It's beginning to look alot like a house

This weekend (!) they came in and put up all the drywall.  What a difference it makes!  I can really see how this defines the rooms and brightens the space.

This shot shows the wide open feel between the great room and the foyer.  I can see our Christmas Tree over where the stair rail will be next year.

This is the view in the basement.  Colin wants everyone to know that where the drywall is stacked on the ground is about where his pool table will be - regulation size, of course.

This view is from the foyer towards the great room and the patio door (sans patio until next summer).

This view is from the foyer looking into the new dining room (yellow walls) and kitchen.

And, they have completed the new exterior stucco. We decided on a two toned finish with some design detail. The house will definitely stand out on the street....check it out!

This last photo is for those of you who don't think you have much snow....come take some of ours.

So close, I can Taste it

The good weather has allowed the team to get caught up after the various illnesses slowed them down, their subs down and even suppliers down. The roof is now shingled with a  40 year, 3-D effect and most of the siding on the back and side of house is up (photo is the rear of our house...they've now added some temporary stairs until we build the deck next summer):

They have almost completed insulating the house. 

This is me and the contractor in the basement, looking towards what will be Colin's billards area.

The bathtub is installed - an airjet tub big enough for two!

They will start to drywall this week, and this will really change the feel of the space.  So far, we have been looking through walls but that is about to change!  They might even start to tile the entryway this week.

...and it continues

The walls are up!

The roof is up!

The garage is built!

Now that the framing has been completed, we can start to finalize our kitchen design.  They re-used a window, but in took it from another room - and it was bigger then we realized.  So we've had to redesign some elements.  Where to put the microwave now that it won't fit next to the 'fridge? And now that the 'fridge is 27 cu ft....how much space will we really have for the double pantry????

Colin is thrilled with the new garage.  He had it built taller then it was before, and my gosh -what a difference!

One thing we noticed that is a strange trick of the eye.  When they dug out the basement - we thought OH MY!  It's HUGE.  Then they built the foundation walls and it seemed smaller - we expected that.  But what I didn't expect was once they built the main floor, the basement seemed larger again.  On the main floor, from one angle, I saw the new walk through closet and it seemed really large - larger then the bedroom.  I was starting to regret the decision - and then, once I walked around, I realized it was smaller then it looked when I was actually standing in the bedroom.

One can always question size when you build.  On plan, the entire space looked about 1.5 times bigger then it seems now. But I think if we had seen the plans on paper to reflect the size we saw in our minds, we would have balked - after all, this isn't meant to be a palace.  It is, and always will be, a bungalow, and I sure don't want to clean a palace!

Week 3 of the Renovations

The foundation base went up last week and the foundation walls went up earlier this week.  They have completely removed the front porch and steps.  I watched the garage come down Monday morning - it took about 30 minutes to completely come down - walls and roof. 

We've approved the electrical layout and plan. I want to cry every time I see what used to be gardens.

Now that it is getting wet and cold, they are starting to do things inside like change the direction of the stairs to the basement. And the site lead advised us that because there will be a new hallway in the basement, we need to rethink where the laundry room will go. Right now, it is in the unfinished part of the basement.  He's suggesting that it be moved to the room that I'd intended to use as a gym, because then the water pipes will all be on the same side as the basement bathroom.  But that then means two things:

1. We have to remove all the books that are currently stored in that room into the unfinished part of the basement - and will have no where to store them once the work is all done.

2. Since the unfinished part of the basement is remaining unfinished, the home gym won't be a very inviting place to work out.

Sigh.  At this point, selling the old dear and moving to a bigger place sounds like it was the way to go.

The Renovations Begin!

Colin spent two weekends clearing out the asbestos by removing the stucco and the drywall in the old addition.

To do this, he also had to take down the kitchen cabinets, lighting fixtures, etc. I spent two weekends digging up & moving the plants that I could, but some I couldn't dig up, like the iris', and so have to leave it to fate.

On Tuesday, the crew came and tore down the old addition.  It was....stunning.  It really hit for me that now it is official, now we really doing this, now we will have a beautiful new home.

On Wednesday, I got a call that they had found an old septic tank encased in concrete.  It was empty, fortunately, but it had to be removed - at extra cost, of course! Still, it had to be done, and I have decided to throw it to the universe that this is the last of the nasty surprises - only good surprises from now on! Old IBM stock from the 1940's....bags of gold...a lost masterpiece...you know, that sort of thing.



On Thursday, they had dug out the basement and had removed the last of the septic tank.  And today, they smoothed the dirt walls in readiness to pour the concrete foundation and cut the new entryways that will link the old and new basement.

Next week, they will rip out the old concrete front porch & stairs and pour the new foundation.  They might start something with the garage.

What was I unprepared for in all this?  The absolute MESS of our front and backyard.  But the lawn and gardens had become so weed infested, I've decided to try to stay positive about this, too, and will spend the winter drawing up new, simple plans.

