15068 Victoria Avenue

Some homes have a view. This one is built around it. The ocean is in front of you from the moment you walk in, and the beach is a short walk from the front door.

The home was featured on the season finale of HGTV Canada’s Worst to First, and more than $170,000 has gone into the renovation. The biggest change is on the main floor, where a new structural beam, lifted in by crane, replaced the old walls and opened the level into one bright space. The new kitchen sits at the centre of it, with a gas range, new appliances and a wine fridge tucked under the stairs. The flooring is new throughout, the lighting is new, and the blinds are motorized.

The main floor bathroom was rebuilt from scratch, with a heated floor, new tub and tile, and a new sink and cabinet. Where the laundry and storage rooms used to be divided, there is now one very large custom storage room and walk-in closet.

Upstairs, the deck is where you will spend your summers. A full-size electric awning covers most of it, so you can sit out in the shade and watch the water. Inside are a new vanity area with custom cabinets, custom closet cabinetry and a second heated bathroom floor.

Out back is the surprise: a private backyard sanctuary with a garden and your own putting green.

The home is comfortable all year. A heat pump provides heating and air conditioning, with electric baseboard heat controlled by zone from your phone. Most summer days the breeze off the water is all you need.

It also works well for a family that wants to stay close. The upstairs has its own kitchenette, there is laundry on both floors, and the ceiling between the levels was rebuilt with sound-resistant material, so Mom and Dad can come with you and everyone keeps their own space.

The home can be purchased fully furnished.

Victoria Avenue runs across the White Rock hillside one street above Marine Drive, on the West Beach side of the waterfront. White Rock is five square kilometres of south-facing hillside between North Bluff Road and the water, and the homes here are arranged by their view of Semiahmoo Bay.

West Beach is the busier end of the waterfront: the pier, the restaurants and the summer crowds. The promenade runs two kilometres from West Beach to East Beach, with the pier at the middle and the museum in the old station beside it.

Uptown, Semiahmoo Shopping Centre sits just over the city line at 152 Street and 16 Avenue, and White Rock Centre has the 351 express to Bridgeport SkyTrain. Highway 99 is about ten minutes from most of the city.