Saskatoon HOME Spring 2008

SPRING 2008 • DESIGN • ECOLIVING • TIPSHEET • DÉCOR • SHOWCASE • $4.95

Saskatoon HOME Spring 20082

Saskatoon HOME Spring 2008 3

D O W N T O W N

C o n t e n t s

7 F r o n t l i n e sCity Presents 2008 Heritage AwardsGustin House Designated HeritagePropertyCMHC Predicts 18 percent Hike inHome ValuesSaskatchewan Housing Market toLead the Nation in 2008Saskatchewan Breaks Record, LeadsNation in Building PermitsCity Ranking Drops Among Afford-able Places To Live

11 S t y l eThe Beauty of RestorationUpdating the Look of an Old Homethrough Professional Renovation

13 P r o f i l eSibling Sales SensationBrothers Typify Fresh Realty Approach

15 D é c o rRethinking the KitchenUpdates That Won’t Sink Your Budget

17 G r e e n e r yThe Saskatoon GardenOf Planning, Edibles and Easy Care

41 T h e R o o mGreat RoomsGreat for Entertaining

45 S u p p l i e r sGreat OpeningsExploring Door Options

47 E c o l i v i n gImprove Your HomeImprove Your Energy Savings

A City in Transition

to a Distinctive Saskatoon Style

25 The Past isPrologue

29 2nd Avenue

31 Rumley

33 King George

35 T. Eaton

37 Fairbanks

Cover: A T. Eaton Warehouse Loft. Unless noted otherwise, all stories and photographs in Saskatoon Home are by Darrell Noakes

49 S h o w c a s eModern Meets Traditional inAward-Winning Design

53 T i p s h e e tPainting Made SimpleThe Easiest Way to Transform YourHome

55 P r a c t i c a lPermits and ProgramsCity Hall Has What You Need

59 B a c k w o r d sTime for a ChangeDowntown Regeneration is aPositive Direction

T h e B u i l d e r s & I d e a s T r a n s f o r m i n g


Issue 1, Spring 2008ISSN 1916-2324

[email protected]

Publisher, Editor, DesignerRobert MacDonaldSenior Editor, WriterDona SturmanisContributing Editor, Writer andPhotographerDarrell NoakesContributors: Eric Montgomery,Alan Wallace, Karen Slivar

Saskatoon Homeis published by:Mondovi Publishing Inc.Box 21105Saskatoon SK S7H 5N9Telephone 306.270.3807Email [email protected] www.saskatoon-home.comPresident Susan ZwarychAdvertising Executive DerekMorrison

Wheat King Publishing Ltd.200-160 Dougall Road SouthKelowna BC V1X 3J4President Jeff Pexa

Produced in association withMedia Futures Institute

No part of this publication may becopied or reprinted without the writtenconsent of the publisher.

Publications Mail Agreement# 41216508

The publication of this maga-zine would not have been pos-sible without the foresight anddedication of a number of peo-ple. That’s especially true in thecase of Susan Zwarych, whosevision and commitment both asa builder and now as the presi-dent of Mondovi Publishing,demonstrate her dedication tothe home building community,and to the future of the vibrantcity of Saskatoon. We would alsoespecially like to acknowledgethe organizational and creativework of Darrell Noakes, whocontributed the bulk of the writ-ing and photography for this is-

sue, and mobilized his consid-erable contacts in the city, in-cluding the City of Saskatoonadministration, who has beengenerous in their support of ourefforts. This issue also demon-strates the expert craftmanshipof Dona Sturmanis, our senioreditor, who commissioned andedited the features and depart-ments that appear here. Maga-zines, in order to reach their fullpotential, are collaborative en-terprises, and the team we’ve puttogether for this one is testimentto their skills and expertise.

Most importantly, it is thebuilders, developers, designers

and suppliers whose workgraces the city, and these pages,that make it possible for us tocelebrate the quality homes theyhave created. They are in largepart the reason that Saskatoonis gaining a reputation for break-ing the boundaries of design,and creating exciting, innovativeand environmentally sensitivehomes and landscapes. Themagazine exists to showcase thiswork and present it to residentsas well as the many familieschoosing to relocate here.

In the issues of SaskatoonHome we will be publishingover the coming years, we in-tend celebrate the ideas, work,and results of the best designand construction companies, aswell as the service companiesthat support the builder andrenovator industry. We ask youto support our efforts, and thoseof the advertisers who gracethese pages.

This issue focuses on the ex-citing new developments thatare reshaping the downtown ofSaskatoon and how the richnessof the past is influencing the vi-sion of the future.

We sincerely welcome yourcomments on the stories wepresent and we invite you tosuggest future ideas and projectsthat should be covered.

Robert MacDonaldPublisher, Editor, Designer

The City is Changing




City Presents2008 Heritage

Awards

Saskatoon city council hon-oured seven winners of the2008 Municipal HeritageAwards February 19. Theawards, presented every twoyears, acknowledge the efforts ofthose who preserve and restorelocal historical properties.

“The Heritage Awards en-sure the preservation and resto-ration of buildings of heritagevalue in our community,” saidmunicipal heritage advisorycommittee chair Joseph-MichelFortier. “The Volunteer Awardrecognizes an individual wellknown in both the heritage com-munity and in Saskatoon fortheir zealous efforts to preserveand protect our built heritageand to enrich Saskatoons herit-age profile.”

Winners:Adaptive Reuse:■ MFD Warehouse Restorations/ T. Eaton Warehouse Condo-minium, 211 Avenue D South(James D. Zimmer Architect)■ Bottomley House, 1118College Drive (Dennis andLouise Coates)Infill Private Residence:■ Gaudet Residence, 1004 Duke

Street (Ted and Susan Gaudet)Infill Public/Commercial:■ The Hideaway, 320 11thStreet East (Meridian Develop-ment Corp.)Heritage Spaces:■ Market Square, Southwestcorner of 19th Street andAvenue A (Stantec ConsultingLtd.)Honorable Mention:Restoration-Exterior Public/Commercial:■ Woolworth Building, 220 21stStreet East (James D. ZimmerArchitect)■ Villagio Complex, 703 – 71914th Street East (MeridianDevelopment Corp.)Heritage Award for Volun-teer Public Service:■ Dianne Wilson, for her long-term dedication and commit-ment to the cause of heritagepreservation.

■ city of saskatoon

Gustin House tobe Designated

Heritage Property

As part of Heritage Week, Feb-ruary 18 to 22, the Saskatch-ewan government announcedit will formally designate theGustin House, located at 51210th Street East, as a provin-cial heritage property.

The Gustin House was the

home and studio of Dr. LyellGustin, a renowned musicteacher and founding memberof the Saskatchewan RegisteredMusic Teachers’ Associationwho taught for more than 60years. The Lyell Gustin PianoStudios became known nation-ally and internationally for mu-sical excellence.

The designation includes theTrounce House, the oldest sur-viving structure in the city. TheTrounce House originally stoodat the front of the lot, but wasmoved to the rear and convertedto a garage when Gustin Housewas built in 1920.

The Gustin House and theTrounce House were desig-nated as a municipal heritageproperty in 1989. ■ govern-ment of saskatchewan

CMHC Predicts18 percent Hikein Home Values

A report from Canada Mort-gage and Housing Corpora-tion (CMHC) predicts thatSaskatoon’s resale housingprices will be the highest in theprovince, rising by 18 per centin 2008. The CMHC first quar-ter housing market outlook re-port, released February 4,

projects that selling prices willreach an average of $275,000 forthe year. By 2009, the averageprice of a resale home couldreach $297,500.

Province-wide, average houseprices are predicted to jump 26per cent to $220,000 this yearand a further eight per cent to$238,000 in 2009. Last year, theaverage resale price increased 32per cent to $174,000 on de-mand and investment dollars.

Saskatchewan’s strong hous-ing demand in 2007 was attrib-uted to steady economicgrowth, a healthy employmentsituation and gains in net migra-tion, the report noted. Totalhousing starts reached 6,007units in 2007, the highest levelin 24 years. However, CMHCexpects escalating costs willpush housing starts down to5,600 units in 2008 and 5,300in 2009. The average MultipleListing Service (MLS) price inSaskatchewan will rise by 31.7per cent during 2007, 26.4 percent in 2008 and 8.2 per cent in2009, the report noted.

Nationally, existing homesales are forecast to reach about520,000 units in 2007, a 7.6 percent increase over 2006. In2008 the level of MLS sales isexpected to fall by 3.9 per centto 499,650 units, while 2009

F r o n t l i n e s


will see an additional decreaseto 488,300. Growth in the aver-age MLS price has remainedhigh at 10.6 per cent in 2007,mainly because of continuedstrong price pressures in Cana-da’s western provinces. How-ever, as most resale marketsmove toward more balancedconditions, growth in averageMLS price is forecast to slow to5.2 per cent in 2008 and 3.8 percent in 2009.■ canada mortgage andhousing corporation

SaskatchewanHousing Market

to Lead theNation in 2008

Saskatchewan will set real estaterecords this year, housing mar-ket analysts predicted at CanadaMortgage and Housing Corpo-ration’s (CMHC) SaskatchewanHousing Outlook Conferenceheld at Saskatoon’s RadissonHotel in February. Speakers andconference participants dis-cussed the economic, demo-graphic and financial factors af-fecting Saskatchewan’s housingmarkets over the next year.

“Fuelled by one of the strong-est economies in Canada, Sas-katchewan housing markets can

look forward to another excep-tional performance this year,”said Richard Corriveau, re-gional economist for CMHC.“Resale transactions are ex-pected to set a new record in2008, while new home startswill be among the highest in 25years. This rapid pace of activ-ity will continue to exert upwardpressure on prices.”

“Price growth in the prov-ince’s new and resale marketsshould lead the nation over thenext few years,” he said.Corriveau cautions that “priceescalation will take its toll ondemand in 2009, leading to aslight decline in starts andsales.”

“Look for another strong yearof new housing construction in

both Regina and Saskatoon for2008,” says Paul Caton, seniormarket analyst for Saskatch-ewan. “Builders have the largestnumber of units now under con-struction in decades and will berushing to complete them sothat home buyers can move in.On the resale side, listings re-main at all-time lows and strongdemand persists, suggestingrapidly escalating prices in both2008 and 2009,” Caton says.

The conference also featureddiscussions on the rental marketand condominium conversiontrends in Saskatchewan.■ canada mortgage andhousing corporationsaskatchewan


SaskatchewanBreaks RecordLeads Nation inBuilding Permits

If Saskatchewan’s construc-tion sites seem busier thanever these days, new figuresindicate why.Saskatchewan led all provincesin residential constructiongrowth and overall constructiongrowth in 2007, according to areport issued by StatisticsCanada in February. Overallconstruction growth rose 42 percent in the past year, while resi-dential construction growth wasup by an astonishing 74 percent. In comparison, New-foundland and Labrador hadthe second highest increase inresidential construction at just30 per cent.

Premier Brad Wall said thenew figures show that Saskatch-ewan’s economy continues togain strength and that Saskatch-ewan people are benefiting fromthe economic momentum.

“The residential constructiongrowth shows that families arebuilding new homes and thecommercial constructiongrowth shows that business areexpanding and creating newjobs in our province,” Wall said.“Both are clear signs that Sas-katchewan is on a roll.”

