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The Last Two Years
Interestingly enough I originally wrote this blog post back in December which was intended to be a summary of the renovation we did last year - reflecting on the feelings of overwhelm and how challenging it was. At the time I thought that 2025 was going to be a pretty low key year with us redoing the roof - so all external work. Little did I know in December that a series of failures in the kitchen would cause us to accelerate our timing of a kitchen renovation which blossomed to include kitchen and bathrooms on the main floor as well as the roof.
Bathroom demolition chaos. (EXIF data iPhone)
At the time I didn’t realize that I’d be putting my learnings and new tools into practice so soon, however we agreed to do the renovations which would take approximately 90 days - June to September. Another summer gone, but with the carrot that this would be our renovations done - any other work would be small in comparison and manageable by us (think changing the odd light fixture or cleaning up a garden bed - let’s see how well this plays out).
My Headspace During Renovations.
I used to think that I was very resilient and capable of working through chaotic times with an end goal in sight, however the experience of moving house and 2 years of renovations has taught me that I may need to refine my internal view of what I have the capacity to manage. It’s a bit sobering to have to admit this to myself, however I am learning that for me constancy and routine is really important. Don’t get me wrong I’m not so set in my ways yet that I cannot handle some upheaval and change, however the intensity and duration of these recent changes has been beyond what I’m willing to accommodate going forward (I think that Kory agrees with me as this has been really taxing for him too).
I’m getting ahead of myself though - I thought I’d do an update on house renovations since it has dominated my headspace for the last almost 2 years when we got serious about moving (what were we thinking!). We’re in the home stretch of the projects we set out to do this year. It’s been a long haul and there is still a lot of little finishing touches and setting up that needs to be done before the house gets handed back to us and we can move out of the basement.
Each time that we’ve scoped out a renovation I feel that I’m prepared - I try to work through the scope and logistics of managing things as well as setting the end goal and finished product clearly in mind. I find this is really helpful for me as I can keep visiting that end point when the overwhelm comes along as it inevitably does. I’ve found that keeping focused on that and working through things day by day is very helpful. What I seem to fail to do is build in enough resiliency for delays and unforeseen circumstances that lead to an extension of the renovation timeline.
Last year it was the first week of December before the downstairs bathroom tiling got done which led to a cascade of events such as uncovering the new flooring (we’d laid down plastic to protect it) and then moving furniture out of storage from the exercise room (no more excuses to not workout) and setting it up. Suddenly it all started to look like home rather than a construction zone. We had thought that we’d be done by the end of September last year! The last contractor left December 19th - just before I brought Kory’s mum for Christmas (snowy owl blog post).
This year I thought that I was prepared - realistic timeline in place, project managers managing the logistics and timeline/sequencing - however no one seemed to factor in three things:
the delay in getting the proper permits (no one thought we’d need a building permit rather than just an electrical one, but some rules changed in May just before we started) - add in a 3 week delay to a tight timeline.
the rainiest summer in Calagary’s recent history (more than during the 2013 flood event) and we had parts of our roof without shingles for most of the summer.
back in December a friend from the UK was finally convinced to pay us a visit after 10 years since her last Canadian sojourn - arrival date September 16.
The joy of finally having a kitchen sink and faucet installed after 79 days without (but who’s counting). (EXIF data iPhone)
It’s been stressful with all of these factors playing out - sleep has been interrupted and weather forecasts have been monitored daily.
I’m happy to report that we’re in the home stretch now and I think that we just might make it - the roof is finally all closed in and we now have countertops and tiles as well as a bathtub in our bedroom awaiting installation.
Coming out of the confusion
As I mentioned I thought that I had all sorts of learnings from last year to implement and I was very optimistic going into the summer of 2025 renovations - I was in for another summer of emotional roller coaster rides - the difference has been my approach and Kory’s as well. We recognized early on that our stress levels were running high and that we often had little capacity for dealing with changes.
As a result of this realization we did a few things that really helped us including:
Recognizing and being intentional about what skills we brought to the table and really leaning into them. Kory is an amazing detail person whereas I am not - he has helped us to not have to do a lot of rework because he catches things early - often anticipating these things before work begins. I’m sure this has been a challenge for our project manager, however it’s saved time and money. I on the other hand can make decisions - it sounds funny, but there are times when we’ve had to work through some complex things to come up with a decision - I am very good at doing this and it has been my strength.
Taking breaks - this summer we recognized that we can’t go full on indefinitely and we’ve both taken opportunities to take breaks and it’s been really effective for our mental health.
Communication - we’ve really tried to be more intentional about how we communicate with each other and with our project managers - clarifying things and not making assumptions has been important.
Checking in - one new skill we’ve implemented has been a game changer and that is checking in with each other to see where we’re at in terms of emotional intensity. We use a scale from 1 - 10 with 10 being off the charts losing it. Sometimes we volunteer our number and other times we ask each other where we’re at and if we have capacity to take something on. I think this is something we’re going to continue post renovations.
