Kitchen renovations in Unionville and older Markham homes

Markham has two very different kinds of kitchen projects. In Angus Glen, Cachet and the newer parts of the city, the kitchen is usually already large and the work is about finishes, storage and flow. In Unionville and the older streets around Markham Village, the kitchen is often small, closed in and wrapped in a house with a lot of character.

This post is about the second kind.

The layout is usually the real problem

Older kitchens were built for a different way of living. One cook, a door to the dining room, a window over the sink. Most families now want to cook while talking to people, keep an eye on the kids and have somewhere to sit.

The instinct is to knock down the wall between kitchen and dining room. Sometimes that is right. Sometimes the better answer is a wider opening with a cased header that keeps the feel of separate rooms while connecting them. We draw both options in 3D before anyone touches a hammer, because the difference is much easier to see than to describe.

Opening walls in older houses

Walls in older homes carry surprises. A partition that looks decorative may support joists above. Plumbing stacks, old ductwork and wiring of different eras are all common. Before we commit to a layout, we check what is inside the wall, and if it is load bearing, we have the opening engineered and permitted.

That step adds a little time at the start. It saves a lot of time and money halfway through.

Heritage districts and exteriors

Parts of Unionville and Markham Village are in heritage conservation districts. Interior kitchen work usually is not the issue. Changes to the outside are: new or enlarged windows, a bump-out, a new door to the yard. Those can need heritage review in addition to a building permit.

If your kitchen plan involves the exterior, we look at the heritage requirements early so the design respects them rather than fighting them. Often the best solution is one that would look right on the house anyway.

Matching the character

A kitchen in a century home can be thoroughly modern and still feel like it belongs. A few things help:

• Proportions. Taller upper cabinets that reach the ceiling, and trim that matches the rest of the house.
• Materials. Wood, natural stone and simple painted finishes tend to sit better in older homes than high gloss.
• Hardware and lighting. These are small items with a big effect on whether the room feels of a piece with the house.
• Floors. Matching or sympathetically blending the existing floors avoids a hard line where the kitchen ends.

Living through it

Older houses often have one kitchen and no obvious place for a temporary one. We plan a simple temporary setup with a fridge, microwave and a sink nearby, and we order cabinets, counters and appliances during design so the room is out of service for as short a time as possible.

If you are in Markham or Unionville and thinking about your kitchen, you can see how we plan kitchen renovations, or read about our process from first visit to final walkthrough.