A bungalow top-up designed for light, space, and high performance

Renewing a Toronto bungalow for contemporary living

Sky View Haus began with a modest wartime bungalow in Toronto’s east end. The clients wanted to create a long-term family home that supported changing needs, provided more generous living spaces, and significantly improved the building’s energy performance.

The project builds upon the existing home through a complete interior reconstruction, basement underpinning, a new second storey, and a two-storey rear addition. The approach allowed the original bungalow footprint to evolve into a contemporary three-level home while maintaining the character of the neighbourhood.

Adding space while improving performance

The existing bungalow presented familiar challenges found in many Toronto homes: limited floor area, inefficient layouts, and outdated building performance. The design needed to increase usable space while creating a comfortable, durable, and energy-efficient home for the future.

Energy performance was considered from the earliest stages. The completed home approaches Net Zero Ready standards through a high-performance building envelope, including continuous exterior insulation, triple-pane windows, and a carefully detailed and executed air barrier, supported by energy recovery ventilation and VOC-free, low off-gassing materials and finishes. These improvements reduce energy demand while improving indoor comfort throughout the year.

Creating a brighter, more connected home

The new upper level and rear addition are organized around natural light and flexible family living. A double-height volume above the kitchen draws daylight deep into the centre of the home and creates a stronger relationship between the main living spaces and the garden.

Although the main floor follows an open layout, spaces are thoughtfully defined through changes in proportion, built-in elements, and the placement of key functions. Each area maintains its own character while remaining connected to the overall flow of the home.

The exterior combines white and black stucco with fluted composite wood cladding, creating a clear distinction between the existing bungalow form and the contemporary additions.

A renewed home built for the future

Sky View Haus demonstrates how an existing Toronto bungalow can be adapted to meet contemporary expectations for space, comfort, and energy performance. Through disciplined planning, detailed construction, and an integrated approach to design and building performance, the project creates a home that supports daily life while reducing long-term energy demands.

The project has been featured in BlogTO and The Globe and Mail.