Truly Custom
STORY TIFFANY MAYER l PHOTOGRAPHY MATTHEW YOUNG
Google “custom home” and the search engine will turn up a dictionary definition of a one-of-a kind house built to suit a location and the people living within it.
But the latest build by Sider Bros. Builders in Ridgeway on the Lake Erie shoreline is proof there are custom homes – and then there are custom homes. This family cottage on a swath that’s been part of the clan for generations is the latter.
“It’s true custom,” says Jenn Gmoser, an interior decorator and project manager with Sider Bros. What makes it so? It starts at the beginning when the homeowners, a family from Buffalo, wanted to expand and update the existing cottage that had housed them on summer vacations for decades.
The initial plan was to build an addition. But after Shawn Sider did a little digging, he discovered the original cottage didn’t have a proper foundation to support expansion upwards and out. It was more economical to build new, even after encountering a geyser just underneath the future great room of the home.
So in fall 2017, concrete was poured on a new home footprint drafted by Sider Bros. architectural designer Nicole Empringham. Work would continue over the next two years, making the more than 6,000 sq. ft. cottage truly custom, from the larger details down to the small, starting with the welcoming mudroom off the carport that ushers visitors and family into the kitchen.
Both the mudroom and kitchen conjure summer by the water with fresh colours. The spaces are adorned with functional and durable custom cabinets for storage and a sliding ladder to access the lesser-used items tucked out of reach.
“The homeowner requested a Nantucket style,” Nicole says. “With that in mind, and after consultations and walkthroughs of their existing home, I created a unique floor plan, carefully considering function and flow for their large family.”
In the kitchen, ocean blue dominates between cabinets, an expansive subway tile backsplash from Star Tile Centre, and even a colour-block on the ceiling over the dining table.
The homeowners love to cook and eat together, so a large island of blue cupboards, capped with quartz from First In Counters, was a must. It seats four and contrasts with white and natural wood throughout the rest of the working area.
Tucked around the corner from the island is a massive custom oak dining table built for the space in lieu of a formal dining room. It’s surrounded by chairs and a comfortable banquette designed by Simply White Interiors. Heaps of custom throw cushions, also by Simply White, make the enclave inviting.
“That’s very them,” Jenn says about the easy-going feel of the dining area. “They’re very casual, laid-back people.”
Thoughtful touches include a closed beverage centre with internal outlets and built-in electronics chargers. “Once a customer tells us what they need, we find creative ways to design around those needs,” says Nicole.
The neighbouring great room provides a quiet refuge with a big, comfy sofa and massive stone hearth fashioned with river rock from Burnstein Brick. The fireplace with its bonfire log set from The One Stop Fireplace Shop emulates a fire on the beach.
Next door, the family room checks all the boxes with quartz bistro tables, sofas, a chaise and built-in bar to kick back any which way and watch Buffalo Bills games.
Rest happens up the two-tone U-shape staircase, hugged by shiplap and built by Sider Bros., which did all the millwork in the home. Fixtures from Distinctive Lighting Concepts step in to light a path to the second floor. Bedrooms for the three teenagers were designed to reflect their personalities. In one, hand-hewn beams, a barn board feature wall and custom blue headboard give a distinctly masculine feel for the only son in the family.
A dormitory-style bathroom was designed to avoid lineups. Two shower stalls can be used simultaneously and there are two separate water closets.
The master suite is a retreat away from it all, separated from the rest of the home by a long foyer featuring blinds by Colour and Design Center and massive oak doors built by Wayne Sider, owner and the master carpenter behind Sider Bros.’ private mill. Cathedral ceilings with hand-hewn oak beams, a walkout to a large, shared deck with stone fireplace overlooking the lake and Buffalo skyline, and oversize windows create airiness. A walk-through closet and dressing area keep storage out of sight and lead to a stunning en suite with a water closet, shower and bath decked out with a pebble wall.
The bathroom leads to another balcony, this one shared with the daughters’ bedrooms and equipped with an awning by Alexander Awnings. Automated screens are an option to create an entirely private outdoor seating area overlooking the backyard with its deluxe outdoor kitchen. Landscaping is by Plantation Irrigation & Landscaping.
The lower level of the home was created entirely for storage and entertaining, including a second family room, kitchenette and massive bunk room that sleeps eight. An additional laundry area was also carved into the downstairs space.
Every touch, from the detailed carpentry of the bunkbeds, the flashing lights bordering the second family room downstairs, even the Hudson’s Bay-themed banquette with maple leaf cutout over the reading bunk, reiterate just how truly custom this beach beauty is.
“It’s definitely not cookie-cutter,” Nicole says. “There was a lot of communication with the client. Everything is custom. We listen to their needs and tailor everything we design to suit.”
