This 83-year-old bungalow was gutted and rebuilt for a B.C. Supreme Court judge who was looking for something a little special. He got it in spades, says agent Walter Wells. "It's like you're living on the Gulf Islands but your commute is just 10 minutes to downtown Vancouver."

The four-bedroom, 2,480 sq. ft. home now has a unique split-level floor-plan and a two-sided fireplace instead of a wall to divide the living and dining rooms. The kitchen walls were also removed to create a more open space.

The unusual design, with two bedrooms on the upper level and two more on the lower level, lends itself well to creating a rental suite, says Mr. Wells. "Rental suites are popular in Vancouver and this house can be used as a 4 bedroom home or easily split off into a two-bedroom home with a spacious two-bedroom ground level suite," he says.

The redesign took on a West Coast Cottage theme, accentuated with vaulted ceilings, cedar siding and the French doors that open onto a private deck.