EPISODE 8: FINISHING TOUCHES - RENOVATING MY VICTORIAN HOME

Toronto Home renovations - victorian style home - custom staircase - spray gun painting staircase post and stair spindles

The stair balusters after being painted in a bedroom we turned into a giant spray paint booth!

RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME - EPISODE 8!

As the finishes come to a close, it’s hard not to look back on this year-long home renovation project and take stock of how far we have come. This past year, Adam and I faced a lot of ‘firsts’. First time demolishing a wall, first time doing any structural work, first time widening a staircase, framing out new bedrooms, doing insulation work - the list goes on. It’s true, ‘anything worth doing is going to be difficult’ and renovating our 125 year old Victorian home was no exception!

For those who have been following Adam and I’s home renovation journey, thank you so much for the support this past year. You have honestly made creating these videos and sharing our experience with you such a joy and I hope you feel inspired to step out of your comfort zone and challenge yourself in some way too.

For those that are just tuning in, when Adam and I purchased this property as our first home, we knew it needed some work. The house had been divided into units with a ‘new-ish’ kitchen on the second floor and a very old, very small kitchen on the main floor.

Initially, Adam and I thought we would wait before doing any renovations; settle in, learn about the house, figure out its quirks, save a little money and then start the planning process. But soon after we moved in, we realized many of our appliances were broken and needed to be replaced. This ended up being the small nudge needed to get the ball rolling and so the process of planning our Toronto home renovation begun. Seven months later (and just in time for Adam’s birthday), we received our building permit and were ready to get started!

P.s. If you are interested in seeing/revisiting what the house looked like prior to renovations, you can go check out my ‘pre-renovation house tour!

Toronto Home renovations - victorian style home - kitchen renoation - neoclassical kitchen design with slim shaker cabinets

My custom, slim shaker cabinet style kitchen made by Domani Design Group

INSTALLATION OF MY CUSTOM KITCHEN CABINETS

After over a year in the making, this past month our custom kitchen was finally installed!

Adam and I love to cook so when it came to designing our dream kitchen, we wanted to make it the perfect space to entertain. Adam’s only request was to have a large island where his friends could sit around and chat with him while he cooks. I, on the other hand, needed it to be super functional for content creation and full of natural light for photos. In the end, Adam got his large kitchen island and I got the neoclassical kitchen of my dreams. Of course we didn’t do it alone! In order to ensure the flawless execution of our dream kitchen, Adam and I turned to Domani Design Group here in Toronto.

Located in the Castlefield & Caledonia Design District, Domani Design Group is a family run business with over 40 years of experience in designing and building custom kitchens. In addition to being a distributor of luxury European brands like Pedini, Domani also specializes in custom cabinetry for both kitchens and bathrooms.

Having just splurged on a new stove, I wanted the cabinetry to compliment our dark navy blue La Cornue duel range. To achieve this I ended up going with a slim shaker cabinet profile in a matching navy blue. To me this felt both contemporary and classic, and I knew it would work well with the large ornate crown mouldings I was eyeing from Parsiena Design and the Crittall style back door Adam and I had designed for our newly enlarged back entrance. When it came to our counter tops and back splash, I choose a Calacatta Gold made of Porcelain as I knew it’s superior durability and resistance to stains would ensure it lasted a lifetime. To help bring out the caramel streaks in the veins we chose a complimenting House of Rohl faucet in a polished brass finish as well as elevated knobs and pulls.


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Toronto Home renovations - victorian style home - bathroom renovations - waterproofing and tiling of checkerboard tile floors

Master bathroom renovations are underway and for the tiled floors I went with a checkered tile pattern in blue and white with a border to match!

