Monday, May 6, 2013
Asparagus
Our asparagus is noticeably sturdier than last year. Next year we should've able to start harvesting!
New raised vegetable beds
Mark was hard at work all weekend building new raised vegetable beds. 170 cinder blocks delivered, a few more days of work ahead!
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
New roof
Our reno is now safe and sound under our new metal roof from Zim Group. With its 50-yr warranty we should never need to do this again.
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
April 16, 2013: The Shelves
I wanted to create a vertical focus in our largely horizontal bungalow, with two storeys of books, art and nature objects displayed alongside our new staircase and framing the separation of our kitchen/dining and living spaces. It seems so unfortunate when a staircase is regarded as just a utilitarian means of getting from one floor to another that takes up space - now it is almost like a room of its own, with its functions of library and gallery.
The open upper display shelves were inspired by industrial pipe and wood shelves at Restoration Hardware. The lower solid-backed white shelves were designed to reflect light into the stairwell and help fill in some odd niches in the basement wall.
There are three "light boxes" in the shelves, picking up the orange, blue and yellow colours used elsewhere on the walls. The LED light in the top of the boxes highlights objects within, and makes the boxes glow. As I worked out their appearance, I realized how similar they were to the deep, colourfuly painted window wells of Will Alsop's OCAD building. The orange box (not shown in the photos below) is visible from the couch in the living room; in the evenings its warm glow is reminiscent of a fireplace. From the basement the blue box is suggestive of a sunny sky. And the yellow box provides an enticing focal point that draws the eye all the way to the bottom portion of the shelves. (I must confess that I'm loving the light boxes so much that I never turn them off).
Our salvaged maple hardware flooring is used in the false beam overhead, and is repeated in the casing that finishes off the edges of the opening in the floor. It has also been applied to the solid back of the bookcase that faces the kitchen (not shown in the photos below).
The only thing left is to install a planter filled with shade-tolerant bamboo at the base of the stairs, which we hope will grow up towards the light tube over the entryway. We've got a species of bamboo and supplier picked out, but are having a difficult time finding a planter that's big enough. More trips to garden centres are clearly required (we're glad to have the excuse). There's also the possibility of adding some more lighting in the upper shelves, as it's been wired for that.
Many thanks to Mark and his dad for hours of priming, painting, sanding and staining, and to Phil Hogg for the meticulous design and construction. Miles gets some credit too, for hours contentedly hanging from his carrier while watching me fill and rearrange the contents of the shelves.
There's just a little bit of work left now, in finishing the staining of the newel posts. And the rearranging and categorization of the books is never truly done...
The open upper display shelves were inspired by industrial pipe and wood shelves at Restoration Hardware. The lower solid-backed white shelves were designed to reflect light into the stairwell and help fill in some odd niches in the basement wall.
There are three "light boxes" in the shelves, picking up the orange, blue and yellow colours used elsewhere on the walls. The LED light in the top of the boxes highlights objects within, and makes the boxes glow. As I worked out their appearance, I realized how similar they were to the deep, colourfuly painted window wells of Will Alsop's OCAD building. The orange box (not shown in the photos below) is visible from the couch in the living room; in the evenings its warm glow is reminiscent of a fireplace. From the basement the blue box is suggestive of a sunny sky. And the yellow box provides an enticing focal point that draws the eye all the way to the bottom portion of the shelves. (I must confess that I'm loving the light boxes so much that I never turn them off).
Our salvaged maple hardware flooring is used in the false beam overhead, and is repeated in the casing that finishes off the edges of the opening in the floor. It has also been applied to the solid back of the bookcase that faces the kitchen (not shown in the photos below).
The only thing left is to install a planter filled with shade-tolerant bamboo at the base of the stairs, which we hope will grow up towards the light tube over the entryway. We've got a species of bamboo and supplier picked out, but are having a difficult time finding a planter that's big enough. More trips to garden centres are clearly required (we're glad to have the excuse). There's also the possibility of adding some more lighting in the upper shelves, as it's been wired for that.