I've been having fun with paint colors, too.  I've decided to neutralize the space, so that my love of changing colors can continue with easier items to change up, like soft accessories. I've also found that after years of living with alot of tone-on-tone, I crave some contrast, too. The main floor paint color will be a Benjamin Moore color called "Smoke Embers" (1486, I believe).  It is a soft grey with some taupe in it - it looks great with the entryway porcelin tiles that look like slate, the old honey colored hardwood in the front room (to become the new dining room) and the natural finished hardwood in the new kitchen/great room. 

For the master ensuite, we have porcelin tiles in a similar slate effect, but softer tones with taupe, blues and greys.  I've selected a Ben. Moore paint called Mt. Rainier Gray - the softest blue grey color that really changes in the light.

Colin selected the laminate for the basement - based on Koa wood, it looks almost like a tiger pelt, very cool. For the basement bathroom, I've selected a greeny/grey floor tile and will add a light wall with a tinge of green to it.

We will be painting some rooms ourselves: the new dining room, our bedroom, the basement bedroom, which Kristian wants a deep, kahki green, and the billards room. Our bedroom will be a neutral color, some shade of white, because I've decided I like the peaceful atmosphere and the flexibility it gives me to change the colors of the bedding and curtains.  We are installing a new window in the bedroom, so it will be a light filld room. Colin wants a deep color on the billards room/family room downstairs.  I've no clue what to paint the dining room - it is currently a soft buttery-gold yellow, with a large fireplace mantal in white and silver.  The new dining room set is darker toned wood.

Summer Vacation

This year, I had the opportunity to do something I haven't done since I was 14 years old:  I went to Bayside, Maine with my family.

Bayside is a tiny community that is part of Northport, ME. My stepfather's family used to own cottages there, and he has had regular summer vacations there since he was a child.  He learned to sail there, at the Bayside Sailing Club - in fact, it was his godmother who first set up the school and he & his brother were the mascots before they were allowed to sail.

It really hadn't changed at all since I was last there.  The cottages are still tiny and some sort of ramshackle - most were built in the late 1800's and are protected to some extent.  But this is what makes it charming.

The whole family was there, for a change:  My mom & stepdad; me, Colin & Special K., my sister & her family, my brother & his family.  And special guests included: My grandmother - who will be 97 in December - and the youngest of my grandma's grandchildren, Ginny and her family.  There were also some family from my step-dad's side: his half sister Anne, and a nephew, Laurien, both visiting from France; Aunt Shirley & Uncle Al.

Days are pretty relaxed in Bayside.  My typical day went thus:

• I would wake up and take the dog for a walk.  Besides my mom & step-dad, I was the only one she allowed to walk her.
• I would have some coffee and breakfast on the front porch and talk to my parents.
• I'd walk down to the pier and have a wander on the rocky beach.
• I'd wait for my sister to wake up so we could go have some fun.
• Eventually, I'd have dinner with the whole extended family and go to bed early.

You quickly learn to enjoy the simple things in life living like that.

We did some touring, too.  One day, Colin & I went to the nearby town of Belfast, which is now voted as one of the 10 coolest small towns in the US.  It is filled with little art shops and we were able to buy some art for our home.  Another day, my sister, Leslie, and sister-in-law, Ruth, went to Camden, a larger small town and wandered the streets. 

One the drive into the Bayside, we stopped to visit my friend, Jean, from the UK, at her mother's "camp" (as they call cottages and cabin sites in Maine) near Lovell.  Jean was with her man, Joe, and his two daughters, who live in Europe with their mother.  The day we left, Joe proposed to Jean, and now that we know it is just a 6 hour drive to Lovell, we are looking forward to seeing them next summer - hopefully for their wedding!

It was great to see everyone and to live those memories again.  Colin & I decided that in a couple years, we'll go with his family and rent a cottage, too.

Renovation Diary #1

The financing has been secured. The detailed drawings submitted to the city for the permits. We have found a house close by to live in for 6 months, closer to Special K.'s high school then we are now.

We selected our kitchen and bathroom fixtures, including the special faucet that turns on just by touching it with your skin (Colin is thrilled).

And they found asbestos in the house.

So, now we have to pay for specialist removal and are awaiting for the quote to do that. Which means the upgrades we wanted are all on hold.

To make matters worse, the basement bathroom, which had mold on it because of a leak in an upstairs bathroom, turns out to be the bad stuff. So we have to include removal of that, too.

I know in the end we will have a safe, healthy and beautiful home....I just wish it wasn't such a trial to get there. Hopefully, this will be the worst and rest will go much smoother. That's what I tell myself!

Well, the design for our renovation is done and the plans are with the bank. Now we wait. And wait. And I worry while Colin keeps saying "everything is going to be fine".

