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Rosedale Kitchen

This beautiful kitchen renovation is part of a larger whole house gut we completed in 2012.

What once was a closed off kitchen is now the focal point of this Rosedale home’s first floor. With an open flow between the living room and back deck, this large kitchen offers the family a space to entertain, cook together or to enjoy a quite coffee while reading the paper. The contrasting light/dark countertops with light/dark FSC wood cabinets create a dramatic look, and the efficient use of drawers and cupboards hide ample storage. A new walk-in pantry is tucked away for hiding large countertop appliances, large bulk items and a wine cooler.

SCOPE OF WORK

The original first floor plan of this Rosedale home had been designed to have live-in staff, with access to the kitchen via two narrow doors or the servant staircase. This left the kitchen closed off and lacking connectivity to the rest of the home. We moved the kitchen to the centre of the first floor plan and deleted the servant staircase. Then, with some pretty hefty structural beams, we further opened up the kitchen to create a flow between the adjacent living room, breakfast nook and new expansive Ipe deck outside.

All of the existing flooring was removed and the original subfloor boards refastened. Plywood subfloor was laid on top to stiffen up the floor system and new oak floors were laid throughout the kitchen and living spaces.

Greening Homes crew added the character of a 100-year-old home by installing extensive FSC wood trim details. We trimmed out the structural beams, and added wainscoting elements and high baseboards to the surrounding walls to fully integrate the kitchen’s cabinet detailing. Further, we designed custom leaded energy efficient windows for the bay window above the sink to add character and increase diffused light coming from the adjacent laneway.

INCREASED WASTE DIVERSION

  • Greening Homes created a waste diversion plan before we started this project to identify potential waste/recyclable materials the project would produce
  • The existing plumbing fixtures and kitchen cabinets were donated to Habitat for Humanity, and a tax receipt was provided to our client
  • An onsite corral was setup to separate the demolition and construction waste into wood, metal, cardboard and waste piles. This allowed us to lower the cost of disposal rates due to the clean recyclable material piles

INFORMED MATERIAL SELECTION

  • California standard, lead free plumbing fixtures
  • A 97% recycled drywall product was used throughout the kitchen and 1st floor
  • All framing lumber (where possible) was FSC certified
  • All trim and interior doors were FSC certified

EFFICIENT USE OF RESOURCES

  • LED compatible pot lights and drop pendants over the island
  • Drain water heat recovery system captures heat from the sink and dishwasher and uses the saved energy to pre-heat new water
  • The domestic hot water supply for the sink and dishwasher is fed from a high-efficiency hot water tank.

HEALTHY INDOOR AIR QUALITY

  • All subfloors were NAUF plywood (no added urea-formaldehyde) and FSC certified
  • Non-toxic soldering flux was used on all plumbing components
  • Wet applied products (wall paints, caulking and adhesives) are low to no VOC
  • Both an HRV and a range hood over the gas stove ventilate the kitchen
  • The HRV system exhausts stale air from the kitchens, bathrooms and laundry, and supplies fresh air to the living spaces and bedrooms

SMART TRANSPORTATION TO AND FROM SITE

  • With the central location of the site, Greening Homes crew were encouraged to take the TTC, cycle or walk to site
  • The core crew of this site excelled at the smart transportation challenge and only used vehicles for moving materials and tools (not for day-to-day commuting)