Architect Rafael Santa Ana’s home may be situated in North Vancouver, but it has a bit of a California vibe—something he noticed as soon as he stepped through the front door a decade ago.

“It had a clerestory window that accentuated very horizontal lines that seemed a bit out of place because it reminded you of post-and-beam houses out in California,” says the architect, who leads Rafael Santa Ana Architecture Workshop (RSAAW).

Originally built in 1964, the Berkley House was predominantly beige and brown and featured a lot of ’70s brass—“It reminded you of the worst days of your parents’ and grandparents’ fashion,” says Rafael—but he and his wife, Megan Paris-Griffiths, a production editor at RSAAW, saw enough beauty and utility in the home to buy it.

Before: Exterior

After: Exterior

Measuring 2,800 square feet over two levels, the home had a ground-floor unit that the couple rented out for years while they saved up for a large-scale renovation that finally began in 2018. During that time, Rafael dreamed up ways to unite the two floors into a cohesive residence and accentuate its unique character.

Single-pane windows and a lack of insulation were wasting energy and contributing to sky-high utility bills, so the architect started with the building envelope, adding insulation, triple-pane windows, and an energy-efficient underfloor heating system. The heating bill is now around $30 a month—a vast improvement to the hundreds before.

Next, Rafael wanted to open up the living spaces and encourage more natural light inside, and did so by vaulting the ceilings and specifying multiple skylights. “The dropped ceiling throughout is now a vaulted ceiling, which gives the house a very different dimension,” he says.

Before: Living Room

After: Living Room

In order to connect the two disparate floors, Rafael removed the cramped dining room had been located behind the fireplace column, creating a double-height void in its place that’s lined with stairs and towering shelves. “It really made it look so much bigger than what it was,” says the architect.

Before: Dining Room

After: Atrium/Library

Before: Downstairs Unit

After: Atrium/Library

Before: Kitchen

After: Kitchen

Two other key interventions expanded the house within the same shell. Downstairs, Rafael recast an old furnace room as a hardworking hallway lined with storage, which improved the floor’s circulation. Additionally, he created access to the unused attic space with a ladder in a children’s room, carving out a play space in the eaves.

Before: Main Bedroom

After: Main Bedroom

Before: Main Bathroom

After: Main Bathroom

After: Kids’ Room and Playroom

After: Downstairs Corridor

Before: Downstairs Bathroom

After: Downstairs Bathroom

After years of tinkering with the design and 14 months of construction that wrapped in the fall of 2019, Rafael, Megan, and their two kids are enjoying living with the many new details throughout the home—whether it be the smooth glide of a drawer in the kitchen or the way a door closes flush with the wall. “And seeing the library, of course, when the sun hits it at different moments of the day,” adds Rafael. “It just makes you think this was all worth it. We ended up in the house of our dreams without having to knock it down.”

More Before & After:

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A Rundown Row House in Pennsylvania Gets Adventurous With Color

Project Credits:

Architecture: RSAAW / @rsa.aw

Builder: Tyrrell Projects Inc / @tyrellprojects

Structural Engineer: Aspect Structural Engineers

Lighting Design: RSAAW

Cabinetry Design and Installation: RSAAW and precisionwerks

Kitchen: Bulthaup