Delaware
Full Home Renovation
Challenges & Objectives
The Delaware Avenue project was a complete transformation of a semi-detached home, designed by the client’s chosen architect and brought to life by the team at Woodsmith Construction. This extensive renovation included basement underpinning, a new third floor, a rear addition, and a full interior upgrade. Despite the challenges of working on a shared party wall with a difficult neighbor, we delivered a stunning, modern home that perfectly combined functionality and style.
This project involved complex challenges and ambitious goals:
- Structural Upgrades: Underpin the basement for increased ceiling height and stability, and construct a new third floor and rear addition while maintaining the integrity of the semi-detached structure.
- Party Wall Coordination: Navigate the shared wall with a challenging neighbor while ensuring compliance and structural safety.
- Modern Interior Design: Completely upgrade the home’s interior with modern finishes and improved functionality.
Our objective was to create a home that felt entirely new while preserving its character and meeting all the client’s needs.
Design Solutions
While the design was led by the architect, we played a critical role in executing the project and implementing key solutions:
- Structural Work:
- Safely underpinned the basement to achieve greater height and stability.
- Constructed a new third floor and rear addition, seamlessly integrating them into the home’s overall design.
- Carefully managed work on the shared party wall to ensure compliance while minimizing disruptions for the neighbour.
- Interior Upgrades:
- Fully renovated the home’s interior with a modern, cohesive aesthetic.
- Installed custom finishes and high-quality materials throughout, creating a space that feels luxurious and functional.
Construction Process
The Delaware Avenue renovation followed a phased approach:
- Structural Work:
- Underpinned the basement and reinforced the foundation to support the new third floor and rear addition.
- Coordinated with structural engineers and the architect to ensure seamless integration of the new elements.
- Party Wall Coordination:
- Navigated difficult interactions with the neighbour to address concerns about the shared party wall, ensuring all work was done safely and respectfully.
- Interior Overhaul:
- Updated every element of the home’s interior, from flooring and walls to fixtures and finishes, creating a brand-new space within the existing structure.
Results
The completed home on Delaware Avenue is unrecognizable from its original state, offering a stunning mix of modern functionality and timeless design. The new third floor and rear addition provide ample space for the family, while the underpinning ensures the basement is now a bright, livable area. Despite the challenges, the client was thrilled with the results and appreciated our ability to manage the project seamlessly.
Our clients' experiences say it all
At Woodsmith, we believe our clients’ experiences highlight our commitment to exceptional customer service. Explore what real homeowners say about partnering with us to achieve their home renovation goals.
The Woodsmith team did a phenomenal job of rebuilding our house to match our dream on-time and within our budget. Chris (the owner) was always accessible, open to ideas and patient with questions. This made all the difference for us. He understands that a job of this scale is something that an owner will likely only do once, and he offered great advice and put all our fears at ease. We constantly knew exactly how we were tracking to our budget (to the dollar) and our job site was clean and orderly at all times (which our neighbours very much appreciated). We were nervous about our year-long adventure in renos (we've all heard horror stories), but Chris helped us spread out decisions over time and provided clear options for any challenges his team encountered, making that year a surprisingly pleasant one. All of the work was top-quality and has garnered unsolicited positive comments from anyone who sees our home (including other contractors working in our neighbourhood). I have no problem recommending Woodsmith; you will be in very good hands.
Dave Duncan
We were very pleased with the results of our renovation project completed by Chris and his team at Woodsmith Construction. As well as a great end-product, Chris provided excellent customer communication services throughout the whole process that were greatly appreciated! We would have no hesitation in recommending Woodsmith Construction and in fact have already booked them for a second project.
Lynn
We had a great experience working with Chris at Woodsmith Construction. He is honest, transparent, realistic, easy to get in touch with and makes himself available to his clients whenever they need him. I would gladly recommend Woodsmith Construction to anyone doing a renovation as Chris made a complicated process a positive experience.
Matthew Bernstein
We worked with Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction Inc. on the design for a garage addition, and the experience was fantastic. The project included adding attic trusses to create a new walk-in closet and laundry room that seamlessly connected to our existing main bedroom. Chris’s goal was to make the addition feel like it had always been part of the home, and he absolutely nailed it.From the start, Chris took the time to understand what we needed and came up with a design that not only maximized the functionality of the space but also kept the style consistent with the rest of the house. He paid close attention to every detail, from the layout to the finishes, ensuring everything worked perfectly with our main bedroom.The design makes such smart use of the space, and it feels like a natural extension of the home rather than an afterthought. Chris was great to work with—responsive, creative, and incredibly knowledgeable. He even provided advice on how to approach the construction phase, which made us feel confident moving forward.If you’re looking for someone to bring your vision to life with a thoughtful and practical design, we highly recommend Chris Smith and Woodsmith Construction. The design he created for us has truly enhanced our home. Our construction is well under way and we are already seeing the great design come to life!
Steve F
Woodsmith Construction completed a project for us in a timely and professional manner. The quality of their workmanship is superb. Communication between them and us was informative, courteous and collaborative. We would highly recommend them.
Rick Wilson
Woodsmith Construction Inc. recently completed a full-home renovation on our place, including underpinning and adding a third floor. We couldn't be happier with the results and the level of service that we received from Chris and his entire team. Chris is an absolute professional who is extremely knowledgable, dedicated to his craft and was exceptionally responsive at all points in the project to all of our questions and concerns. For us, this timely communication provided a level of comfort and assurance - I cannot imagine doing a project of this scale without it! During the project, the worksite was kept so clean - our neighbours consistently commented on how great and respectful the team was. We were able to complete a huge project with very little tension and to me, that speaks volumes about the manner in which the project was carried out. In terms of the results, we are thrilled. The workmanship, detail and solid construction of our home are all that we hoped for. This workmanship and level of service continued through the final stages of the project, when we were completing the finishing touches. Chris ensured that every small detail was arranged for and completed. Obviously, we highly recommend Woodsmith Construction and are grateful to Chris and his team for the amazing work, professionalism and service they provided.
Natalie Zawadowsky
