Bolton couple complete second-storey addition to heritage house

The Blandizzi's house was one of the first 16 settlements in Bolton 

By Zachary Roman

Imagine buying a new house, planning a major renovation on it, and having the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

That's exactly what happened to Peter and Stephanie Blandizzi after they purchased an over 170-year-old heritage home in Bolton in December 2019. 

Peter, 34, and Stephanie, 32, met in 2018 and moved in together about a year later when they purchased their home in Bolton. On the night they moved in, Peter proposed to Stephanie, and it was a very exciting time for the newly-engaged couple.

Then, in March 2020, restrictions came into place for the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It was terrifying for a while, because I'm self-employed,” said Peter, who runs the construction company Hammer & Castle with Stephanie. They do design, building, and restoration work.

Peter and Stephanie had their wedding delayed by the pandemic, as well as their plans to add a second storey to their new house. When they purchased it, their house was a bungalow with no basement.

“Stephanie and I said, ‘Why don't we add a second floor', and we looked into it,” said Peter. “This was before coronavirus, before things went crazy in the market… we [ended up] entering a build in the craziest time and we finished it with sheer force of will.”

Peter and Stephanie were finally able to begin renovating their house in May of 2022, right after they were finally able to get married. In total, it took about seven-and-a-half months for them to take the roof off their house and add a second storey, doing as much of the work as possible themselves.

Unfortunately, the price of lumber, building materials, and labour still hadn't come down by the time they could start, and the cost of the renovation was nearly doubled.

To make things even more interesting, Stephanie found out she was pregnant midway through the process. It was the night after she and Peter spent the day lifting up a 17-step staircase with a pulley system. Peter and Stephanie are now expecting their first child this June.

Before meeting Peter, Stephanie had a career in insurance where she managed a team of five people. She always had a love of design and DIY projects, and Peter, who had been running Hammer & Castle for years, always had a desire to expand his company. So, when they got together romantically, they also partnered up to expand Hammer & Castle. Stephanie now works full time at Hammer & Castle with her husband.

“I think on our second date, we were building closets,” said Stephanie, which was a great sign that the pair were a good match. “Peter and I are different in certain ways, which is a really good thing for our company in terms of how we handle different situations.”

In general, Peter handles the construction work and Stephanie manages the financials, marketing, and design process. However, their work often intersects and both are fully involved in whatever project they are doing for a client.

“She has a very keen eye for design,” said Peter of his wife. “Every person we've worked with is floored… she adds all the little details.”

When Peter and Stephanie were renovating their house, they quickly noticed how strong the construction of it was. It was made entirely without nails using massive pieces of lumber, and they still have many of the pieces.

Things have certainly changed since Peter and Stephanie's house was first built over 170 years ago.

“The world is always changing, you've got to change with it and continue to work hard and you'll be okay,” said Peter.

Stephanie said she and Peter have so much faith in their company and are working hard every day to make it more successful.

“If you believe in it, you can really succeed,” said Stephanie.