Reno limbo

Mr. Speedy and I are kind of in renovation limbo these days. As I shared last week, our patchwork has been delayed, but hopefully should start later this week.

The delay has really limited what we can do around the house. We're still waiting to unpack, in a effort to allow clear access to the walls and to try to keep at least some of our possessions dust-free. We're cleaning up half-heartedly, knowing that it's not worth washing down the walls or the like until everything has been sanded.

I've started to think about how I want the house to look once the holes are patched. I've got to try to match some paint for the main floor rooms, which have only small holes - and we love the colours that are already there - and I've ordered wallpaper for the living room accent wall, which will hopefully match the existing lovely pattern. But I haven't thought much further ahead, partly due to fear of further delays and partly due to indecision - how will I know what we want until I've unpacked and had a chance to properly scope out the space and its uses?

So, in the meantime, we're working around the boxes and spending a lot of time outside. I thought about trying to putter in the garden, but I really don't know what I'm doing! Obviously, I know the dandelions are weeds, but other green sprouts confuse me. I'll be watching carefully, and asking friends and neighbours for advice as the summer progresses!

Poll results: Is suburbia on the way out?

Last week's poll asked whether the suburban lifestyle, complete with its SUVs, commutes and large yards, is sustainable.

At the recent Ontario Heritage Conference, speakers described the suburbs as a "misallocation of resources" and said that suburban life is in trouble (read the full story here).

Just over half of Yourhomers who voted, at 51 per cent, agreed with the speakers, answering that suburbia isn't sustainable.

However, more than a third, at 38 per cent, think the suburbs are doing just fine.

About nine per cent said it may be sustainable, while two per cent said they didn't know.

This week, we look to the recessionista-friendly trend of backyard staycations. Will you be creating a tropical oasis in your backyard this summer in lieu of flying off to friendlier climes? Read the full story, and cast your vote on the front page.

And, for some more delightful summery reading, check out this round-up of retro reel mowers, take a spin through the history of Yonge-Dundas Square, and follow along as Colin and Justin take on the role of couple counsellors in this bachelor pad transformation.

What do drywall and swine flu have in common?

The answer is a lot, if you happen to be Mr. Speedy and I.

Our electricians packed up earlier this week, leaving us with a house that was no longer a fire trap (along with a few extra outlets, too!) but also a few holes in our walls.

The hope was to get those patched up as soon as possible, so we could start tackling the mounds of inevitable reno dust and get unpacked.

But, as with all things related to home renovations, things don't always go as planned. We found a very reliable, professional and friendly drywall guy who was going to be free when we needed him — a relative miracle during the spring home improvement season! But, alas, we've hit a minor delay.

A member of the crew has the swine flu. Yep, on the same day the WHO declared the virus a pandemic, we found it affecting us directly.

Thankfully, we're a small job, and he thinks he should be able to start (and finish) next week.

But I must admit, when I was imagining all the possible things that could delay our reno plans — unexpected, emergency repairs, ballooning costs, contractors pulled away for another job — the swine flu never crossed my mind!

Light it up

When we bought our home, the previous owners excluded the light fixture in the master bedroom. It's fairly standard to have some excluded items, and we figured replacing it wouldn't be a big deal.

The actual installation? No problem. Our electricians were nice enough to put it up when they were doing our knob and tube rewiring.

But finding something I liked? Nearly impossible.

I had a good month and a half to search for a new light. I asked friends for sourcing scoops, browsed thousands (if not tens of thousands) of light fixtures online and hit up some nearby shops, dragging Mr. Speedy along for the ride.

I had an idea of what I wanted. A classy, small-ish chandelier, preferably in black or silver, which would cast a soft glow while also enhancing the overall decor of the room. As the search continued, I found myself drawn to stunning light fixtures with dangling crystals and black cloth shades. But I never bought them. Some would have totally blown my budget, while many didn't pass my "glare test", that is, not blinding me when I looked up from below.

So my vision changed. I decided something with a diffuser would be a good idea, likely a drum shade. Slightly less ornate, but still stunning. So, I kept looking. And looking.

We moved in, and still no decision on a light fixture. We stumbled through the dark, banging shins on out of place boxes on more than one occasion. And still, I couldn't make up my mind.

So, finally, I decided I'd leave the house and not return until I had a light fixture in hand.

