Third Floor Retreat

Like many in the older downtown core of Toronto, this row house is narrow and only finds room for windows on the front and back, and where the building steps in to clear the property line.  It was a 2 1/2 storey house, which means there was a 3rd floor, but only over half (the front) of the footprint.  The client needed to add space, and an already tiny back yard meant that we needed to add the existing 3rd floor, filling in the rest of the footprint.

The new 3rd floor is a retreat for the owners.  The very back of the house narrows as it steps in, and that would be the new location for the bed area.  The ensuite would share the mid section with the hallway and stair, and benefit from a window in the rear-facing wall created by that narrowing.  Open on one end to the bed area, and the other to a dressing area, this room serves connect the three spaces.  A transom in the high wall allows extra light from the hall skylite to fill the ensuite.

The original room at the front of the 3rd floor, with it’s character rich knee walls and sloping roof faces would remain as a study space.

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