A multi-award-winning renovator, Lagois is offering an extensive remodel that focuses on accessibility and family for its stop in the 2024 RenoTour Parade of Homes.
The project, which is a finalist in this fall’s Ottawa Housing Design Awards, included creating a flexible living/bedroom/bathroom for a family member who needed a fully accessible space, as well as an updated and reorganized kitchen and a new family room in the basement.
The RenoTour Parade of Homes is presented by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA) and RenoMark (a national program that identifies professional contractors who have signed on to a code of conduct that protects the homeowner).
This home is one of nine that can be seen in person on Oct. 6. There is no charge, and the tour map can be found online (or scan/tap the accompanying QR code). You can also pick up a map in person at the GOHBA booth at the Ottawa Fall Home Show (EY Centre, Sept. 26-29).
If you can’t make the in-person tour, 3D virtual walk-throughs of most of the homes will be available afterwards at RenoTour.ca.
Here’s more info on Lagois Design-Build-Renovate — the current GOHBA Renovator of the Year — and its project from office manager Brenda Salmon (edited for clarity).
Q: Why did you join the tour this year?
A: We have been a part of RenoTour since it began. We feel it is a wonderful opportunity to showcase to visitors what we do and show them the end result that can be realized through a well-planned and thought-out process.
Q: Why choose this project for the tour?
A: We are seeing more aging-in-place renovations that include flex rooms for main-floor living. This family wanted to create a space for an elderly mother to be able to live comfortably within the family environment but still maintain her own space and privacy.
In creating a flex space for the mother on the main floor, the homeowners lost their space for a family room. We created a new finished basement with a family room. We also updated their kitchen to create better flow and opened it up to the living room.
We refreshed a powder room and reinvented a garage entry space. There are many different renovations within this one project for visitors to see.
Q: What else can you tell us about this project?
A: We turned a large family/dining room into a flex space for their elderly mother. It consists of a bedroom with built-in cabinetry, a barrier-free bathroom (the family says it is the best bathroom in the house), and a small living room with a kitchenette, complete with a built-in fridge and freezer.
We remodelled their kitchen, adding a new large island and extra cabinetry for storage, and opened up the entrance to the living room for a more open concept. We created a beautiful family room in the basement to replace the one lost in the new flex room.
A powder room was redone and the garage entrance that was just a hallway now has extra space with a beautiful custom built-in dresser and wardrobe. The front door was replaced, the main floor was repainted and all the hardwood floors were refinished.
A challenge for the family, although not necessarily for our team, was that the entire family, consisting of two adults and three young adult children and their dog, lived through the renovation on the upper floors. They got to know our site supervisor very well and they are still amazed that they made it through.
Q: What kinds of things should visitors watch out for when they tour the project?
A: There’s lots to see:
- There is a lot of custom cabinetry throughout this home.
- The herringbone backsplash in the open cabinet is a great touch.
- The appliance pantry has a bifold door and automatic interior lighting.
- A large island features extra storage beneath.
- The lovely family room has a hidden door in the wall to conceal the water pipes.
- The barrier-free flex bathroom is beautiful with the large-format marble wall tiles. It has a curb-less shower, a grab-bar toilet paper holder and a grab-bar towel rack. It also has a ceiling fan with a heater.
- The kitchenette has a hidden built-in fridge and freezer.
Q: What do you expect to have on hand for visitors?
A: This project is spread from one side of the home to the other, including the basement. Lagois will have a full team available for the day, including our president, Jacob Kirst. Each member will stay with a visitor for the entire tour, taking them on a journey throughout the home.
We will have a few “before” boards printed for people to really grasp the difference in each of the spaces. There will be a list of relevant products and suppliers for each room as well.
For the virtual tour, there will be supplier information, some details on products used and some before pictures.
Q: Tell us a bit about your company.
A: Lagois is an award-winning, design-build company that has been helping homeowners in Ottawa and surrounding areas for 40 years to “Love Where You Live!” We are also Ottawa’s first certified net zero renovator.
We take a holistic approach. We plan and design your home renovation with our proven three-phase, design-build process, with no room for surprises. Relying on our depth of design and construction expertise, we turn clients’ visions into an impeccably constructed home, on time and on budget. We back it up with a peace-of-mind, no-fee, five-year warranty.
Q: What’s the value of this tour for those who will visit the homes?
A: This project will show visitors how a home, through a holistic design approach, can be transformed to allow living in place and create a cohesive space for an entire family, including the dog.
