The Zen on Bramwell is a substantial renovation that took a thirty-year-old British Properties residence and transformed its upper two floors into a contemporary Italian-inflected home — while the homeowners continued living on the lower level throughout the entire project. Every interior surface on both floors was replaced: walls, ceilings, flooring, cabinetry, doors, fixtures, and finishes. What remained was the bones of the structure. What emerged was a home that feels entirely new — quieter, more refined, and built to last another three decades.
The technical centrepiece of this renovation is the main floor tile: precision-installed 1.2 × 3.6 metre large-format porcelain slabs that run seamlessly through the double-height foyer, kitchen, living areas, and circulation spaces. At nearly four metres long per tile, this format demands absolute substrate preparation, specialised adhesive systems, and a crew that understands there is zero tolerance for lippage or misalignment at this scale. The result is a monolithic floor plane that makes the open-plan spaces feel vast and unbroken — exactly the effect that gives this home its name.
Above the floors, Italian millwork defines every room: handleless kitchen cabinetry in dark linear-grain veneer paired with white quartz waterfall islands, matching Italian interior doors throughout, a custom media wall with integrated linear fireplace and floating display shelving, and a master ensuite vanity that continues the same dark wood-and-white-quartz vocabulary. The consistency of material language across two full floors — from the kitchen to the bathrooms to the closet interiors — is what separates a renovation from a transformation.
Outside, the scope was equally substantial. The thirty-year-old exterior had developed rot in several areas where original waterproofing had failed, requiring targeted building envelope remediation using modern penetration and sealing techniques before any new cladding could go on. Every exterior hard surface was replaced: the entry courtyard received new stone paving flanked by stacked natural stone columns, the pool deck was re-tiled in porcelain to match the interior material palette, and all transitions between old structure and new surface were properly flashed and sealed against the West Vancouver rain. The project was a challenge for the homeowners — living through a renovation of this magnitude requires patience and trust — but a blessing for us. A decade later, we're still friends. That's the real measure of work done right.
A double-height entry with 1.2 × 3.6 metre porcelain tile running unbroken across the floor, a contemporary Italian entry door with frosted glass sidelights, a poured concrete column, and a floating glass staircase connecting the renovated upper floors.
Italian handleless cabinetry in dark linear-grain veneer paired with white quartz waterfall islands, a Wolf induction cooktop, sculptured ceiling details, and matching Italian interior doors — all set on the same large-format porcelain tile that runs through the entire main floor.
A curved living room anchored by a full-width natural stone media console with smoked mirror backsplash, Italian matte cabinetry housing an integrated linear fireplace and floating display shelves — the quiet centre of a home designed for calm.
The same Italian millwork vocabulary carries into the master bathroom: a dark veneer floating vanity with white quartz counter, dual wall-mount faucets, a freestanding soaking tub framed by garden views, and wave-texture wall tile that adds movement without breaking the calm.
Every exterior hard surface was replaced as part of this renovation — new stone paving for the entry courtyard, stacked natural stone cladding on the columns, porcelain pool deck, and complete building envelope remediation where thirty years of West Vancouver weather had taken its toll.
At nearly four metres per tile, large-format porcelain demands absolute substrate flatness, specialised adhesive and handling equipment, and a crew trained for zero-tolerance lippage. The seamless floor plane running through the entire main level is the foundation of this home's calm, unbroken aesthetic — and the single most technically demanding element of the renovation.
The homeowners lived on the lower floor while two full floors above them were gutted and rebuilt. This required meticulous scheduling, dust and noise containment, continuous utility management, and clear daily communication — turning what could have been months of disruption into a structured, liveable process. A decade later, we're still friends.
Italian cabinetry and interior doors run consistently through every room across both renovated floors — kitchen, living, bathrooms, closets, and circulation spaces. The dark linear-grain veneer and handleless profiles create a unified design language that reads as intentional, not assembled. This is what imported Italian millwork looks like when it's properly integrated at scale.
Beneath the new stone cladding and exterior finishes, significant rot was discovered in several areas of this thirty-year-old structure — the legacy of original waterproofing that had reached the end of its service life. Advanced penetration and sealing techniques were applied to remediate damaged framing, properly flash all transitions, and ensure the building envelope will perform for decades to come in West Vancouver's demanding rain climate.
Stacked natural stone columns frame the entry, new stone paving replaces the courtyard, and the pool deck was re-tiled in porcelain to match the interior palette. Every exterior hard surface on the property was removed and replaced — not patched, not refinished, but taken back to structure and rebuilt with proper drainage, flashing, and modern waterproofing membranes.
Despite the scale of this renovation — two full floors, interior and exterior, every surface replaced — the result is remarkably calm. The monochromatic palette of charcoal tile, white quartz, dark Italian veneer, and concrete finishes creates a home that feels serene rather than dramatic. The name "Zen" wasn't chosen for marketing; it describes the experience of being inside these rooms.
Whether you're renovating while living at home or undertaking a complete transformation — Eurohouse has the experience to manage complex, multi-floor renovations in occupied properties across West Vancouver and the North Shore.
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