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As seen in Tweed: Retiring in Style

A heritage home for the ages
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As seen in Tweed Magazine

By Devon MacKenzie | Photos by Joshua Lawrence & Don Denton

When Barry and Gail Giffen started thinking about their future post-retirement, Barry knew one thing for sure – he wanted a project.

“We were in the market for an older home, not necessarily a heritage home, but something that we could work on and make our own,” explains Barry, sitting in the sunny front room of their residence.

The couple, who split their time between Edmonton and Victoria at the moment, fell in love with what’s known as the Biggerstaff Wilson Residence the first time they saw it in 2011. They purchased it shortly after and began planning their renovation with the help of some of the region’s leading experts in heritage-status homes.

“We knew going into this that it was going to be a long-term project, and there’s still little bits here and there that we’re working on, but the bulk of it is thankfully done,” Barry laughs.

The home comes with a rich history. In 1905, W. Biggerstaff Wilson, the fourth son of successful Victoria clothier and politician, William Wilson, commissioned architect Samuel Maclure to build him the home, off Oak Bay Avenue in Rockland. The residence represents Maclure at the height of his medieval Arts and Crafts period and includes his signature irregular masonry on the exterior, coupled with a decidedly more Tudor upper, featuring stucco and dark wood.

Since then, the home was lived in by a handful of other people, and the two-acre lot was subdivided to make way for six character-style strata homes on the rear of the property.

“It was like any old home, people had made alterations to the floor plans over the years and added or removed things that were part of the original design. Our goal was to maintain and salvage as much of the original components of the home to keep the spirit of Maclure’s design alive,” Barry says.

They began working with designer Rus Collins from Oak Bay’s Zebra Group, as well as Mike Miller and Kyle Ryan of Abstract Developments, and soon renovations were underway.

“Between Rus and Mike and Kyle, they were all very aware of what we needed to do to preserve the heritage aspects of the home, which was important to us,” Barry says.

As with many older homes, the Biggerstaff Wilson Residence had sagged, so additional support beams were added and improvements to the foundation made the home seismically sound. The plumbing and original knob and tube wiring was replaced throughout. Natural gas was added so coal-burning fireplaces could be replaced with gas ones (except in the great hall, where the original wood-burning fireplace still exists) and an elevator was added to address foreseen age-related mobility issues in a four-level home. Original hardwood floors remain throughout the home (except in the kitchen) and the great hall – a Maclure signature finished in spectacular local wood – was completely refinished and restored to its original glory.

“In terms of floor-plan design, the main floor was pretty much kept as-is, but we did decide to make some changes to the second floor to better suit us and our family,” Barry explains.

Six smaller bedrooms were turned into four generously sized bedrooms, and ensuite bathrooms were added to each to offer guests and family a comfortable place to stay.

The attic was completely refinished into a liveable space with a bedroom and bathroom, and so was the basement.

“It was important to us that we have space for family and friends,” Gail adds.

Challenges spanned from complex issues like bad drainage and water in the basement, to the difficult task of finding someone to refurbish the original, single-pane windows. But small victories like the retrieval of the original solid wood pocket doors which had been trapped within the walls since the house sagged made up for some of the more difficult times, Barry laughs.

“It’s been challenging, it’s taken a lot of steps to get here but it’s been worth it. It’s incredibly satisfying,” he says.

As for now, the two say they’re happy to have their retirement project finished…almost.

“You know, it’s one of those things. We started the project not knowing how long it would take. And it’s never been a rush because it was just that – a project. And it still is a work in progress; there will probably always be things we want to tinker with but that’s part of the interest,” Barry says.

Gail puts it best.

“We like to call it Barry’s retirement process rather than Barry’s retirement project,” she laughs.

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