright, comfortable and high-performing home for a young family. The project was named a finalist for a 2022 BILD Renovation and Custom Home Award in the Renovation (No Addition), $250,000–$500,000 category.

When the homeowners approached Greening Homes, the house had never undergone a major renovation and had no insulation. With the interior opened up, the project presented an opportunity to rethink not only the layout and finishes, but also the building envelope and mechanical systems that would determine how the home performed for decades to come.

Greening Homes introduced vapour-open wall assemblies, designed to allow the century-old structure to manage moisture while substantially improving its thermal performance. The home’s HVAC systems were also updated as part of the retrofit, creating a more comfortable and energy-efficient living environment while respecting the realities of renovating an older Toronto house.

Occupant health was considered alongside energy performance. Materials were selected to minimize potentially harmful emissions and environmental impact, including certified wood flooring, wood windows and kitchen cabinetry manufactured without added formaldehyde binders. These choices extended the project’s performance goals beyond energy consumption to the quality of the family’s everyday indoor environment.

The interior transformation followed the same philosophy. A simple, clean design brings natural light through the home, while the kitchen became part of a more open and contemporary living environment. Rather than separating design, health and building performance, the renovation approached them as interconnected parts of creating a better home.

The result is a modernized century home that retains its existing structure while performing far beyond what its original construction allowed—warmer, brighter, healthier and designed for the needs of a growing family.

Project highlights: Full-house gut renovation · Deep energy retrofit · Century home · BILD Award finalist · Vapour-open wall assemblies · Building envelope upgrade · HVAC upgrade · Healthy material selection · Formaldehyde-free cabinetry · Certified wood flooring · High-performance renovation