The Unveiling
(click on images to view them full size)
It’s been a long haul.
Sunrises over the wooded area behind our home are often a spectacular show. EXIF data iPhone image.
When we first sat down and discussed the possibility of moving - little did I know that it would be a two and a half year epic project to get from concept to getting settled into normal living. I’ll just say up front that it has been totally worth it. The mornings that I wake up and look outside to see such natural beauty as well as amazing wildlife makes it worth all of the inconvenience and frustrations (I’m also basing this on the fact that the stress and memories of renovations seems to fade after a few months).
The end section of the house before renovations showing the complex roof line with lifting cedar shakes and tired terra cotta stucco with multi coloured window trim and eaves troughs that overflowed during heavy rains. EXIF data iPhone image
I also believe that while this time of challenge has brought out some of my less attractive traits (thinking back to that moment when I was so overwhelmed I just stood in the bathroom and screamed out my frustration), it has revealed a depth and closeness in my relationship with Kory that we often take for granted. I am so grateful to have such an amazing person in my life who has my back and lets me take care of him too.
Remember that I don’t like suspense or surprises - which is why I started out this post with some gratitude and acknowledgment that it has been worth it. We’re thrilled with the outcome of the renovation and the location of our new home. Now it feels like we can relax and just live (well sort of - there is still a lot of setting up and minor fixes to get through).
A new functional kitchen
A view of the large island in the congested kitchen EXIF data iPhone image of real estate brochure.
Some of my friends remember me saying that we were going to wait a while to do the kitchen - that it is ok as it is and we wanted to get a feel for how it functions and what we would like to change before embarking on a renovation. Well a few really annoying failures led to an acceleration of that plan (cupboard doors falling off and drawers not closing).
Views of the before kitchen and eating nook area. EXIF data iPhone image of real estate brochure.
Our house is an older ranch style layout and not a modern open concept space which we rather like. There is a kitchen/breakfast nook area that leads to a more formal dining room space. This didn’t function well for us at all as there was seating at the island in the kitchen and 5’ away a breakfast eating area and another 5’ away a dining room. Way too many eating areas and the kitchen was pretty congested with the relatively big island in the middle of the main traffic area. The kitchen was also rather dark and heavy looking with a lot of floofy (my term) open shelving which I hate!
View from the prep island to the large seating island in the nook area (still some touch ups to be done). EXIF data iPhone image.
We made a decision to significantly downsize the kitchen island and turn it into a prep area with storage for all my many kitchen gadgets (gadget stacking blog) (we even designed drawer depths to fit my gadgets). Some very thoughtful ideas went into the design and I’m really looking forward to cooking in this much brighter and less heavy looking kitchen.
We added a large island in the breakfast nook area which seats 3 and has more storage in it than we need (this house seems to be all about ample storage space). This island really makes the kitchen look much larger rather than two small spaces and it now flows into a really bright and inviting community space (plus people will no longer be crowding me as I prep meals).
I especially like the granite we chose - we’re not fans of polished granite for fingerprints and glossy look, so we chose a leathered or textured granite and this one has so much movement in the grain. A bonus is that it’s called Titanium and as a metallurgist this seems to be fitting. I foresee a lot of abstract photographs emerging from this amazing stone - my creative juices are already flowing and planning photoshoots.
Large seating area island in the foreground and small prep island in kitchen - newly designed kitchen. EXIF data iPhone image.
Oh and for those who have spent time in our last house with us - yes I do realize that I basically designed a very similar kitchen in terms of cabinetry style and colour - must mean I really like clean lines and bright spaces.
Temporary kitchen in the basement. EXIF data iPhone
I do have to say that going through this renovation has made me recognize how fortunate we are to have space. When my kitchen was reduced to a single burner induction cooktop and bbq (until the roofers started throwing cedar shakes off the roof and it became unsafe) so I added an air fryer (love love the air fryer), I recognized how eating healthy just really takes some planning and preparation. Having said that, I’m happy to have more space. I’m also happy to no longer have to wash dishes in the bathroom sink and the exercise machine no longer being used as a clothes horse.
Updated bathrooms
Guest bathroom pre-renovation. EXIF data iPhone image
As I mentioned this house was built and designed as a country ranch style home and the bathrooms reflected this aesthetic which probably was quite pleasing 30 years ago. Today it looks dark, dated and tired. We went with fresh bright tiles and colours to lift our spirits and present a clean uncluttered look.
Updated guest bathroom with more accessible and larger shower space. EXIF data iPhone image.
We also took the benches out of the shower stalls (I gotta be honest - I have never been a fan of sitting on cold tile) which gives more space - especially in the guest bathroom.
As you can imagine - renovating kitchens and bathrooms are the most intensive and disruptive areas of the house to work in. For 104 days we lived in our basement with access to the upstairs only achieved by going outside and walking around to the deck. Mostly we had to do this to block Roxy from going upstairs and getting into trouble with the construction chaos. She is one happy kitty now that the barrier is down and she can roam throughout her domain again.
Exterior changes
Jury rigged downspouts to prevent flooding at the basement door. EXIF data iPhone image
The final part of the renovation took place outside with a new roof and paint. This was not the best season to undertake these changes as we had more days of rain this summer than we usually get in a year and the volume of rain hit record levels too. Our worst weekend saw over 100mm (almost 4”) in two days - we had to jury rig downspouts to prevent flooding of the lower level of the house - not a fun time at all!
We were fortunate to only have two leaks from this event - though the one that came down to the lower fireplace was annoying with the slow drip drip we heard. The positive is that it helped us to identify areas that needed some extra attention during the roofing job and now we’re confident that we have a secure leak proof roof for many years to come.
Post renovation exterior colour, roof and trim. EXIF data iPhone image
Rather than asphalt shingles (probably the most popular choice in this region) we went with a recycled tire product called Euroshield. It most closely resembled the cedar shake roof we had and it also has great protection from hail damage (Calgary is prone to hail storms in the summer which can cause significant damage to roofs and siding). We’ll be bouncing those hail stone right across town now!
What’s next?
Well I think it’s safe to say that the next while will be spent fine tuning the set up of the new areas, hanging artwork, putting out personal items and settling back into our daily habits. One thing that we’re both proud of is that we managed to maintain our healthy eating habits throughout a very stressful time where we didn’t have a great space for food preparation.
We are very grateful to have had some amazing support through this renovation and some very talented trades people who are masters at their craft. Some spent so much time here that we felt they were going to become permanent members of the household!
I know that I’ve been going on about this renovation for some time (104 days to be specific) and some of my friends are heartily fed up with me droning on, so I’ll be happy to have new topics of conversation. I’m also prepared for the ribbing I’ll be getting about how I said this house doesn’t need much work…..no more renovations…..you get the drift.
Anyone wishing to share renovation stories and learnings - I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or drop me a line directly by clicking on the Connect With Me button.
Demolition chaos at the beginning of renovations. EXIF data iPhone image
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