Two lighting stores later, I was wandering the halls of the nearby Home Depot, wracked with indecision. I called Mr. Speedy at work, looking for advice, and had texted another friend. I still couldn't make up my mind. What if I chose something that didn't look bedroom appropriate? What if I hated when it was up? What if it didn't fit in with my final decor vision? It was an awful lot of angst over a light fixture.

I must have stood there for at least an hour. Then I got to chatting with another woman who was also shopping for lights. After a few moments, and my explanation of the chandelier versus drum shade argument I was having with myself, I decided on the drum shade. And, I must have been pretty convincing, because she ended up picking the same one up too!

(Editor's note: Yes, the light fixture is wrapped in plastic. Like everything we own, it's covered to help protect it from drywall dust. I promise it's prettier when unwrapped!)

'Plant' a sunflower for Ovarian Cancer

While I didn't make it to the event, I still wanted to share the news about Electrolux's Garden of Hope.

The initiative, in support of Ovarian Cancer Canada, planted a sunflower garden (the official flower of Ovarian Cancer Canada) in Mississauga last Friday. In September, the flowers will be donated to line the route of the Winner's Walk of Hope.

You can support the cause by planting a (free) virtual garden at gardenofhope.ca. The company will donate $1 to cancer research for ever flower sent.

As an added perk, you'll be entered into a draw for an Electrolux Turquoise Sky Laundry Pair!

(HANDOUT PHOTO. Ovarian cancer survivor Colleen O’Neill plants a Garden of Hope with staff from Electrolux and Ovarian Cancer Canada.)

We're making progress!

While I have a feeling I'm going to be cleaning up plaster/drywall dust for many, many more weeks (if not months), we are getting much closer to being able to unpack and decorate!

The knob and tube rewiring, along with its need to put holes in our walls, is almost done.

We had electricity everywhere but the basement for the weekend, and the guys are back today to just finish off a few small things.

The inspector will hopefully be coming this afternoon to verify for our insurance company that we're all fixed up, then it's on to patching, which will hopefully be started this week.

I'm surprised by how stressful this whole process has been. I think the fact that we just moved has certainly made it tougher for us, as we haven't really gotten a chance to settle in and enjoy our new home. But our decision to hold off on any major unpacking until the work is done has made life easier for the crews doing our repairs, and has, in some small way, limited the amount of cleanup we need to do. Having to re-wash a few plates is certainly preferable to doing our entire serving set!

Once our holes are taken care of, it's time to start tackling the fun stuff, like choosing new paint colours, repainting, rearranging furniture and unpacking!

Poll: Nightmare neighbours?

Last week's poll asked just how neighbourly we are with those folks across the fence, inspired by Saturday's story on nightmare neighbours.

The verdict? While we may not be super chummy with the people next door, we're mostly getting along fine.

More than a third — 36 per cent —  of Yourhomers described their relationship with the neighbours as "Great" while an equal number said they got along "OK."

Just under a quarter, at 24 per cent, described the relationship as non-existent. (I currently fall into this category too — I've said hello to one of my new neighbours, but have yet to make the rounds and really get to know them).

Only three per cent who voted said they had trouble with the neighbours, choosing "Poor" in the poll.

Next week's poll looks to the suburbs, asking whether the suburban lifestyle is still sustainable. At the recent Ontario Heritage Conference, speakers described suburbs as a "misallocation of resources" and said that suburban life is in serious trouble due to numerous factors, including the economic downturn and high energy costs. Read the full story, and cast your vote on the front page.

And for more weekend reading fun, check out Colin and Justin's outdoor makeover, the swish Ice condos model suite and Debbie Travis' tips for a peaceful powder room.

(Shutterstock photo illustration)

Coffee in a flash

With house hunting, packing, moving and now renovations, Mr. Speedy and I have been having a hard time keeping caffeinated. We love our coffee and tea, but it takes a lot of time and counter space to make it. 

Luckily, I got a chance to try out a Keurig single-serve brewer, sent to us by Breville, which makes a cup of coffee, tea or hot chocolate in about a minute.

It's based on the Keurig office model, and, while far from the cheapest coffee maker I've tried at $170, the Breville Single-Cup Brewer really does turn out a quick hot beverage.