In December alone, the totalvalue of building permits hit arecord high of $217 million, anincrease of 83 per cent overNovember and the largest

month-over-month increase ofany province.

“Building permits and thecapital investment required aresigns of a strong and growingeconomy and confidence in thefuture,” Wall said. “Our govern-ment is committed to sustaininga positive economic climate andcontinuing our economic mo-mentum.” ■ government ofsaskatchewan

SaskatoonDrops Among

AffordablePlaces To Live

Saskatoon’s ranking in anannual survey of affordableplaces to live across the globehas taken a dive, as recentlyreported.

The Fourth Annual Demo-graphia Housing AffordabilitySurvey, released January 28,ranked 227 cities in Canada,the U.S., Australia, New Zea-land, Britain and the Republicof Ireland by comparing resi-dents’ incomes and housingprices.

Last year’s survey foundSaskatoon the 15th most af-fordable city of those ranked.This year, its position plum-meted to No. 77 on the list, tiedwith Limerick, Ireland, withhouse prices rising to about3.5 times a family’s gross in-come.

The survey considers homesin the urban centres affordableif the city’s median house price

is less than three years’ medianincome.

That positions Saskatoon asthe 11th least affordable Cana-dian city, making home owner-ship further out of reach thanin Ottawa, Quebec City, Hali-fax or Winnipeg.

The ranking bumps Saska-toon from “affordable” to welldown the list of “moderatelyunaffordable” places.

Statistics Canada reportedSaskatchewan as having thegreatest year-to-year increasesin house prices in Canada.

In 2007, the price of an av-erage Saskatoon house rose 50per cent, selling for an average$250,000.

House prices being too ex-pensive for the average residentis bad news, the survey pointsout.

“These higher costs have se-rious social implications,” theauthors write. “In the marketswhere extraordinary inflationhas occurred, living standardsare not likely to be sustainable.Further, many ethnic-minorityhouseholds, with their gener-ally lower incomes are likely tofind the dream of home own-ership put out of reach.”

Home ownership, on theother hand, creates wealth,greater financial security andindependence, the authors say.■



The Beauty ofRestoration

Updating the Lookof an Old Home

through ProfessionalRenovation

If you’ve ever thought of reno-vating your home, you prob-ably have a long list of changesyou want to make. Yet, it’s easyto overlook the character thatdrew you to where you live inthe first place. Renovating canallow you to update, while keep-ing your domicile’s personality.If previous renovations havechanged its appearance, it’snever too late to bring back theoriginal look and charm.

Dave Anderchek is presidentof J.A.B.A. Construction Lim-ited. With nearly 30 years’ ex-perience in Saskatoon,Anderchek knows what home-owners want, whether it’s forconstruction or renovation pur-poses: advice and direction.

Anderchek prefers to meethomeowners at their residences,where they can describe whatthey want to accomplish withtheir renovation. Working overa series of meetings, the renova-tor and homeowner pinpointthe areas of the house to be up-dated and work on a design forthe project.

“Anytime you do a renovation,you still want to maintain thelook or style of that home,” hesays. “You can always maintainthe character of a home.”

Often, it’s necessary to matchexisting features of the house,such as trim or sills. Sometimes,custom millwork is needed.

“When I did the renovationto the church in Stanley Mis-sion, we had to keep the charac-

ter of the existing structure,”says Anderchek. “I had to makeand do all kinds of stuff that Idid right on site to match whatwas in the existing church thatwas built in the 1800s.”

“A lot of homeowners wanttheir walls knocked out to makewide open areas,” he says. “If it’san older home, they probablyhold up the floor upstairs. If it’sa single-storey home built in the50s and early 60s and they wantto knock out a wall betweentheir kitchen and living room,chances are it’s a supportingwall that holds the roof up.”

That means getting a struc-tural engineer to assess the load-bearing components of thehouse, then having design draw-ings made before any work isdone.

“We still maintain the charac-ter and aesthetics of the home,”says Anderchek, “but the home-owners have their wide openarea.”

For some residential renova-tion projects, an architect canbring out a house’s character.Heney Klypak is one of the prin-cipals of Klypak Rusick Archi-tects in Saskatoon. On many ofthe projects he’s been called into work on, his main challengeis to restore a home that looks“out of place.”

“This is one I did many yearsago,” Klypak says, referring to acollection of photograpahs onhis desk. “I was hired to makethis thing better, make it blendin with the rest of the neigh-

S t y l e

Construction of an addition expandedthe basement and main floor of thischaracter home, letting generousnatural light through the skylights andwindows. Photograph by Perry VanDongen courtesy of J.A.B.A.Construction.


bourhood.” The home in thephoto has an ungainly additionand mismatched siding.

Another picture shows ahome that matches the style ofother buildings in the neigh-bourhood.

“That’s what it turned out tobe. This is basically the same,but changing the materials,changing the windows and re-working the front entrancemade it a lot more desirable. Ireceived a municipal heritageaward for this one.”

“One of the things architectsbring to the table, is the processin working with the client,” hesays. “We go through a processto help extract what their life-style is all about, what they do,how they live, what things theydo most in their home. We baseit on function.”

“We think about how the fur-niture is laid out in that space.We think about the view, thelighting, window placement, theoverall feel of the home.”

Klypak also says an architectwill help the owner find a con-tractor to complete the renova-tion project and perform inspec-tions so that the quality is up topar.

Whatever your renovationproject, it pays to have profes-sionals do the work. ■

“Changing the windows and reworking the front

entrance made it a lot more desirable. I received a

municipal heritage award for this one.”

Above: The main floor was opened upby removing the wall between thekitchen and dining room, then a freshlydesigned kitchen was created.Photograph by Perry Van Dongencourtesy of J.A.B.A. Construction

Left: Lindsay Fuchs and DaveAnderchek of J.A.B.A. Construction.The company brings more than 20years of renovation experience to theSaskatchewan market.


Sibling SalesSensation

Brothers TypifySaskatoon’s FreshRealty Approach

Gregg and Ryan Bamford,known professionally as TheBamford Brothers, are show-ing how youthful exuberanceand hard work can open a lotof doors for young profession-als. When Gregg joined Re/Maxtwo years ago, he was one of theyoungest realtors in Saskatoon.Since then, many other youngpeople have followed his lead,including his brother Ryan whorecently came on board.

“Being a realtor seemed like agreat fit. I’ve always enjoyedhelping people, and the lifestylethat comes with the job fits mypersonality,” says Ryan. “It’s alot of hard work, but it’s alwaysworth it at the end of the day. Inever have trouble going to workeach morning, and I think thatsays a lot.”

Gregg echoes the sentimentsof his brother. “We have a lot offun with our work,” says Gregg.“And really, there is no bettertime than now to be headingdown this path in our city.”

Saskatoon is undeniably on itsway to becoming a vibrant West-ern Canadian metropolis. A

booming economy is helping tomorph the once humble towninto an urban centre full of cul-tural diversity catering to the life-styles young professionals crave.

New restaurants, condo con-versions, and upscale loft devel-opments are some of the thingshappening in Saskatoon rightnow, which seemed foreign to thecommunity not too long ago.

“A lot of our clients are mov-ing here from other big cities,and other provinces,” saysGregg. “And it’s really nice to seepeople start to recognize thevalue of Saskatoon. We’re com-peting with a lot of other placesto live right now, and it’s excit-ing to experience this kind ofgrowth when we struggled tokeep people at home for so long.”

These changes have made

purchasing homes difficult for alot of home buyers in many ways.Gregg and Ryan are profession-ally dedicated to helping peopleprepare themselves to buy insuch a competitive market.

“It’s an intricate process. Wespend a lot of time with our cli-ents finding out exactly whatthey need and planning ways tohelp them get it,” says Ryan.“It’s important we build strongrelationships with our clients. Ifthey’re happy, we’re happy.”

On the flip side, there are a lotof things people need to keep inmind when selling their houses.While selling properties mayseem a lot easier now than in thepast, Gregg feels people need torecognize that it is still a verycompetitive market.

“It’s important that people

seek the right professional advicebefore selling their property.Otherwise it’s very easy for themto miss out on capturing the topvalue of their home.”

Having been brought up inSaskatoon, the brothers are ea-ger to see the city succeed in itslong term growth. They arecommitted to helping peopleshare in everything Saskatoonhas to offer. With their profes-sional skills and experience, theywant to bridge the gap betweenbuyers and sellers to make theprocess comfortable for both ina changing market.

“We’ve worked hard to getwhere we are. We might beyoung now, but we’ll be meetingour clients’ needs for years tocome.”■ eric montgomery

P r o f i l e



Rethinking theKitchen

Updates that Won’tSink Your Budget

The kitchen is the new show-room of the home. Not only isit where food preparation takesplace, but it’s where people liketo congregate.

There are a few things youcan do yourself in your kitchento make it more stylish and in-viting while also achieving thebest bang for your buck. Hereare some ideas as suggested byLeslie Segrete of While You WereOut and Trading Spaces.

Freshen the FlooringThere are a variety of easy-to-install, inexpensive and great-looking flooring materials avail-able. Laminate floors offer looksthat replicate wood grains, natu-ral stones and tile, and are eas-ily installed in large sections.Engineered hardwood flooringis also a great choice for akitchen since it can stand up towear and tear and moist envi-ronments. Plus, with new, inno-vative locking systems, this canbe an easy DIY project.

Complement theCabinets

Updating your cabinets can be

the ideal starting point for afresh look. Begin by removingall the cabinet doors, drawersand hardware. For solid woodcabinets, strip, sand, repair andclean the wood to create a cleansurface. Then, apply a new stainand urethane top coat. For acompletely different look, re-place the cabinet doors for a re-freshing style. Laminate orwood veneer cabinets can eas-ily be updated with a fresh coatof paint. For the final touch, re-place your knobs and drawerpulls with new, updated fin-ishes.

Accessorize at theSink

Installing a new faucet can addupdated style and enhancedfunctionality. Faucets today

come in a wealth of designs. Youmay want to add one of the mostpopular styles, a high-arc faucet.This style offers practical easefor tasks such as filling large potsor pitchers and its prominencemakes it a design focal point. Oryou may want to try a highlyfunctional pullout faucet. Fea-turing multiple spray settings atyour fingertips, these faucetsmake everything from wateringplants to cleaning veggies abreeze.

Creating LovelyLighting

Accent your current lightingwith stylish, new pieces. Swapout the basic light fixture from

above your kitchen table with abeautiful chandelier for a greatfocal point. To aid in tasks, pen-dant lights can be added aboveprep areas to highlight the spotsyou use most often. For an am-bient glow, vintage wall sconceswork well as a great addition toan Old-World kitchen or con-trast in a modern kitchen.

“With these updates,” saysSegrete, “your kitchen will soonbe transformed and you’ll havethe satisfaction of knowing thatyou did it yourself and withoutspending a fortune.”

Add theLatest Kitchen

AccessoriesStylish extras give your gueststhe impression they havestepped into a gourmetkitchen, even if you’re not agourmet chef.

