Benson House
Benson House
The single entry to this house is located off of the side yard, freeing the front and rear facades from entry and closet responsibilities, allowing the living spaces the luxury of exploiting the full width of the house. The central entrance also makes it possible to have much more generous closet and storage space in a part of the house that is less attractive for living space.
Toronto houses all have basements, but space provided is generally of a secondary quality. Here, an excavation at the back of the house allows full height doors at the lower level bringing light, views and access to the outdoors to the lower level. A lightwell at the front of the house provides an additional source of natural light and cross ventilation to this level. The “basement” is now high quality accommodation for family members on long term visits in a manner which would normally not be possible in a house with such modest dimensions.