It uses K-Cups, which are little plastic cups filled with your brew of choice (the company says there are 150 varieties to choose from) and topped with a foil lid.

As with all things, some varieties taste better than others, so if you were going this route, you might want to start off with a sampler pack to avoid buying a full box of a bean you don't like. It's also not cheap, at about $13 for an 18 pack, or about $0.72 a cup (Editor's note: The price has been changed to correct a previously published error.). If you prefer grinding your own beans you can purchase a reusable "My K-Cup" filter, sold separately for about $15.

While I certainly appreciate the speed, I do feel a little bit of eco-guilt when I use it. While the individually packaged cups means Mr. Speedy can instantly have his a.m. java jolt while I go for a classic Earl Grey, it also feels more wasteful than the good old tea bag and beans and coffee grinder combos.

Holes and dust and disruptions, oh my!

As those of you who follow me on Twitter likely already know, from my string of rather despondent tweets, Mr. Speedy and I are in the midst of bringing the electrical up to code in our new house.

We figured that it would be best to tackle the knob and tube (along with a few other small and not-so-small problems) right when we moved in, so we could get the major disruptions all out of the way at once.

So we moved, barely unpacked, and, first thing Monday morning, I started to watch the guys from Powerhouse Electric cut holes in my new and oh-so-pretty walls.

The living room wall, shown, is really only a minor intrusion, but it's hit me the hardest because a) How lucky was I to inherit this great wallpaper from the previous owners? And b) I watched them do it, which somehow makes it feel so much worse!

While I knew moving and starting a major project within three days of taking possession would be exhausting and stressful, I don't think I was entirely prepared for the emotional toll — we finally own our own home, and we celebrated it by cutting many, many holes in the walls! It's a bit of a roller coaster.

Despite a bit of stress, and maybe a few tears, I logically know we've still gotten off pretty lucky. We'll soon have peace of mind (and make our insurance company happy) as the home will now be up to code, we added a few more outlets for convenience, and, despite one of the guys saying our place was one of the hardest jobs he'd even done (patchwork renos, combined with a flat roof and misaligned walls meant they had to get pretty creative in running the new wire) the progress has been swift, clean, and as painless as such things can be. We may even finish early!

Looking back on the home hunt

We're in our new home, and while we're still far from settled, the home hunt has come to a very satisfactory conclusion. We found a place we love in a nice neighbourhood and close to transit. What more could we really ask for?

Looking back, I'm glad we focused so heavily on preparation prior to looking for a home. Knowing how much we were able, and willing, to spend and what our priorities were made the search a lot simpler. We still saw some duds, but even they still met some of our criteria.

I've also been asked by a few people if I think I was treated differently because I was writing about the process. My answer: I certainly hope not. I was thrilled with all of the help I received, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend them to anyone else, with the hopes that any friends I send their way would receive the same excellent service.

Before announcing my home ownership aspirations in my blog, for my own peace of mind, and to avoid people looking just for free publicity, I researched my realtor and mortgage broker before contacting them, and spoke to them about my needs prior to revealing that I would be documenting the process.

While I'm sure that it made them a little bit nervous to know they'd be appearing in my blog, I think they tried to move past it and treat me like a normal client.

And the nerves seem to come with the territory. I've more than once heard "Please, don't blog about this" from my family and friends, and anyone dealing with me during this process probably had similar moments of concern that some small embarrassing detail would show up in my blog.

While I do fear I sometimes make Mr. Speedy cringe, I strive to share only what's pertinent (or undeniably funny) and not unduly embarrass anyone, and I think that helps make everyone in my life — from my husband and friends to my realtor and handyman — a little more comfortable with the prospect.

And, as we wrap up, I certainly hope that my blog was helpful or entertaining for those who were following along! We're now ready, and thrilled, to be moving on to the next chapter: home ownership!

Catch up on the home hunt:

I'm moved

I have keys!

One week (+one day) til the move!

Packing, packing and more packing

Moving in a month

So we bought the house, now what?

More negotiations

Getting a home inspection

Making an offer

Home hunting makes me nauseous

How to know when the house is right?

Resources for first-time buyers

Our first showings

Crunching the numbers

Finding Mr. or Mrs. Right ... Realtor, that is

Home hunting: Exciting, terrifying, all-consuming

What do we want in a home?

Am I house crazy?