In the current climate of buy and bulldoze, this one-level Oak Bay bungalow could well have been destined for demolition.
The house is in a desirable location in Oak Bay 鈥� walking distance to the water and right by a bus stop 鈥� but it suffered from some 鈥渄eferred maintenance鈥� by the long-time previous owners.
And while some saw only a rundown home, Sally Crickman saw the bones of her dream English cottage and the ideal home in which to downsize with her husband, John.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 particularly like the look of the outside, but the location and layout were perfect,鈥� says Sally.
The couple, in their mid-70s, had been looking for a one-level home for a year after deciding to downsize from their three-storey Rockland home.
They had lived in the 4,100-square-foot home for 10 years and loved its open layout that was ideal for entertaining. Sally is an active member of Langham Court theatre, a stone鈥檚 throw away. The house was a natural for cast parties, with a library, media room and double French doors leading to a terrace. Seventy people could mingle comfortably.
But a trip to the U.K. to visit Sally鈥檚 sister made the couple reassess their needs. The sister had recently downsized and had some prudent advice.
鈥淪he said she had left it too late. She said it is far better to move while you still have the energy and are able to get your final home as you want it,鈥� says Sally.
The couple saw the home as soon as it was on the market. Sally, a self-taught interior designer who is an honorary member of the Seattle Design Centre, could see past the vinyl wallpaper on the ceilings, the collapsing kitchen ceiling and a broom cupboard converted into a bathroom.
She liked the location, the single level, the wide hallway and the generous-sized entry area that created a sense of spaciousness and brightness in the 1950s bungalow. As well, the living room was at the back of the house, giving much more privacy.
John liked that the home was the work of an owner-builder and that it took three years from the time of the permit being issued to completion.
鈥淚t had barely been maintained for the past 20 years, but the original owners who built it took their time and knew what they were doing. It鈥檚 a very solid house.鈥�
It never crossed their minds to demolish the house, something that is happening more and more in the municipality, particularly with older and smaller homes.
鈥淲hen I鈥檓 out in the front garden, people will stop and say, 鈥淭hank you so much for not demolishing the house and building a great big one,鈥濃�� says Sally.
As soon as the couple moved in, they had people knocking on the door, asking if they wanted to sell.
鈥淪o many of these types of houses are torn down. It鈥檚 actually very difficult to find a well-built, one-level home,鈥� says Sally.
But with it came a year-plus of renovations. The couple largely left the layout of the house intact, but upgraded everything, from new lathe and stucco on the exterior to windows, doors and floors inside. They found original fir underneath the carpet and coved ceilings hidden under wood trim. The kitchen and bathrooms were completely redone, working with designer Archie Willie. Some doors and windows were moved and a laundry room was added.
While Sally has no formal interior design training, she comes by it naturally. She ran a furniture shop on Fort Street in the 1980s before meeting John and moving to Friday Harbor. Since she still had some of the English reproduction furniture from the Victoria shop, she opened an 800-square-foot furniture and gift shop in Washington State. That soon expanded to a 3,800-square-foot store, including imported antique furniture from Korea and Japan, and a thriving interior design business that started when people came into the shop and liked its d茅cor.
鈥淭hey saw the shop and how it was done and said: 鈥淐an you do that at my house?鈥濃�� laughs Sally.
The result is a lot of dot-com millionaire鈥檚 homes done with Sally鈥檚 style, adds John.
Sally knew just what she wanted for their new home: the feel of a sandstone cottage that she knew from living in her native England and then Australia.
鈥淭he plan is to make it as near to an English cottage as we can,鈥� she said.
Bay windows and a French door look out from the large and cozy living room to the garden, designed by Rusnak Gallant and planted by Sally. It is rich with roses and fully-fenced to keep the deer out.
The renovations were difficult but worth it.
鈥淚t was very stressful but we鈥檙e thrilled with where we are now and love it. We wouldn鈥檛 swap it,鈥� says Sally.
The long reno time gave them the opportunity to winnow their furniture and belongings with care and thought.
鈥淥ne of the smartest things we did was build a two-car garage before we did anything in the house,鈥� says John. 鈥淭hat way, we had a place to put things.鈥�
The 400-square foot garage has a trap door in the ceiling with dropped stairs and provides lots of storage. Still, downsizing was a challenge.
鈥淵ou just have to bite the bullet, in the end. We kept things that were practical, of course, but also things that meant something to us,鈥� says Sally, pointing to a table that was her godmother鈥檚, and a cabinet with china from her mother, as well as a Chinese nodding lady given to her great-grandmother by British actress and producer Lily Langtry as thanks for service when working for her.
Everything in the home has a memory or story, from a Punch and Judy figurine to the hand-coloured aquatint cartography drawings done in the 18th century by Thomas and William Daniell on the wall.
Many pieces of furniture from their Rockland home fit well in the new bungalow, including a custom-made table that can seat 14 for family dinners.
鈥淭his house basically reflects our life,鈥� Sally says. 鈥淚 can look at every picture and every ornament and have a memory. That鈥檚 what we wanted to end up with - a little cottage with all our memories, but room for more.鈥�
