Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween!

And Happy Birthday to two of my favourite people!

Amy

One Year Later: Bathroom & Upstairs Hallway

Before:

Now:

Still outstanding:

• hardware needs to be installed on the door
• touch-up paint on the window
• move shower enclosure rod
• trim around vent stack
• return air vent cover needs to be stripped, refinished and installed
• stair railing
• linen closet
• touch-up paint

One Year Later: Spare Bedroom & Office

Before:

Now:

Still outstanding:

• build desk and shelving in both rooms
• touch-up paint on the french doors and install hardware
• return air vent cover needs to be stripped, refinished and installed
• touch-up paint
• closet doors need to be painted and hung
• hardware needs to be installed on the closet doors
• paint the window

One Year Later: Master Bedroom

Before:

Now: 

Still outstanding:

• door needs to be planed down and touched-up
• closet doors need to be painted and hung
• attic door needs to be painted
• hardware needs to be installed on the closet doors and attic door
• paint the window
• touch-up paint on the window sill
• return air vent cover needs to be stripped, refinished and installed

One Year Later

It has been one year since we first swung the sledge hammer.

To us it seems like it has been an (exhausting) eternity but looking back it is surprising to see just how much we have actually accomplished.

Over the next couple weeks I am going to be posting a "house tour" showing how far we have come... and how much is left to be done.

Amy

Sealed

We took advantage of the warm weather the other weekend to seal the new concrete.

We are both ecstatic with how well the project turned out - especially how the amount of variation in the stain makes it look like natural rock. We can't wait till the spring when we will be able to do the final touch-ups on the edges of the concrete, install the brick on the front face of the patio like our inspiration photo and build some raised rundle stone flower beds.

Thanks a million Dave!

Amy


PS If any one is looking to have concrete work done - send me a message and I will pass on Dave's contact information. He comes STRONGLY recommended!

Cute Little Yellow House

We always received compliments from the neighbours that we had the cutest little yellow house. Well now we have an even cuter little yellow house.

Before:

After the kitchen renovation:

Now:

 

I am happy to have the siding crew gone. Nothing against them... but it gets a little tiring have to check for two guys on ladders outside the bathroom window before you get in the shower in the morning.

Shopping List

Our trip to India and Nepal is fast approaching and my shopping list is quickly growing... 

Of course from Nepal, I want to bring home prayer flags, possibly to frame and create a gallery wall...

A must from India - block printed quilts. Most likely one for each room and probably more as gifts...

Possibly some traditional Jaipur blue pottery...

And maybe a Tibetan rug or two or three...

I hope there is enough room in our backpacks!

Amy

Best Laid Plans

Despite appearances and our best intentions, Dave and I are actually not very good at the planning part of renovating. Most of the time we actually just wing it and figure things out as we go along. For example our recent adventures with the front steps...

We knew we had to eventually replace our front steps to work with the new wider front door... but it was pretty far down the to-do list. Like somewhere on next year's to-do list...

That was until the neighbour lent Dave a jack hammer a couple weeks ago... then we figured it was kind of important to have front steps with winter coming and all... kind of hard to shovel snow off of concrete rubble.

Then while together hiking in Larch Valley the other weekend, our friend Dave, who happens to be a very talented concrete foreman, offered to help us rebuild the front steps. Complete with stamped and stained concrete.

That got us excited. We began searching the Internet for inspiration and stumbled upon this:

All of the sudden our simple plans for new wider steps grew into a new steps and a new porch and a new sidewalk. But thankfully Dave was up to the challenge.

Unfortunately the only time he was available to help us was that coming weekend. So we agreed we would do the form work and rebar on Saturday and then pour the concrete on Sunday. Great! We had a plan but that only gave us five days to get everything organized and complete the demolition.

Dave set to work removing the last of the old concrete (which ended up involving renting a concrete saw) and pulling out the old flower beds, while I was charged with the task of ordering concrete. Easy right - just ask the contractor building the house down the street. Ha! He just laughed and informed me that no one delivers concrete on Sunday and if I did convince some one to deliver they would charge a ridiculous premium. We didn't have much choice so I started to make phone calls...

Four days later, after pretty much exhausting every number in the phone book, I managed to find ONE company in all of Calgary willing to deliver concrete on a Sunday morning - GAL Concrete Couriers. Thankfully their rates were reasonable and they were fantastic to deal with too boot!

Saturday we worked well past dark to have everything ready in time and at the crack of dawn on Sunday morning, the concrete truck pulled into the yard.

By early afternoon on Sunday we had beautiful new stamped and stained concrete.

Sigh... It is no wonder we are always exhausted.

Amy

Siding

The siding crew has been working for about three weeks now... progress has been very slow... they are probably only half way done.

Amy