Before & After: This Luminous Toronto Reno Is a Master Class in Making a Basement Livable

After living for 18 years in her historic semidetached duplex, a Toronto homeowner decided it was finally time for an overhaul. "There was a lot of underutilized space in the house, a small back addition that had no purpose, and a ‘finished’ but low, depressing, and dank basement," says Erin, who lives in the home’s basement and first floor, and rents the second floor to a tenant.

The house was originally built in the early 1900s, and its last renovation in 2016 touched only the upper unit. Aside from some necessary infrastructure updates to the HVAC system, windows, and failing exterior siding, Erin says that she had two main design goals: "Create a beautiful, comfortable basement that functioned as a primary suite, with a flexible space for exercising or hosting occasional guests, and flood the basement and main floor with natural light." To tackle the project, she reached out to local architect Jon Cummings, a mutual friend who launched his own firm, JC-A, in 2021. His surprising first suggestion: Scale it down.

Before: Front Facade

After: Front Facade

"I proposed to take down the addition and lose its interior square footage," which had been hosting a crafting nook, says Cummings. "By redoing the layout of the adjacent kitchen, we could actually create a much better relationship to the rear yard and open it up as a kind of outdoor room."

Although his plan reduced the home’s overall area by 92 square feet, it allowed him to create enfilades through the floor plans on both levels and install light wells at the front and back to fill the interior with sunshine. Erin loves to cook, entertain, and garden, and the revised living spaces—which total 1,289 square feet—better support her lifestyle.

After: First Floor Living Room