MASTER BATHROOM RENOVATION UPDATE

With the completion of our white oak herringbone floors from Chestnut Flooring, we began the tile work for our master bathroom. Taking inspiration from the checkered pattern seen in the hallways of Palace of Versailles and incorporating my favourite colour blue, I was able to source a suitable match locally. The trick with this space however was that it was quite small. Since the majority of it would be covered by the tub, floating vanity and shower, using the right size tile was important. If the tile was too large, the pattern would not be as apparent and feel almost like an afterthought. Conversely, if the tile were too small, it would be distracting and all that you notice. In the end I found a suitable 8x8 tile that, although was not honed marble like my inspiration, was well proportioned for the space, offered the durability associated with porcelain, and complimented the white and blue ‘marble’ porcelain slabs we chose for the shower walls. To help further pull the room together I ended up choosing a large white oak wall mount vanity, also in a slim shaker profile, with a white quartz counter top to match our shower curb. For hardware, a chrome faucets, tub filler and shower fixture finished off the rooms colour palette with a ‘polished’ detail.

While tiling for the mater bathroom was underway, Adam and I turned our attention to the cast iron tub in the basement. When we first moved in, I would never take baths upstairs in our master bathroom. To me, there was something about the bathtub that never felt quite safe and I worried that if I filled it with water as well as my body weight, I would find myself falling through the floor. Instead I would take baths in the basement where I had a beautiful claw foot cast iron tub that would keep the water warm for what seemed like ages. It didn’t take long for the basement bathroom to become my little sanctuary and when renovations began, I had no intentions of getting rid of my beloved tub. Instead, I convince Adam that the best course of action was to move the cast iron tub upstairs! Once disconnected, Adam along with the help of his brother, began its great migration. In the process, however, we learned that only one side of the tub had been painted gold, and the other half was black! To remedy the situation, we had our painter Ariel from South Hill Property Care refinish the tub and paint the outside of it silver to match the chrome hardware. In addition to the tub, we also painted the bathroom’s small cast iron radiator in the same silver colour and I think they both turned out better than imagined. Once the paint was dry and the tiling of the master bathroom was complete, we were then able to resume moving the cast iron tub to the second floor and place it in it’s final position! I still can’t believe it!

Toronto Home renovations - victorian style home - custom staircase - spray gun painting staircase post and stair spindles

The posts of my custom staircase after they were finished being spray gun painted!

PAINTING AND TRIM WORK

Not only did Ariel refinish my cast iron tub, but he also worked diligently on all the fine carpentry. From baseboards to installation of my new doors, over the course of a month much of the trim work was completed.

Since Ariel was also in charge of painting the house, he was able to give the new stair spindles and posts a layer of paint prior to install by turning one of the second floor bedrooms into a paint spray booth. It was so cool watching him use a spray gun and seeing how quickly he can work with his machine. Almost makes me want to buy a spray gun myself.

I also spent some time restoring some original trim that I had saved from the original house prior to the demo. I used a heat gun to remove layers and layer of paint and restore them to their natural wood material. Once bare I then sanded them down, used a little wood filler to cover up any dents and imperfections before handing them back to Ariel for re installation. I love the way these look in the corners of the window trim and doors and actually had Parsiena Design reproduce them for me in plaster so that I could introduce them in the upstairs windows as well. Unfortunately, due to the nature of plaster, they don’t fair well in moisture rich places like bathrooms but this is exactly where the old wood ones would be the best option.

INSTALLATION OF OUR CUSTOM STAIRCASE

Once Ariel was finished painting the stair balusters and posts we were able to get our stair installer back in to wrap up the stairs. Adam and I are so happy with how our custom staircase turned out and love the Victorian detailing in the ornate design of the stair spindles.


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BASEMENT RENOVATION UPDATES

Since the last episode, Adam and I have also made further headway on the basement. Once the main drain was installed we could begin concentrating on removing some of the disturbed soil from the basement and clearing out space. Adam and I plan to continue working on the basement this spring and will likely be doing some underpinning to the foundation on at least one side of basement while benching the other. More on this phase of our renovation project to come in future episodes so stay tuned!

Toronto Home renovations - victorian style home - refurbished cast iron radiators from Ironworks Radiators Inc

My refurbished ornate Victorian rads are finally ready for installation!

INSTALLATION OF OUR CAST IRON RADIATORS

As the weather started to warm up and spring was officially upon us, we were also able to get all our radiators from Ironworks Radiator Inc installed. I am so happy with how the refurbished vintage ornate cast iron radiators we got from them turned out and I love my chosen paint colours. Now installed, there is no denying the character and elegance they add to the main floor, and how well they play into the house’s Victorian heritage.

