Catching Up!

Its been a few months since my last post and we’ve done a lot in that time.  I’ve separated the posts and over the next few days, I’ll publish them as I finish catching up…

Planning

There were many features this place had that made it attractive to us.  The major areas we wanted to changes were:

• take the one bdrm basement with two awkward rec/living rooms and officially create a legal, two bdrm suite
• convert the eat-in kitchen area on the main floor into a mudroom/laundry area
• elevate the sunken floor of the living room to be even with the rest of the home
• use the space of both the main bath and the tiny ensuite to create two full bathrooms

We took the previous layout of the main bath/ensuite and by taking out the wall between the two rooms, moving it over to extend the wall running from the bathtub, we achieved two well-appointed rooms - especially when you look at the limited spare footage we were working with.  Adding a pocket door to the main bath will also add to making the space feel bigger.

One step away from being on a milk carton…

No, wolves did not eat us, nor did I run away with the circus… I simply got busy/lazy and blogging fell by the wayside. There simply were not enough hours in the day to do it all and that’s ok. With the craziness of the holidays behind us and the endless possibilities of a new year to look forward to, I figured I would give this another go.

Over the last few months, we have not gotten as far as we would like, but are definitely gaining some traction now. Both a good thing and bad, is that we do not live in any of the homes we renovate. It allows us the luxury of time when life gets crazy, plus a clean space to always come home to, but it also makes it way too easy to slack off. A few days away can quickly turn into a week (or two) and in the end, that means more money out the door.

I’m hoping to focus the next few posts on catching everyone up to where we are today and how we got there. These are quick photos I took while Ryan was away the first week after possession.

First step is always loading up all the tools and the stocked up supplies that are in our garage and moving them over to the “work house”.

One thing we’ve learned from the last project is that we would not purchase a house that didn’t have a good garage already, or had one that had to be torn down, prior to us starting interior work. We wasted so much time and effort moving stuff in and out of the garage before it was torn down/after it was rebuilt and so often didn’t have tools needed on site, so driving back and forth from home mid-project was more than a bit annoying.

On to the Next One!

It seems funny to me, that after all the negotiations and meetings with bankers and lawyers Ryan and I have had over the years, for all the various properties we’ve shared between us, we have never encountered as simple and as quick a deal as the one we just completed.  The stars really did align for us on this home and I hope to share some better pictures once we get possession, but for now, you’ll have to make do with the listing photos.  Keep in mind they showcase the “best” attributes of this home; the remaining “au naturel” pics deserve a post all to themselves…

We’re Baaaack!

With Labour Day come and gone, kids are back at school, life returns to normal and all the ‘fun in the sun’ is done for another year.  Vacations and lax schedules/routines are wonderful, but settling back into the grind can be a welcome thing too, no?  Or is that just me???

We’ve enjoyed this summer as a family; hanging out, sleeping in and going to the local spray park and playground, but even Jacob is getting a bit squirrely.  Last week we pulled over to find an address and Jacob saw a realtor’s sign, so naturally he shrieked, “Is that our new work house!?!?!?”  I never realized how much he liked renovating houses – or it could have been the large bouncy castle in their backyard.  Regardless, we took it as a sign to get back at it!

There are real gems out there, in need of some much needed polish…

We think we’ve made a decision and will most likely put in an offer today, so I’ll keep you posted!

After the Whirlwind of Work (Basement and Exterior/Garage)

So here is the last group of pictures…

This was one of my favorite areas to work on because we took it all right back to the shell and reimagined the entire space.  With every project, our focus really is, “How would we use this space?”  Having kids and family constantly visiting, we wanted to add valuable square footage to this home.   The basement includes a large laundry room, utility/storage area, a spare bedroom and family room with a big, bright bathroom, as well – great for visitiors, but also for a child to grow into or use as an in-law suite.