Anyone who lives on or near Vialoux Drive in Charleswood knows what a serene, picturesque area it is.
Lined with mature trees on either side and the Assiniboine River meandering along lazily behind homes on its north side, it's a countrified area that doesn't get enough credit for offering such rustic tranquility in the city.
Turns out, it also doesn't get enough credit for its history either. That's because a bit of that history -- all 2,242 sq. ft. of it -- is set well back from the street, hidden by mature trees and buffered by a 150-foot driveway that winds through mature trees on either side to the 2 1/2 storey home.
According to Royal LePage Dynamic Real Estate's Leigh Nanton, the home -- which dates back to 1912 -- was built by none other than the Vialoux family.
"Its original owners were the Vialoux family, who ordered the home (the "Eaglesholm" model, no less) from Eaton's. The home was purchased by the current owners from their granddaughter in 2005," she said. "The home was solid, but dated, and loaded with potential -- potential the current owners brought out over the past nine years."
Like many turn-of-the-century designs, 3681 Vialoux -- which features a centre hall floor plan -- wasn't built to maximize flow of either traffic or daylight. With rooms placed on either side of the hallway -- and often walls between rooms -- getting around the home was a bit awkward, and the flow of daylight from space to space was minimal.
While the living room was a habitable space (more on it a bit later), the kitchen wasn't. Consequently, the owners removed the wall that separated the kitchen from the dining room. The result of that revision was stunning, said Nanton.
"They put patio doors off the dining room on the rear wall and also put several large windows on the right-hand wall (a vertical window off the dining room as well as a huge window over the sink) that allowed all kinds of light to flow in," she said. "And because everything about the home focuses on the river, the patio doors provided a wonderful river view and access to a covered deck that overlooks the river."
Next, the dated kitchen was transformed into a modern space that included a taupe corian island with built-in cooktop, Euro-style vertical lift cabinets and grey tile flooring.
"All the space is extremely well-utilized," added Nanton. "It's a huge, bright and well-finished working space that's a joy to spend time in. I also love the wide open foyer that precedes the kitchen, it also has a tile floor, as well as two huge windows on its right-hand wall. There's also a three-piece bathroom to the left of the foyer, a convenient feature that you don't find in many homes this age."
Angle your way through the kitchen into the centre hall, and you find two intriguing spaces. First, there's a three-season screened in porch (accessed via through a door off the hall) next to the dining room, which, incidentally (like the hallway and living room) sports the home's original dark fir floors.
Then, there's the living room itself, a space that measures in at 13 feet wide by nearly 23 feet long.
"It's larger, brighter and warmer than most living rooms you find in homes built over a century ago, with its space, fir floors and the large windows that surround it," she said. "Being so accessible from the kitchen, it's a great space for entertaining."
Adjacent to the living room is the original, refinished fir staircase that takes you upstairs to the second of the home's three levels. In itself, it's something of an ergonomic marvel due to its use of space.
"There's literally no hallway, so all the available space was devoted to the five spaces that surround it - four bedrooms and a four-piece bath. All the rooms are larger than normal, with the master suite being 11.7 feet by 12.8 feet with a walk-in closet, a rare feature for a home built in 1912," Nanton said. "It has a fabulous river view, as does the bedroom opposite it. There's also good storage space in the other three bedrooms."
A second set of stairs then transports you up to the home's third level, a family room that was created by the current owners in 2005.
"They took what was once an unfinished attic and turned it into a 12.5-foot by 33.5-foot family room with media area and play/office area that overlooks the river. It's surrounded by large windows, and is presently a definite congregation space. It could easily be made into a huge master suite; the view, and amount of light that enters the space is just amazing," Nanton said.
Nanton added that the home has also been updated extensively in other keys areas: 200 amp service and copper plumbing in 2005; low-E argon windows in 2007; a high-efficient furnace and hot water tank in 2007: and new shingles in 2012.
"There are no surprises here," she said. "This was a solid home that just needed updates, which the current owners performed with care lovingly over the past nine years. They're now moving on to another phase of their life and are hoping the new owners will enjoy the fruits of their labour. It's an amazing home that offers the best of both worlds: a rustic, thoroughly updated home in a beautiful, central location."
lewys@mts.net