Kitchen AidsMake a dramatic statement withcommercial-grade cookingtools. Add a hearth-stone ovento make wood-fired pizza andartisan breads in your ownkitchen. For extraordinaryroasting, look to a commercial-style rotisserie for deliciousduck, lamb or chicken. Or, sincegourmet chefs seldom do theheavy lifting when cooking up

D é c o r

Freshly stained wood cabinets addelegance to a contemporary kitchen.Photo courtesy News Canada.


their eclectic cuisine, add a potfiller that mounts to the wallabove your cook top or range.This handy appliance can ex-tend up to two feet to deliver hotor cold water directly into yourpots and pans. When it’s not inuse, the pot filler folds neatlyagainst the wall for an under-stated, yet upscale, look.

See DoubleTwo is always better than one.And now the double oven, longa staple in gourmet kitchens, hasgone high-tech. New turbo ovensare available that use forced airand microwave technology forsignificantly quicker cooking.

And seeing double alsomeans double-duty conven-

ience. Install a drawer dish-washer in your island prep sta-tion for quick clean-up, whileyour main dishwasher does theheavy-duty work. Add warmingor refrigeration drawers to aid in

the food preparation process,too, and added convenience willbe just an arm’s length away.

Wine Not?The ideal temperature for winestorage is 10 to 13 degrees Cel-sius, with moderately damp anddark conditions. Since mostkitchens are designed to be wel-coming and cheery, you maywant to consider adding yourown wine cellar. As a stand-alone room that can hold up to500 bottles, or a smaller refrig-erated unit that preserves 10,there are a host of options tokeep your wine collection easilyaccessible and perfectly stored.

New options, new productsand new luxurious productsensure that the sky is the limitwhen designing the gourmetkitchen of your dreams.■ courtesy of news canada

Potfillers are extendable faucets thatcan be folded against a wall when notin use. Photo courtesy News Canada.


The SaskatoonGarden

Of Planning, Ediblesand Easy Care

An ideal garden doesn’t hap-pen by accident – it takes vi-sion and rigorous planning.Just ask Betsy Rosenwald andher husband, John Penner.

Their City Park home occu-pies a double lot, offering theperfect property for a couplepassionate about gardening.Reflecting a growing trend, thecouple replaced much of theirlawn with trees, shrubs, peren-nials and walkways.

“It’s more of a European gar-den concept,” she says. “Lessyard and more living space. It’sa work-in-progress that createsa living space for the summer.”Penner grew up on a Saskatch-ewan farm, Rosenwald in NewYork City. Their approach togardening couldn’t have beenmore different.

“I basically had a couple ofplants in my apartment,” saysRosenwald. “My husband ismuch more plant-savvy. He’smore interested in drawingthings out. I have a more organicapproach.”

She says if she and her hus-band were to create their gardenfrom scratch again, the shrubs

and trees would have beenplanted first because they formthe primary area around whichthe rest of the beds can beplanned.

Janet Wanner, owner ofSaskatoon residential landscap-ing firm Gentle Earth DesignStudio, stresses that planningand designing your garden isimportant. This time of year –before the greenhouses open –is a good time to do it.

If you’re really on top of it,

winter is the best time to do thatplanning. Browse gardeningand seed catalogues during thecold months as well as theinternet and local library, whichhave good resources for gardenlovers. If you didn’t do it thispast season, plan to do so nextyear.

But in the meantime, whenApril rolls around in Saskatoon,the snow has melted and it’s agood time to visualize how yourgarden will look in the summer.

You’ll be able to make more ap-propriate choices when you visitthe greenhouses opening inMay.

If your garden plans includelandscaping, it’s a good idea tofind out where your under-ground services are located.Underground gas, water, sewer,electrical and telephone linesneed to be marked before youstart.

You’ll need time to make ar-rangements if your plan identi-fies materials that need to bebrought in or work that needsto contracted. Concrete andfencing contractors, for exam-ple, are in high demand. Youwon’t be able to plant until yourlandscaping is done, so you’llneed to book early.

If you want a professional de-signer to help plan your garden,it’s helpful to provide a survey-or’s certificate, says Wanner.

G r e e n e r yA well designed garden completelytransforms a yard and comple-ments the home. Many Saskatoonhomeowners are embracing trendsfor lower maintenance and greaterenjoyment. More families areusing their gardens to entertainguests or to create a living spaceoutdoors. A garden like this one inCity Park doesn’t have to happenovernight, but planning is key tomaking it happen. Photos by BetsyRosenwald and John Penner.


Top TrendsWanner notices that fruit-bear-ing plants such as apple andcherry trees, as well as raspberrypatches, are becoming popularin Saskatoon gardens.

“One trend that’s comingback is salad gardens,” she says.“A lot of people don’t have alarge yard and they don’t wanta whole garden, but they want aspace in their yard for these.”

People fond of barbecuinglike the convenience of a freshherb patch, which can easily beincorporated into a flower bed.

The Saskatoon HorticulturalSociety notes the Saskatoontrend toward gardens that areeasier to care for.

“People don’t want to have toput a lot of work into their gar-

den,” says society presidentAngie Skiba. “I think more aregoing to a xeriscape [low water-ing] type, which is low mainte-nance.”

Skiba notices that more peo-ple are switching to perennialsbecause they are easier to care forthan annuals. Not only do theycut down on the maintenance in-volved, but also can reduce ex-pense, as annuals are gettingpricey.

Saskatoon homeowners arenow viewing gardens as outdoor

extensions of their homes, aNorth American trend.

“They are entertaining out-side in the summer months,”says Skiba. “So now they’replanning seating areas, patiosand that sort of thing.”

Contacts:

Gentle Earth Design Studioowner Janet Wanner306.343.8594www.gentleearthdesigns.comSaskatoon Horticultural Societypresident Angie Skiba

http://members.shaw.ca/saskatoonhortsociety306. 242.2320Top Tip: Prepare your soil wellwhen planting or starting yourgardens.Saskatchewan Perennial Societywww14.brinkster.com/saskperrennialThe Gardener for the PrairiesMagazinewww.gardenermagazine.ca306.477.5593




The Builders & Ideas

A City inTRANSITION

DOWNTOWNTransforming



SMany of us stay where we grew up;we like the places that were familiarto us when we were young, but thechoice was really our parents’. In fact,we do tend to look subconsciouslyfor cities, neighbourhoods andhouses that resemble the places ofour childhood, wherever we live.Saskatoon is very dissimilar to theB.C. southern interior town where Igrew up.

That’s not to say that people don’tlike where they live. Of course theydo. What I am saying is that some-thing about Saskatoon drew me here,something about this city that noother city has. It’s a quality that, un-til I began working on the stories forthis magazine, I could never quite putmy finger on, but a quality that none-theless resonated strongly with me

on a sunny August day nearly threedecades ago. It’s a quality that toomany of us take for granted.

First impressions are visual. Therewas something about the waySaskatoon looked. The city had acohesiveness and integration to it. Itwas easy to figure out where you wereand to find your way to other partsof the city. Here was a city that hadavoided the endless, depressingsprawl, leap-frog development anddysfunctional growth that was char-acteristic of so many cities that I havelived in or visited. The city had a styleand vitality that made it unique.

As I’ve learned in the years since,the attraction that I saw in Saskatoonwas not in my imagination and it wasno accident. Since the 1950s, as apost-war generation came to grips

Discovering a Distinctive New Saskatoon Style

askatoon has a style that youcan feel. It’s the only city that I chose – really chose – to call home. Most ofus don’t get to choose where we live. More often than not, our work dic-tates where we live; we move to where we can find a job or pursue a career.

A Unique Combination ofOrderliness and Individual Charm


with unprecedented rates of urbanand economic growth, Saskatoon de-cided that growth could be managed.By the mid-1960s, the city could bedescribed as a leader in the conceptof suburban development areas,placing a strong emphasis on distinctneighbourhoods and an orderlymodel of neighbourhood planning.It meant that every neighbourhoodcould nurture its own sense of com-munity, as part of a larger community.It’s a process that continues today.

It helped, too, that we had a landbank. Talk about making lemonadewhen life hands you lemons: prop-erty forfeited during the Great De-pression and other times of bust, andmore recently acquired through pur-chase, has been used for directingfuture growth and development.

The prairie landscape must influ-ence our style. Every prairie city feelslike it took a big breath and stretchedout its arms; only Saskatoon took adeeper breath and stretched a littlewider. Our streets convey a sense ofease and openness, all the better tosee and interact with our built envi-ronment. Our built environment isone worth seeing. We have a beauti-ful downtown, bordered on the eastand south sides by wilderness. Eachneighbourhood has its own charm.We had the foresight to establishgreen space throughout the city. Still,it’s always good to keep the things wecherish within our reach. Saskatoon,like other prairie cities, has a com-pactness to it. You know where thecity ends. Not so, for most metropoli-tan areas in North America.

We’ve been fortunate to have re-tained much of our heritage and havecontinued to express our own style.Drive – or better yet, walk – aroundany neighbourhood and you’ll seethe many ways in which citizens havestamped their individuality andcarved out their own vision. Sure,some are a little kitschy, like bicyclewheel whirligigs. But you’ll also seegardens that thumb their noses atconformity in other ways: landscap-ing in harmony with the prairie en-vironment, backyard forests that pro-vide a tranquil retreat from urban life.It’s hard not to let your actions beconstrained by contemporary expec-tations – houses in most neighbour-hoods tend look pretty much alike,in whatever style was popular at thetime. Look closer, and you’ll see out-standing examples of workmanship,clearly the expression of the build-er’s individuality, as I did recently inthe stone foundations of some earlyNutana homes. In every neighbour-hood there are houses that display astyle that could only come from theowners’ touch.

We’re now beginning to see thatstyle expressed in ways we’ve neverseen before in this city: the conver-sion of warehouses and old, disusedbuildings into vibrant residential loftsuites; infill development that showsremarkable ingenuity; a small butgrowing trend toward individuallydesigned homes.

Our style defines Saskatoon. It’swhat makes this city shine.■ darrell noakes


The Past is


For nearly a decade, Saskatoon’s ware-house district has been quietly changing.One of the city’s oldest industrial neigh-bourhoods is now considered the ultimatelocation for development of fashionableresidential lofts. Classic, historic buildingssuch as the Rumely and Fairbanks-Morse arealready experiencing this exciting conver-sion and others, like the city-owned JohnDeer and Arthur Cook, could follow.

On paper, Saskatoon’s downtown is de-fined as the area south of 25th Street andeast of Idylwyld Drive, with the river pro-viding the eastern and southern boundaries.The warehouse district takes up the north-west corner – south to 22nd Street and eastto about 1st Avenue.

Our mental map of an area does not usu-ally conform to lines drawn on paper, how-ever. Rather, it’s based on how we perceivethem, such as personal preference, experi-ence and practical use. In my mind, the her-

itage ambience of the warehouse district ex-tends east and south through the historiccentre of downtown, and threads westwardto Caswell Hill, including the corner of 23rdStreet and 2nd Avenue. This was at one timethe centre of downtown, where the formerHudson’s Bay Store and King George Ho-tel are adding to the new and exciting resi-dential and business transformation. On mymental map, the area also includes the T.Eaton Warehouse on Avenue D at 23rdStreet. I don’t at all find it surprising thatSaskatoon’s first loft conversions are takingplace in this area.

“Our old industrial engine was adjacentto the railway,” says Alan Wallace, the Cityof Saskatoon’s manager of neighbourhoodplanning. “The railway passes right throughPleasant Hill and Caswell Hill. The railwaywas a spine. Everything grew off of that.