If you love Victorian style houses or are just looking to refurbish your rads at home, I highly recommend checking out Ironworks Radiator Inc in Etobicoke. They have an extensive stockyard of Victorian radiators located at the back of their shop and their inventory is always changing. They also work directly with Castrad Radiators in the UK to import brand new cast iron radiators in various styles including more modern sleek silhouettes.

Toronto Home renovations - victorian style home - custom staircase - spray gun painting

Painting of my custom staircase by South Hill Property Care

PAINTING THE HOUSE

Once Ariel was finished all the fine carpentry work, he was able to turn his attention to painting the rest of the house. We ended up going with Benjamin Moore’s ‘Chantilly Lace’ which truth be told caused him somewhat of a headache because it was so white that it took several coats to conceal inconsistencies in the walls. In total Ariel said he had to use about 4-5 coats on the walls and 3 coats on the trim to achieve a finish we were all happy with. Word to the wise, if you are thinking about painting your house Chantilly Lace prepare yourself for many coats!

Even though this is all I have to share today, there is still so much more work to be done at the house. All our appliances still need to be installed, Adam and I will be working on underpinning the basement in the spring, and our new tiles from Winckelman Tiles in collaboration with Deco Tile will be arriving soon! All this and more to come in future episodes!

Toronto Home renovations - victorian style home

My Toronto Victorian home currently undergoing a major renovation

Thank you so much for joining me today and for checking out my new Toronto home renovation series on Youtube. I am super excited to be modernizing a Victorian home while still keeping the charm of an old Victorian house. If you have any questions about my Victorian house renovations, what it’s like to live in Little Portugal, Toronto or recommendations for Toronto contractors, hit me up in the comments below!

Before I sign off, I’d also like to say a big thank you to Domani Design Group, Chestnut Flooring, Parsiena Design and Ironworks Radiator Inc for partnering with me on this project. I’m so excited to be working with local experts on our Toronto home renovations but want to reiterate that, like always, all opinions remain my own.

Until next time,

- Soheila

MORE BTS PHOTOS FROM THIS EPISODE


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EPISODE 6: THE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL - RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME

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Newly installed ornate plaster mouldings from Parsiena Design

RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME - EPISODE 6!

We are officially a month and a half into our finishes and I am already beginning to see the dream home I have been manifesting start to materialize. It’s one thing to dream and pin’ to Pinterest but now that it’s time to pull the trigger on the design elements I have been swooning over for the last year, my heart has begun to flutter with excitement watching it all come together.

Of course the finishes have come with their own set of challenges. Unlike everything that has happened up to this point, being ‘hands off’ means we’ve had to communicate very clearly and leave nothing to chance. There have been a few instances already where small assumptions have led to bigger mistakes and further work in order to correct immediately. Despite these obstacles, Adam and I continue to push our Toronto home renovation forward with bated breath, especially now that we are able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

If this is your first time tuning into my new Toronto home renovation series and want to start from the beginning, check out Episode Episode 1: Sledgehammer Therapy and keep up with upcoming episodes by subscribing to my YouTube channel!

Since the last episode, a lot has happened at the house! Adam and I are happy to report that we passed our ‘pre-drywall’ inspection. I was so nervous for the inspection because I had to be on site by myself to answer any questions our inspector had. Thankfully I was able to calm my anxiety by keeping busy by cleaning the main floor and installing sound proofing insulation into the walls surrounding the middle bedroom on the 2nd floor.

toronto home renovations - soundproofing wall with sound batt insulation

Soundproofing the interior walls of our new second floor middle bedroom using batt sound proofing insulation

SOUNDPROOFING WALLS

Adam and I did a lot of research around soundproofing walls. Now that we had reconfigured the 2nd floor layout, adding in two new bedrooms and a bathroom, we thought it would be wise to soundproof the middle bedroom now if we hope to one day turn it into a nursery.

