Reflective Glass

In the last moments before we left our beloved Applewood Farm, I walked around from room to room drinking in every square inch. There was a hole in my heart that day because not only were we leaving what we thought was our forever home, but the first place that actually felt like home to me in a very long time. Other than bittersweet memories, the only thing I could physically take with me that day, was the mirror hanging in the bathroom.

That mirror now hangs in the main floor bathroom of Glenaura and I have come to realize that it is one of my most cherished possessions. It is really nothing special, it is just a handmade frame with plywood backing and twisted old wire to mount it, the glass has imperfections and a little of the paint flakes off every time I give it a good clean........ but it is has reflected our lives since that day........ all the changes and life lessons that makes where we are today in this home that much sweeter.

And it is sweet. And finished.

http://glenaurafarm.blogspot.com/

One Year Ago.......

Split Screens always show the true transformation, and as we started this project approximately a year ago, I thought it was fitting to have a flashback.

Landscaping

I realized it has been awhile since I posted, things have definitely slowed down in the reno department, but work has definitely continued on the outside space. The grass is growing around the house, the deck is filling up with flowers and furniture, the veggie garden is thriving and our "north side" landscaping project is almost complete.

Our original plan was to create a stone patio on the only side of the house where we did not build deck, however we switched gears wanting to create a space for shrubs and perennials and we are glad we did. Other than adding some more greenery, setting the flag stone into the mulch a bit more and creating a flat surface with sand and grade correction for the hose and reel, we are done.

The old house has come a long way in a year.

Another Check on the To Do List.

The deck is done and looks incredible, Jay definitely knows what he is doing and it is shown in his attention to detail and insane craftsmanship - thanks for a job well done!

We decided not to do a top row of pergola boards, for a couple of reasons. When we did the initial plans for the house, removing the small window (for code reasons) from Hanna's bedroom, changed the look of the front of the house, we had the option of doing a dormer or even a wrap around porch - but we opted out of both, in retrospect we should have gone for the dormer. The front of the house has always been a bit of a thorn in my side, driving up to the house it seemed to be lacking something, looking very plain and well, quite frankly *blah*. There is no way I wanted a covered porch (which would have solved the problem) because I didn't want to lose the lovely morning - mid day sunlight, winters are long enough without purposefully eliminating natural light - therein came the decision to build the pergola. It allows plenty of light in the windows and adds a certain architectural appeal to the home that it was lacking, but from the far distance - it is hard to see the definition of the profile, so my bareness factor isn't completely remedied but much improved. So rather then spend more money on lumber, the single row boards will more than suffice!

So, now comes the rest of the outdoor space projects some of which include building the grade up around the deck to conceal the piers, laying grass seed, building flower, toy storage and garbage boxes, the all important patio furniture selection and then the rock garden on the north side of the house........it is shaping up to be a busy season!

Since I know that a lot of you have appreciate the financial honesty, I will share the deck material costs with you, I am not sure of the exact cost of installing the deck piers as it was bulked in with the cost of contractor's bill, but the lumber and hardware was "approx" $5000.00, no that does not include labour - but that is one figure we are keeping to ourselves ;)

Who's Ready For A Deck Party??!!!!

Wow - that is all I can say!

Here You Go Chris....

Chris is at work and is slightly excited about the progress this deck is making, so here are some midday photos.

I Can Almost Taste The Cocktails!!

After three days of work, the deck is really coming together! The footprint in laid out and the surface boards are beginning to go down, I was even able to have a sit and enjoy a coffee.
This weekend we are shopping for a new bbq and patio set ;)