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When you walk through Louis and Giselle Pereira’s Glenora home and the first thing you notice is the floating design of the walls and ceiling, not its diminutive size, you know an interesting design is at hand. The home is built on a lot so small – 25 feet wide – that the city of Edmonton originally wouldn’t approve the building plans.

The adventure began for Louis and Giselle, and their two children, just over two years ago. They had bought a tiny 1930s home, jokingly nicknamed “the chicken coop” by neighbours as it jutted up against a 109-year-old farmhouse. The Pereiras quickly set out to tear the home down and rebuild to accommodate their family. Louis, owner of a home renovation and building design firm, Thirdstone Inc., took this opportunity to design a newer, greener and more modern home that would fit on the same small lot. He even managed to increase the main floor of the home from 560 square feet to 1,000 square feet.

The project, however, wasn’t without its challenges. New building codes and rules had come into effect since the 1930s. Now, city of Edmonton bylaws stipulate that the smallest width of a property for a single-dwelling house must be 33 feet – eight feet wider than the Pereiras’ lot. The city’s rationale? The quality of life for a family would be insufficient from a home built on a 25-foot lot.

This decision was a challenge that Louis and Giselle rose to discredit. “Bylaws are a haven of mediocrity,” says Louis. “People just need to be exposed to new ideas.” They requested a variance with the city, wrote up a convincing design plan, and fought for their goals. The Pereiras wanted to be part of the rich cultural life of the Glenora community, and Louis believes strongly in renovating and rebuilding older homes that already have the utilities, sewer and public system service running to them.

“Logic prevailed,” he says. “It was a real victory for me, not just as a homeowner, but as a designer.” Louis built a modern house that didn’t tower over its neighbours. “We wanted to blend in nicely with the neighbourhood,” he says of the afford-able, low-profile home. “It reflects our values of what we want in the city.”

It took a year to plan the house, get approval from the city and gain support from the neighbours. It took another year to build the streamlined wood-and-concrete home that has floor-to-ceiling windows at the front and back. The windows’ posi-tions allow cross ventilation and climate control with a passive solar design, and let in light to warm the inside of the home.

The expanse of windows puts the Pereiras’ lives on display, but the family embraces the fishbowl effect. “We wanted to have interaction with the street,” Louis says of his glass-framed home. “I like being able to wave as people pass by.”

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A GRAND ILLUSIONRecessed walls, expanses of windows and smart design help this modern home transcend its small sizeTEXT RACHEL HUMENNY PHOTOGRAPHY MERLE PROSOFSKY

OPEN SPACES The 16-by-16-foot living room rivals that of larger homes. There’s breathing room that allows furniture to sit in the centre of the space, allowing for easy access to storgage cabinets.2,400 square feet streamlined + smart

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With the baseboard mouldings recessed into the walls, and the walls recessed where they meet the ceiling, the upper storey appears to be supported only by the folding glass wall at the back of the home. Louis saw this type of recessed wall joint in galleries and museums, and he wanted it for his home.

The lack of solid ending to the wall turns the focus on the wall itself and limits distractions caused by crown moulding and woodwork, he explains. The wall also functions as a gallery for displaying artwork.

The kitchen/dining room’s dropped ceiling, also appearing to be floating above,

houses the plumbing, electrical and media system wiring between floors. The low-ered ceiling creates a more intimate area, and the recessed lighting produces the illu-sion of a larger space, adding to the natural light bouncing off the glossy cabinets and the quartz counters. “I like the reflectivity,”

OPTICAL ILLUSION The folding-glass wall at the back of the house and dropped kitchen/dining room ceiling appear to support the roof, adding to its “floating” feel. ROOM TO GROW The kids’ room (bottom) offers plenty of play space and will “grow” with the children as they get older.

says Louis says. “It makes it feel like you have more elbow room.”

Wide, grey laminate floor planks run through-out the entire home, adding to the reflectivity. Plus, they were a major cost savings over the family’s second choice, hardwood flooring. Louis also trimmed costs by avoiding specialized or custom-ordered products, no matter how interest-ing or appealing they might be. He even dispensed with the idea of installing a painted-glass back-splash in the kitchen. Instead, Louis chose the same soft grey panelling used on the island’s base cabinets.

These cost savings allow the Pereiras to invest in kitchen appliances, including a double oven and an in-counter induction stovetop. The dish-washer and extra-wide fridge were panelled to look like built-in cupboards. Hidden drawers and pop-up shelves house small appliances and keep the food prep away from foot traffic.

Louis focused on building a house using prac-tical, easily accessible materials. “We did what

we could within our means,” he says. “A house should adapt to a family’s needs.”

Giselle also played a role in the design. Louis was going to build the kitchen at the back of the house, but Giselle suggested he move it into the middle between the living and dining rooms. “It’s the core of the house,” she says. Giselle wanted to be able to work in the kitchen and still be able to keep an eye on the kids.

Next to the kitchen, Louis designed a large stair landing that creates a focal point for the spacious living room. The stringers are built into the wall, in keeping with the floating illusion and allowing the air to circulate. The warm wood used on the stairs balances the cool colours of the large living room.

“Some people asked if it was going to work and it does,” Louis says of the home’s size and functionality. He points to his 16-by-16-foot liv-ing room, a luxury of space not often afforded in smaller homes. The furniture is not pushed against the walls, and leaves room to access the long rows

LIGHT + REFLECTIVITY The ex-pansive windows and high-gloss floors work together to let light bounce off the interior surfaces. A glass shower partition and cedar floating floor also contribute to the spa-like feel of the ensuite.

Wide Plank Hardwood fpc.indd 1 7/28/11 11:16:13 AM

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of storage cupboards and closets. Another one of Giselle’s ideas was build-

ing a room over the garage. “We thought it was a waste to not have a living space up there,” she says. This room functions as part home office and part workout space. It increased the living area upstairs to 1,400 square feet, and the room can be trans-formed as the kids get older and want their own private spaces.

“You put all this effort and energy into building your home – and then you out-grow it? That’s not right,” says Giselle. “We’ve got what we need, and this is good.” But there are always things she sees at friends’ houses that she would love to add to her own home, she says with a laugh.

“There are a few things left to do,” Louis

acknowledges. “Some of the things you want to do yourself, to say you designed and built them yourself.”

Louis has already taken on a few proj-ects. He made the home’s address marker, the brackets and hand railing for the staircase, landscaped the front of the home, and installed the raised cedar flooring in the master bathroom, giving the shower a spa feeling.

These personal touches give the home a handmade, yet custom-designed qual-ity to it. And Louis says the home’s design definitely shows off his and Giselle’s personalities.

“It’s something I would describe Giselle as – personable and friendly,” he says. “I think this house reflects that.” nSee SOuRcES on page 53

Louis Pereira’sdesign deconstructed• BIGGEST SAVINGS: THE FLOORING MATERIAL “We saw this material and thought it was a cost-effective alternative, but with a big result,” says Louis.• BIGGEST SPLURGE: APPLIANCES “We felt we would have good appliances as a foun-dation for the usability of the house.”• WHICH PART OF THE HOME SHOWS YOUR PERSONALITY? “The cool colours; I would consider that my design esthetic.”• ON BUDGET? “No, of course not,” Louis laughs. They came in about 20 per cent over budget, bringing their total costs to about $180 to 200/sq ft – a realistic average when building a home. l