Many thanks to Mark and his dad for hours of priming, painting, sanding and staining, and to Phil Hogg for the meticulous design and construction. Miles gets some credit too, for hours contentedly hanging from his carrier while watching me fill and rearrange the contents of the shelves.
There's just a little bit of work left now, in finishing the staining of the newel posts. And the rearranging and categorization of the books is never truly done...
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Feb 06, 2013: Renovation, one year later
One year after we started deconstruction (salvaging our wood floors) we are still renovating. But not for much longer. The built-in shelves are close to completion, then the lighting can be finished off, final coats of paint, and the last odds and ends.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Bathroom - 95% done
The bathroom is just about finished. We're enjoying hot showers under our sun tunnel, with pre-heated towels from our warming rack and a warm slate floor underfoot. We've whitewashed and installed our cupboard doors. I've even moved in a few plants!
The last 5% still to do: build in medicine cabinet with surrounding shelf/niche storage above sink. Install mirror on opposite wall over cupboards. Most likely mount a second shower curtain to create more privacy for the "inner" bathroom (shower/toilet). Install hooks for hanging up clothing. I may re-paint the walls a deeper, cooler green that's closer in colour to the mosaic tiles; the Dry Fern is coming across a bit too yellow. And hang some art (fossils, tiles - items unaffected by humidity - not that we have much problem with that since the new fan is very effective).
Compared to the original bathroom, there's not much left. The pedestal sink is the same, and in the same position, although it has new faucet hardware. The replacement window is the same size and position. The room has been extended about 2 feet into the former kitchen space, with the other wall positions remaining the same. The door is the original wood door (laboriously scraped down by Mark, through umpteen layers of paint - thank-you!), although it's been converted to a pocket door. And it's in the original position, which used to be one of my least favourite things about stepping through the front door - the view down the hallway dead-ending at half bathroom/half kitchen doorways. Now you still see the bathroom, but with the nearby kitchen/dining/living space opened up, it's no longer so disheartening.
Below - before:
Below: after!
The last 5% still to do: build in medicine cabinet with surrounding shelf/niche storage above sink. Install mirror on opposite wall over cupboards. Most likely mount a second shower curtain to create more privacy for the "inner" bathroom (shower/toilet). Install hooks for hanging up clothing. I may re-paint the walls a deeper, cooler green that's closer in colour to the mosaic tiles; the Dry Fern is coming across a bit too yellow. And hang some art (fossils, tiles - items unaffected by humidity - not that we have much problem with that since the new fan is very effective).
Compared to the original bathroom, there's not much left. The pedestal sink is the same, and in the same position, although it has new faucet hardware. The replacement window is the same size and position. The room has been extended about 2 feet into the former kitchen space, with the other wall positions remaining the same. The door is the original wood door (laboriously scraped down by Mark, through umpteen layers of paint - thank-you!), although it's been converted to a pocket door. And it's in the original position, which used to be one of my least favourite things about stepping through the front door - the view down the hallway dead-ending at half bathroom/half kitchen doorways. Now you still see the bathroom, but with the nearby kitchen/dining/living space opened up, it's no longer so disheartening.
Below - before:
Sink/toilet
Broken Jacuzzi tub
View from the front door
Below: after!
Storage with counter of reclaimed wood (medicine cabinet propped on top), and a glimpse of the sun tunnel over the shower
The shower, with curved shower rod and curved mosaic stone curb; storage niche, rainwater shower head and hand-held head - so luxurious...
Caroma toilet with integrated sink (water passes through the tap as the tank refills - efficient and handy), plus additional pedestal sink for brushing teeth, etc.
View of window (tiled in green mosaic stone) and towel warming rack (loving our toasty towels!)
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Nov 03, 2012 - So close!
The reno is so close to being done! Since the stairs went in we've started to migrate upstairs. The last few big things remaining are the gas range hook-up and finalizing the shower. The bulk of the construction equipment has moved out, the floors are uncovered, and we can move in our possessions from the storage container. Now it remains to be seen how much we can clean up and organize before the baby gets here...
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