EPISODE 7: A DATE WITH DESTINY - RENOVATING MY VICTORIAN HOME

home renovations in Toronto - install herringbone flooring with brass inlay from chestnut flooring

Installation in progress! My white oak herringbone dreams are about to come true!

RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME - EPISODE 7!

It’s been yet another busy month at the house as we power through more of the finishes. Following the delivery of our refurbished cast iron radiators from Ironworks Radiator Inc and the installation of our classical mouldings from Parsiena Design, Adam and I felt ready to take on the next stage of our Toronto Victorian home renovation, the flooring.

If you have been following my home renovation series for awhile, you may remember me spilling the tea on all my juicy home renovation plans. For those who are new, it has been a dream of mine to have herringbone floors! When Adam and I purchased this property as our first home together, one of the things that I was thrilled about was how old the floors were - odd I know but here me out. Down the line, I knew we would eventually do some renovations to our Victorian home, and when that time came, redoing the subfloor and installing new flooring would be a top priority. In the meantime, I made sure to plant the seed of herringbone floors in Adam’s mind by sharing interior inspiration with him on the regular. Little did I know my dreams were going to come true sooner than I had imagined!

It wasn’t long after Adam and I moved in that we noticed a few things were not as they seemed. Many of our appliances were not working and needed to be fixed, and since they were old to begin with, we debated whether that was even worth doing. In the end, the debate around fixing the appliances escalated into buying them which again escalated into widening the staircase (because 'how would we fit the washer and dryer upstairs otherwise’). All this turned out to be just the thing we needed to get the ball rolling and start planning our Toronto home renovation.

Having big dreams of what I wanted the floors to look like presented a few challenges for me. Victorian homes in Toronto tend to be long and narrow, and I wanted the pattern to be prominent and repeat several times across the width of the house. In order to achieve this look I required a smaller, skinnier plank size. Finding this very specific thing was not easy. Most suppliers I found carried a ‘standard size’ of 4-5 inch wide herringbone planks while I was looking for something slightly smaller in the 3-3.5 inch range. At one point I got so desperate, I called a restaurant with ‘skinny’ herringbone floors that had just opened to find out where they got theirs! It took me a few weeks and visits to numerous showrooms, not to mention ordering samples online from supplier in the US, to find the perfect product - but I found it!

home renovations in Toronto - install herringbone flooring with brass inlay from chestnut flooring - fireplace and ceiling medallion with egg and dart crown mouldings

The living room in my Toronto Victorian home is beginning to shape up really nicely!

CHESTNUT FLOORING #PARTNER

It was a sunny, fall Saturday when Adam and I drove out to Vaughan to visit Chestnut Flooring’s showroom. A long time Instagram follower of mine who also happened to be a flooring installer suggested I check out their showroom after seeing my stories and learning about my herringbone aspirations. Having installed many different brands of herringbone flooring in the Toronto area himself, he remarked at the quality of their engineered herringbone floors - and he was right. Chestnut Flooring not only had the size and colour we wanted, but it turned out that when compared to the other samples I had collected, their engineered herringbone floor product had a superior top wood layer/thickness. This meant if we ever wanted to refinish the floors down the line or needed to fade out a big scratch (knock on wood that never happens), we had the ability to sand them down and do just that! Perfect, right!?

We ended up having such a great experience working with Chestnut Flooring’s co-owner and showroom manager, Sherry, the first time around that as we progressed into our renovations and realized we would have to pull the second floor (phase 2) into the initial phase of our renovation they were the only showroom we needed to visit to source additional flooring. Not only do they offer a wide selection of products from both well-known domestic and international brands, including hardwood, engineered, laminate, carpet, vinyl and tile, but Sherry was able to find a match for our second floor that we just loved! A red oak, straight plank, solid hardwood that adds both warmth and durability to the second floor.


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Part of my big herringbone design dream was to incorporate a boarder with brass inlay. Luckily, a week before installation I was able to find a supplier in the Toronto area but since it was going to take a few days to arrive, we ended up starting the installation on the second floor.

The flooring installation on the second floor went quick and took maybe two days. The red oak hardwood floors from Chestnut Flooring look so warm and inviting. You can really see the natural beauty of the grain when the afternoon sun shines into the room. Adam and I ended up getting enough material for both of the back bedrooms and the 2nd floor hallway. We do have big plans to tile our new bathroom but that will have to wait for another episode!

