From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, Assaly Construction built a series of very unique townhouses in Westcliffe Estates (Bell's Corners) and Trend Village. The designs were very innovative for the time and included plans with 2-car garages, 4 bedroom designs, as well as a bungalow townhouse plan with a courtyard. Originally, the houses were built with very traditional facades, but as revealed later in this post, many of these traditional facades have been adapted to make the houses look quite modern. Above are the original plans for the Assaly Villas. The two-story plans all have a large master bedroom over the garage with a balcony. I quite like the entry courtyard of the bungalow plans.  The 'Spanish Villas' plans from Trend Village, which include a 1-car garage design with a unique take on the Mansard roof. One of the most interesting things about the Assaly Villas is that so many of them have been changed over the years. I do...

Throughout the mid-century, the Mansard roof was popular in Ottawa housing design.  First popularised in France during the 17th century, and then revived in the 19th century, the roof style re-appeared in Ottawa during the 1960s. At first the roof was used on historically-inspired houses, but was eventually altered in a variety of ways to have a more modern take on tradition. Campeau was the builder who used the roof the most in the mid-century, but other builders also followed suit. A traditional use of the Mansard roof. Playfair Park North/South, Russell Heights, c. 1965. This plan had a traditional Mansard option as well as 2 Dutch Colonial options with a Gambrel roof. Beacon Hill and South Keys, c. 1967. Here is a great example of a modern take on the Mansard roof. Instead of protruding dormer windows with arched tops, these houses have an inset window and an asymmetrical facade. From the side, the roof actually has more of a Gambrel-style silh...