I have a wealth of experience in remodelling houses, planning extensions, conversions and overhaul property refurbishment. I bring a passion for responsible renovations to your projects. People say I have creative flair and spatial configuration superpowers. Whether you're a building professional or a homeowner, having me on board will add value to your projects.
I started The Place Between to address and prevent the unnecessary challenges I have witnessed on building sites. Too many renovations projects fall through, are interrupted, abandoned or last much longer than expected, because there is a missing link between contractors and homeowners.
It does not have to be this way. I strongly believe that renovating a property is meant first and foremost to be enjoyable. The goal is to create spaces and generate changes that enhance lifestyle, home efficiency and wellbeing. With the right kind of support, implementing these changes is inspiring and uplifting.
Complete property overhaul has been a defining feature of my life. I am a serial mover and house remodeller. By the time my first child was 5 years old, he had grown in six of our houses (four owned and renovated, and two transition rentals). My life karma has been to buy houses that needed love, improve them, and then offer them back to the market, significantly improved. With The Place Between, I now offer design and project management services to home renovators, in French and in English, in person or remotely.
When serving you, I bring bags of pragmatic communication and intellectual skills. I am Canadian and British, and I have also lived in Belgium and in The Gambia. I studied law and philosophy, worked a as a barrister in Canada and as a human rights lawyer in many countries of Africa, South America and Asia. I am now a certified mediator supporting people who are negotiating to solve construction disputes.
As a renovation consultant, I use my legal knowledge to support compliance with regulatory schemes relevant to home renovations. It is central to my business that it strengthens ethical trade and generates environmentally conscious spaces where workers rights are affirmed and respected. I strive to support everyone involved for a better experience all round.
Get in touch if you would like to discuss how we could work together.
Our philosophy
The Place Between supports renovators to design, plan and successfully execute renovations projects. We believe that the transitions brought up by property refurbishment can be well planned, enjoyable and rewarding. Our mission is to make this 'in between' period as smooth as possible for everyone engaging with renovations projects.
Our design and build expertise covers interior and exterior spaces. We have bags of suggestions but avoid pushing for a particular aesthetic, as we prefer empowering people to find their own. This is done through a variety of explorative techniques such as mood boards or space staging. We seek to conceive and propose functional and beautiful design, through an iterative process engaging both homeowners and construction professionals, so that, as a team of renovators, we build enjoyable spaces to be proud of.
We believe renovations can be ethical and eco-conscious. A huge part of our mission is to support the building and construction sector in achieving excellence standards through: sustainable product sourcing and waste management; knowledge and compliance with legal standards and planning rules; and the nurturing of healthy workplace and contractual relationships.
Facilitating effective communication between construction professionals and property owners throughout the process is a key component of our service. We strive to provide everyone involved in the project the required support and advice. This is done with a view to prevent, manage and solve arising challenges.
If you are a construction professional or a homeowner looking to modernise, remodel, extend, improve, restore, redecorate, revamp or refurbish a property, have a look at our renovations consultancy and coaching services, and please be in touch with any queries you may have.
We will be delighted to discuss your ideas and requirements!
Expert support to renovators for
beautiful and functional design
responsible and ethical material sourcing
construction professionals vetting and contracting
advice on development potential + added value
property search and purchase negotiation
CLIENT TESTIMONIALS
Jess Simmonds
Valerie really helped us to visualise and plan the next steps for our house, which was really helpful as we had been stuck for well over a year as to what we could achieve and what options were available to us. We had a couple of zoom calls and Valerie made us some great floor plans and 3D models of the various options, and from those we have been able to pick which route to go down.Read More
Houzz User
My first job with Valerie and her company, amazing experience and super helpful! Can’t wait for many more, always there if you need her.Read More
Carolynne MacKinnon
Valerie’s brilliant legal mind and her calm demeanour were absolutely invaluable in helping guide us through our first home purchase - talking us through all options and challenges with a can-do attitude and excellent recommendations. I can’t recommend her highly enough and I’m actually now looking forward to the next phase of our house project, instead of dreading it!Read More
Clair Edwards
What a pleasure to work with Valerie from The Place Between!
From start to finish we felt listened to and supported.
We needed help to visualise how to remodel the space of our ground floor and in particular how or whether to combine a kitchen /dining room. Valerie took great care to listen to our needs and wishes and in particular our tight budget. She met us online first and then visited our house to take measurements, then she brought to life (floor plans and 3D designs with walk throughs) several designs with these considerations in mind and many other great ideas to improve our quality of life in this home whilst keeping a sensible eye on improving the value of our property.
Along with design ideas, Valerie also gave much practical advice on renovation and how to be as environmentally sound as possible, which really resonated with us.
Having never renovated a property before the project felt a little overwhelming but the whole process with Valerie has now helped us to move forward. Thanks to Valerie we now feel much more confident about the remodel and how to stay on track of our budget, how to find the right trades people, how to plan the works and to start enjoying the process of Improving our home.
I would not hesitate to recommend Valerie at The Place Between.Read More
Luke Tchalenko
We asked Val to help us at the very beginning of our project, just after an offer was accepted on our dream home, which was definitely a “fixer-upper!”
Right away it was clear that Val would add great value to the project - identifying innovative solutions to the use of space and using her experience to guide us through the processes and timelines.
Her expertise in identifying potential pitfalls and planning budgets are particularly impressive. She has undoubtedly saved us money with her expertise and connections.
What could have been a daunting project was an exciting opportunity for Val and her formidable creative and organisational skills. Problems become opportunities with Val, and we are very grateful for her excellent help.
I would heartily recommend Val, who on top of it all is such a wonderful, calm and positive presence in our lives!Read More
