Sharing our full restoration project on a 1912 Victorian semi in the High Park / Roncesvalles area. 3.5 years from purchase to finished home. Long post but there’s a lot to cover.
The house at purchase:
- 3-storey, 2,200 sq ft (usable), 2-unit (main floor + basement apartment)
- Original plaster walls in good condition except where previous owners had patched badly
- Original oak floors on main and 2nd floor (under carpet and linoleum)
- Knob-and-tube wiring throughout main unit
- One and a half baths total, 100-amp service
- Non-functioning original fireplace (chimney blocked)
- Galley kitchen with 1970s laminate cabinets
What we did (phased over 3.5 years):
Phase 1 (Year 1): Mechanical and Safety - $78,000
- Full rewire to 200-amp service (3 months, lived in basement apartment)
- Basement apartment: new egress windows, fire separation, smoke/CO alarms
- Chimney relined and reopened (wood-burning fireplace now functional)
- Replaced all plumbing from cast iron to ABS for drains
Phase 2 (Year 2): Kitchen and Main Bath - $68,000
- Full kitchen gut-reno: custom shaker cabinets (painted white), Calacatta marble counters, Lacanche range
- Main floor half-bath converted to full 3-piece
- Original oak floors exposed and refinished throughout main and 2nd floor
Phase 3 (Year 3): 3rd Floor and Exterior - $52,000
- 3rd floor: new bathroom added, primary bedroom expanded with dormer skylight
- Exterior: full tuck-pointing, new soffit/fascia/eavestroughs, front interlock path and steps
Total spend: $198,000 over 3.5 years on top of purchase price.
What we’d do differently:
Phase it less. The electrical really needed to happen before the kitchen — we should have coordinated better and done both in Year 1. Living through 3 active phases was exhausting.
Full photo documentation on home.renovation.reviews.