Two Burnaby homes are part of the Greater Vancouver Home Builders' Association's Parade of Renovated Homes this weekend.
For both, the companies doing the renovations opened up the homes, giving them more light and space.
Ralph Belisle, president of TQ Construction Ltd., said he renovated his family's 1959 bungalow at 4382 Southwood St. to better use its best feature - the view.
"In order to enhance the view, we put in wall-to-wall windows," he said, adding there is now a 42-foot exposure to the south.
He also took out a bedroom in the basement to create a media room. The basement now has doors to the patio, which is landscaped.
"Even the basement has a view," Belisle said. The renovations have made other issues apparent, he added, and TQ Construction is moving on to the final phase of the project.
"Renovation sheds light on what needs improvement," Belisle said. "With so much natural light flooding the space, we're finding details that had eluded us."
Shawn Stewart of RJR Construction Management Ltd. also went with an open concept at 4778 Harken Dr.
"When I walked into that home I would've never known it was 2,400 square feet," he said.
He worked with the homeowner to completely renovate the interior of the home, "turning it from a bunch of boxes into an open concept," he said.
There was a rarely used sunken family room off of the kitchen, and the kitchen window looked out on a neighbour's gutter. After the renovation, the window now looks out on the backyard.
The renovation completely reconfigured the space, including taking one wall out, to open access to another family room, and putting a half-wall in the dining room.
"We made the house feel as big as it was," Stewart said. The parade includes eight professionally renovated homes located in Burnaby, Vancouver, North Vancouver and Surrey.
It takes place on Sunday, June 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission passports for the parade, which cost $10 per person, are available at each of the homes. Children 17 and under are free. Partial proceeds are going to support a carpentry training program offered by Guildford Park and Frank Hurt secondary schools in Surrey.
Visit www.gvhba.org for the full list of homes.
