story by Janice Henshaw | photos by Andrew Bradley, Itty Bitty Sign Shop –
Shoreacres is a quiet little road in Sidney that is easy to miss unless you’re looking for it. But oh what a treasure if you live on it! The oceanside, newly renovated 2,188-square-foot home of Deborah and Philip Dodge has a glorious view of the blue ocean, the glacier-clad Mt. Baker, and an entertaining and close-up view of boats cruising in and out of Sidney Marina.
This is what retirement looks like for Philip, a military engineer originally from Hamilton, and his wife Deborah, who hails from Nova Scotia. After living in various cities, Deborah was planning to retire in England, but Philip persuaded her to visit Sidney in February for a look around and luckily it was a lovely enough day to change her mind. Sidney has its exciting winter storms, but they don’t compare to the Dodges’ former residence near Porthleven, Cornwall, which is known as the “most storm-battered town in Britain.”
Over the years, four additions had been made to the low-bank waterfront house. Deborah and Philip wanted to achieve a cohesive, casual cottage feel with an open-plan living room, and they shared their ideas with interior designer Andi Hook and her contractor husband, Larry, of Hook and Hook Renovations & Design Inc., who created 2D plans and 3D renderings. Andi said: “I envisioned what the space could look like as soon as I saw the property.”
Due to the age of the house, the renovation included an electrical and plumbing upgrade. Perimeter drains were installed to improve the site drainage. All of these changes cut into the budget and Philip describes them as the “unsexy” bits of the renovation. But as TV contractor Mike Holmes often reminds the audience on his show, you can’t have a quality home without looking after these basic issues, or they morph into an ever-expanding “can of worms.”
Hook and Hook added 250 square feet of new space to create a laundry room and guest bedroom. They replaced most of the interior and exterior doors and restructured the window wall so that the patio doors would line up with the upper windows. The closets were reconfigured, and, throughout the house, they added funky new lighting and fresh paint in neutral tones of grey and white. Light floods in from the new windows.
Deborah and Philip downsized from a large house before their move to Sidney, so one of their priorities was a new kitchen with a pantry and lots of drawer and cabinet space. Larry built cabinets that have lacquered Frosty White (Benjamin Moore) Shaker-style doors and Corian countertops. He finished the island doors in “Iron Mountain,” a darker contrast colour. The new island provides a convenient extra working space and a seating area that faces the sea.
Touches of whimsy from their travels are evident in every room. Adding to it are the kitchen shelves and fireplace mantel, hand carved by Larry out of driftwood found on the beach.
Nine mirrors collected from their stay in the U.K. are artfully arranged on the living room end wall. There is a new gas fireplace insert; the red brick chimney has been whitewashed, and the cedar strip ceiling painted white to contrast with the black beams. All the carpeting was removed and replaced throughout the house with grey-white ceramic tiles or engineered wide plank flooring – Kootenay Saw Cut Wire Brushed Oak from Timeless Wood Floors.
The media room is backed by a curving wall of windows. White and grey ceramic tiles, a white couch and other accessories offset the dark cabinet and TV. Sliding glass doors at the end of the room open into the master bedroom. The back wall is painted in teal with white trim. The brass-topped white bed, white linens and dresser add to the charm of the room’s beach-inspired theme. Two antique six-paned window/mirrors from France stand up against the wall between the new walk-in closets. The ceiling light is special – Deborah says it was the first purchase they made together as a couple.
A sliding barn door opens into the master bathroom which has been expanded by five feet. Space was created by taking out the original laundry room and a built-in bookcase from the family room. Fresh air and light come in through a new remote-controlled skylight. The old bathtub was replaced by a walk-in tiled shower with a rain shower head and body jets. Both the master bathroom and media room have luxurious in-floor heating.
One room that wasn’t renovated is the cozy office. It was used as an art studio by the former homeowner, designed by his architect daughter. Filled with light, it has a lovely angled cedar ceiling, and dabs of paint remain on the orange tiles as a memento to him.
There may not be enough room to hang all the couples’ artwork due to the house’s many lovely view windows, but there is a story to tell about each piece they have brought with them, usually purchased on one of their “crazy adventures,” says Deborah. One, in particular, was purchased over lunch at a caravan park in France. The artist showed up during lunch, so Deborah and Philip invited him to have a glass of wine with them. “Three hours later we were all pretty happy, having consumed more than a glass or two and us having purchased one of his pieces. We didn’t really want to buy a painting, but we had such a great time with the artist we did. We speak of that lunch often and always with a smile.”
The outside of the house complements the serene cottage beach theme with its combination of Evening Blue HardiePlank lap siding, shake siding and white trimmed windows. The entry and garage door are stained in Sikkens Cetol cedar door finish, adding a rich, warm wood colour.
Merle and Katie, owners of Pacific Ridge Landscapes, created a seamless transition from inside to out. “The landscape draws the visitor to rest and enjoy the view,” says Katie.
Existing heirloom roses and a Japanese maple were integrated into the new landscape and a cutting garden added along the side of the house. Patios are surrounded by lush, low maintenance plantings, and attractive cedar pergolas define the dining and grilling spaces. Katie said they opened up the ocean view “not just for the homeowners, but their neighbours on both sides, giving everyone a wider vista than previously enjoyed.” Sitting around the sunken natural gas fire pit is the perfect place to end the day.
“When you plan a renovation and then are left waiting for it to happen, you sometimes lose sight of it, and wonder, is it the right plan?” says Deborah. But now that they are living in their dream space, they are very pleased with the results and feel grateful to their creative and hard-working contractors. “It’s one level living; it’s on the sea, and only a 10-minute walk to town – it’s everything we wanted.”
A sign on the entry wall has two lines from a 1907 British music hall song by John A. Glover-Kind: “Oh! I do like to be beside the seaside! I do like to be beside the sea!” The first verse of that song sums up for many of us how we feel about the prospect of living by the sea:
Now everybody likes to spend their summer holiday
down beside the side of the silvery sea.
I’m no exception to the rule, in fact, if I’d me way,
I’d reside by the side of the silvery sea.