“The warehouse district had more thanjust warehouses. It had factories. Rumely

built tractors there. What has been left be-hind is a cluster of these old, large, solidbuildings. And they’ve been re-usedthroughout the years.

“Now, the demographic trend and theeconomic trend is to convert these into resi-dential space. All across the country and inthe United States, zoning codes have beenchanged to allow that to happen.”

That includes Saskatoon, where moremixed-use zoning categories have eliminatedand replaced the old zoning.

“Industrial meant no residential, so youcouldn’t convert the Fairbanks-Morse, youcouldn’t convert the Rumely,” says Wallace.“Now that’s changed. We had to shift ourthinking.”

The city adopted a “housing first” strat-egy, aimed at developing a more compacturban form. This means flexible develop-ment standards to allow conversion of des-ignated heritage buildings into residential

PrologueHow Turning the Old into the New

Is Transforming Downtown

If all goes according to plan, Saskatoon’s goal is todouble the downtown residential population from

5,000 in 1997 to 10,000 over 25 years.


units, encouraging high and medium den-sity multiple-unit dwellings to be located inand near the downtown.

At the moment, warehouse-to-loft conver-sions are attracting the most attention, but awide range of housing styles is possible, in-cluding mid-rise apartments and live-workconversions in older warehouses or upperfloors of commercial buildings. For exam-ple, a series of these is set to start construc-tion this summer on the south side of the T.Eaton Warehouse lofts.

Other factors, referred to in the city’sdowntown plan as redevelopment catalysts,will also determine the neighbourhood’s fu-ture. Chief among these is the extension of25th Street between 1st Avenue andIdylwyld Drive, which will create more en-try points into the enigmatic neighbour-hood, paving the way for additional residen-tial and mixed-use development north of24th Street. The City Yards will have to bemoved or consolidated to make room. A newoff-street central platform transit terminal is

being considered nearby. Design incentiveswill focus on conserving and interpreting theheritage flavour of the neighbourhood.

If all goes according to plan, Saskatoon’sgoal is to double the downtown residentialpopulation from 5,000 in 1997 to 10,000over 25 years by stimulating the construc-tion of 3,500 new units – about 140 per year.Much of it will take place in and adjacent tothe warehouse district. Current develop-ments are adding 195 units downtown andanother 30 four blocks away at Caswell Hill.

The growing population will create de-mand for new public amenities, such asphysical and visual connections between thedowntown and the river. Already, there’s talkthat a grocery store and specialty food mar-kets could locate downtown to serve this newresidential population, less than four yearsafter Extra Foods on 3rd Avenue closed itsdoors for lack of business.

“We created incentives to get developersto think about putting their next project inthe downtown,” says Wallace. “We need to

have people living in those buildings.” Thiscould of course mean more street-level ac-tivity and an active neighbourhood.

Towards a VibrantCity Core

Heney Klypak of Klypak Rusick Archi-tects, who designed Rumley DistinctiveLofts, envisions the benefits of a largerdowntown population.

“As soon as you get people living down-town, then the downtown develops a life ofits own,” he says. “You have more people,there are more restaurants opening, the nightlife becomes more active...I can see that inthe area immediately around the Rumely andthe Fairbanks. All of a sudden, there’s goingto be a concentration of activity in this area.”

Gordon Doell, president of Obasa Groupof Companies, the development companyrenovating Rumley Distinctive Lofts, ob-served what happened to its twin, located inthe heart of Wichita, Kansas. Like


Saskatoon’s warehouse district, Wichita’sOld Town District contains a special combi-nation of traditional warehouse and industrialbuildings conveying the historic character ofthe past 100 years. Vancouver has a similardistrict, Yaletown, an easy walk from the cen-tre of the downtown—transformed into atrendy urban community of residential, busi-ness, entertainment and services, and becom-ing one of city’s most desirable areas.

“We are where Wichita was about 10 yearsago,” says Doell. “We’ve got a beautifuldowntown. We’ve got the river downtown.We can definitely handle some increasedpopulation here.”

Karl Miller of Meridian Development, thecompany refurbishing the King George Ho-tel, speculates a bright future for downtownSaskatoon.

“I spend a lot of time in Vancouver,” hesays. “It’s my favourite city in the world –second to Saskatoon, of course. The reasonI love going to downtown Vancouver is be-cause there are people down there. It’s ex-

citing to be around when there’s lots of otherpeople. That’s what makes a downtown ex-citing.”

Olstar Developments converted the oldFairbanks-Morse building to condomini-ums. Partner Peter Olson has already seenhow the development has transformed theneighbourhood.

“Now that we’ve developed this place,there are people here, coming and going atall hours,” he says. “The more [develop-ment] that comes down here, then the moreattractive it’s going to be.”

Olson also sees great potential in the 25thStreet extension and the area around the CityYards. “That area could flourish very nicely,”he says.

The most striking visual changes toSaskatoon’s downtown are occurring atstreet level. Loft conversions don’t changeour familiar skyline, but light in formerlydark spaces brightens and opens up thestreet—residential development in thesebuildings includes street-level retail and

commercial development. Landscaping andother street features will draw attention tothe area’s heritage character.

“What you’re going to notice is activity onthe street,” says Wallace. “When the Bay isdone and the King George is done, we esti-mate 400 to 500 new people will live at thatlocation.

“You’re probably going to see some street-scape changes in the area, lots more activityand lights on at night. The Bay used to be abig, solid building with no windows. Now,it’s going to have windows, light shining out.Same thing with the King George. It willchange the appearance that way.”

According to Wallace, there’s two thingsyou remember about a city – the airports andthe downtown.

“You don’t remember the Wal-Marts. Youremember that the downtown had a ‘look’to it.” ■

Aerial Photos taken by an employee of the City ofSaskatoon Land Branch in 2007. Aerial photoscourtesy of City of Saskatoon.



Those who always dreamed of living in adepartment store are now getting theirchance. The former Bay department storeon 2nd Avenue and 23rd Street has beenmorphed into 123 two-storey lofts – withretail and commercial space on the lower lev-els.

The Hudson’s Bay Company originallypurchased the former five-storey J. F.Cairns department store at this locationin 1922 and occupied it for many years.Construction of a modern departmentstore – the building currently on the site –began in 1959. It was built in two phases:the north half first, joined to the Cairnsbuilding which was demolished to makeway for completion of the remaining half.The new store opened in 1960. The Bayoperated it until moving into the former

Eaton’s department store location in Mid-town Plaza in 2000.

The empty structure was promoted, with-out success, for use as a bookstore, a movietheatre, a new home for the public library,public school board offices and a call cen-tre. However, by 2005, it had been pur-chased and construction was underway fora conversion to residential condominiums.Edmonton architect Gene Dub, who haswon awards for his loft conversions in othercities, designed the architectural plan.

2ndAvenueHistoric Department Store Transforms into

High-ceiling Urban Residential Units

The former department store’s exterior wallswere opened to permit installation of two-storey-tall windows. The interior escalatorshaft was converted to a central skylight andatrium that allows natural light into the cen-tre of the building.

The 123 two-storey newly named 2ndAvenue Lofts range from 658 to 2500square feet. Suites feature 18-foot ceilings,commercial-sized windows, open conceptfloor plans, balconies and undergroundparking. ■

Photos left and right: Two-storey window openings,an addition at top and central skylight and atrium aregiving the old Hudson’s Bay store at the corner of 2ndAvenue and 23rd Street a new, cosmopolitan look.The newly renovated building will open as 2ndAvenue Lofts, containing 123 two-storey residentialloft condominiums featuring 18-foot ceilings andopen concept floor plans.

Inset: The Hudson’s Bay Store, with its modernist styleand mosaic panels, has been a landmark in downtownSaskatoon since 1960. The department store chainmoved to Midtown Plaza in 2000, but the buildingwill re-open as 2nd Avenue Lofts later this year.Photograph PH934413 courtesy of Saskatoon PublicLibrary, Local History Room.



Brothers Meinrad and Jacob Rumelyfounded the M. & J. Rumely Company inIndiana in 1853 and began producingthreshing machines and other farm imple-ments.

In 1912, the company extended its op-erations into Canada, announcing that it in-tended to construct a five-storey showroomand warehouse in Saskatoon.

The Rumely Company went into receiv-ership in 1915, re-established itself as theAdvance-Rumely Thresher Company, thenwas sold to Allis-Chalmers in 1931. TheAllis-Chalmers Rumely Company occupiedthe Saskatoon building until 1960.

Since then, the structure, located at thecorner of Pacific Avenue and 24th Street, attimes has stood vacant as a succession ofcompanies occupied it. By the time the con-

dominium conversion began, only the mainfloor was used.

The Rumely Building was designed byChicago architectural firm Hill andWiltersdorf. Winnipeg contractors Carter,Hall, Aldinger completed the construction.The floors, made of single concrete slabs atleast nine inches thick, could support 650pounds per square foot. On the main level,the ceiling rose 16 feet overhead. On the sec-ond, third and fourth floors, ceilings were12 feet high. The roof was sloped inward fordrainage, so that the fifth floor ceiling of 15feet at the exterior walls declined to 13 feetat the centre of the building. Each floor wassupported by distinctive columns. An eleva-tor, 12 x 25 feet, could lift two steam trac-tors together, weighing up to 60,000pounds. It was the largest freight elevator inCanada at the time of its construction. Hugewindows on the main floor allowed plentyof natural light into the showroom and of-fices. There is only one other building likeit, a nearly identical Rumely warehouse lo-cated in Wichita, Kansas. Two years ago, theWichita warehouse was converted to con-dominium lofts.

The Saskatoon conversion, known asRumley Distinctive Lofts (including pho-netic alteration of the original name), will

consist of 24 warehouse units scheduled toopen by the spring of 2009 – two show suiteswill be ready by the end of March, 2008.Suites range from 1527 to 2350 square feeton the upper four floors of the five-storeybuilding.

Each unit has high, exposed ceilings, atleast 12 feet, giving the living space an openquality. An addition on the south side of thebuilding will accommodate some of the con-dominium space, as well as provide accessto the basement parking area. Three of thefifth floor suites will have walk-up access totheir own rooftop lofts with private decks.Another rooftop terrace will be accessibleto residents of other suites in the building.The structure will retain its original en-trances on the west side for commercial ten-ants on the main floor. The former freightentrance is being converted to a secure pri-vate entrance lobby for condominium resi-dents. The development, inside and out, isdesigned to convey a distinctive, elegantstyle that respects the heritage of the origi-nal building.

“It has a lot of heritage value,” says HeneyKlypak, a partner in Klypak Rusick Archi-tects, who designed the Rumely lofts. “It’suntouched. It still retains all its original char-acter and charm.”

Photo opposite: The Rumely Building, at thesoutheast corner of Pacific Avenue and 24th Street,is undergoing conversion to luxury residentialwarehouse lofts. The Rumley Distinctive Lofts arescheduled for occupancy in the spring of 2009.Residential suites occupy the top four floors, withretail/commercial space on the main floor.

Inset: The Rumely Building shortly aftercompletion. The Rumely steam tractor companyconstructed its Saskatoon showroom andwarehouse near downtown. Concrete slab floorsalmost a foot thick could support 650 pounds persquare foot. Photograph A31 courtesy of theSaskatoon Public Library, Local History Room.

