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KERR CONSTRUCTION 9/14/07 3:59 PM Page 29

Vancouver’s
Extreme
Makeover
In a region where location means everything, Kerr Construction
uses an innovative design/build process to assist homeowners with
renovations and custom homebuilding.
By Brooke Knudson

W hen Vancouver homeowner Nina Ewald decided it was time to update


her 1950s bungalow, a fresh coat of paint wasn’t quite what she had in
mind. Growing tired of the one-bedroom, two-bath rancher, Ewald opted
instead for a total transformation of the interior and exterior of the home.
“Basically, I wanted to have another level put on the house and wanted to really
modernize the house on the interior in particular, but I didn’t want to put in some-
thing that didn’t fit with the rest of the neighborhood,” she says. “The reason why I
decided not to sell and build new is because I liked the property.”
Working closely with Vancouver-based custom homebuilder Kerr Construction,
Ewald created a contemporary home. Along with Kerr, she did so by adding a float-
ing beechwood staircase with glass walls suspended in the center of the house
beneath Velux skylights, and vaulting the ceilings on the main and upper floor. A
fully cantilevered and open fireplace separating the bedroom from the remainder of
the third-floor master suite also adds to the modern feel of the home’s interior.
Completed in July 2005, the key to the project was to build a modern home that
preserved Ewald’s elaborate garden and blended in with the surrounding neighbor-
hood. The original footprint, foundation and exterior walls remained the same,
although the overall size of the house increased from 1,800 square feet to 4,200
square feet.
The design required Kerr to create an open layout throughout, allowing Ewald to
access the garden view from several locations within the home. “I love the stairwell
in the house,” Ewald reflects. “It basically runs from top to bottom in the center of
the house and it’s all floating steps on a metal frame, but the steps are three-inch-
thick beechwood. I wanted something that was open and wanted to enjoy the house
regardless of where I was.”
The $1.5 million renovation also called for a new hand-cut cedar roof, cantilevered
decks, a new upper floor and a complete remodeling of the bathrooms and kitchen.
The interior plays on a modern Scandinavian aesthetic with skylights, beechwood
floors, a state-of-the-art programmable lighting system, central water filtration system
and rectangular and square windows. “I’m quite happy with the way the house
turned out,” she says. “There are personal touches I need to add, but I am very happy
with it.”

All About Attitude


As with every project Kerr Construction handles, taking direction from the customer
to ensure his or her satisfaction is top priority. “We find it’s not about what we want
to build; it’s about what the client wants and what will make them happy,” President
Doug Kerr says.

OCTOBER 2007 ■ CONSTRUCTION TODAY ■ 29

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