Amelinckx-Ives Residence
Amelinckx-Ives Residence, Lethbridge, AB
The Question: Renovate Extensively or Build New?
An older house existed on the site and a decision had to be made regarding and extensive renovation/addition to the existing structure verses building new. In order to fully understand the implications of extensive renovation verses building new we developed and priced both options.
The new construction proved to be better for a number of reasons: It allowed greater design freedom, reduced the overall cost by approximately 25%, eliminated all the aging building components that were questionable.
The new construction satisfied the clients aesthetic and pragmatic requirements while capitalizing on the views of the site. Large-scale windows are placed on the south west faces of the building taking advantage of uninterrupted views of the coulee landscape. The older house although smaller had no private exterior space, the new house managed to gain three distinct usable outdoor areas, a sunken patio off the lower level, a small back yard and a roof deck above the garage.