RumleyIngenuity and Imagination Preserve

the Historic Character of the


Converting the building to lofts, while re-taining the personality and heritage of theoriginal structure, took a bit of imagination.

“The building had all the original win-dows still in place, which was good for awarehouse, but it didn’t meet the comfortrequirements of today’s needs for a home,”says Klypak. “We had to replace all the win-dows. At the same time, it was our intent –and I think we were successful – to repro-duce the windows in such a way that theymimic the style of the windows that wereoriginally there.”

Another challenge, says Klypak, was tofind a way to incorporate the distinctive loftsinto the structure.

To keep the six condominiums per flooran appropriate size, the architect had to de-sign a 16-foot addition for the south end, butto do so in a way that would blend with theexisting building. The south wall was in-tended as a temporary structure to permitfuture additions.

“The design of the addition had to becomplementary to what’s there now,” hesays. “You can try to match exactly what’sthere, but you can’t get the exact same brick– it’s just not available. You can get a pretty

Saskatoon architect Heney Klypak designed the suitesfor Rumley Distinctive Lofts. Klypak’s designhighlights the historic features of the formerwarehouse, from the distinctive windows to theprominent columns. The exposed columns in thefinished design give unique character to the space.

close colour match.”Instead, Klypak decided to contrast it, but

reflect the characteristics of the originalbuilding, such as in the mullions, the struc-tural elements that divide the windows.

At ground level, the addition also helpsconceal the ramps and provide secure entryand exit for the heated indoor parking. Onthe upper levels, the addition supportssouth-facing balconies for the suites.

There’s no way the original elevatorwould meet modern building codes, but thespace it occupied could be made into a dis-tinctive feature. A large, modern passengerelevator, trash chute and services shaft takeup part of the space. The remaining spacehas been converted into the living room ofone condominium unit on each floor.“They’re one of my favourite features,” saysKlypak. “They’re all done in brick. The oldbrick walls have been sandblasted, so we getthis incredible feature wall that no one willhave anywhere else. When we did the de-sign, we were very respectful of what is here,what the building was all about.”

For example, the architect discovered thatthe original windows were designed for fu-ture openings, but had been constructed

with bricked-in, knock-out panels.“We wanted to get as much natural light

into the condominium units as possible, sowe requested the contractor knock out thepanels so we can put additional windowsinto them. We’re not adding anything to thefacade, but we’re putting a window wherethere always was a window planned.”

Besides allowing more light into the units,the new windows allow for the conversionto meet modern building standards, such asrequirements for an opening window as asecondary bedroom exit.

“A concrete structure is the best for soundprivacy,” says Klypak. “You don’t get thathollow sound walking on the floor likewood-framed apartments. In this case, we’vegot the concrete floor, but we’ve also addeda concrete topping to cover up some of thefloor damage that was created by the trac-tors. It even has a colouring in the concrete,so it has a very unique look to it.” ■


The stately King George Hotel – or sim-ply the “KG” as it became popularlyknown – at the southwest corner of 2ndAvenue and 23rd Street was built during1910 and 1911, making it the second old-est hotel in Saskatoon. It was designed byarchitect Frederick L. O’Leary and erectedby Standard Construction Company for$250,000. Originally planned for seven sto-reys, the completed hotel was five storeyswith 140 bedrooms, including 65 with ensuite baths. An annex with another 42 bed-rooms and six “trade sample rooms” wasadded in 1912. The large ground floor ro-tunda, measuring 55 by 85 feet, was deco-

rated with ornamental plaster work. Thebasement held a barber shop and billiardshall.

The 16-foot ceilings of the main floor con-veyed a spacious atmosphere. Second-floorceilings were 12-1/2 feet high and ceilingson the remaining floors varied from 11 to 9-1/2 feet, depending on the floor.

An extensive, million-dollar moderniza-tion in 1964 destroyed the “early Gothic”exterior of terra cotta and stone, replacing itwith ceramic tile. Stone figures and originalbrick work were discarded, lost or destroyed.Further renovations, costing $250,000, wereundertaken around 1990.

In later years, the KG fell into decline. Stand-ing vacant since 2003, mounting property taxarrears and a fire in 2004 nearly resulted in acity order to demolish the building.

The building was acquired by a Vancou-ver developer, and subsequently re-sold.The Saskatchewan Architectural HeritageSociety added the structure to its watch listof endangered structures in 2006.

A Classic Hotel Transformed into an Eco-friendly,Parisian-style Luxury Condo Complex

KingGeorge

The King George Hotel, during the building’sheyday, when the building commanded the centreof Saskatoon’s downtown. The building’s earlyGothic exterior of terra cotta and stone was lostduring renovations completed in 1964. PhotographLH776 courtesy of the Saskatoon Public Library,Local History Room.


Meridian Development purchased thebuilding in 2007 and began the task of re-building. Meridian’s Karl Miller explainshow the company plans to return the KG toa grandeur it hasn’t seen in half a century.

The renovated King George will consistof a retail level facing 2nd Avenue and 23rdStreet, office space on the second floor and21 luxury residential condominium suites –ranging from 700 to 1550 square feet – tak-ing up the top three floors. Sixty heated, se-cure indoor parking spots – including securebicycle storage – will be available to all ten-ants. A rooftop terrace will provide views ofthe city.

Miller says he expects the renovation tobe fully complete by mid-2009. Some suitescould be ready for occupancy as early as theend of 2008.

“We’re really excited about the project,”he says. “We think it will help bring down-town further north – bring the excitementback. This used to be the hottest corner inSaskatoon.

“This building is so spectacular. The de-sign work is going to give a real heritage lookwhen we’re done and it will look better thanit ever did. We’ll bring it back to that origi-nal splendour.”

The developer is re-creating many of thedetails found in the original building. Thecompany was fortunate to find examples ofsome of the early ornamentation, such as the

lions’ heads, crests and iron canopies thatadorned the facade. The pieces are being du-plicated and reproduced so they can be re-turned to the building. Inside, castings weretaken of ceiling mouldings saved from thegrand rotunda to be used to re-create thelook throughout the new development.

The remnants of earlier renovations arecurrently being removed and an entirely newfacade will need to be constructed. The newexterior is intended to showcase the mag-nificence of the interior structure. Windowswill extend from floor to ceiling, and columnto column.

“It’s going to be clad with a pre-cast stoneproduct,” says Miller. “All the columns willbe rebuilt. We’re going to put cornices onthe outside. It will have a real Parisian feelwhen it’s done ... yet, there are a lot of ‘nods’to what it originally looked like, not the1960s renovation that most people know itas.”

The main floor retail level will exceed cityzoning regulations. The renovated KG willprovide continuous retail frontage alongboth 2nd Avenue and 23rd Street.

“All along 2nd Avenue, we’re going tohave two little retail bays,” says Miller. “Youwon’t even know that parking is behindthere.” (Access to the building parkade willbe off the alley.)

The developer says it’s important to main-tain the 2nd Avenue street scape.

“What destroys a street more? Peopledon’t want to walk by parking lots. Theywant to walk by little shops.”

Miller hopes that much of the retail space,especially facing 23rd Street, will attract ten-ants to serve Saskatoon’s growing downtownresidential population.

The residential suites are built using thegreat room concept, consisting of a livingroom, dining room and kitchen sharing alarge space, says Miller. All but the smallestsuites will have two bedrooms with two bath-rooms.

Each residential suite will have an outwardview of the city and an inward view of a land-scaped terrace – the “green” roof atop theparkade.

The design of the parkade is integral tomeeting environmental certification.

The new KG will be the first privatelyowned building in Saskatchewan certifiedunder the Leadership in Energy and Envi-ronmental Design (LEED) “green” buildingrating system, says Miller. In addition to the“green” parkade, the renovation is beingconducted to minimize construction waste.Workers separate metals for recycling, andsend concrete and brick to the city yards tobe crushed for berm material or road base.“We spent a lot of time separating out vari-ous materials,” says Miller. “We donated alot to Habitat for Humanity. We recycled asmuch as we possibly could.” ■

This building is sospectacular.It's going to have areal heritage lookwhen we're done andit will look better thanit ever did. We'll bringit back to that originalsplendour.

The former King George Hotel has seen much of itsfacade stripped away this winter, but MeridianDevelopment expects this condominium conversion torenew the splendour of the building. Windows willextend from floor to ceiling and column to column,the columns are being rebuilt, and the exterior is to beclad with a pre-cast stone product. Meridian’s KarlMiller expects the building to exude a “Parisian”atmosphere. The renovated building will have retailon the ground floor, office space on the second and21 luxury residential condominium suites on theremaining floors. The building is scheduled to be fullyoccupied by mid-2009. The Fairbanks Lofts are visibleas the four-storey structure at far right.


That grand old gentleman of a structure,the T. Eaton Warehouse, known as the OldCo-op Building, has come through manyincarnations to win a prize. On February11, 2008, the City of Saskatoon MunicipalHeritage Advisory Committee announcedthat MFD Warehouse Restorations won the2008 Heritage Award for Adaptive Reuse for

their loft conversion of this historic struc-ture. The award was presented to James D.Zimmer Architect on February 19.

The original five-storey T. Eaton Ware-house at 211 Avenue D North was built inabout 1915, with a two-storey adjunct on thenorth side added later. Eaton’s operated amail order office and groceteria in the build-

ing until about 1930. Over the years, it hashoused the Dairy Pool and Federated Co-operatives, as well as other enterprises. TheRoyal Canadian Ordnance Corps occupiedthe structure during World War II.

Light-filled Conversion WinsHeritage Award

T.Eaton

Photo above: A south-facing loft makes a comfortableand spacious home at the converted T. EatonWarehouse building at 211 Avenue D North.


The 14-foot ceilings of the first and sec-ond floors, and the 12-foot ceilings of theremaining floors made the heritage buildingattractive for one of Saskatoon’s first loft con-versions. MFD Warehouse Restorations, agroup of three investors led by MikeMonachino, began the conversion by 2005.The first units were ready for occupancy bythe latter half of 2007; two remaining unitswere nearing completion earlier this year.The restoration and modernization was pro-jected to cost about $4 million.

Jim Zimmer, of James D. Zimmer Archi-tect, designed the 25 loft-style residentialcondominium suites.

In addition to their attractive heritage am-bience, the lofts are light-filled, large and spa-cious. The original features of the east-fac-ing walls, such as windows and columns,were retained. Walls were knocked out sobalconies could be added to the north andsouth sides of the building. Suites on thenorth side of the third floor open onto roofdecks on top of the lower addition. The westside was altered to convert former loadingdock door openings to walls and windows.

“We tried to keep it so it so that it had thecharacteristics of the old building,” said de-veloper Mike Monachino, president of MFDWarehouse Restorations Ltd. “We tried to

The T. Eaton Warehouse has stood at this Avenue Dlocation since about 1915. Since the 1930s, the thebuilding has housed a succession of enterprises. MFDWarehouse Restorations has now converted it to loft-style residential condominiums. The company alsoplans to construct live/work units in the vacant lotsouth of the former warehouse, where the three-storey addition once stood. Photo A338 by LeonardHillyard courtesy of Sasktoon Public Library, LocalHistory Room.

make sure we didn’t destroy the characterof the building.”

