Cool Toronto home on an odd urban lot
The Toronto laneway house of Alex Sharpe, designed by Craig Race, an intern architect at Sustainable.TO. The east end Toronto home was once an illegal, one-storey apartment in a converted garage. The site is 33 feet wide by 120 feet deep.Conrad Stocks
The wood on the fin wall is charred - a Japanese method known as shou-sugi-ban. This labour-intensive process of burning the wood, dousing it, drying it, and then applying a coat of oil renders it practically maintenance-free while adding resistance to fire and rot.also.Conrad Stocks
On top of the already thick concrete slab, a new concrete floor with a radiant heating system was poured; even when not switched on, sunlight entering the home’s big windows warms the polished floor.Conrad Stocks
‘We wanted to remind people inside the house that they’re in a laneway house,’ Mr. Race says. ‘so we were really careful about where we placed windows so you’d get views of alleyways and sky; because the building is massed the way it is, you get great views in every direction but you’re not looking into anyone’s house.’Conrad Stocks
Near the kitchen area, a window was punched into the existing cinderblock wall (two and a half original walls have been retained) and a previously sealed door has been reopened to access a narrow walkway to the alley.Conrad Stocks
The kitchen.Conrad Stocks
The lane access. ‘This was a huge feature for me,’ Mr. Sharpe enthuses. ‘At night it’s lit up very nicely and it’s quite inviting after coming down a gritty, urban scape.’Conrad Stocks
The master bathroom.Conrad Stocks
Of the small master bedroom, Mr. Sharp says: “It’s the way I wanted to live…we didn’t want a big house, we didn’t want to be living beyond our means. I think it’s important to live as tightly and as densely and as intelligently as you can, and this is a good way to do it.”Conrad Stocks
At the top of the stairs, a sculpture of welded Indian cricket chairs basks in natural light from a skylight that doubles as a heat chimney. The wall has a shou-sugi-ban finish.Conrad Stocks
Alex Sharpe (left) and Craig Race in the main floor living space. To keep with the home’s industrial vibe, Mr. Sharpe commissioned Zac Ridgely to create a strikingly minimalist staircase using an I-beam.Conrad Stocks