![](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/01/darcy-jones-john-street-redo-architecture-hero-852x479.jpg)
D'Arcy Jones adds subterranean garage to century-old house in Vancouver
Canadian architecture studio D'Arcy Jones Architects has completed a project called John Street Redo, which involved renovating and enlarging an early 1900s home in a way that is "forward-looking without erasing an old building's original charm".
Located in East Vancouver, the project was designed for a young couple who had a baby upon the home's completion.
![Gabled house with a subterranean garage by D'Arcy Jones](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/01/darcy-jones-john-street-redo-architecture_dezeen_2364_col_9-852x1277.jpg)
Built in 1910, the residence is located on a sloped property. While many houses in the area back up to laneways, this home is sandwiched between two streets.
In addition to a full renovation of their 1,600-square-foot (149-square-metre) house, the owners desired a garage and utility space.
![Kitchen with timber accents within home renovation](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/01/darcy-jones-john-street-redo-architecture_dezeen_2364_col_10-852x568.jpg)
Given the property's significant slope, limited space and zoning restrictions, locating the garage under the house was the best option – a decision that required the original house be lifted up during construction.
"The redo involved jacking up the original house, fixing the foundations, and plunking the simple, two-storey gabled box back down on top of a new garage," said local studio D'Arcy Jones Architects.
![Gabled renovated house](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/01/darcy-jones-john-street-redo-architecture_dezeen_2364_col_6-852x713.jpg)
While the home's front door is on the west, the garage is located on the backside of the house and faces east.
The garage is accessed via a sunken driveway, in a space that formerly was an overgrown yard that was mostly unusable due to its slope. The garage's exterior is meant to blend with the rest of the house.
![Open-plan kitchen by D'Arcy Jones](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/01/darcy-jones-john-street-redo-architecture_dezeen_2364_col_1-852x568.jpg)
"This new, underground utility space is masked behind window-like detailing added to a generic overhead door," the team said.
In addition to the new garage, the team revamped the exterior siding, using budget-friendly fibreglass-cement lap siding, which was painted charcoal grey. The team also added new windows that are all the same width and replaced roof shingles.
![Painted steel panel above fireplace](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/01/darcy-jones-john-street-redo-architecture_dezeen_2364_col_4-852x1277.jpg)
Within the home, finishes were replaced and the layout was fully reconfigured.
The ground level holds an open-plan kitchen, dining area and living room. Above a fireplace, the team incorporated a painted steel panel that continues onto the ceiling.
![Plywood staircase in renovation by D'Arcy Jones Architects](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/01/darcy-jones-john-street-redo-architecture_dezeen_2364_col_2-852x1277.jpg)
Upstairs, one finds a primary bedroom, a walk-in closet with an office space, and two additional bedrooms, one of which doubles as a den.
The interior has a raw quality due to structural framing and plywood shear walls being left exposed.
The flooring is a mix of concrete and Douglas fir, the same plywood was used to build the staircase.
The kitchen features plywood, lacquer and marble. Appliances were integrated with millwork fronts, except a stainless steel range.
![Lacquer and marble accents in kitchen by D'Arcy Jones](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2024/01/darcy-jones-john-street-redo-architecture_dezeen_2364_col_0-852x1277.jpg)
Overall, the John Street Redo project is meant to demonstrate how a renovation can have a modern spirit while still preserving a building's historic character.
"[We] soften the contrast between old and new on many projects," the team said.
"This version shows how a quiet residential reinterpretation can be forward-looking without erasing an old building's original charm and silhouette."
Founded in 1999, D'Arcy Jones Architects has completed a range of projects in Vancouver and beyond.
Others include a brutalist-style development in Victoria that consists of staggered rowhouses clad in textured stucco and a clifftop home in Vancouver that is meant to be "part look-out tower, part courtyard and part landform".
The photography is by Ema Peter.