“When I saw the building I thought: Wecan make this an unbelievable spot for peo-ple to live. The building would be a corner-stone for that area, so people could see howthat area could be brought back to life andbe a super area to live in, with very unusualdesigns. In fact, we’re building townhousesout in front that will be like a design we didin California. You can see how we take a newbuilding and make it look like an old ware-house and give it the charm and character-istic that the Eaton building has.” ■


Construction of a wholesale warehousebuilding at 12 – 23rd Street began in 1910.The Fairbanks-Morse Building, designedas a “modern mercantile style” by Mon-treal architectural firm of David Brownand Hugh Vallance, was completed in1912. The poured, reinforced concrete con-

struction was designed to take heavy loadsarriving by rail. The four-storey structurestands out in early photographs of the cityskyline, towering over nearby buildings.The building has seen a wide array of ten-ants during its long history. Owned and op-erated by the Fairbanks Morse Company, it

was used as a warehouse for its machineryand mill supply enterprise, the largest of itskind in Canada, and later for the manufac-

Machinery and Mill SupplyWarehouse Becomes

Fairbanks

The Fairbanks-Morse Building, now Fairbanks Lofts at12 - 23rd Street. The former warehouse has beenconverted to 12 residential condominium units on thetop three floors. Tree Pottery Supplies occupies theground floor.


ture of tractor engines. In 1949, it housedthe Co-operative Commonwealth Federa-tion (CCF) general office, United Brother-hood of Carpenters and Joiners, and Gen-eral Labourers’ Union. An adjacent build-ing held the Saskatoon Co-Operative Asso-ciation, Saskatoon Co-Operative Society,and Saskatoon Cooperative Savings andCredit Union. From 1985 to 2005, theFairbanks-Morse was home to AKA Art Gal-

lery, The Photographer’s Gallery, VideoVerite, and Tribe and Blackflash magazines.Tree Pottery Supplies has stayed in thebuilding throughout its conversion to resi-dential condominium suites, occupying thecommercial space on the main floor.

Olstar Developments Inc. purchased thetop three floors and basement from Tree Pot-tery in 2005 to build 12 residential condo-minium units, the first warehouse loft con-

version in Saskatoon. The Fairbanks Ware-house Condos sold out four months intoconstruction. Luxuriously finished, they of-fer a contemporary open feel, high ceilingsand lots of light, accented by heritage brickwalls.

Olstar is currently converting anotherbuilding on the property, facing Wall Street,to a single residential condominium unit. ■


Left: The Fairbanks-Morse Building in it’s early days.The building was completed in January 1912, in the“modern mercantile style”. Saskatoon’s firstwarehouse loft conversion, the building now contains12 residential condominium units on the top threefloors. Photograph LH803 courtesy of SaskatoonPublic Library, Local History Room.

Above and opposite: The interior of #404-12, 23rdStreet. Fairbanks Lofts is located near downtownSaskatoon. The former Fairbanks-Morse warehouse,which has seen many uses since its completion in1912, now is home to 12 residential condominium loftunits. Photograph by Jimmy Oneschuk, courtesy ofCurtis Olson.


www.renomark.ca


T h e R o o m

Great RoomsGreat for

Entertaining

Today’s new homes are verylikely to be designed around a“great room” concept, com-bining more traditionalspaces, such as kitchen, diningroom and living room, into asingle, open space. But whatabout older homes, built when

the functions of each of thosetraditional rooms was carriedout in its own separate space?

Smaller homes, especiallythose built before the first halfof the 20th Century, can benefitfrom renovations that create amore spacious, open atmos-phere. Mondovi Developmentstackled one such home, a one-and-a-half storey, 1130 squarefoot Buena Vista home built in

1929 on Kilburn Avenue. Likemost homes of that era, therooms seem small and crampedby today’s standards. Renova-tions changed the entire charac-ter of the home’s interior.

One of the benefits of the greatroom over compartmentalizedspaces – and a prime reason thathomeowners appreciate the con-cept – is the flexibility it offers forentertaining guests. Social trends

are seeing couples and familiesspending more of their free timeat home. They would rather en-tertain in a domestic setting thansocialize in noisy and crowdedpublic settings.

The Kilburn Avenue homeshows how modern room de-sign can update older resi-dences. It’s the perfect settingfor an intimate cocktail partywith a few friends.


The Details:

Cocktail party location:1105 Kilburn Avenue

Renovator:Mondovi DevelopmentsBox 2105, Saskatoon S7H 5N9Owner: Susan Zwarych.Phone: 306. 270.3807Website:mondovidevelopments.com

Room decor:Esteem For The HomeCollege Park Mall106B-3929 8th Street EastSaskatoon, SK S7H5M2Phone: 306. 477.2833Uncle Ed’s Furniture715 1st Avenue North, Saskatoon306.244.2057

Baking:Cakes G’lore210 33rd Street West, Saskatoon306.373.2253

Cabinetry:T-Square CabinetsSaskatoon SK306.477.4777

Espresso machine:Espresso Macchina2209 1st Avenue North,Saskatoon SK306.955.8869

Art supplier:Rouge Gallery208 3rd Avenue SouthSaskatoon, SK S7K1L9Phone: 306. 955.8882Website: www.rougegallery.ca

Personal Chef:James. R. Kyle, Freelance [email protected] consulting, intimate dinnerplanning, fine dining in your owncomfortable location.

Bring Your Own Cheffor Better Party HostingLet’s be honest – entertaining’s ahassle. You look forward to havingfriends over, but instead of spendingtime with your guests you end uprunning back and forth from kitchen todining room to living room fetchingthem appy’s and refreshments. You’relucky if you see or talk to anyone allevening. Or worse yet, you decide tomake things easy on yourself by buyingfrozen appy’s that are anything butappetizing.

That’s where the personal chefcomes in. With changing entertainmenttrends, hosts are finding that hiringsuch a person, someone who takes

charge of the kitchen and prepares thefood, takes the pressure off. You getprofessionally prepared fare, whetherit’s an entire meal or just appetizers ordessert, customized to the needs of youand your guests. The personal chef alsoadds flair to your event, as well as anentertaining touch.

Your chef will want to meet with youbeforehand, to discuss your event, yourfavourite foods, and even allergies anddietary preferences. They do all theshopping, cooking and cleanup, leavingyou to spend time with your guests.Don’t confuse a personal chef with acaterer. A personal chef designs acustom menu, from scratch, just foryou and to fit your budget.


Photo on page 41 (kitchen with table):Espresso Macchina: Gaggia EvolutionEspresso Machine, $500.00. CakesG’lore: eight-inch cake, white fondanticing with red crystal sugar, $48.95.Winners: Red fruit bowl with goldaccents, $29.99. Uncle Ed’s Furniture:Cola Red Gloss Table with matchingchairs, $1299.00. Esteem for theHome: Abbott, decanter, $44.99;Abbott, wine glasses, $12.99 each;Torre & Tagus, small window platter,

$29.99 each. T-Square: Espressofinished Maple cabinets with frostedglass windows, $18,000. RougeGallery: Dream in the Night, 24"x 60"painting, $4100.00.

Photo on page 42(kitchen counter):Whirlpool matching appliances: RangeMicrowave, $629.00, Stove, $929.00,Side by Side Fridge, $1449.00, andDishwasher, $649.00. Winners:Kitchen Aid, boiling pot, $59.99;

Kitchen Aid, frying pan, $29.99.London Drugs: Canister, $12.99 each;Esteem for the Home: Torre & Tagus,small plate, $16.99 each, PersonalChef James Kyle: Appetizers, $25.00per person.

Top left and right: The great room,even in a small home, is perfect forentertaining. Room supplied by EsteemFor The Home. Art supplied by RougeGallery. Plates supplied by Esteem for

the Home. Glasses supplied by Esteemfor the Home. Appetizers supplied byChef James Kyle.

Above: Fresh, new look for a characterhome. Room supplied by Esteem ForThe Home. Art supplied by RougeGallery.


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in home design, building,renovation, décor and

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Go to: www.saskatoon-home.com


Great OpeningsExploring Door

Options

Doors can be a simple up-grade, yet it could really renewthe look of your home, at thesame time lowering heatingand air conditioning costs. Alltoo often, we overlook the doorsthat we go through every timewe enter or leave our homes.

Doors have changed a lot inrecent years. Gone are the daysof the all-wood doors used inour grandparents’ houses. Fea-tureless steel doors, common inso many homes, have beensuperceded by much better –and better looking – designs.

After 20 or 30 Saskatoonsummers and winters, mostdoors are ready for replacement.Sun, rain, minus-30 degree tem-peratures and blizzards makeour doors and their weathersealing warp, swell, shrink,crack, fade and generally wearout until they look terrible andjust can’t keep the cold out orthe heat in like they used to.

Modern doors are a vast im-provement over those thatwere available only a few yearsago. They withstand theweather better, protect thehome better, and look gooddoing it. Homeowners have

much more choice, too. Al-though doors pretty muchtend to be made of the samematerials – a wood door is aslikely to have a steel interior asa steel door is to have a woodexterior and either style mayhave a foam insulation core –they’re generally described interms of what their surface ismade of. A wood door is woodon the outside, a fibreglassdoor is fibreglass on the out-side, and so on. Just remem-ber, when it comes to moderndoors, beauty really is more

than skin deep. There’s a lothappening underneath thesurface.

Doors are also available in analmost bewildering array ofstyles and options, allowinghomeowners to strike the rightbalance of cost, durability, per-formance, security and appear-ance.

“People are going with a fan-cier designed glass door in the

front of their homes nowadays,”says Rick Engel at SaskatoonCo-op Home Centre West con-tract sales. “In the back, it’s six-panel doors.

“Fibreglass is becoming reallypopular. There’s smooth fibre-glass which can be painted, justlike the steel, and it’s lighter andstronger than a steel door.There’s also textured fibreglass,which can be stained to look likewood.”

That makes fibreglass a goodchoice for owners of olderhomes, who want to keep a her-itage or historic appearance.“If you wanted to, you could gothrough the expense of buyinga wood door, similar to what youhad, but they’re extremely ex-pensive,” says Engel.

Fibreglass doors are moreeconomical and can be made tocomplement the look of thehome, especially when the rightstyle of glass inserts are used.

Gary Sauser, assistant man-ager at Windsor Plywood, saysthat fibreglass doors are per-fect for character homes. Oneseries, the Barrington Crafts-man Door Collection byMasonite, is made to resemblethe style of three-panel doorsfound in older architecturalstyles of the late 19th and early20th centuries, including

S u p p l i e r s

A photograph in Architectural Digesttwo decades ago inspired Cheryl andMaurice Soulodre to build a paintedmetal and cedar entry door for theirdesigned home in Grasswood hamlet.


better security. Garden doorsconsist of an opening door onone side and a full-length vent-ing window on the other. Doormanufacturers make patio re-placement units, designed to fitinto the openings of existing pa-tio doors, so replacement is easyand economical.

“The advantage of the patiodoor was that it had a largebreezeway when you slide itopen,” says Sauser. “[With agarden door,] you don’t losethat, but when it comes to win-ter or any time you’re not usingit, there’s not dollar bills float-ing out of it either. They’re anexcellent setup, especially forSaskatchewan.”