Evening sunset in Haida Gwaii - taking breaks is a good refresh. (EXIF data iPhone).
The Biggest Challenges and Changes
The biggest shift we saw last year was when we opened up the stairway to the lower level which had been blocked off to protect Roxy from getting into unsafe spots. Suddenly we both had a resurgence of energy and positivity. The inconvenience of having to go outside to go down to the lower level was gone - though we both tended to forget and tried to head outside a few times before remembering we didn’t have to.
This year we’ve been in the reverse situation - living in the downstairs space with limited places for Roxy to run and the stairway blocked again so that she can’t get into unsafe spaces upstairs. She is going to be so excited when that plastic barrier comes down and she is free to roam her domain and find all of the sunspots around the house during the day.
There have been perks to being downstairs - such as being able to see the backyard through the large windows that are at the ground level. We would never have been able to save Lucky if we had not been living down there as things happened so quickly. I intend to keep a camera set up down there so that I am prepared when wildlife makes an entrance.
It’s been stressful for Roxy - being stuck in the basement or the campervan during the day. (EXIF data f5.6, 1/400s, 100mm, ISO200)
Last year’s work was definitely not sexy (I mean who really cares about HVAC systems unless you’re freezing in the winter and sweltering in the summer - they don’t sell houses like fancy design and paintwork does), but it is critical to a smoothly functioning house. This year’s work is definitely more impactful on the flow and function of our day to day living especially the new kitchen layout. It’s also going to be so pleasing to see the new countertops and flooring which is bright, cheerful and easier to clean. I’m really looking forward to an oven that works and that I don’t have to guess what the controls mean (our old one had an LCD display with some missing bits - so BAKE looked like BP - it took me the longest time to figure this out).
Also the new sound insulation in the powder room means that guests will have some privacy during dinner parties (the powder room shares a wall with the dining room and the lack of a sound barrier was …..hmmmm…..challenging sometimes).
New Roof
The new roof is also a boon for long term security from leaks and unwanted visitors. Moving to the country has been an eye opener compared to our city experiences with wildlife. We have our camper van stored outside beside the garage and one day Kory noticed that a little red squirrel was popping out from under the front of the van - lifting the hood revealed that he was removing pieces of felt insulation from the engine compartment to use as winter nesting material. The application of some grease to the engine compartment where he was climbing up resolved this issue - though I’m sure it frustrated the little fellow a great deal.
We thought all was good until I was making a puzzle in the dining room and heard scrabbling above my head in the ceiling. A quick trip outside saw the same red squirrel popping out from the undereaves beside my office window - oh no!
I’m sure our neighbours were having a chuckle watching us - Kory in my office banging on the walls until I saw the squirrel come out and then me shoving a broom in the hole and keeping watch until Kory could get up there to block off the hole.
The last section of roof being completed using a recycled tire product called Euroshield. (EXIF data f7.1, 1/250s, 200mm, ISO500)
On an afternoon when we were going to relax it ended up being a couple of hours of work to secure several openings in the undereaves to ensure that we had no more visitors running around in the roof. I’m happy to report that we didn’t have any more visits over the winter, however the squirrel has taken to yelling at us from a safe branch in the tree out front of the house.
With the new roof and soffits being completed this year I’m looking forward to not worrying about our squirrel friend bringing pine cones into the attic anymore. I think he’s already found a new home as we haven’t seen him around this summer - we’ll have to keep an eye out for him this fall as we winterize our camper van - complete with peppermint infused dryer sheets as strong scents really repel them.
Home sweet home
Enough of the challenges and practicalities of renovations! What I notice more than anything is the feeling I get when I step inside the front door - it feels like home. There is a warm and cozy feeling and Roxy sure thinks it’s home. Prior to this summer’s renovation project she spent time in different areas of the house each day - finding sun spots or comfy places to curl up and watch the world pass by (she can’t wait to get back to doing this once the upstairs is open again). We should all take a leaf out of her book for living well.
What I enjoyed last winter was curling up in front of a roaring fire reading a good book or writing this blog - I can’t wait to get back to that again. It has been especially nice to have even heating and no surprises with the new systems we installed.
I think that a house reflects the inhabitants’ souls - I’ve been in homes with amazing architecture and design, but there was no connection or feeling of who lived there - it was sterile and much like a hotel or office building feels. I have also been in homes that are older and have seen better days, but they feel warm and comfortable and welcoming - you know that the owners care about the home and it is reflected in little things that shine through - you feel relaxed and you just want to spend time there.
It is my hope that people who visit our home experience a similar feeling of coziness and comfort that I do when I come in the door.
What is one aspect of your home that makes it feel like home to you? I’d love to hear about it in the comments or drop me a note directly by clicking on the Connect With Me button.
Looking forward to spending time on the front porch with the sunset views. (EXIF data iPhone).
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