We are ripping down the existing addition, because it is an indeterminate number of years old (20+, at least) and is sinking. Yes, sinking. It seems so wasteful to rip down something just rebuild it again, but it is necessary, sadly. It will give us 740 sq ft of new living space, a reconfigured floor plan for most of the house, and a full basement. They are changing the stairs, opening up the entry way to become a proper foyer with large closet, converting one of the 4 bedrooms into part of the master suite, as the en suite and walk-in closet.

So, as soon as we get confirmation from the bank that we can proceed, we have to:

• find a new place to live for 6 months - harder then you think in Ottawa, as the average leases are 1 year and we don't need that long
• clean out the house of junk and pack to move elsewhere for the time being
• start to select kitchen cabinets, counter tops, appliances, flooring, bathroom fixtures/cabinets, paint colors, etc....

And next year, we will need to build the new deck, too.

whew. I'm already tired and we haven't even started to demolish the house yet!

Renovation post, Part Deux

Tonight our project manager for the company we selected to design our new addition and construct it, comes in to show us the design they have come up with. I am so excited! And also scared.....what if we don't like it? What if we like it and can't afford it? What if they start and find all sorts of nasty things that have to be fixed before they can complete it?

Renovation part deux is me...I have finally admitted that I am not able to lose weight by ignoring my diet and have joined Weight Watchers. It is week one and I am still adapting to the whole program, so I feel hungry most of the time. But it has slapped me into reality - I didn't think I was eating as much as I am...I was worried about eating all my points alloted in a day - and instead, am going over each day! So clearly, I need to pay more attention. But I have lots of support from friends and family far & wide, so I am sure I figure it out.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!

Today is my mom's birthday! Sorry for all that birthing drama I put you through - hopefully I turned out alright.

My mom has three kids. This seems a strange way to say I have two siblings, but this is a post about my mom, after all. She had a blonde, a brunette & a redhead. Now she has three red-heads, but that's a post for another day. Anyway, we all tried to be born in different ways and my mom once said she had a theory that the physical way in which a baby tries to be born influences how they approach things in life.

One of us was born feet first - and jumps into things fete first and then thinks it through.
One of us tried to be born sideways - that had to be corrected, obviously - and mom says that baby always finds themselves in the middle of things, whether planned or not.
One of us was born head first and is widely known in the family as the thinker and the smart one.

I'm not telling which is which. :)

The Theme of this Post is "Renovation"

Colin & I have been talking about renovating our home for a few years now. Our house is a 1955, 1,500 sq.ft bungalow, which sits on a lot size 151 x 153 ft wide - just between a 1/3 and 1/2 an acre. We love our street and our neighbors, and when this happens, it makes it hard to consider moving.

We loved our house when we first moved in - we still do, actually. But we want a bit more space, so we can entertain at our house year round. Currently, we do most of our entertaining in the summer, as we have a large deck. Our house is L-shaped, so we are going to square off the back of the house, which will give us the open space we want - which means we will have to reconfigure the main living space of the house, plus our master bedroom, which sits off the kitchen. We really have to rebuild the garage, because it is falling down, and we want to attach at least some of it to he house, so we can have a new breeze-way/mud room that will become the primary entrance - especially for winters.

We've finally secured our loan at the bank, and have had meetings with architects and builders, so we can see what we can get with the amount we have to spend. So we are excited now.

And, I've restarted my exercise program, so I am renovating me, too! If only I could get Colin to start....

Since I've been home....

It is now mid January, 2009, and Ottawa is in the midst of a deep cold snap. Today and yesterday, the temperatures have hovered around -25, with wind chills in the -30's. Really, after it gets below -15, I just don't care anymore - it is just too damn cold!

I went back to the London for one final week in early December. I only had planned two nights out, but it turned into every, single night out. Yes, it took that long to say goodbye to people, and after all of it, there were still people I missed saying farewell too.

I'll miss - in no order:

Catherine
Jean
Anouska
Carol
Julia
Cath S.
Stephanie
Barbora
Neil
Andi
Richard
Paul
Ken
Lisa
Jan
Mike
Ruth
Carlos
...
I'm sure I've missed a few names off this list.

So when I came back home to Ottawa, I had a few days work to complete for a mini project, then went on vacation until the end of the year. We drove down to Troy, Michigan, to visit my family, just after XMas. It was the first time I had seen them in 4 - 5 years! How did I let that happen? My niece & nephew are so grown up now (being 8 & 5, after all!), and my mom getting along rather well after her hip surgery. I met the famous Miss Kitty, the little cat my mom rescued from Florida a few years back, and got reacquainted with Maisie, the border collie. I visited the mana of mana's for me - DSW (Designer Shoe Warehouse for those who don't know). I ate. And ate some more, and am now regretting it, as I feel like a balloon!

My new project in Ottawa keeps having a delayed start, as the powers that be finalise the contract, but will start up in a couple of weeks for sure. So I continue to stay warm, at home, and dream about my future and about the times I had in London.