Just as we wrapped up the second floor installation the brass inlay arrived. I was so excited that my dream was becoming real right before my eyes that I stayed and watched the process. My flooring installer did such a great job incorporating the border inlay and really took his time polishing the brass before installation. He even kindly made two examples for me of how the corners could be done so I could feel confident with my choice. After a week, my date with destiny was upon me! The white oak herringbone floors were fully installed and looking even better then I could have imagined.

CABINETRY HARDWARE AND STAINED GLASS WINDOWS

While the flooring was being installed I was also able to finalize my kitchen cabinetry hardware and begin working on a design for a stained glass window in our main floor powder room. The window in the powder room is skinny but tall and although we love the natural light it provides, it really doesn’t provide any privacy. After commissioning a stained glass artist last fall to replicate one of the small panels in the front window that I noticed was missing, I thought I would work on a larger design with her for this space as well. My plan is to incorporate the same colours you can see in the front window and some of the same motifs, while also keeping the majority of it in the centre a clear, textured glass. Can you picture it?


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Toronto Home Renovations - Victorian Style Home - mosaic tiles at Deco Tile showroom

Deco Tiles Showroom located at 142 Tycos Drive in Toronto

VICTORIAN MOSAIC TILE COLLABORATION WITH DECO TILE & WINCKELMANS TILES! #PARTNER

So, I have been keeping a secret from you. A few weeks ago I received an email from Winckelmans Tiles, a French tile manufacturer with factories in Northern France. Having been in business for almost 130 years, they are best known for their mosaic tiles that have been used in numerous hotel, commercial spaces and homes globally.

My first encounter with Winckelmans took place two years ago while designing the finishes for my Toronto home renovation. Their catalogue featured so many beautiful mosaic patterns but what caught my eye was their collection of Victorian tiles. Not only do they have the classic ‘Octagons and Dot’ pattern I was already completely charmed by but they also offer numerous classical Victorian border patterns as well. I was smitten and had to let them know!

Sometimes amazing things happen when you take a chance and put yourself out there, and I’m happy to finally be able to share that I am going to be collaborating with Winckelmans Tiles through their local distributor in Toronto, Deco Tile. Located on Tycos Drive in Toronto, I visited Deco Tiles showroom to place my order for the powder room and front entrance. I went with a classic super white and black Victorian ‘Octagon and Dot’ pattern with a border to match, and for the powder room I decided to extend the pattern and border up one of the walls. I can just picture it now, looking at your reflection in the mirror and seeing the Winckelmans’ pattern on the wall behind you, framing your silhouette. A dream I can’t wait for!

Home Renovations Toronto - victorian homes - Main Drain Replacement

Adam and I kicked off Phase 3 ‘Basement Renovations’ by replacing the main drain and installing a back water valve!

ADAM AND I KICKED OFF PHASE 3 - THE BASEMENT!

Once flooring was complete Adam and I decided it was finally time to kick off Phase 3 of our renovation. If herringbone floors were my dream, Adam’s was having an amazing entertainment space in the basement. Given all the structural work we had to do at the beginning of our renovation, our once finished basement was no more and it was time for us to pull the trigger on replacing and lowering the main drain as well as installing a back water value outside. This required us to not only demo the basement bathroom but begin breaking the concrete floor and digging a 3 foot trench. Of course with all our stuff stored in the basement, this was a big challenge but we were able to successfully knock off those first few tasks before we begin working towards finishing the basement in the spring. Now that the main drain has been replaced and the back water valve installed we can hook up the water, begin removing all the stuff being stored in the basement, and begin the cleaning process!

REFURBISHING OUR CAST IRON TUB

When Adam and I first moved into the house I would never take baths upstairs. For some reason I never felt the supports under the bathtub on the 2nd floor were strong and I was paranoid that I would fall through the ceiling if I filled it with the weight of water in addition to me. Instead I created a little candlelight sanctuary in the basement where we had this beautiful classic claw foot cast iron tub. I loved taking baths in the basement especially since the cast iron tub would keep the water so warm for so long. I knew even before we started the renovation that the tub wasn’t going anywhere and I was determined to have it installed in our new master bathroom on the second floor. Now that we were beginning to kick off phase 3 of our renovation, the tub needed to be disconnected and moved upstairs. During its ‘great migration’ we were not really surprised to learn that only half of the tub was painted gold! The previous owners had neglected to paint the back side of the tub and it was black! I did have plans to have it repainted and refurbished but having two different paints on it didn’t make that job any easier. In addition to the cast iron tub, I also had the small bathroom radiator painted in the same silver so as to match.

toronto home renovations - cast iron tub refinishing and painting

The great migration of my cast iron clawfoot tub begins but not until we have a chance to refinish and paint it!

