You've Got to See the View in this Calgary Home

The renovation inside looks pretty great, too.

Perched on a high point in the Patterson neighbourhood of Calgary, this home should have been a showstopper for the view alone. But a bad renter had trashed its interiors, and there were a few quirks to the original design—a sun room that had to have blinds on the ceiling to deal with heat of the direct rays, mullions on the windows that carved up the view—that took away from its potential.And so Brian Maurer of Renova Luxury Renovations came on board to try to resuscitate the home. “I walked in there, and took a look at one of the nicest views I’ve ever built on,” says Maurer. “I went out on the deck and said, ‘This is the reason I have to do this project.’”

The result is a total gut, and a total 180 from what the home once was. The mullioned windows were replaced with single panes of glass, preserving the viewscape. (Even the railings on the deck outside are nothing but glass—no top cap—so they all but disappear.)He ditched the problematic glass roof to the sunroom, and the space now serves as a seating area in the bonus room. One support structure in that room was converted into open shelving, once again preserving the view for those hanging out by the television.The lower-level deck was a puzzle: at just six-feet wide, it was barely enough for people to stand lined up beside each other, let alone entertain. To create more outdoor space, Maurer removed an outside wall, and created an outdoor living room from what was once an indoor space. (That fireplace was once an indoor wood stove, but it’s now an efficient gas stove, extending the time the homeowners can spend there in the evenings.) Renova 24

In the kitchen, Maurer updated the cabinetry with rift-cut white oak stained in a rich walnut shade, in a design inspired by a visit to the Fairmont Pacific Rim in Vancouver. The cabinets lack handles, but hold plenty of storage behind the hidden doors. Renova 1

While most rooms in the house take advantage of that view to downtown, the deep windows in the master bedroom—and its own private deck—really bring it home. “When you wake up in the morning, and get to look out at that view,” he says, “it’s just incredible.”MORE: Amazing Renovation of a Vintage Modernist HomeMORE: Inside This Modern Edmonton Renovation