project profile: mount royal, part 4

i have to confess, mount royal holds a special place in my heart!  truly <3

so it seems somewhat surprising it's taken me so long to share these photos...?! it appears i fell victim to my own limitations as a photographer (of which i am not!) - and was feeling underwhelmed with the lighting and overall composition of these shots when i took them last fall :/

then before i knew it - it was winter?! and by december we were away as a family on an externded holiday, to travel around down under...! by then all things australia and new zealand consumed my thoughts?! a fantastic adventure it was (more on that to follow!) - but for now... back to these pictures!!! many months later and a fresh set of eyes have helped me compile this gallery of finished photos - and made me realize i was a a bit of a fool to wait so long to share!? turns out they weren't all bad ;)   

i will keep this intro short and sweet - and endeavor to let these images speak for themselves (there are enough of them!). if you'd like to see more of our journey over at mount royal, you can view the story behind this magnificent home's transformation here.

and now, finally, here is mount royal :)

project profile: mount royal, part 3

back again and picking up where we left off, here is the next installment in our journey: where spring has rolled into summer, warmer days are upon us, and construction is now in full swing!

up front, the porch has been completely rebuilt; a solid deck and new posts and railings have replaced their time worn predecessors, adding years of enjoyment ahead (cue the rocking chair now!).

around back, the new garage and connecting breezeway have gone up - adding a much needed attached point of entry (not to mention comfort & convenience in this calgary clime!) - and with the foundation now laid the for the new kitchen and bedroom suite above, the old version of both were removed & rebuilt in short order - closing things up comfortably in time for the cooler fall days ahead!

once again, welcome back to mount royal :)

project profile: mount royal, part 2

soooo, where to begin...!?

my last post -  the first and only to date - was a mere introduction to this incredible home, where my enthusiasm was evident and character was a plenty ;)

that was back in january of this year, where we were preparing to start this many layered and infinitely detailed project. flash forward a year and it's now december (seriously, almost christmas?! :/), complete with four seasons and a heap of work behind us!

to catch you up! as we sprung into spring demolition unveiled our task ahead and the history behind it all;  summer brought with it new foundations and a glimpse of the home we envisioned?! (so exciting!); through the fall it's been about finishing! finishing to get the walls and roof up on the addition before the weather turned?! and on the flip side, finishing some of the other areas of the home with some pretty fabulous finishes and fixtures within...  

and now, here we are... winter! where we are coasting into the final phase of this project and aiming for an anticipated completion date of early 2017. with that in mind, i thought i had better get you all acquainted on what the heck we've been up to this year!

no small undertaking, this home has undergone a top to bottom transformation - playing off it's beautiful history and cherished craftsmanship throughout. we've managed to celebrate the old all the while giving a respectable nod to the now... clean, classic, and just a little bit contemporary, this home will no doubt continue to leave a lasting impression in the years ahead...   

tackled in essentially two phases - the first involved the front half of the house, where we made mainly cosmetic changes to the existing upper bedrooms and bathrooms, main floor foyer, living rooms, powder room and den. this gave us a decent head start on things while pursuing the required permits for phase twowhere we had the much more involved task of building a major addition to the back of the house (c/w all around exterior face lift) - that is now well near complete as i type!

i confess, it's been a race to make the most of the seasons - to both begin when we broke ground this spring - to the fall, where we were under mother natures good graces while we finished framing to lock up. from there (just like the turning season!) we could take a shift back inside (stay warm!) and begin the rest of  the interior finishing; bringing to life the new kitchen, mudroom, and connecting breezeway to the brand new attached garage (and all around man cave) that is to come...

so! without further ado, here is the first in a series of photos i'll be posting on mount royal through the remainder of december. in the collection below, we skip back to where we left off and hi-light some of the cherished details, history, and underpinnings revealed as we began stripping things back during the demolition phase; exquisite woodwork and detailing, fixtures and fittings with a time worn patina, and a sense of history that was impressive & comfortable all at once....  

welcome back to mount royal! 

project profile: mount royal, part 1

oh.em.gee. 

every once in awhile a project comes along that really tugs on the 'ol heartstrings... for me, this would be mount royal.

it's no surprise i'm a fan of all things old;  offering history, character, patina and imperfection, older homes have an undeniable appeal - and stepping inside this beauty last summer was a treat to say the least :)

built in 1912 and absolutely filled with original features and period charm - our task at hand has been to freshen up some of the more unforgiving and dated features throughout; and develop an addition to the back of the house that will greatly improve some of the functional drawbacks contained within... essentially: freshen things up - all while preserving the various details throughout the home that make it so very special.

today we are well into the design development, and have been busy at work pulling together the new plans, finishes and fixtures for this historic gem. as such, i thought a proper introduction was due - and i am looking forward to tracking the progress and sharing updates for you along the way...

thanks for stopping in, and welcome to mount royal!