Sia Elisio always had a dream to renovate an historic house.
You know what they say, be careful what you wish for.
Sia’s husband, John Elisio, came home one day and said he had found an old home they could rebuild close to where they live in Aurora.
“I have always loved historical homes. What I wanted to do is to keep the old-world charm and make the (inside) all new,” she said.
The Elisios had long been interested in living in the older part of Aurora.
The abandoned home is on Spruce Street, north of Wellington Street and east of Yonge Street.
“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” Mrs. Elisio said.
The house is in a neighbourhood with lots of young families whose children ride their bicycles up and down the street. Mrs. Elisio envisioned what it would be like sitting out on the house’s porch.
Mrs. Elisio was born in Greece and came to Canada at age six, growing up in Scarborough.
She and Mr. Elisio, whose background is Italian, met in their early teens and started dating at 21.
The couple bought their first home in Aurora about 13 years ago. “It is a nice, quiet town. So different from Scarborough. It fits our life perfectly,” she said.
Mrs. Elisio, formerly a secretary and now a stay-at-home mom, had an interest in interior design anyway so they decide to move ahead with tackling their first historic home renovation.
He organized the contractors while she arranged the details of the house, such as how the door frames would look.
But the couple and their two children were in for a surprise.
Today, two years after buying the house, Mrs. Elisio says if she knew then what she knows now, she would not have taken on the project.
“It was too much of a headache. It would have been easier to knock it (the house) down. You don’t realize how much work it is to maintain an old structure,” she said.
As she speaks, leaning against a white marble island in the kitchen, the sound of workers banging hammers can be heard as they finish the garage.
“You are five steps ahead, something happens, and then you are two steps forward, three back.
With renovation and construction, something always goes wrong,” she said
This home renovation is a mammoth project for Mrs. Elisio, who is trying to juggle her home life, take care of her two children and oversee the restoration.
It took six months to get the paperwork straightened out, including permits, before construction could begin.
The facade is original, but had to be brought up to the town’s standards while the inside of the home was gutted and redone with new plumbing, furnaces and an addition.
Mrs. Elisio easily lists the positives of taking on this project.
“It was exciting. You get to see a finished product. You pick and choose every detail. It was fun, just a bit of a headache,” she said. “It was very fulfilling. I got to see the end result. I could design a home on my own.”
She still loves historic homes and sees the value in living in one, especially the one she and her husband renovated, which is in a neighbourhood made up of other historic homes.
“It has got so much charm and character. Having a home in that area, you get more property.
When you step out of that house, there is much more than just seeing fences and brick. When you get out of the house, it has quaint appeal.”
In the end, it turns out her two children — Evan, 12, and Sarah, 10, are just too attached to their neighbourhood and friends to move. Besides, the home restoration ended up taking double the time it was meant to, lasting two years rather than the expected one. So, the couple is selling the home.
But Mrs. Elisio can still see a historic home in their future.
“I would attempt it (again). I am not as naive,” she said.
What would she do differently? Research, research and more research, she said. Research what it takes to renovate a historic home before committing to buying it.
“I don’t think people know the amount of work it takes,” she said.
Research what you would and would not be able to do to the home and recognize the town has criteria for changes you can and cannot make. Research the amount of work your renovation will take, she said.
“When you are dealing with something already there, it is more work than doing it from scratch.”
If you are interested in the Elisio’s historic home, you can e-mail jcremidas@trebnet.com or call 416-751-6533 and ask for Jim Cremidas.
Sia Elisio finishes our sentences
My favourite place to travel is ... New Orleans. I love the French quarter. There is an aura about it. Every corner has a bar. There is an energy there.
Few people know that I ... am a little obsessive over things. When something needs to be done, if it is in my head, I have to do it.
My favourite spot in Aurora is ... The town park (in the Wellington and Yonge streets area). On Wednesday nights in summer, they have a band or show going on.
My favourite movies are ... Gone With the Wind, Pride and Prejudice and Wuthering Heights. I love old romance when men were gentlemen and women were ladies.
I am most proud of ... My husband because he is very young and has accomplished a lot for the family. So far, I get to stay home and raise my own kids. He is a freight broker. He and his brother own a company called FBI — Freight Brokers International.
My favourite type of music is ... The blues, The Rolling Stones, rock and roll bluesy music.
My least favourite TV programs are ... reality shows. The Bachelorette, The Bachelor. All of those brain-dead shows: I cannot stand them.
My favourite food is ... french fries. I am not a picky eater. I love home-made french fries.