Lessons: Home Reno Edition

 

Photo by Charles Deluvio on Unsplash

Until becoming homeowners, we have always been at the mercy of the wall colours, backsplash choices and general style and decor of the homes we rented.  Sometimes that meant modern layouts with granite and stainless (like our Coal Harbour place), and sometimes it meant old cabinets and tile in a dingy galley kitchen (I'm looking at you, Yaletown home).  In our most recent rental, it has meant beige carpeting in nearly every room in the home (except the bathrooms and kitchen).  

So, when we bought a home of our own, it became priority one for me to customize the space enough to make it *ours.*  Luckily, we have been afforded the opportunity to do some of these renovations before we move in, but since it's not a small cost, I am very *very* invested in making sure we get value for our dollars.  

Well, I'm learning a good number of lessons along the way, mostly about my preferences, but also about the importance of supervising contractors at every step of the renovation process.

I like clean, modern styles.

This is no surprise for those who know me, but it's interesting that when it comes to picking out a new set of pulls or a chandelier for the stairwell, I haven't been able to take that risk of indulging in something trendy, pretty and intricate, rustic or romantic; in the end, the choices I've made have always ended up being fairly simple and unembellished.  Even my preferred tile arrangement has been straight (versus staggered, subway, vertical, mosaic...and all those other funky layouts that I ruled out almost instantly).   And honestly, it took me an embarrassingly long time at Home Depot to settle on this light fixture, which ultimately won out because it was a)available in stock, b) an integrated LED, and c)not too heavy nor too long.  It better not be defective, since it has yet to be installed :P

I am very particular about what I want.

My contractors learned this the hard way today, because the backsplash that their replacement tile setter (long story, and not a good one) installed was not done well.  I took photos and crowdsourced my friends' and families' opinions, and the unanimous consensus was that it all needs to be redone because both the tile placement and the grouting really were installed badly.  So that's an obvious example.  But less obvious is the fact that I also spent weeks choosing the exact shades for my walls (Benjamin Moore's Classic Gray, with Chantilly Lace trims and a Stone feature wall).  I downloaded the BM app and played with different colour options by applying their filters to the photos of my walls, I bought sticker and sample pots of the preferred colours to paint onto cardboard to see how they would look together, and I also researched the heck out of those shades on Google.  I can hyperfocus like a boss sometimes, and when it comes to my very strong preferences, this is my MO.

Some home features make a home homey, and others....do not.

I've browsed a *lot* of homes for sale, both before and after we closed on this place.  To me, it is almost an exercise in self-discovery, because by viewing these other properties (many of which are actually far beyond our price point, because when window shopping, why not?) I start to notice patterns in my own preferences.  I don't like crazy high ceilings (like, who changes lightbulbs when they are 20' high?), and I also don't like low old-timey ceilings.  I think carpet dates a home but light-coloured ceramic or porcelain tile, marble, or whatever the heck these $4mil mansions use on their floors make their houses look like museums, and not dwellings for families; I far prefer a nice darker hardwood or even laminate (which comes with our current home, and shall remain for the foreseeable future).  I like having a lighter-coloured kitchen, but don't necessarily need everything to be bright white, because sometimes it can look a bit sterile.  I dislike bi-fold doors, especially the louvered ones, and hate accordion doors, but while I far prefer a cool hidden bookshelf door or a gorgeous sliding barn door, I will settle for a plain slab door when those other options just aren't available or feasible.  

Paint is the single most powerful way to change up the look of a home.

Our interior walls used to be three different shades of tan and mustard (sometimes in the same room), with seafoam and eucalyptus bathrooms and one bedroom in powdered blue.  It made the home seem really small, very warm, and a little confusing.  Now that 2/3 of the place has been painted in my preferred gray and white shades, the rooms have brightened up so much.  Like, SOOOO much that it feels almost like a different home.  Honestly, if we didn't have enough cash to actually do more, we would have chosen just to paint those walls.  It really truly transforms the place. 

Speckled granite is the enemy of clean.

You know how people sometimes advise buying things in certain colours to hide stains?  Well, speckled brown granite is the grandmaster of counter camouflage.  You won't ever see a stain or a crumb unless you stoop down and examine the surface at eye level, in natural light, on a sunny day.  This does not serve my purposes, because I want to know exactly where I need to wipe to get rid of ant-magnets.  We have therefore replaced all of our speckled counters (and also the ugly laminate glued-on stuff in our bathrooms) with all-white quartz, the sole intent being that I will now know exactly where I need to wipe for dust and crumbs and stains.  

One day, when I grow up, I want to have my own signature "style," but for now I'm still figuring that out.

I marvel at those who have a distinct vibe that shows up in how they set up their homes.  I am not this person, even though I secretly wish I had that kind of vision and motif.  Instead, I am at best plain and practical, in a show-home generic kind of way, but without the high price tags (I shop at Dollarama, people).  I furnish pragmatically, sometimes impulsively, and always brand new (because I'm afraid of bugs that might be stowing away in used things).  In short, I am kind of boring, but I'm okay with that for now.

I like round mirrors and entryway tables.

I have neither right now, and I'm still contemplating where/how to incorporate this, but I am determined to add both to my home. 

Bench seating pillows are standard sized, but my bench seating is not.  

We have a bench seat that's half-way up the stairs that lead to the top floor; it's like a little landing area with a 79" wide, 14" deep surface that I can only assume is meant to be for sitting, since it's literally at butt height.  But guess what? Nobody makes cushions in that configuration; it's usually less wide and much deeper.  Guess anyone who sits there is going to have to just enjoy the cold hard wooden seat! 

This post has been a self-indulgent rambling of a privileged person; thanks for reading it and not vomiting.  I'm mostly blogging this for posterity so I can look back on it in a few years and see if I have evolved by then, or at least have a style and motif nailed down.  Also - I want a bidet.  Let that be known by all, especially because in the age of COVID (still!), apparently toilet paper continues to be a hot commodity.

That is all.  Stay safe and sheltered, friends! 😷