The week following the completion of our herringbone floors we were able to prime the main floor and paint the crown mouldings. Once that was complete the kitchen cabinetry we had custom ordered from Domani Design Group was delivered and work began on the 2nd floor master bathroom. More on all of this to come in the next episode along with installation updates on our new custom staircase, phase 3 progress and so much more.

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 home 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 Ironworks Radiator Inc., Parsiena Design, Chestnut Flooring, Domani Design Group, Winckelmans Tiles & Deco Tile for partnering with me on this project. I’m so excited to be working with both local and international industry experts on our Toronto home renovations but want to reiterate that, like always, all opinions remain my own.

Until next time,

- Soheila

MORE ‘BEHIND THE SCENES’ PHOTOS FROM THIS EPISODE


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

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

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!

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

The plaster crown mouldings that were installed in my kitchen


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Home renovations in Toronto - A Toronto Victorian Home - finished drywall-3.jpg

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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EPISODE 5: THE BIG PUSH - RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME

The silicone mold made by Parsiena Design of my Victorian ceiling medallion

RENOVATING MY TORONTO VICTORIAN HOME - EPISODE 5!

For me, 2022 was a year of firsts. First time doing a home renovation. First time gutting a house. First time demolishing a wall, removing flooring, widening a staircase, doing structural work of any kind, and yet here we are!

A year ago, all the work we have done would have been outside my scope of knowledge. It’s amazing what you can accomplish with a good team of people by your side and I feel so blessed to have worked with such great crews on this project. I am so proud of all that we have accomplished together and without them I would have never gotten this far. So before I kick off this episode, I just want to acknowledge everyone who has supported me and this home renovation series thus far. Without you, it would never have worked and we would never have gotten this far. Thank you for one of the best years of my life. ♡

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

Since the last episode, lots has happened at the house! At the end of summer, Adam and I had our roof redone! With five layers of shingles, including the original cedar shingles, the front half of our roof was in rough shape.

Our roof was in serious rough shape before we had it redone!

ROOF REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE

It’s unclear when the previous owners did something to the roof but judging from the state of it, it would only be a matter of time before it would become an issue. The peak was deteriorating and you could see a depression where the old chimney stack used to be. Considering how much effort and money we had already put into this project, we weren’t willing to take the risk of going through another winter without making sure it was sealed tight.

The whole process of removing shingles, repairing any rotten areas, waterproofing, and laying down new shingles took two days. Adding back the eves and aluminum capping took an additional few days but for the most part it was fairly painless.

The worst thing about getting your roof redone is all the debris. I had to make sure it all landed in my front lawn and didn’t damage my neighbours property. At the end of the job I made sure the crew took extra time to clean their properties and they did do a pretty good job. It’s been really nice getting to know my neighbours over the past year and a half (can you believe it’s been that long since we bought our first home) and it’s nice to see that everyone really looks out for one another. One of my neighbours has a snowblower and always does the sidewalks for us. Another always gives us grapes from their garden. Having great neighbours is gift and I lucked out with a bunch of beauties.

One unfortunate outcome that did occur from my roof being redone, was that our smoke bush took a major hit. Despite having cut it back, all the debris that was coming off the roof was falling on the smoke bush causing it to lose entire branches. I had neglected it over the summer and by September it was out of control. I noticed it didn’t flower very well this summer and my mom’s friend who is a horticulturalist advised me to prune it back. I guess the roofers kind of did it for me but I love that smoke bush and really hope it makes an awesome come back next summer.


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STRUCTURAL ENGINEER

Soon after the roof was finished we heard back from our residential structural engineer, K.H. Davis Engineering Consultants LTD who provided us with plans for the second floor.

When I first realized we would have to do structural work on the 2nd floor, my heart dropped. I was so worried about how long it would take and how much it would delay our plans. Turns out, when compared to the work we had already done it wasn’t going to be as complicated or extensive, which came as a huge relief. The new plans required us to install 4 new LVL beams (laminated veneer lumber) which we were confident we could do ourselves, and took us just over a week to complete.

Gearing up to install our fist LVL beam on the 2nd floor. Supports are up and the boys are already removing the top plate.

