Redwood Basement Apartment
Design-Build Basement Apartment
Challenges & Objectives
The Redwood Avenue project involved converting an old, dark basement into a bright, functional, and fully legal basement apartment. This transformation not only added value to the home but also created a comfortable and modern living space. The project required lowering the basement floor and separating the unit to meet legal apartment requirements, while also overcoming challenges posed by extremely fine dirt that necessitated the use of specialty equipment.
This project presented unique challenges and clear objectives:
- Basement Lowering: Increase ceiling height to make the space livable and comfortable.
- Legal Compliance: Ensure the new basement apartment met all safety and building code requirements for a legal secondary suite.
- Soil Removal: Handle and remove extremely fine dirt, requiring specialized equipment and careful management.
Our objective was to deliver a safe, modern, and fully compliant basement apartment that maximized the space’s potential.
Design Solutions
To meet the project’s goals, we implemented strategic and practical solutions:
- Basement Lowering:
- Excavated and lowered the basement floor to achieve adequate ceiling height.
- Reinforced the foundation to ensure structural integrity during and after the process.
- Legal Apartment Compliance:
- Installed fire-rated materials, proper egress windows, and separate utility systems to meet code requirements.
- Created a private entrance and separated the unit for independent use.
- Specialized Soil Removal:
- Used specialty equipment to safely and efficiently remove the fine dirt without compromising the worksite or schedule.
Construction Process
The Redwood Avenue basement transformation was completed in the following phases:
- Excavation and Structural Work:
- Carefully lowered the basement floor while maintaining the integrity of the home’s foundation.
- Addressed challenges posed by the fine dirt, using specialized tools to manage its removal safely and effectively.
- Legal Apartment Conversion:
- Built out the new basement unit with a functional and stylish layout, featuring proper ventilation, fire safety measures, and separate utilities.
- Installed a private entrance and upgraded finishes to ensure the space was modern, bright, and inviting.
Results
The transformed basement on Redwood Avenue is now a fully functional, legal apartment that meets all safety and building code standards. The space feels spacious and modern, offering a significant upgrade from its original state. The client was thrilled with the results, especially the seamless handling of the excavation and compliance process.
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