Before & After
A Modern Heritage Rejuvenation Brings This Townhouse From Dated to Eye-catching
Published on June 27, 2025
Diane Ernjakovic of One Three Design completed an inside and out renovation on this Oakville, Ont., townhouse, turning it from dated to eye-catching and modern in nine months. Learn how the designer remodelled the home’s exterior, added character to the living room and created a layered sitting room. Plus, learn how much they spent.
Farmhouse Remodel
Major Moves
- Installed a new metal roof
- Covered the upper portion of the house in board-and-batten and painted the exposed brick
- Replaced all eavestroughs with new white ones and rerouted them
- Invested in a new custom front door and garage door
- Installed new lighting
- Converted a glassed-in covered porch to a fully enclosed mudroom with heated floors
What They Spent
Approximate construction costs (porch structure, new roof, new windows, gutters and downspouts, windows, a new garage door and siding), $64,500.
Biggest Surprise: The updated exterior was so successful that the rest of the townhouse owners on the street were inspired to also paint their exteriors white.
The townhouse exterior, before.
Add Character to a Living Room
Major Moves
- Relocated the TV from above the fireplace to the side wall
- Added a custom media unit, new furniture pieces and a pendant
What They Spent
Key costs (approximate)
- Construction (including in-floor heating and sanding down existing beams), $18,000
- Media console, $9,000
- Swivel chair, $4,000
Read More: Lynda Reeves explains the design moves that make this living room work
The living room, before.
Major Moves
- Painted the walls, including the baseboards and trim, in a dramatic green
- Stripped the paint from the ceiling beams and clear-coated the wood.
- Installed new hardwood floors in a herringbone pattern
What They Spent
Key costs (approximate)
- Pendant, $2,900
- Coffee table, $2,800.
Most Transformative Change: Stripping the beams to expose the warmth of the wood. This revealed the aging — they have some holes and there’s still paint in the knots.
The living room before, reverse view.
Layered Sitting Room
Major Moves
- Painted the room in a soft pink
- Wallpapered the ceiling with the client’s own wallpaper
What They Spent
Key costs (approximate) include:
- Construction (including door and wallpaper installation), $5,700
- Daybed with seat and custom back cushions, $2,000
- Rug, $2,000
- Custom drapes and hardware, $1,400
Element With The Most Impact: The room colour — it has an earthiness that makes it feel neutral yet it’s different from the more common off-whites.
Related: The best white paint colours — which white is right?
The sitting room was a bedroom before.
Ally Chadwick (Diane's portrait)/Stephani Buchman (sitting room, exterior, living room)
House & Home
Diane Ernjakovic, One Three Design; Construction by Alair Homes Lorne Park