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They fell in love with the 18th-floor view of downtown Ottawa, but behind their backs, the bland 1970s condo needed updating.

John Ayres and his wife Eliane Leclerc liked the cabinets, ceramic floors and granite counters the previous owners had installed in the kitchen and bathrooms, but the rest of the 1,637-square-foot apartment cried out for help.

"When you cast your eyes to the rest of the apartment, it looked very tacky," says Mr. Ayres. "We had this brand new section going down the middle and everything else was 1976 Queen Elizabeth Towers."

So, they rolled up their sleeves and got to work, with much pivotal help from Frank Johnston-Main of Main Renovations.

"He had very high standards of craftsmanship," says Mr. Ayres.

They added crown moulding and wooden windowsills throughout the apartment, and stripped and repainted all the window trim that framed their spectacular views of the Ottawa River and Gatineaus. They removed the swinging doors to the two bathrooms and installed quality pocket doors, which necessitated thickening the narrow apartment walls so they could take the pocket-door frames. That was a particularly tricky project since they didn't want to affect the ceramic tile already on the bathroom walls.

"I was on pins and needles for awhile because I didn't want to have to redo tiles," he says.

They tore down the wall separating the two smaller bedrooms to create one large office. But the two closets are still there, one large enough to hold a 12-cubic-foot freezer.

"We have a huge amount of storage," says Mr. Ayres, opening the doors to the linen closet they built in to the former doorway to the third bedroom. They also added shelving to all the existing closets to improve their capacity.

They replaced ABS pipes with copper, added sleek stainless-steel towel bars, and changed the two toilets to elongated bowls from round. The master toilet also has the Toto personal hygiene system, which turns it into somewhat of a bidet with an adjustable-temperature seat, among other treats.

"This was a good alternative rather than removing one sink to create the space (for a separate bidet)," explains Ms. Leclerc.

They refinished all the parquet hardwood floors. The painted louvers that cover the ventilation system were stripped to reveal brushed aluminum underneath that now matches the stainless-steel appliances in the kitchen.

"The cabinets and granite give this a very contemporary and smart look," Mr. Ayres says, gesturing to the good quality rust-coloured smooth cabinets. There's a rusty fleck in the dark granite counters and backsplash that co-ordinates beautifully with the cabinets. Other refinements include an undermount sink and ceramic tile floor.

The contemporary flair they've added has even opened neighbours' eyes to what's possible in an essentially staid old dowager of a building, says Mr. Ayres.

"People are quite surprised," he says.

Unfortunately, they're leaving all their hard work behind. They had been toying for years with the idea of moving to Victoria and they've finally decided to do so. But they're confident that the money they've put into the apartment will give it the updated look it needs to attract a buyer.