Contacts:

Saskatoon Co-op Home CentreWest311 Circle Drive West (at AvenueC North), 306.933.3835

Windsor Plywood3222 Millar Avenue (north of 51stStreet), 306.931.1232,www.windsorplywood.com

decorative stained glass in-serts, says Sauser.

“They’ve even got the littleshelves for your keys and stuff,”he says. “They’re made out offibreglass, but all that woodgrain that you see in wood, yousee that in the fibreglass. Youstain or paint it to make it looklike a real wood door.”

The entry door does morethan enhance the outward ap-pearance of your house. It can

also brighten the interior.Homes with small entry land-ings, in particular, can benefitfrom a newer door or from hav-ing a new insert installed intothe existing one. Decorativeglass door inserts are installed inopenings cut into the door.Clear glass is common, but tex-

tured glass designed to protectthe privacy of the home’s occu-pants is becoming very popular.

An insert is an inexpensiveway to alter the look of anentryway, says Sauser.

At the back of the house,many homeowners are replac-ing older patio doors with gar-den doors, says Engel. Slidingpatio doors waste terribleamounts of energy.

Garden doors, which open onhinges, provide better weathersealing, better insulation and


ImproveYour HomeImprove Your

Energy Savings

The perfect time to beef upyour home’s energy efficiencyis when you renovate. Did youknow that over 60 per cent of theenergy used in your home isused to heat it? If your home isover 25 years old, you can saveover 35 per cent on your energybills if you make your homemore air tight, add insulation,upgrade windows and replaceheating system.

Seal It UpBefore you replace your heatingsystem, you should get rid of allthose cracks in your buildingenvelope that let cold air in.Typical places to draft-proof arearound windows and doors,electrical boxes, vents and anyother penetrations through anexterior wall. You should alsoreplace worn weather strippingat doors and windows.

Keep the Heat InDon’t forget the old fireplace; itcan suck the heat right out ofyour home. According to Natu-ral Resources Canada, open fire-places average between minus10 and 10 per cent efficiency.

E c o l i v i n gThat’s because large amounts ofheated air go right up the chim-ney when your fire is a blazin’.Even when not in use, open-hearth fireplaces allow heatedhouse air to escape and let coldair in.

Consider installing an effi-cient, clean-burning advancedcombustion unit. Not only dothey draw little air from yourhome, they give you more heat,burn less wood and give off lesspollution.

Advanced combustion fire-places are 50 to 70 per cent effi-cient. You’ll find units especiallydesigned that insert right intoexisting fireplaces. You willlikely have to put a stainless steelliner in your chimney to makethe system work properly.

Wrap It UpYou’ve sealed your home; nowit’s time to take a closer look atyour insulation. Today’s newhomes typically use R-40 in theroof and R-20 batt insulation inthe walls. Ideally, you’ll want toupgrade your insulation to thesevalues. Don’t forget to insulatethe basement walls. But beforeyou insulate foundation walls,make sure they are in good re-pair and there is no sign of wa-ter. Fix all moisture problemsbefore you insulate.

If new siding is in your plans,consider adding an extra layerof insulation and house-wrap airbarrier before you apply newsiding.

See the LightEnergy-efficient windows re-duce that cold draft feeling youget from sitting next to a win-dow. In general, windows arepoor insulators – they let heatescape in the winter and let heatin during the summer. Whatyou want to do is minimize win-dows on north walls and takeadvantage of the sun on southwalls that will help heat yourhome in spring and fall. An ex-ample of an energy-efficientunit is one with double-glazing(triple-glazing even better), ar-gon gas, low-e coating and in-sulated spacer. New windowscan change the look of yourhome. For added comfort andprivacy consider using windowcoverings.

Heat It UpYou’ve sealed up your drafts andincreased your insulation; now,it’s time to look at your heatingand ventilation system. If youhave gas, consider installing acondensing furnace. They arethe most efficient gas furnaceson the market.

These furnaces have an an-nual fuel utilization efficiency(AFUE) of between 90 and 97per cent, compared to older fur-naces with AFUEs of about 60per cent and modern standardefficiency units with AFUEs ofbetween 78 and 84 per cent.

Homeowners with old gasfurnaces can save about $300 ayear by switching to a condens-ing gas furnace with an AFUEof 96 per cent, according toNatural Resources Canada.

Freshen UpYour new airtight home willneed proper ventilation to re-move stale air. This is done withthe help of a heat recovery ven-tilator (HRV). Your mechanicalcontractor can help you withthis.

Keep Your CoolSummers in the Okanagan arehot, but even so, heating is thebiggest energy expense in yourhome. So when shopping for afurnace and an air conditioner,spend your money on the mostefficient furnace you can afford.After all, air conditioning onlymakes up three per cent of yourhomes energy use, according toNatural Resources Canada.

To reduce your air condition-ing bill, consider installing ceil-


ing fans, especially in the bed-rooms. They circulate room air,providing a cool breeze in sum-mer and in winter helppushdown hot air trapped in theceiling space.

Turn It DownConsider installing a program-mable thermostat, which willallow you to preset your home’stemperature for specific times ofthe day. In winter, you want tosetback the temperature at nightwhen you’re asleep and duringthe day when you’re at work.

As a general rule, you can savetwo per cent on your heating billfor every degree you turn downthe thermostat, according toNatural Resources Canada.

However, you don’t want tosetback the temperature lowerthan 17 Celsius, this could causecondensation problems in win-ter and long heat up times.

But before you buy that pro-grammable thermostat checkthe number of wires it needs andthe number of wires you have.You might be able to pull a newwire through, but often youcan’t.

Hot WaterAfter space heating, hot water isthe biggest energy user in yourhome. According to NaturalResources Canada, hot watermakes up 16 per cent of yourhome’s energy use.

Replace hot water heater witha condensing gas or propaneunit. For increased efficiency,consider insulating hot water

pipes within ten feet of yourwater tank, and if possible, in-sulate all accessible hot waterpipes. This will improve watertemperature at the tap. If yourtank is located in a cold base-ment, consider adding a blanketof insulation (always checkmanufacturer’s recommenda-tions).

You can also get drain waterheat recovery systems that re-claim heat from water that goesdown the shower drain and usesthe recovered heat to preheatwater entering hot water tank.Solar hot water systems and in-stantaneous water heaters areother energy efficient options toconsider.

Opt NotAppliances like fridges, freezers,electric ranges, dishwashers andwashing machines are anotherarea where you can save moneyon your energy bill. Today’sfridges use one third less energythan a fridge made in 1984. Butwhatever you do, don’t use yourold fridge in the basement orgarage and lose your energy sav-ings. And don’t buy a freezerunless you plan on using it. Al-ways look for the EnerGuide la-bel when comparing and buyingmajor appliances.■ karen slivar


Modern MeetsTraditional

Award-winningDesign

Meridian Development’s TheHideaway, at 320 11th StreetEast, won this year’s Munici-pal Heritage Award for InfillPublic/Commercial.

You might think that a placehas to be old to win a heritageaward, but this developmentshows that heritage is a style thattranscends age. The award rec-ognized the manner in whichthe infill development projectwas sympathetic to maintainingthe character of a neighbour-hood.

“The award was given for thedesign, use of the site, and inte-gration of the project into thesurrounding neighbourhood,”says Meridian president KarlMiller.

The architectural style closelymatches the character of theneighbourhood. From thestreet, you’d never know that theproperty holds eight separatehomes. Only four face 11thStreet. From an entrance be-tween the houses on 11th Street,sidewalks from the houses at therear of the property converge ata gate in a wrought iron fencesupported by stone pillars.

“They all gather at that mainentrance, where we have a hand-carved stone sign,” says Miller.“Actual stone masons – old-world stone masons – hand-carved that sign, on site. Theydid just a wonderful job.”

From the entrance, curvedsweeping walkways lead into theproperty. Two bridges cross drycreek beds that serve to catchrun-off from rains, part of thedevelopment’s xeriscapingscheme.

“The focus there was to do re-ally different landscaping, sothat it wasn’t like every otherproject out there that’s just gotgrass and shrubs,” says Miller.“We wanted to make it feel likea little resort, something reallyunique and different.

“These little dry creek bedswind throughout the entire

property, around the houses.That’s why you have thesebridges leading to the differenthouses.”

Low-voltage landscape light-ing is created in a copper artsand crafts theme, adding to theambience and character of thesite.

Inside, the homes are unlikeanything found elsewhere in thecity. Meridian was striving for amodern design, yet one thatbrought with it more traditionalelements.

“Colleen (Wilson, Meridian’sdesigner and partner) and Imade them with today’s com-forts and features – gas ranges,granite counter tops, big kitch-ens and open floor plans on themain floor,” says Miller. “Wetried to leave it completely wideopen so that the living, kitchenand dining area flows all as one.That’s probably the biggestchange from the old designs,where they had every singleroom separated individually.”

“All the millwork packages inthe house were handcrafted on-site,” he says. “Everything wascustom milled – the baseboards,the window casings, the doorcasings, all the wainscotting.The finish carpenters madeevery one of those pieces on-site.”

S h o w c a s e

The Hideaway kitchen and dining area.The open concept design blendsmodern and traditional. Photo byColleen Wilson


“We did things like cofferedceilings, with copper accents setinside. Oil-rubbed bronze fix-tures give a classy, elegant, tra-ditional look.”

Coffered ceilings add an old-world touch to the interiors.The copper insets, not some-thing you’d expect to see inSaskatoon, provide a uniqueaccent.

It’s that attention to detail thathas attracted buyers to thehomes. Anyone who’s seen thehomes remarks on it. It’s easy tosee why.“Every little thing is thoughtthrough,” says Miller. “There’sso much detail that you need togo through it a couple of timesjust to notice it all.” ■

Left: The Hideaway, on 11th StreetEast. Four homes face the street.Another four are behind, creating aresort-like ambience. The exterior ofeach home at The Hideaway isdesigned to integrate the newbuildings into Saskatoon’s mosttraditional neighbourhood, anapproach for which the projectreceived a municipal heritage award.Photo by Colleen Wilson.

Top left: The dining area shows thedetail of the home. Oil rubbed bronzefixtures, coffered ceilings with copperinsets, hand-milled wainscotting andwindow casings add to the traditionalstyle. Photo by Colleen Wilson.

Top right: A bedroom at TheHideaway. Coffered ceilings, copperaccents and oil rubbed bronze fixturesgive a classy, elegant, traditional look.Photo by Colleen Wilson.




Painting MadeSimple

The Easiest Wayto Transform Your

Home

Applying a coat of paint is theeasiest and most inexpensiveway to transform any room inthe house, however decidingon the right type of paint andcolour can be a challenge. Thefollowing tips can make anyroom in your home beautiful:

1. What is the rightpaint finish?

There are several types of paintfinish to choose from, such asflat, satin, eggshell, semi-gloss,latex, alkyd and many more.

To choose the correct finishfor your project start by con-sidering how the room will beused and the people using theroom. An elegant flat finishmay not be the best choice fora child’s room or other high-traffic areas like the kitchen,but is ideal for a ceiling, livingroom or an area in which youwant to hide imperfections inthe wall. A higher sheen paintsuch as satin, eggshell or semi-gloss is usually easier to clean,so it’s great for hallways, chil-dren’s rooms, kitchens orbathrooms.

2. Is primernecessary?

Primer acts a pre-coat and willprepare walls for paint by block-ing grease, water and smokestains that can prevent properadhesion. Primer also helps to

ensure a smooth and uniformpainting surface.