Although it is challenging to make a wall 100% soundproof there are a few things you can do to dampen the noise. The first thing we did was install sound proof insulation between the studs in the interior walls surrounding the middle bedroom. Given my recently acquired expertise in batt insulation (watch the last episode to find out what I mean) I was able to do this myself in just a few hours. After that, we had the drywall crew install SONOpan (soundproofing panels) prior to drywall as a way of adding an additional sound absorbing barrier between the rooms. This of course made the wall thicker, but it was a loss we were willing to accept in the name of comfort!

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home

We had to wrap the 2nd floor front window after we found a leak

WE FOUND A LEAK

Of course, nothing goes as planned when it comes to home renovations and the night before drywall was suppose to start we found a leak! There was a massive storm that night and Adam and I were at the house moving things out of the way for the drywall crew, when all of a sudden we spotted water drops coming from main floor ceiling at the the front of the house. Upon further investigation, we figured out that the leak was coming from our second floor windows and had to act quick. I ran to the basement and got a sheet of left over vapour barrier, which Adam and I used to wrap the front window and stop the leak. Thankfully our temporary solution worked and is holding up pretty well, but fixing the front windows is just one more thing to add to the list for spring.

Drywall went up pretty quick and obviously made a huge impact in making our Toronto Victorian home feel livable once again. Part way through, Adam and I did had to demo the existing stairs case and finish up the batt insulation along that wall, but other than that there wasn’t much work required for us to do at the house. Demoing the stairs did result in our basement turning into a bit of a sandbox though. Although we have no plans to start working on it now, we do plan to finish it after the work on the first and second floor is complete.

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - ceiling medallion silicone mould replica

The first cast of the ceiling medallion Parsiana Design made from the silicone mould they created a month earlier

MY VISIT TO PARSIENA DESIGN

Since I didn’t physically have to be working at the house all day, I finally had time to turn my attention to the finishes! It had been a couple weeks since Parsiena Design had made a silicone mould of my ceiling medallion on-site, and although we had the good fortune of successfully removing the original medallion, Parsiena did make a replica using the mould and I was excited to see how it all turned out.

Located just outside Toronto in Vaughan, Parsiena Design’s production house was a feast for the eyes! Specializing in the manufacturing of architect elements, Parsiena is known as the place to go for custom fireplace mantels in Toronto. In addition to fireplace mantels, they also have a extensive catalogue of beautiful ornate plaster crown mouldings, stone range hoods, medallions, rosettes, friezes and trims. Not only can you see their work across the city of Toronto, but they have also done a lot of work internationally and in the US.

One of my favourite parts about my visit to their production studio was seeing their creative process in action! It’s not everyday an artist lets you peak behind the curtain, and I was thrilled to be invited into their workshop to see masters at work. During my visit they not only showed me the replica of my ceiling medallion, but also some beautiful stone fireplace mantels they had recently completed, I also got to see the crown moulding panels they had produced for me which were ready for install once the drywall was complete.

What do you think I should do with the replica of my ceiling medallion? Fell free to let me know in the comments below!

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The plaster crown mouldings that were installed in my kitchen


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The main floor after drywall is complete! So excited for my new kitchen to be installed!

INTERIOR ARCHWAY

By mid January, drywall was wrapping up and the house felt completely transformed. Now that we had walls you could really feel each room beginning to take shape.

One special request I had made prior to drywall was to make an archway where our future dining room bar will be. I was really happy with how it turned out and think it created a really interesting focal point within the room.

The kitchen area also had me giddy with excitement. With the new back door letting in all this natural light, the first floor looked better than ever.

The second floor was no exception. Our new bathroom was starting to materialize nicely as well as the two new bedrooms we had framed out in the last episode.

Even the fake vent exchange I had created had been drywalled, and Adam and I reached yet another high as we took in all our accomplishments.

INSTALLATION OF OUR NEW BESPOKE STAIRCASE

With drywall behind us we could finally turn our attention to our new custom staircase!

The first part of the instillation process took two days. However, since there is still a lot of messy work to do in the house we had the carpenters hold off on installing the balusters and railing, and instead had them cover it with a protected sheet.

