Whole home renovations, additions, energy efficiency, innovation and more — the 2021 Reno Tour offers eight beautiful projects to explore, all from the comfort of your home.
If you’re planning a renovation, one of your first steps needs to be researching potential renovators. And that’s where the 2021 Reno Tour comes in. Presented by the Greater Ottawa Home Builders’ Association (GOHBA), the tour features companies registered with RenoMark (a program where participating companies are pre-screened and must meet strict guidelines) and showcases their recent projects.
Normally, the tour is an in-person event held on one day in the fall. But the COVID-19 pandemic forced a rethink last year with organizers pivoting to a virtual format that has proved to be wildly successful.
“The innovation of launching a virtual tour allowed us to reach more people than ever before,” notes Jason Burggraaf, executive director of GOHBA, which puts on the tour. “Since the launch last year, over 2,500 individuals have toured the projects on RenoTour.ca, which is far more than we could ever hope to see in person on a single day.”
7 renovators
The online tour lets you explore unique projects by Amsted Design-Build, ARTium Design Build, Carolyn Munro Design+Build, Lagois Design-Build-Renovate, RND Construction, The Conscious Builder and Urbacity Design-Build.
Technology by Point3D Commercial Imaging that captures a space in three dimensions means you get an immersive experience in touring each project, letting you “walk through” the home from your screen, choosing exactly where you want to go, how close you want to zoom in and giving you context for the home’s layout.
“From kitchens and bathrooms to full-home renovations, each 3D tour is packed with the details of the project, including the concept, the process, and even certain products and finishes used during the build,” says Spencer MacPherson of Point3D. “Using the multimedia tags with the tour, users can engage directly with the renovator for more information and potential ideas for their own future renovations.”
This year’s projects include whole-home renovations, additions, energy-efficiency upgrades, innovation, kitchens, bathrooms, a behind-the-walls tour and clever repurposing of existing features and finishes.
Extra features
The tour page, which is now live, also includes descriptions of each of the eight projects, many augmented with details such as before-and-after photos, intro videos and other multimedia labels.
As well, you can take a walk through the two Habitat for Humanity ReStores, which are retail locations that offer donated new and recycled household items and building materials at below-retail prices. The tour has always been a fundraiser for Habitat’s Ottawa chapter, raising almost $17,000 since 2015 that goes toward providing affordable homeownership for lower-income families.
“Reno Tour has raised significant funds for our builds,” says Shawna Blanchard, Habitat’s director of development. “Through their support, we have had the opportunity to provide safe, decent and affordable housing to more than 31 families… I cannot wait to partake in this year’s event.”
Here’s a look at the projects on this year’s tour.
Amsted Design-Build
Project #1: Basement transformation
Summary: An underutilized walkout basement was remodelled, incorporating a covered patio, to create an ultimate entertainment space that takes advantage of beautiful waterfront sightlines and offers unrestricted exterior access while adding space for a large media room, guest bedroom, home gym, and kitchenette, mudroom and sauna area with a NanaWall (a movable glass wall).
Project #2: “Treehouse” addition / whole-home renovation
Summary: This century home was poorly insulated with an inefficient floor plan. It was stripped to the studs and rebuilt with a new floor plan to suit the family’s needs. Along with a new main floor, a 15-foot-high second-storey rear addition created a “treehouse” master suite that takes advantage of the backyard tree canopy while being careful not to impact the tree’s roots.
ARTium Design Build
Project: Whole-home renovation
Summary: This home saw significant structural alterations, a complete kitchen redo and renovations to every other room. Several walls were removed so that what had previously been a chopped up rental property was transformed into open spaces with fixtures and finishes that reflected the homeowners’ personal taste.
Carolyn Munro Design+Build
Project: Kitchen makeover
Summary: A kitchen that Carolyn Munro originally designed in the 1990s needed an update for changing homeowner needs while still respecting the traditional style of the home. The layout was reconfigured and part of the old kitchen was repurposed. “There are other options to installing a brand-new kitchen,” she says, and this project shows how you can do that.
Lagois Design-Build-Renovate
Project: Transformed inside and out
Summary: This home was completely made over, inside and out, creating a dramatic before-and-after effect. A non-functioning rear addition was replaced, allowing for an expanded kitchen and sitting area. An angled front entry was also added that, along with new exterior cladding, seriously ups the curb appeal, and the existing fireplace was transitioned into a focal point.
RND Construction
Project: Family friendly remake
Summary: A project that started with a new kitchen, ensuite and kids’ bathroom grew to become a whole-home renovation that showcases family friendly, durable, easy-to-clean finishes and increased storage and fits the owners’ pop-art-inspired style. As often happens in a reno, unexpected issues — in this case water damage and improperly installed windows — created hiccoughs that needed to be addressed.
The Conscious Builder
Project: Century-home revival
Summary: An 1860 stone home needed a lot of work and The Conscious Builder was brought in to retrofit it for better efficiency while respecting the home’s heritage. “We thought this was a great opportunity to showcase something a little different than people might be used to seeing,” says The Conscious Builder’s Casey Grey. “A lot of the value in efficient, high-performance home renos goes inside the walls, so we decided to do a walls-open tour.”
Urbacity Design-Build
Project: Two-storey addition
Summary: A newcomer to Ottawa’s renovation industry, Urbacity is showcasing a two-storey addition that accommodates a roomy kitchen on the main floor and the master suite while offering an abundance of natural light and large entertaining areas. Features and finishes are luxurious, with an incredible attention to detail.
Tour all the projects at RenoTour.ca.
