Marianne Plaisance, 33, and her boyfriend had been looking to buy a house in Montreal, Québec, Canada, for about two years. In 2022, Plaisance came across an online listing for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom condo located inside an old bank. The apartment was 3,500 square feet, split between the first floor and a basement.
“The first time I saw the listing, I freaked out,” she tells CNBC Make It. “I knew it was meant for us, but I kept calm because, you know, the house market is a bit crazy.”
When Plaisance first saw the property listing, she knew it would be the perfect place for her and her boyfriend.
Marianne Plaisance
At first, the old bank was listed for 900,000 CAD or $625,720 USD, but by their first visit to see the space in person, the price had been reduced to $521,433 USD.
“The listing was up for a long time. Nobody seemed interested in buying the property,” she says.
The couple submitted an offer of $500,576 and it was accepted. Their mortgage is $2,655 a month and they pay $4,080 a year in property taxes. Additional expenses include $275 in utilities, $92 for Wi-Fi and $70 for parking a month.
“The bank is on the main floor of the building. The other condos on top [don’t] look at all like what it looks in here,” she says. “I got the bank of the block.”
Plaisance’s apartment still has the bank’s original marble floors and crown molding.
Marianne Plaisance
The condo still has some of the bank’s original design details, like the marble floors, crown molding, safety deposit boxes, and a vault, which Plaisance uses as her walk-in closet.
“It’s filled with everything I love, It’s my dream closet,” she says.
The bank’s vault is now a walk-in closet.
Jesse Freeston for CNBC Make It
“It was a beautiful blank canvas for me.”
Plaisance, a content creator, has a background in graphic design and commercial photography, so finding a home like the old bank was a dream come true.
“When I found this place, it was a beautiful canvas for me,” she says. “I always envisioned myself living in a very artistic, creative, colorful, unique space. So, to have this place as my adult house is so cool to me.”
Plaisance uses the bank’s old safety deposit boxes for storage.
Jesse Freeston for CNBC Make It
As a self-professed “intentional maximalist,” Plaisance transformed the dark gray and baby blue space into her colorful dream home. Some of her prized possessions include a lips-shaped couch and two massive cherries that she thrifted and fixed up to use as a piece of art in the apartment.
“I think a good way of describing my style would be intentional maximalism because I really like maximalist décor items, but not too many of them,” she says.
One of the first things Plaisance did to the space was add floor-length curtains to create a rainbow.
Jesse Freeston for CNBC Make It
Plaisance estimates she spent $28,000 in renovations. She also did a lot of the work herself, like adding crown molding to the walls — with help from her dad — and turning the bank’s old entryway into her dog’s bedroom.
“The first thing I did when I moved in the house is to put rainbow curtains all through the space,” she says. “And the fun thing with my curtains is when you close them it makes one giant rainbow.”
After adding rainbow curtains to the space, one of the first things Plaisance DIYed, with help from her dad, was a studio space in the living area where she films content.
Plaisance converted the entryway of the old bank into her dog’s bedroom.
Marianne Plaisance
Plaisance says she spent a whole year decorating the primary bedroom: “It’s very Wes Anderson, a bit like space-aged mixed with Parisian Castle.”
The couple converted one of the other bedrooms into Plaisance’s office. “I filled the room with artwork that I like that inspired me,” she says.
Renovating and decorating the primary bedroom took about a year.
Marianne Plaisance
There is a second bathroom and a third bedroom in the basement, which Plaisance’s boyfriend uses as his office. The basement also has a passageway to a shared area of the building, where Plaisance has her workshop.
“It looks like a hardware store, which I love,” she says.
The basement level of the apartment has a third bedroom and second bathroom.
Jesse Freeston for CNBC Make It
The couple has been living in the former bank for over two years now, and Plaisance says they have no plans of leaving.
“I really want to take my time to transform the place because I know I want to live here for a long time,” she says. “It’s a work in progress.”
The next step is renovating the kitchen, which Plaisance plans on getting professional help for. In the next five years, she says she would like to do the bathrooms.
In the basement of the old bank, tenants have access to a shared area, which is where Plaisance has her workshop.
Marianne Plaisance
“I don’t think there will ever be a time that I will not do something in the house. And I think maybe in 10 years I’m going to redo everything I did,” she says.
“But I want to live for a long time in what I’ve done so far to enjoy it. I don’t see myself moving out of here anytime soon. It’s my dream place.”
Conversions to USD were done on February 28, 2025, using OANDA conversion rates of 1 Canadian Dollar to 0.70 USD. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.
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