3. How many coatsto apply?

If you’re covering a light-col-oured surface, you may only re-

quire one coat of paint, but gen-erally, two coats of paint pro-vides good coverage. By startingwith a deep-base primer withsuperior hiding and excellent

T i p s h e e t

Walls in warm, natural tans lend asoothing quality to any room.


sealing properties, you can help ensure goodpaint coverage.

4. How much paint is required?To establish the square footage of your room,simply multiply the total length of the walls bytheir height, allowing for windows, doors andother areas that won’t be painted. To cover a350 to 400-sq ft. room you will need one gal-lon for each coat of paint. And don’t forget it’sa good idea to buy a little extra paint in caseyou need to make any quick touch-ups lateron. Tip: As an environmentally friendly paintoption, look for those with no or low volatileorganic compounds. These chemicals areharmful to the environment and also contrib-ute to that heavy paint smell that can causeheadaches in a freshly painted room.

5. Choosing the perfectpaint colour

Before buying paint colours, test an area of theroom to see if it will create the look you aretrying to achieve. Choose a paint line withpractice pots that allow you to buy a smallamount of the colour you like and try it on thewall at home. That way you get a sense of thecolour and texture in your space before paint-ing the entire space.

Paint Colour Trends for 2008

l. The global palette: Influenced by the

Middle East, Eastern Europe, Russia and Latin

America, shades are rich bronzes, purples, deep

reds (think borscht) and passionate pinks.

2. The eco palette: Think nature – various

shades of green, earthy browns, tans, flower

hues and sky blues.

3. The urban palette: The techno-cosmo

sensibility makes these colours popular for

modern loft living: charcoal greys, cayennes,

subdued oranges and aquas.

4. The heritage palette: These colours

adorned turn-of-the-century homes – bur-

gundy, forest green, grey and brown. ■


Permits andPrograms

City Hall Has WhatYou Need

Before you run for the crow-bar or pick up that sledge-hammer, it’s a good idea tocheck to see what kinds ofresidential renovations youcan get away with, andwhether you need a permitbefore you begin. Your firststop is City Hall to visitSaskatoon’s Building Stand-ards Branch in charge of per-mits and inspections. You get abuilding or plumbing permitbefore starting any work, andinspections during and afterconstruction. The city’s inspec-tors enforce the Building Bylaw,the Swimming Pool Bylaw, theUniform Building and Accessi-bility Standards Act, Canada’sNational Building Code andSaskatchewan Plumbing andDrainage Regulations.

The nature of the project andthe scale of work determinewhether or not you need a per-mit.

In general, if you’re simplymaking repairs or replacingworn-out pieces of your home,you don’t need a building per-mit. For example, you don’tneed one for:

■ fences, driveways andsidewalks■ cosmetic repairs such aspaint or minor repairs toexterior finishes■ replacement roofing on aone to four unit dwellingunless the decking is replaced■ replacement siding on a oneto four unit dwelling, as longas the replacement is withsimilar construction■ carpet or cabinetry■ replacement doors andwindows in existing openings,as long as the replacement iswith similar construction

If your work involves altera-tions or construction, you’llprobably need a building per-mit. You definitely need onefor:■ residential and commercialconstruction, including newbuilding construction as wellas alteration and renovation ofexisting structures■ demolition, repair, reloca-tion, alteration or addition toan existing structure■ alterations or constructionof accessory buildings,garages, decks, swimmingpools, and mobile homes■ structural changes toexisting buildings■ change of occupancy or useof an existing building

■ accessory buildings that aregreater than 10 sq. m.■ decks over 200 mm abovegrade, and roof enclosuresover existing or new decks■ basement development inexisting dwellings.

If you’re not sure if yourproject needs a permit, checkwith the Building StandardsBranch before you start.

You don’t need a permit toclear a clogged drain, repair aleaky water pipe or replace an ex-isting fixture such as a faucet,valve or water heater.

You do need a plumbing per-mit to make more extensivechanges. It’s the law: “A plumb-ing system may not be con-structed, altered, extended, re-newed or repaired unless aplumbing permit has been ob-tained for the work.” Only a li-censed plumbing contractor reg-istered with the city can apply fora permit and carry out the job. Itsounds bureaucratic, but it’s foryour own and the public’s safety.

Get a building permit applica-tion from City Hall. You can pickone up in person or downloadone from the city’s website,www.saskatoon.ca/org/building/

Fill out and send in the Resi-dential Permit Application. Bet-ter yet, go down and fill it out inperson, where city staff can help

with the process. Include the re-quired plans (see below). Youmay need Ventilation DesignSheets for some projects. You’llneed pre-Engineering ShopDrawings for engineered joists,beams and trusses, usually pro-vided during framing inspection.

It usually takes about a weekfor your application to be proc-essed, assuming you’ve providedall the information requested.Complex projects, large develop-ments and projects with incom-plete plans may take longer. Italso takes more time during peakseason (May-July), when the citytypically receives large numbersof applications. Pay the fee whenyou pick up your permit and ap-proved plans.

If you need a plumbing permit,your contractor will know whatto do.

Sometimes it’s helpful to havea designer involved. For someprojects, the city demands it. Adesigner doesn’t always have tobe a professional engineer or ar-chitect, but must meet city ac-ceptance for the project pro-posed. Complex projects requirea professional engineer or archi-tect licensed to practice in Sas-katchewan. The Building Stand-ards Branch will let you know ifyou need to hire a professional.

Every project that requires a

P r a c t i c a l


building permit will also requireinspections by city building in-spectors. The city will let youknow when inspections are re-quired.

A “variance” is a request to de-viate from current zoning re-quirements. If granted, it permitsyou to use your land in a way thatis ordinarily not permitted by thezoning regulations. It is not achange in the zoning law but awaiver for your circumstances.The city may permit minorvariances for alterations not ex-ceeding 10 percent of the zoningbylaw, such as minimum distanceof a building from the lot line or

knowledge and experience withzoning regulations and buildingcodes that can save you time andmoney. Most importantly, theyunderstand how to preserve orrecapture the character of yourhome and its place in your neigh-bourhood.

For more information on thecity’s programs, visit the Devel-opment Services Branch in CityHall or the city’s website. ■

Contacts:Building Permit InformationContact Building StandardsBranchwww.saskatoon.ca/org/building/[email protected]: 306.975.2645Development Services Branchwww.saskatoon.ca/org/development/Phone: 306.975.2645

City bylaws:City Clerk’s Office2nd Floor, City Hallwww.saskatoon.ca/org/clerks_office/bylaws/Phone: 306.975.3240

the minimum distance of a build-ing to another building on the lot.The city has an application formfor minor variances, available inperson or as a download from thecity’s website.

Programs thatPromote

PreservationMost Saskatoon residents haveheard about the city’s Façade Re-habilitation and RenovationGrant program, or have seenwhat it can do. It helps commer-cial property owners rejuvenatetheir buildings’ faces to the pub-lic, conserving our built heritage

and enhancing our urbanenvironment.There is also a civicprogram for homeowners.

The Heritage ConservationProgram helps private propertyowners conserve buildings, natu-ral environments, archaeologicaland/or paleontological sites.Property owners may apply forMunicipal Heritage Propertydesignation or for listing in theCommunity Heritage Register.

The program offers supportmechanisms (including financialassistance) which help ownersconserve the property appropri-ately, and protection tools whichsafeguard heritage properties.

Even if you don’t live in a her-itage property but still consideryour home to have character, thecity offers advice on renovatingcharacter homes and can guideyou in researching its history.

Hiring professional renova-tors or licensed architects can beof great value in any renovationor development project. Theseprofessionals have working




Time for aChange

Downtown Regeneration

is a Positive Direction

The trend of convertingformer commercial and indus-trial buildings to upscale resi-dential dwellings is not un-common to many Canadianswho live in large cities. Thetrend started many years ago incities like Toronto, Vancouverand Montreal. However, there isnow a firmly established marketfor this style of dwelling in smalland medium-sized cities likeSaskatoon.

The once-bustling economicengine of the city producedlarge, solidly-built factories andwarehouses made of concreteand brick. Once the productionfactories for such things assteam powered tractors, are nowbeing purchased and converted,at considerable cost, to uniqueurban dwellings. Close toformer rail yards, these build-ings are also within walking dis-tance to a revitalized urban corewith amenities such as shop-ping, parks, new waterfront,street scapes and restaurants.

The conversion trend startedslowly in Saskatoon. The mod-est conversion of the formerHandicraft Supply store on 2nd

Avenue by a local developerproved that conversion offormer commercial space wasviable. It was the spark neededto get the trend going. Conver-sion of the heritage designatedFairbanks Morse Warehousefrom former industrial spaceinto 12 residential dwellings andcommercial space on the mainfloor by a local developer in2006 was the first full-scale con-version of its type.

There are now four majorconversion projects underwayin Saskatoon’s downtown – aformer retail building (The

Bay), hotel (King George Ho-tel), factory (Rumely Building)and warehouse (T. Eaton Ware-house) are now in various stagesof conversion to residential andmixed use. The total investmentin these four conversions aloneis estimated at over $36 milliondollars.

The importance of newdwellings to the health of thecity’s downtown cannot beoverstated. For example, a largearea of Saskatoon’s downtownwas generating no economic ac-tivity, and several buildingsfaced the possibility of demoli-

tion. Now, the City estimates atleast $400,000 of new propertytaxes will be collected from theconversion projects annually.The new residents of these con-version projects will be a rela-tively young, professional popu-lation with above-average in-comes. They will demand moreservices and entertainment closeto home. The new conversionprojects are also setting some ofthe highest price points everseen in Saskatoon. The averageprice of a premium dwelling inthe newest conversion project isexpected to be $650,000.

B a c k w o r d s


The City estimates at least $400,000 of newproperty taxes will be collected from the

conversion projects annually.

Saskatoon’s downtown ischaracterized as a large area witha relatively low concentration ofdwellings. Add to this, the nu-merous surface parking lotsspread throughout the core andthe task of creating a truly urbanfeel in downtown Saskatoon re-mains a significant planningchallenge.

For the foreseeable future,Saskatoon’s downtown willcontinue to change. Successfulconversion projects are a signifi-cant part of the overall revitali-zation being witnessed today inthis area. A new River Landingwaterfront development, newstreet scape enhancementprojects in Riversdale, on 3rdAvenue and 19th Street, and anew transit terminal are all pub-lic investments which will en-sure the private investment con-tinues in Saskatoon’s vibrantnew core. ■ alan wallace

Alan Wallace is the City ofSaskatoon’s manager of neigh-bourhood planning. Photo cour-tesy City of Saskatoon.

Developers are enticed toconsider new downtown resi-dential projects and conversionswith significant financial incen-tives. The Saskatoon CityCouncil understands the time

consumption, high cost andhigher risk associated with suchprojects, and offers many sub-stantial incentives to ensure theyare completed – funded fromreserves which receive revenuefrom parking meters.

There are many reasons to beoptimistic that the trend to-wards downtown living andmore conversion projects willcontinue. Demographicallyspeaking, the large segment ofretirees expected by 2016 areprojected to seek a vibrant, cen-tral location close to amenities,and events catering to an active,social lifestyle.



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Saskatoon HOME Spring 2008