For Timberly and Tim Ambler, it was love at first sight! On their North Vancouver real estate tour a few years ago, they knew, without even getting through the front door, that the home at 1147 Ridgeway was the one for them. The front porch was the clincher. Timberly loved the idea of sitting on their porch and watching the world go by. But then they got the inspection report that indicated, amongst other things, that the foundation was not stable. As Tim puts it, “when you walked up on the second floor, it felt like you were on a boat. The foundation had subsided about 3 inches on one corner so you could pretty much collect all your marbles in one corner of the house”. With that news, almost anyone else would have walked away from the deal! In fact, one other party did! But Timberly and Tim were up for the challenge!
1147 Ridgeway - Unstable foundation that was so loose that one could embed a screwdriver in it! Photo courtesy of the Amblers.
In addition to a sagging foundation, there were a myriad of other issues with the house. Much of the interior had been renovated over time, with every change damaging the integrity of the architecture of the house. Here are some examples:
The original double-hung windows had been replaced by cheap, vinyl non-character windows with fake divided lights
The cedar siding had been covered with vinyl
The ceiling in the kitchen had been dropped and replaced with acoustic ceiling panels
The fir flooring was in rough shape
The basement had been converted into a suite with a 5’8” ceiling
1147 Ridgeway before the renovation, showing the vinyl siding and vinyl windows. Photo courtesy of the Amblers.
The Amblers knew they needed to do a major restoration but wanted to live in the house first to get a better idea of the changes they wanted to make, and to come up with plans and get permits. Since the interior of the house had few remaining heritage features, they had the opportunity to build a fresh new interior in a heritage style, while retaining the heritage exterior.
Kitchen at 1147 Ridgeway before the renovation. Photo courtesy of the Amblers.
They were lucky enough to source an archival photo of their home to use as a “blueprint” for their exterior restoration.
1141, 1143, 1145, 1147 and 1149 Ridgeway circa 1910. Photo Courtesy of MONOVA Archives of North Vancouver #12276
As well, since their house sits in a row of 5 identical homes, they were able to visit the other homes to see some of the original features that had gone missing in their home since it was built in 1910. They were told by some of their long-time neighbours that their home was thought to have had the highest turnover of occupants of all 5 of the houses so it was not surprising that their home was modified more than the sister homes.
After only a year in the house, they had their architectural plans and permits to start the process. Alexis LaBonte of DesignLab provided the interior design work. They moved out in December 2019 and their contractor, Rob Walker of Davidson Walker Construction got to work. The first order of business was to lift the house to dig a deeper basement and build a new ICF foundation.
The next order of business was to take the home down to the studs, while retaining architectural features that would be used elsewhere in the house. They insulated the building and installed new plumbing, electrical, and an HVAC system. An important piece of work was to install new siding. Due to their close proximity to their neighbours, they were required to install fire-proof Hardie board siding. Although the smallest width of Hardie board is slightly wider than the original siding, the look is comparable to the original wood siding.
The next major project was to replace all the windows in the home. Since the original single-paned windows had already been replaced with vinyl windows in the past, they had to be replaced with double-paned windows under today’s Building Code (Note: original single-paned windows are grandfathered and would not need to be replaced, if untouched). Using the archival photo of their house as a guide, the Amblers commissioned custom-made, double-paned, double-hung windows with aluminum cladding on the exterior as Tim wanted to keep the maintenance down. It’s a nice look for the interior and the aluminum is only noticed by the keenest of observers.
The last major exterior project was to tackle the front stairs. Using the archival photo, the modified open stairwell was replaced with a fully enclosed stairwell, with the same Hardieboard siding on either side. Due to the new Building Code, a handrail needed to be installed where none existed but the porch railings have been continued and they look as original as possible.
New stairs at 1147 Ridgeway after 2021 renovation. Photo by Jennifer Clay.
In terms of the interior, the project became a reproduction and relocation effort rather than a restoration. Here are some of the things that were done:
The floors were beyond repair but those that were in good shape were repurposed into a mudroom wall and bench in the basement.
New mudroom bench made with re-purposed floor boards from the main floor. Photo by Jennifer Clay
The non-functional chimney was removed during the house lift and the bricks were repurposed into a feature wall on the 2nd floor.
New feature wall on 2nd floor made from bricks from the original chimney which was removed when the house was lifted. Photo by Jennifer Clay.
The main supporting beam on the first floor was replaced with a steel beam but the wood beam was repurposed into the ceiling of the attic.
Attic with architectural wood beams made with the original 1st floor ceiling beams. Photo by Jennifer Clay.
There was even enough wood left over to make a mirror.
Bathroom mirror made from the original ceiling beam from the main floor. Photo by Jennifer Clay.
The old front door became the mudroom door
Original front door re-purposed as the mudroom door. Photo by Jennifer Clay.
The 3rd floor attic was converted from a bedroom into an office and when they were at the eleventh hour of permitting, they were advised that they’d need to install a sprinkler system since there was no egress from that floor in case of fire. However, Tim became a Building Code expert and determined that a deck serves as a means of egress. So, they now have an unintended but glorious deck with an unobstructed view to downtown Vancouver!
View of downtown Vancouver from upper balcony. Photo by Jennifer Clay.
One of the original newel posts was incorporated into the stairwell and the handrails were re-created. The other newel post is now at the bottom of the basement stairs
Proud owners, Timberly and Tim Ambler, with their dog, Mabel, and the original newel post. Photo by Jennifer Clay.
Two of the original heat register vents had layers of paint removed through sandblasting to restore them to their original cast iron glory
So, how long do you think this project took? Having moved out in December 2019, and despite the slowdown that Covid restrictions brought, this project was completed in a record 15 months with the Amblers moving back in March 2021!
1147 Ridgeway in August 2021 after the Ambler’s 15 month renovation. Photo by Jennifer Clay.
The passion, tenacity and attention to detail that Timberly and Tim brought to this complex renovation of their 111-year-old home is unmatched in anything I’ve ever seen in other renovations! While others would have run away from the initial inspection report, the Amblers had a vision and executed on that to create a beautiful, updated home that is in keeping with the original architecture and is sure to last another 111 years! The heritage world needs more people like the Amblers!
Oh, and in case you are wondering, I did ask them if they’d do it again and they said “yes”!
FUN FACTS
This home is on the CNV Heritage Register with a “A” class ranking
This home is one of 5 (Nos. 1141, 1143, 1145,1147 and 1149) on Ridgeway that were built on a speculative basis with mirror image plans and similar detailing.
The original speculator was Irwin & Billings Real Estate Company and the original builder was Harvey J. Campbell.
The first owner was W. Godfrey who used the house as a rental property.
Other occupants over the years include Malcolm McDiarmid (salesman, Clarke & Stuart), Charles Campbell (plumber), David McKinlay (marine engineer), Edward Dennis (salesman, Harbottle’s Jersey Products), Fred Harris (elevator operator) and his wife Joan, and in 1954, Helen Wilson who is listed as a widow. [Note: Up until 1939, only male occupants were listed in the City Directories. Wives were listed in brackets after that]
September 22, 1911 - Ridgeway Cornerstone laying ceremony with a view of the 5 homes in the 1100 block of Ridgeway in the background - Photo courtesy of MONOVA - Archives of North Vancouver - #699
View of the 5 homes in the 1100 block of Ridgeway in August 2021. Photo by Jennifer Clay.