There was no such thing as privacy for Danny Edell and his wife, Talia, while raising their six children in a cramped, one-bathroom bungalow.

For the sake of their sanity, the parents of Gabriella, 17, Kayla, 15, Meira, 12, Avi, 9, Malka, 6 and Kobi, 2, decided a major addition to their three-bedroom North York home was in order.

“Winters were unbearable in the old house,” says Edell, 41, owner of True Contractors. “There was never a moment of peace!”

Talia, 40, recalls repeatedly saying: “I deserve an ensuite bathroom! This is ridiculous!”

While the couple was desperate for more room, they also wanted an open-concept main floor that embraced their Orthodox Jewish family’s close-knit lifestyle. The religious holidays and weekly Sabbath, beginning at sundown on Fridays, are the focus of their home.

“There are no phones, no TV, no electronics,” explains Edell. “We do a big meal Friday night and a big Saturday lunch; we hang out, we play games.”

Since Talia, an analyst for a forensic accounting firm, often cooks for extended family members, friends and neighbours, a large kosher kitchen was essential in the re-design.

The family moved into a nearby rental in the summer of 2016 as work began on what would become their five-bedroom, four-bathroom home. A 500-square-foot rental apartment was built into the basement.

Edell ran the project himself and enlisted the help of LIV Design Build Style, architect Pedro Pimentel and Myers + Philippe Interior Design.

“This time it was personal,” he says, adding it was the first time in his 10 years as a contractor that he’d worked on his own home.

The 10-month project — which more than doubled the size of the house from 1,065 sq. ft. to 2,350 sq. ft. — cost approximately $520,000.

“We designed a house to accommodate our lifestyle,” says Edell. “It allows us all to hang out together comfortably, but it also allows us to have our space.”

In order to save time and money, Edell opted to keep 1-1/2 walls from the original bungalow. He built up, but not out. The project was considered a renovation, cutting down on red tape and additional fees and taxes that go along with a new build.

Edell created the illusion of more space and higher ceilings throughout the modern, open-concept home by eliminating bulkheads on the first and second floors. This was achieved by putting two furnaces in the house — one in the basement and one in the attic. All the duct work was also hidden in these two locations.

Large windows, clean white walls, potlights and a minimalist approach to furniture and decor add to the airy feel of the home. Slightly-distressed, engineered beige hardwood floors don’t show the wear and tear of many pairs of feet.

No expense was spared on the home’s focus: the $75,000, 25-by-40-foot, Shaker-style kitchen with a large, grey leather banquette and adjacent oval table that can accommodate up to 10 children.

The family hosted 75 guests for their daughter Meira’s Bat Mitzvah this past November, with everyone congregating in the dining room area that spills into the kitchen.

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To easily ensure all meat and dairy was kept separate in the kosher kitchen, Edell put in duplicate sinks, dishwashers, and drawers for pots, cutlery and dishes. Their restaurant-sized double fridge and freezer ensures Talia can pre-cook and freeze plenty of meals ahead of the religious holidays.

The nine-by-six-foot Cesarstone quartz island, and abundance of counter space, allows plenty of room for separate meat and dairy food preparation and a serve-yourself buffet.

Talia says her new kitchen has turned what used to be a stressful experience into some feel-good moments with her kids.

“They were always in my space,” she recalls. “Now one of them can be baking, and the other one could be preparing dairy while I’m preparing meat. It’s not just for me; it’s so that we can all be working together.”

In their old living room, there was only space for a couch big enough to fit the kids but not the adults. The couple’s favourite piece of furniture in the new house is the large sectional couch on which the family can comfortably spread out together.

Upstairs their 6- and 12-year-old daughters share a bedroom, as do the 2- and 9-year-old boys; the teen girls have their own rooms and share a bathroom. Edell opted for closet organizers over dressers to make the bedrooms feel more spacious. “It’s about being organized, neat and efficient,” he says.

And Talia finally has her own master ensuite bathroom — compete with a waterfall shower, heated floors and a soaker tub.

“I don’t think I took a bath in 10 years!” says Talia. “I do not take it for granted … I appreciate it each and every day.”

THE NUMBERS

12: Boxes of cereal in the pantry

105: Potlights in the house

$432,000: Price of the home 10 years ago

$1.05M: Home’s appraised value, pre-renovation

$2.1M: Approximate current value

8 feet: Width of front entrance closet