Most of the work was similar to what we had already done, except the first beam we installed actually had to be built in the air because it was so heavy! We would never have been able to lift it into place, and so we had to lift each piece it into position and connect them all once elevated. After that first massive LVL beam, things got easier. We built the beams on the floor and alleviated some of the lifts with a ‘ladder method’ I once saw our amazing residential structural contractor Raouf use in the basement with a steal beam.

Shout out to Raouf at Dynamic Design and Construction, we miss you and the crew!! We would have never gotten this far without you!!!

The last two beams were pretty simple to install and, much like we had done with the staircase header and floor joists, we connected all the joists that run perpendicular to the beam using joist hangers.

Once all the structural work was complete, Adam and I felt very accomplished. It’s crazy to think a year ago we had no structural or renovation experience whatsoever and here we are building our house from the inside out!

Parsiena Design in the process of making a silicone mold of my ceiling medallion!

MAKING A SILICONE MOLD OF MY CEILING MEDALLION

I know by now you must be thinking ‘Jeeze, this girl and her ceiling medallion’ (I know Adam is), but the original moldings and character of the house was a huge part of what made me fall in love with it in the first place. When Adam told me we would have to level the ceiling in the living room I protested, worried about damaging the almost 150 year old plaster ceiling medallion. I wouldn’t let them touch it without me first finding a solution to either remove it or have it replicated. Enter Parsiena Designs.

Parsiena Designs is one of Canada’s leading manufacturers of stone mantels and architectural elements. I first discovered Parsiena on Instagram and really wanted to work with them. They have a large catalogue full of beautiful medallions, friezes, trims, casing, panels and plaster crown mouldings, and I ended up picking one of their larger, more intricate crown molding designs for my kitchen! For the rest of the main floor, I chose another one of their more simple crown moulding designs, an egg and dart motif which echos the original plaster work found throughout the house.

I also learned that they can do plaster replication. I was so scared of what was going to happen to my ceiling medallion when we would inevitably have to take it down, and I thought a mold of it would be great ‘insurance’. In addition to the ceiling medallion, I also got the door crowns reproduced.

I am so excited to be partnering with Parsiena Designs on this project and can’t wait to see what the house looks like with my new crown mouldings! I think it’s going to really elevate the main floor and allow me to stay true to the original Victorian aesthetic while also providing the flexibility to modernize it.

After the mold was made, we miraculously removed the ceiling medallion. I was so nervous the entire time despite having a mold, but was still determined to do whatever I could to save it (the original is always better after all). Two hours and a miracle later we managed to get it down safely using a drywall lift, a foam pad (used to absorb some of the vibrations), a crowbar, and lots of patience. We were all surprised to learn in the process that it was actually 5 separate pieces instead of just one large piece and although one of the side pieces broke, I knew it was easily reparable and was so thrilled with the outcome.


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Renovating my victorian home - cast iron radiators - Ironworks radiators - painting a radiator

My newly refurbished, cast iron Victorian radiator being painted at Ironworks Radiator Inc.

PAINTING MY VICTORIAN CAST IRON RADIATORS

Remember this beauty? I first spotted her last summer while treasure hunting in the Ironworks stockyard.

Well in November I received a call from Jennifer at Ironworks Radiator Inc who told me that the ornate Victorian radiators I had purchased from her for refurbishment had been sandblasted and primed, and were ready for painting. It took me weeks to pick colours, but I finally landed on brass for the dining room and an antique bronze for the front foyer. I think both colours will go well with our incoming natural oak herringbone floors and french navy blue cabinetry as well as the brass hardware in the kitchen and the modern Castrad Radiators in bronze gold that arrived at the end of the summer.

I really love the look of ornate cast iron Victorian radiators. To me they are like jewellery, but for your home. Not only are they eye-catching but depending on the colours you pick, they can totally add a pop of glamour to a room. I just loved how these turned out and I can’t wait to have them installed in my home! Which colour is your favourite? Feel free to leave your answer in the comments below!

Framing the 2nd floor - pictured here 2nd and 3rd bedroom

FRAMING THE SECOND FLOOR


Once all the structural work was done on the second floor we could immediately start framing. Besides building the bulk heads on the main floor and one wall, Adam and I didn’t really have a lot of framing experience. Thankfully, Adam’s dad was able to lead the charge and show us how. Within a week we had the new second floor layout entirely framed out. Instead of having only one bedroom on the second floor we now had three and we were able to move the bathroom across the house so it could eventually act as a shared master ensuite.

