While they wanted to maximize the lake view, he also wanted to give the couple some privacy. The 15-foot setbacks on each side of the home greatly reduced the frontage, which was just 50 feet along the lakefront.
Creating a walk-out design from a flat lot gave the couple more living space for less money and resulted in a home that didn’t overpower the size of the lot. Oke also designed the home to take advantage of the forest views to the north and the lake views to the west.
The couple appreciated the freedom of being able to contract the construction of their home to the builder of their choice, Oke Woodsmith. Their priorities included a separate main-floor office large enough to accommodate two desks, as well as adequate filing and storage areas.
The couple contracted Oke Woodsmith, who suggested a new home might not be necessary. Moving would have meant exchanging their 100-foot lot frontage, and their view of a beautiful ash forest, for a smaller property in another part of town.
Wining entry for the 2009 National Sam Awards; Custom Homes: Single Detached Home Between 1,500 – 2,200 sq.ft.
A dilapidated lakefront cottage transformed into an award-winning home. In September 2009, the Ontario Home Builders’ Association recognized Oke Woodsmith’s efforts as the cottage was declared Most Outstanding Home Renovation. It was also a finalist for the Canadian Home Builders’ Association awards in the Single Detached Home Between 1,500-2,000 Square Feet category.
Because of it’s size, the lot had been considered to be “unbuildable.” The company invested in slope stability tests – a requirement for securing a building permit. As a result of the tests a new tertiary septic system that required less land, it became possible to build the home there.
As Hayter’s Turkey Products kept outgrowing their processing and packaging plant, the building took on multiple additions and renovations throughout the years to handle the growth. The latest addition was moving closer to the highway and there was a need to re-style the look. That is where Oke Woodsmith came in – take a farm building and transform it into a building that shows the quality of the product that comes from within.
“Oke Woodsmith are professionals at what they do,” Gail says. “There are builders in this area who probably could have done it, but we wanted somebody who was professional and who mirrored our own values as far as looking at something and saying, ‘Let’s do it right.’”
City dwellers who vacation in northern Ontario appreciate the sense of tranquillity a lakeside setting instills in them. One London couple decided they wanted to capture that feeling year-round.
