A Word to the Wise...

One thing that I have learned from our adventures in home renovations thus far is that you need to have a contingency plan.

This advice is two fold: first of all, you need to plan to have an extra percentage over and above your reno budget on standby in case one of the dreaded "what ifs" come to pass. No matter how well you budget, even down to the exact brad nail and ounce of grout, those sneaky little circumstances rear their ugly heads. Suddenly you are re-drywalling a section of the wall, or re-plumbing your tub. I'm not exactly sure the percentage the pros say to have as a contingency over and above your alloted budget, but my advice is to figure that out and don't be surprised when you actually have to pull the proverbial wad of cash out of your back pocket to pay the furnace guy (yes, again, a reference to the great furnace/hot water heater debaucle of '09).

The second part of that advice would be to expect delays. As you head full force into the renos, past the point of no return, keep in mind the ever present reality that it just may take longer than you hoped. Again, no matter how well you plan, right down to the grout-sealing-second, things can suddenly put your scheduled reno on hold, or set you back days (or, heaven forbid, weeks). Funny enough, these setbacks usually work in seamless cooperation with the extra money you are forced to shell out. Not "haha" funny, so much though.

What brings this advice about, you ask? The bath renos are going well, don't get me wrong. But it is costing a bit more than we had planned, and won't be done until later this week. Luckily, we planned for those "surprise" expenses, and we haven't worn out our welcome at my parents. And if they do change the locks on us, it will just be further incentive to get that bathroom done.

Bath Update

So it is Day 7 since we began bath renos, but only Day 5 since we lost complete use of the facility. The tub surround is almost done - the grout needs to be sealed and the edges caulked, but it is all plumbed to perfection and the 8 x 12 tiles we chose are really great! The floor is half done, and I believe that Tim will be working on that tonight. Basically, we have the floor to finish, the walls to paint, and then we can put everything back: the toilet is in the tub and the new vanity is in the garage. They will look (and function!) much better where they belong!

I'm excited to see the finished product, and thankfully I am not too anxious yet. Tim is working really hard, and is doing a great job. I can now help with painting because I'm done my sewing class (more about that later!). Making the trek to my parents' house for showers isn't so bad when its summer time (trust me, I know... we had to do this back in March with the furnace and hot water heater debaucle of '09).

I originally was planning to post pictures of the progress, but now that I reconsider, I don't think I want to ruin the surprise of the finished bathroom, nor do I want to show you disaster that is our upstairs hallway.

Let the Renos Begin!

One of the projects I have anxiously been awaiting the start (and finish) of is our bathroom upstairs. Currently it is our only official bathroom, although we do have a toilet in our laundry room. While in the future our goal is to tastefully transform our laundry room into a laundry / three-piece bath (trust me, I have vision), our present focus is on moving our main bath from merely functional to a pleasant experience, so to speak.

We are looking at a job that fits nicely between total gutting and sprucing the place up. The tub and toilet will stay, but we are planning to retile the tub surround, redo the floor, replace the vanity, mirror, sink and tub faucets, and paint. Not a job for the faint of heart: Tim (with the help of his brother Jason) has taken on the challenge, and they are more than competent!

The work began on Thursday evening, and although much as already been done, there is still lots to do! I hope that this will only take less than a week until its functional again; perhaps a bit longer until its to my exact liking with finishing touches. Until then, we're showering at mum and dad's!

I definitely will post updates and the finished project. And below is a "before" picture, because a transformation isn't quite as wonderful to appreciate if you didn't understand what was there. What is the counter made of, you ask? I don't know, but the former home owners thought it would be a good idea to spray it with a green stone finish. Yes, stone. It's very rough, and not fun to clean!

Don't worry... we changed the toilet seat when we moved in!

a favourite thing...

One of my favourite stores right now is Home Sense. While some may feel a bit overwhelmed by the plethora of home items to browse through, I view it as an amazing adventure. I especially love the fact that this week I can walk in and see one set of merchandise, but next week they can have a whole new set of items to peruse, with (*fingers crossed*) the merch from the week before marked down further!

I am not kidding when I say that I could go in there every week and happily browse, keeping my eye on certain items to be marked down further, or to snap up random things for my house. I even used to go in there when I didn't have a house!

I definitely don't buy something everytime I am in there (and Tim says, "thank goodness"), but it serves as somewhat of a "retail therapy" for me. I think the only ones who do it better than me are my cousins Lori and Leanne. You could learn a thing or two from those two saavy shoppers.

Summer Herbs

Since we moved in last fall, I have anxiously been awaiting the warm summer weather for many reasons: one, because I'm convinced that I would function best in a more tropical climate, and two, so that I could plant an herb pot for my back patio. We don't have the luxury of planting a garden at our condo, but the thought of fresh herbs to cook with makes me want to flip through recipe books. My mom generously offered to make up the small pots for me and we decided on two kinds of parsley, basil, cilantro, rosemary, and lavender. We brought them over on Saturday and here they are, waiting to be used!

Dressing Room

I often tease my husband that one day when we buy a new house, I would like to have a dressing room: a pretty room dedicated to my clothes and shoes and accessories. What is funny is that I am serious, and I actually say "when we build", and we just bought this place we are in and are having an adventure of home renovations as it is. Regardless, I would still like that room! In it I would have a big beautiful chandelier and below that a comfy chaise. After that, the possibilities are endless! Below is a shot from Jenna Lyons' (the creative director of J.Crew) wardrobe room that I first saw in the November 2008 issue of Domino.