Overall, the framing was easy and uneventful except for the fact that the new layout I had originally planned for was a little tighter than expected in reality. After mapping out the space, Adam and I realized that the closet necessary to house the laundry machines would have eaten up to much space into bedroom 2 causing it to be significantly smaller than bedroom 3. Adam was also worried about future repairs and having to move them around in such a small space so we both agreed that the easiest and best solution was just to have a laundry area down stairs in the basement for now and keep the bedrooms fairly similar in size. The small space we had left over will now become a ‘hidden’ linen closet - a project I’m excited to work on when we we move onto finishing.

Once all the framing was done we could finally start having all the other trades come through to install plumbing, electrical and heating. The last two weeks in November were crazy! Not only were the other trades able to get all the ‘guts’ in the house done, but we passed inspection and had our new window and back Crittall door installed!

INSTILLATION OF OUR NEW WINDOWS & CRITTALL DOOR

New windows have arrived (early too) and are being installed along with my new Crittall door .

The long awaited arrival of our back door finally happened! Adam and I originally placed our custom order for a new back door in the spring, expecting it to arrive mid summer. Here we were, well into fall, the weather is getting cold and I was super cheesed about how long it was taking. When our new Crittall door finally showed up I was still kind of sour, but what I didn’t know was that the manufacturer had sped up our window order which we had only placed a month prior (which wasn’t suppose to arrive until February) and the whole thing was getting installed in the same day. My whole mood did a 180°! All was forgiven and I was happy as a clam once again.

Plus our new Crittall door turned out amazing! Adam and I put a lot of effort into calculating the perfect glass size ratios for the opening and once it was installed, it was obvious all our hard work had paid off.

The ornate cast iron Victorian vent exchange I used to hide some water pipes with the help of some fancy carpentry work.

A LITTLE FANCY CARPENTRY

One small solo project I took on that I feel so proud about arose after our plumber Steve unknowingly hit a floor joist while running new water lines to the second floor. Having nowhere to go but around the joist and up, I had an opportunity to get creative with some fancy carpentry. Luckily, prior to the demo I made sure to save a few things that were part of the original house like this old vent exchange. I didn’t have any ideas as to what I would eventually use it for but clearly I’m a hoarder of old things and when this situation arose, I finally had the perfect reason to upcycle it. My background in design really came in handy for this little project and I was pretty proud of how it all turned out. All I had to do was build a box that could attach to the wall and be dry-walled in to look like it was meant to be there. The vent would fit inside it, blocking the lines while still making them accessible. Pretty cool, right?

Still smiling despite being incredibly itchy from all the Batt insulation work I’m doing

SPRAY FOAM INSULATION & MY DEAL WITH ADAM

In our relationship, Adam is definitely the spreadsheet guy. He’s the one who organizes our renovations expenses and makes sure we stay on budget. If I spring things on him like wanting new crown mouldings for the main floor, a compromise needs to be made. When planning for this home renovation we had set aside money for Batt insulation but was unaware that we would 1) have to use closed cell spray foam insulation on the 2nd floor ceiling because it is a flat roof (our inspector told us this) and 2) how costly replicating a ceiling medallion and putting in new crown mouldings would be.

So to help make room in the budget for these items, I told Adam I would do all the Batt insulation work myself. Boy did I have my work cut out for me. I had no idea how long it would take or how itchy Batt insulation makes my skin but I really wanted those crown mouldings so a deal was a deal. Although doing Batt insulation work is very easy, to do both floors took me more than a month because I could only do it in piece meal and only after the other trades were finished running electrical lines, PEX, and plumbing in those areas. By the end of it, I was so sick of dealing with insulation and being itchy all the time but I managed to get it all done and saved us a few thousand dollars.

When it comes to closed cell spray foam insulation you want to make sure you hire a trained professional with certified qualifications. Although a popular insulation method and one required by the Toronto Building Code for all non-vented roofs, if not done correctly you could experience toxic off-gassing. For this reason, we originally wanted to use Batt insulation everywhere but after our inspector informed us of the code, we had to compromise and do the 2nd floor ceiling. Thankfully, we were able to find a qualified company with great reviews to do it for us, but it did take some time and a lot of questioning. During our search though we did encounter a few shady companies, which is why I just wanted to take a moment to reiterate the importance of choosing a company wisely.

If you don’t want to wait for the next episode to catch a glimpse of what is happening behind the scenes you can always follow me on Instagram where I share up-to-date stories of my interior design and renovation progress!

Winter has arrived! First snowfall of the year!

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.

Until next time,

- Soheila

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