Sometimes the most difficult lot can lead to special features that make a house unique.
This was certainly the case for a modern, three-level, 2,700-square-foot home recently built by homeowners Elizabeth and Cole Skelly and designed by Zebra Group.
The company obtained three variances from the City of Victoria for the house near the intersection of Cook and Finlayson streets, including a rare one for a rooftop deck with a panoramic view of the Olympic Mountains in Washington state.
“We haven’t seen many projects like this,” says Zebra Group owner and designer Rus Collins. “It was a super-steep lot between two legal streets, but the backyard was useless. Because it was so steep, you couldn’t use it for much other than rock climbing.”
The property, which had a house already on it, was bought by one of Collins’ business partners, who went through a small-lot rezoning application to subdivide the property — a move that was supported by the city’s planning department with no opposition from neighbors.
Collins says he knew his design for the new house, at the rear of the property, had to be modern to allow for a flat roof in order to create the private rooftop deck.
“The view from up there is pretty phenomenal,” he says.
Since the subdivided lot is small, the outdoor area is limited to a narrow patio/garden space at the rear of the home and a rock garden in front. The real entertainment space is the 300-square-foot deck with glass railings, which also has a view of Mount Tolmie and Mount Baker.
Collins was aware of the city’s history when it came to approving rooftop decks. They were banned for single-family homes after developers for a Rockland property built homes with decks that overlooked the neighbours, who complained.
Rooftop decks for single-family homes now require special permission, something Collins says his design company has only been able to get approval for twice in the past.
“In a situation like this, where there is no outdoor amenity space, it made sense, and by not pushing it to the edge of the roof, you aren’t infringing on anyone’s privacy,” he says. “If it’s applied in the right way, it can be quite nice.”
The Skellys, who bought the lot with Zebra Design house plans, say they are thrilled with how it turned out.
They note the steep lot also meant breathtaking views from the open-concept kitchen/dining and living-room windows, as well as the master bedroom.
“We found the lot on MLS and we’re familiar with Zebra as someone we would want to work with,” says Cole, who added this was one of the couple’s first house builds.
In the past, they have done older-home renovations with their company, Expansion Properties, a real estate investment firm that creates rental properties in Victoria.
The lot was all rock, which might have deterred some, he says. “A lot of people are intimidated by blasting because it’s an unknown. The original house [on the subdivided property] is lower, so we had to be mindful of boulders rolling down,” he says.
“That would have made for a really bad day,” adds Elizabeth. “We were pretty nervous.”
On one side of the property is a Garry oak tree that an arborist recommended be removed. Instead, the Skellys went to great lengths to keep it.
“The Garry oak makes the area look beautiful and so many birds are attracted here because of it. It adds texture,” says Elizabeth.
Blasting was kept as close to the foundation as possible so it wouldn’t encroach on the tree’s root system, she says. “The guys only had a foot and a half of working room.”
The house took a year to complete from when the first blast was done on March 15, 2020 — at the start of the COVID pandemic, another source of uncertainty and stress for the couple.
“We were bombarded with news that construction would be shut down, but it only slowed us down,” Elizabeth says.
Cole says the main difference post-COVID was that multiple trades couldn’t be working at the same time during construction.
The couple only made one simple change to the Zebra design plans, adding more shelving towers besides the washer and dryer.
“Ultimately, it’s a really functional house and offers great square footage,” says Elizabeth.
The house has four bedrooms and four bathrooms, three of which are full baths, while the fourth is a powder room on the main floor.
Light oak flooring was used throughout the house, with the exception of carpeting in three of the bedrooms and tile in the bathrooms.
The master has oak floors and a custom feature wall by AP Woodworks.
“They do phenomenal work. The feature wall took 20 hours of prep work and two hours to paint. It adds the wow factor and is really artwork that lives in the house,” says Elizabeth, adding it meant there was no need for a headboard for the bed.
The kitchen cabinetry, by West Shore Cabinets Ltd., reaches to the ceiling, with glass at the top for display items. The upper cabinets are white and the lower are light brown with a wood-grain pattern. The hood fan over the countertop stove is professional-grade, with plenty of work space on both sides. There’s also a handy pot-filler faucet behind the stovetop.
The kitchen island, with its white quartz countertop, faces the living/dining area, so the homeowners are able to easily interact with others in the home while preparing a meal.
The backsplash is also white quartz to match the countertops.
The three lights over the kitchen island and the dining room chandelier were all from Pine Lighting Victoria.
“I love to cook and that kitchen is fantastic,” says Elizabeth.
The living room’s main focus, besides the view of the outdoors, is a floor-to-ceiling gas fireplace, with a grey porcelain stone surround.
Collins recently visited the completed project and says the homeowners did a good job with the build and the finishes.
“It’s subtle and blends into the neighbourhood. It was a tight lot but it works,” he says.
“The fun part was the challenge it presented.”
kpemberton@shaw.ca
