Residence in Hoggs Hollow weaves home and garden
Renovation enhances the original while adding a natural grace
The original house on this Hoggs Hollow lot near Toronto’s Don River was put up 40 years ago, filling the space and oriented away from the river. New owners bought the residence next door and demolished it, giving the house room to breathe. They then brought in LGA Architectural Partners and landscape architect Scott Torrance to create a new house-and-garden complex tied more closely to the river.Ben Rahn
The owners recycled material where feasible – the remnants of the demolished next-door house, for example, were donated to Habitat for Humanity – and they remediated parts of the property, such as the river bank, that had long been neglected.Ben Rahn
A hot tub and a rock-ribbed saltwater swimming pool invite dips and plunges in whatever weather, and there is an ample sand pit and a grassy patch for garden sports. Stands of trees shelter and shade the house’s street-side façade. In fashioning these renewed outdoor spaces, Ms. Levitt said, theBen Rahn
Rather than knock down the original house, LGA and their clients decided to build on what was there. LGA pushed out the rear toward the flower garden and the pool, for instance, adding a glass-walled living and dining room that opens up the formerly closed house to the natural and civilized beauties in the vicinity. Expansive terraces extend outward on two sides of the house, linking the interior to the river and the various exterior zones dedicated to playing, relaxing, dining.Ben Rahn
The renovation has transformed the property from a quite ordinary house into a garden pavilion suitable for a large family whose members like to enjoy life together.Ben Rahn
A meandering path leads the casual wanderer through beds planted with tall grasses and flowers for every season, and along the edge of the stream.Ben Rahn
A ‘constellation wall’ screens the interior.Ben Rahn