Transforming a multi-unit heritage home
How to transform a multi-unit heritage home with a fully tenanted building. This beautiful heritage home in Vancouver's West End was in desperate need of a renovation to modernize and reconfigure the layout to better serve the homeowner’s needs. Taking the two top floors and combining them into a beautiful two-story suite was the dream and vision. The challenge was that the property was a four-unit building with tenants currently residing in the units. Along with the added complexity of adhering to the strict Vancouver heritage home renovation guidelines, the finishings needed to match the heritage aesthetic.
The Upward team recognized that complex structural and design work for this large multi-unit Vancouver heritage apartment building was needed to combine the suites and reconfigure the space. After completely altering the layout of the upper two floors, building a porch on top of the main floor, creating new dormers in the attic for additional square footage, and installing high-end custom finishes throughout, the homeowners had a modern update to their beloved home. Structurally, we upgraded the multi-unit building from the attic to the basement, brought everything up to current fire codes, and increased the thermal and sound insulation for maximum comfort. This was all accomplished while maintaining strict Vancouver heritage home renovation mandates and keeping the existing tenants happy.