A whole new level

We've made the investment and now we have a lot more space to enjoy ourselves. A warm and comfy place to watch tv and listen to music. A couch to curl up on with a good book. A space for guests to overnight in comfort. Improved storage. Better laundry layout. More energy efficient. A fireplace! A nice bathroom! A HUGE improvement that will likely add to the resale value of the home. Not that we're going anywhere, especially now that it is so comfortable!

There was a bathroom and kitchen we never used, roughed in from the time we purchased the property 30 years ago. Previous owners advertised it as a potential rental unit, and although we never rented the space out we never got around to fixing it up either, other that adding a bit of wallpaper. It desperately needed refurbishing and had turned into a tv room with mismatched furniture, with lots of items stacked and stored and tucked away that should have been tossed long ago.

It was time.

Yes, we could have done it all more cheaply. DIY instead of professionals. A coat of paint instead of drywall. A murphy bed instead of a sleeping alcove. Candles instead of an electric fireplace. Truthfully I didn't have the appetite to spend my weekends and holidays on DIY projects that may or may not produce desired results.

After consulting with our financial planner to make sure we weren't ransoming our retirement years, we decided to go ahead and refurbish.

We worked with Chris throughout the process. At times the reno felt like an ordeal, with all the upheaval and mess and expense. Her company is aptly called Functional Art as she helped us maximize available space and make informed choices - she's a professional with thousands of hours' experience. It was more than great to have her expertise at hand.

...

A year in the making:

January home improvement 'to-do list' includes reupholstering 2 chairs.

February, I was getting quotes from upholsterers .

March I was looking at fabrics.

In April there was serious scope creep when I asked Chris for some help finding fabrics.  She stopped by and, Rob and I couldn't resist asking her opinion about the basement. A few days later she showed us a sketch for the layout for a potential basement re-do.

By May we were scouting fireplaces. Gas or electric? We also began to declutter and sold a few items on Kijiji. We bought a lift bed that Chris had spotted on sale.

In June, Chris arranged for quotes from her suppliers for doors & windows; flooring; and bathroom fixtures. There was a preliminary scope of work we used to interview contractors and get quotes. It was hard to find contractors entering the busy season, and harder to get them to quote. We would get verbal estimates but then they didn't want to put pen to paper to commit to prices. One of them scrawled a total figure in pencil on the bottom of an invoice. Another bullied me over the telephone and then provided a verbal range based on a loose description. These guys - and they were all guys - may just have been loathe to do paperwork but I wanted assurances on the overall cost and timing of the project. In the end we found someone that a friend had vouched reliable... Paul turned out to be great and I have already recommended him to others.

July we decided to go with rads for the basement rather than electric heat. We also took delivery for the bed ordered back in May.

August we shortened our sailing holiday to spend more time emptying out the basement space to prepare. What we couldn't yet part with we jammed into the den, which became a storage locker for the next four months.

September the work actually began. Paul and Eric started by gutting the basement - thankfully the walls were nice and dry. Our cat Griskit started to look forward to the sound of their truck arriving every weekday morning at 7:30. Chris sent us on field trips: we checked out flooring and slate at Alexanian's; visited Gingers for the bathroom fixtures; went furniture shopping at Vogel and Windsor House.

October the struts and drywalling; prepping for rads; updating plumbing; moving the washer/dryer

November windows and doors; floors; tiling; bathroom; electrical.

December the painting and finishing touches; furniture delivered to site.

Those two chairs that started this whole project? One has been delivered, but the embroidered peacock fabric is still on back-order for the other!

Also still to be done: mirrors in bathroom and over mantle, mattress & bedding, touch-ups to the quarter round and baseboard.

Photo finish to follow!