Maric Homes’ renovation strategy at 426 Hosmer is the same successful approach we use on all our renovation projects: reinvigorate the familiar. By identifying the essence of the home and outlining areas that need  thoughtful updating, it creates a clear path for the redesign: upgraded utility, greater efficiency, beautiful finishes and strengthened architectural features. Combined with Maric Homes’ legendary  craftsmanship, this philosophy has created a modern prairie masterpiece.

Conceived and executed from January 2019 to September 2019, the design intent from the onset was clear: keep the home’s prairie aesthetic as the central feature, and maintain the established setting of the home within the context of the neighbourhood.  By using these two principles as the framework for the project, we then sought to incorporate light, infuse modern finishes, improve utility, and increase circulation efficiency.

The vision of creating one large, front-to-back room for the daily living areas  presented some structural challenges. The home’s original layout offered little help to support this vision, but with a creative approach to the problem and a collaborative effort between Maric, the engineers, the floor & truss  designers, and the foundation & framing crews, the goal was achieved.  With this new layout, light poured in and the living space opened up brilliantly.

One of the long hallways was eliminated entirely and one of the bedrooms was, as well. The now three – bedroom main floor has enough room for a large master bedroom, complete with ensuite and built-in closet.  The main floor also features much more  storage,  oversized windows and a centrally-located front entry with a 10’ ceiling. Adjacent to the new front entry is the opened-up main living area housing the living room, reading nook, large galley kitchen, dining room, wall pantry, hidden bar, and hidden laundry room. At the rear of the space, a 12’ wide sliding door now walks directly on to a new deck, a feature missing in the previous home. The garage grew significantly, too: two cars can now park comfortably indoors, behind a sleek overhead door made with tinted glass.

The staircase to the lower level is augmented with two windows at both ends and a glass railing leading down. The basement is further brightened with the addition of a deep concrete window well with two oversized windows. Storage and millwork finishing is found throughout the lower level, and a new  bedroom restores the fourth sleeping space that was removed from the main floor.

On the exterior, the original brick and white siding were replaced with true prairie Tyndall limestone and real wood siding accent. The grade was altered slightly to remove all steps, creating an accessible home for visitors of all abilities.  Removing the front steps further emphasized the low-slung aesthetic common in prairie-style designs. Smooth stucco finishes the balance of the home, with u-channel control joints adding some segmentation and texture to the sides & rear of the home.