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Old-world charm meets modern convenience in Oak Bay

3255 Norfolk Road is a 21st-century architectural gem that exudes the romance of the Arts and Crafts style.

QUICK FACTS:  

3255 Norfolk Rd 
Approx. 4,967 square feet  
5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms 
Listed for $5,999,999 

Nestled in a Garry oak tree canopy on Norfolk Road in Uplands is a spacious, character-filled home that exudes old-world charm. 

“There was a real effort to give some authenticity to this house and to design in some charm and some mystery—things that would otherwise come with time, a lot of time!” explains Russell Treloar, who designed the five bedroom, five bathroom home that was created by Method Built Homes. “We did our best to give it character and warmth and a sense of place.” 

As soon as you step into the foyer, it’s clear that a lot of effort has been put into getting all the details just right. There’s a wall of windows overlooking the backyard, and a stunning great room with a vaulted 18-foot ceiling and eclipse folding doors that open up to the deck, bringing the outside in. Then, there’s the coffered ceiling in the high-end chef’s kitchen with dual islands and not one, but two, La Cornue stoves (one gas, one induction) as well as Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. The Arts and Crafts-inspired home is a throwback to a golden age of building—but with all the modern conveniences. 

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The chef's kitchen and dining room. Platinum Creative Ltd.

“The cold efficiency of design isn’t something I’m interested in,” says Russ. “How do the spaces make you feel? That’s what I care about and the idea of this house making you feel something as you walk through it drove the whole design.” 

Wide-plank oak flooring in a herringbone pattern and marble floors give the home timeless elegance. And, the H-shaped design—with the open-concept great room and kitchen at the heart of the house—is perfect for entertaining.  

“It’s a very efficient layout for a modern family, but with that old-world charm and warmth,” says builder Raj Sahota of Method Built Homes. 

One wing has two bedrooms with Jack and Jill bathrooms in between and the dining room opening up off the kitchen, overlooking the tree canopy. The spacious primary suite takes up the entire wing on the other side with a large, walk-through closet with floor-to-ceiling walnut cabinets and a light-filled ensuite with a skylight above the soaker tub, along with one of three gas fireplaces. But the real showstopper is a bedroom that feels like you’re in the treetops.  

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The master bedroom overlooks a Gary oak tree canopy. Platinum Creative Ltd.

“We wanted the bedroom to open up and give you that sense of space and luxury and one of our main decisions was to really work with the setting so you have this experience of kind of being in the tree canopy,” Russ explains. “I think there were around 18 mature oak trees we had to plan the footprint around, which was challenging but important to do to keep that established landscape.”  

“This is the best project I’ve ever been a part of from start to finish and one of the most complex and difficult projects as well,” adds Raj Sahota, who worked with the topography of the site instead of against it. 

“A lot of people tend to prefer flat, simple lots with a walk-out patio and I can understand the appeal of that, but it doesn’t provide a lot of complexity or a lot of nuance to the design. Here, having to work with a very challenging site, provided a lot of opportunities.” 

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The great room with a vaulted 18-foot ceiling and eclipse folding doors that open up to the deck. Platinum Creative Ltd.

Opportunities like a calming, nature-filled view from almost every window—there are around 130 of them plus 20-odd doors to maximize the view and let the light in—as well as lots of privacy from the trees and an established Laurel hedge. Two special Garry oaks also became a featured part of the design.   

“We had this idea for the front entrance that had a Garry oak with some interesting character to highlight it and light it up at night,” Russ explains. “We literally planned on the site this axis line from that Garry oak to one in the backyard and you can see those trees from different vantage points in the house, so the design has a lot of lines that were carefully conceived.” 

The main level laundry room even has a view. On the lower level, which also has 10-foot ceilings, there’s a media room, another bedroom with private access to the outside that could be used as an office, wine storage, and a nanny or in-law suite with its own deck and private laundry. 

The eco-friendly home also exceeds Step Code 3 performance standards and has a solid brick exterior, which gives the house even more character.  

“Brick is such a commitment,” Russ says. “It’s got a sense of permanence and we really fought for that from day one.” 

One of the other big, bold design strokes from the very beginning—in keeping with the old-world appeal—was to tuck away the oversized, double garage so it’s not visible from the street. 

“We used the sloping landscape to our advantage and instead of a big garage facing the street, the house has a charming porte-cochere that invites you to move beyond it down to the garage, which looks more like a carriage house. The deck sits on top of that,” says Russ. “Oak Bay even brought its planning team through to see it as a model (for future builds), and in all my years, I’ve never heard of that before.” 

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The oversized, double garage is tucked away to keep with the old-world appeal. Platinum Creative Ltd.

“All the neighbours have commented on how we haven’t changed the character of the street and we stayed in the footprint from a street perspective,” Raj adds. “Everyone was super pleased about that and we didn’t have a single comment from Oak Bay, which is probably the first time I’ve had that happen.” 

The building permit still took a year to approve due to COVID-19 delays, which delayed construction. The custom-built home was finished at the end of last year and it’s currently on the market with Jason Binab of The Agency—waiting for someone to fall in love with it. 

“There’s just a sense of peacefulness here,” Russ says. “It’s made me feel really proud as a designer.” 

This article is from the fall issue of Tweed.