It’s funny to look back now and think about how much Adam and I agonized over whether or not we should replace/widen the staircase. The original staircase was so skinny and in worse for wear condition with a noticeable dip. It is common for old Toronto Victorian houses like ours to have a skinny staircase but it made it really challenging to get furniture up and down the stairs. Now with the new staircase in and the opening made wider, it seems like a no brainier decision.

More to come on this topic in a future episode!!

REINTRODUCTION OF OUR BULLNOSE CORNERS

While the stairs were being installed, we also had someone come in to reintroduce the bullnose edge detail around the fireplace that was present in the original house. You can still see it in its original plaster form on the corbel in the entrance way, but in order to reintroduce it we actually had to finish the drywall corner using a bullnose corner bead first before adding an additional layer of 1/4 inch thick drywall on top. The results were remarkable and I am so happy with how it turned out! For me, it’s the small details like this that really give a house character!

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - classical mouldings - plaster crown mouldings and corbel

An example of an original bullnose corner that once existed in various places throughout the house.

The bullnose corner detail that we reintroduced around the fireplace mantel using a bullnose edge and additional 1/4 inch drywall


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Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - classical mouldings - plaster crown mouldings - Parsiena Design

Installation of our new ornate plaster mouldings from Parsiena Design in our kitchen

INSTALLATION OF OUR CLASSICAL MOULDINGS

Of course, our house wouldn’t be complete without some new crown moulding from Parsiena Design. I could watch them be installed all day and never get bored. The large ornate plaster crown mouldings for the kitchen area were even more beautiful in their full format and took a master with over twenty years of experience to install. Each cut had to be made with such precision so that each corner lined up in perfect harmony and symmetry.

In the dining room and living room we went with a more understated, classic moulding design that echoed the egg and dart motif seen throughout the remaining plaster work in the house. I think the contrast in the size of the crown moulding works beautifully on the main floor because it actually makes the ceilings in the living room and dining room appear higher than the kitchen, when it fact they are slightly lower. I also love how much drama the big plaster crowns bring to the kitchen. I think if we had done them everywhere it would have been too garish and overdone so I’m really happy with my decision to just keep them in the kitchen area.

Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - classical mouldings - plaster crown mouldings and stained glass window

Halfway through our finishes! Can’t wait to see this room when it’s done!

To end off an incredibly productive week of finishes, Parsiena was also able to delivery the replicated cast and mould of my ceiling medallion and they were able to reinstall the original ceiling medallion, mending it back together piece by piece until it was hole once more. Since we had taken it down, I had some time to work on it in preparation for re-installation, and during this time I had actually discovered a whole extra layer of scalloping detail that was hidden under caulking and plaster. It was an incredible discovery which only adds to its unique character and beauty. I’m thrilled to have it back, not only in it’s rightful place but in all its grandeur.

DELIVERY OF OUR REFURBISHED CAST IRON RADIATORS

As the month came to a close, we also welcomed the delivery of our newly refurbished rads from Ironworks Radiators Inc. Although it is a little premature to install them, once the floors are done we should be close and I can’t wait to see them in their final position and glory!

More to come on this topic in the next episode! Hopefully!

UP NEXT!

Lots more exciting things to come in the next episode of our Toronto home renovation series including the installation of our beautiful herringbone floors from Chestnut Flooring, the tiling of new our master bathroom, and the installation of our custom kitchen from Domani Design Group!

Thank you so much for joining me today and for checking out my new Toronto home renovation series on Youtube. I am super excited to be modernizing a Victorian home while still keeping the charm of an old Victorian house. If you have any questions about my Victorian house renovations, what it’s like to live in Little Portugal, Toronto or recommendations for Toronto contractors, hit me up in the comments below!

Before I sign off, I’d also like to say a big thank you to Parsiena Design and Ironworks Radiator Inc. for partnering with me on this project. I’m so excited to be working with local industry experts on our Toronto home renovations but want to reiterate that, like always, all opinions remain my own.

Before I sign off, I’d also like to say a big thank you to Parsiena Design and Ironworks Radiator Inc for partnering with me on this project. I’m so excited to be working with local industry experts on our Toronto home renovations but want to reiterate that, like always, all opinions remain my own.

Until next time,

- Soheila


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