Category Archives: House and Home

War Zone Renovations

Posted in House and Home, Kara and Kyle, Renovations by

Wednesday night, Kyle and I started talking about doing a little bit of renovations to our place. We don’t really plan on selling any time in the near future, but why not make it more enjoyable for ourselves? (FYI: There are four units in our complex for sale and not one of them seems to have gained anyone’s interest!)

Anyway, what started as a chit-chat turned into reality when we went to Home Depot to “browse” and came out with paint swatches and a pretty good idea of what kind of new flooring we wanted!

So, now my house looks a little bit like a war zone with all of the stuff in our computer rooms tossed into the spare bedroom, the carpet ripped up, the door jam removed and the walls prepped for painting! We’re planning on eventually turning the computer room into the baby’s room whenever that life-altering event occurs ;)

Oh, and Kyle also Hung a floating shelf in the living room for me, so now my plant that sat on our coffee table isn’t blocking our view, and I have a place to put our favourite wedding photo. Yay! I have such a handy husband!

I plan on documenting the changes as we go along, so for now I’ll show you the “Before” photos. For the record, they were taken at about 7:30 a.m. with partial sun shining through the window, with no editing. And the colour before was a dull, gross white.

Also, if there’s any typo’s in this post, blame the fact that I’m blogging from my phone. Hurray for the WordPress for Android app! (I’m going to reread this at home for errors and insert the photos.)

So, have you done any reno’s lately? If you haven’t done any, do you have plans/desires to?

The Joys of Strata

Posted in House and Home, Kara and Kyle by

Last night our strata complex had our Annual General Meeting for 2011. It was my first strata meeting EVER (obviously) and I wasn’t too sure what to expect, kind of.

Last August when Kyle and I were seriously interested in buying the townhouse, we were given the minutes from the past two AGM’s just to see how anal people may or may not be. There was one name (for all blogging purposes, we’ll call him “Jeff”) that was repeatedly mentioned, but it turns out he was on the other side of the complex of us, so we went for it and bought the place.

Now, back to last night. As the unofficial spokesperson of the household, I went to the meeting and Kyle stayed at home. Last year’s meeting lasted about one and a half hours, so I figured this one wouldn’t be so bad. Wrong, wrong, wrong! It lasted an  hour longer than expected, only because we only had the room booked until 9:00 p.m. I’m sure it would’ve been longer!

Jeff was the main reason why the meeting lasted so long. He argued every little point, and it seemed like this was his “thing” because most of the other owners moaned and groaned when he’s say, “Now what about ….” or something similar. It was kind of amusing, actually. I was just glad I wasn’t the only one wanting him to shut up. I’m pretty sure Jeff is an original owner from when the townhouses were built in 1977, I’m not even kidding, lol.

So, overall, the Strata meeting was long, exhausting, but informative. It made me feel like quite the grown up, considering I was the youngest owner there. The president and other council members were really nice and for the most part, everyone in the complex seems awesome. Not bad for my first meeting, and I’m sure it won’t be my last :)

Ten on Tuesday

Posted in House and Home, Ten on Tuesday by

1. What type of home do you currently reside in? (house, apartment, etc.)

I currently live in a lovely little townhouse!

2. If you could completely redecorate one room in your home, what room would you pick, why, and what would you do to it?

That’s a tough one! I think the room that needs it the most is the bathroom. The paint is cheap and bubbling. :(

3. What is your favourite place to gain inspiration for your home decor style?

I love Ikea, but I also love East-meets-West.

4. What is your favourite piece of decor in your home?

That’s a good question! I do love my coffee and end table. And couch.

5. What do you want visitors to feel when they visit your home? Do you think your home gives off that feeling?

Warm and welcome. I think it does, or at least I hope it does!

6. Describe your home in one word and explain why you chose that word.

Ours, because after years of saving, it’s ours and not anyone else’s!

7. What are some predominant colors or patterns in your home?

Various shades of brown, and black. We didn’t pick the wall colours, but the living room furniture is mostly black.

8. What is your favourite room in your home and why?

The living room or our bedroom. The living room because it’s big and open, and our bedroom because our bed is so amazingly comfy!

9. Do you take a hands-on or DIY approach to projects around your home or do you enlist or hire help?

We haven’t done any projects yet, but I have a feeling it’s going to be a combination of both. We’re definitely not installing our own windows!

10. Where is your favourite place to shop for home furnishings?

Home Depot or Jysk.