Slowly.

I keep waiting for some big moment of closure to descend. Or, an “aha” moment that transcends all others.

So, I keep on reminding myself that moving on is a slow and gradual process. Just like renovating.

It’s the end of March, and we’re finally going to get to paint this week! The walls are closed, and Trevor, the drywaller, has patched the walls and done an amazing job scraping and finishing the ceilings.

The condo is a mess of white drywall dust. It’s even seeping out of the crack under the front door into the hallway. I wonder when someone will complain. But, it’ll be over soon. The ceiling is getting painted tomorrow, and I’ll be attacking the big job of painting the condo, with a little help from my friends, on Tuesday. From there, the floors can go in and the bathroom can get finished. Once that’s done, I can technically move in. I sincerely can’t wait.

Photos of the drywall mess are below. Enjoy.

Progress and Compromise

In a perfect world, one would have time to blog, renovate, work, exercise, eat well, sleep well, and heck, even go on dates.

Contrary to popular opinion, this is not a perfect world.

Much has been accomplished at the condo: the valences are gone and patched, the three kitchen walls have been replaced with a hip beam and two posts, and most of the electrical has been upgraded. Tomorrow, most of the plumbing valves will be replaced to make way for the new bathroom and kitchen.

While this significant process is mostly thanks to the hard work and fine coordination of MLR, I fear that the eco-reno goals that I set are largely going to be unfulfilled. I’ve researched how to reduce the environmental footprint of these renovations for all the major materials. What is difficult about an eco-reno is in making used materials fit, sourcing beneficial materials that will work, and most importantly, having the time and money to obtain the best possible materials.

Used building materials simply take time to source, and we’ve run out of time if I’d like to keep the renovations moving forward. I bought some used kitchen cabinets a couple of weeks ago, but they just don’t fit. I’ve looked and looked for others, and they just won’t work.

So, today I bought new kitchen cabinets. They are made of solid German beech wood that is generally a responsibly managed wood source. I was looking at different stone, quartz and granite countertops today too.  While some of these have environmentally friendly production processes, these materials are largely manufactured and imported from China. The less expensive, but slightly polluting laminate countertops are produced locally in Vancouver. Which one do I choose when both have clear pros and cons? Will I be satisfied with the results? What will my impact be on this ailing environment?

Of course, this makes me think of relationships. Despite having a clear vision of the other person and trying our best, the compromises we make either make us feel proud of a joint accomplishment or, they make us resentful.

Would it be best to accept the compromises and acknowledge shortcomings?

For example, I really wanted to buy used kitchen cabinets. Used cabinets would have had less of an environmental impact because they would been reusing existing materials, and they wouldn’t need to be shipped a far distance. Despite all this, my new German beech cabinets are really, really nice, and I appreciate how functional they make the kitchen space.

Ah, love.

Some photos:

The valences out:

The valences patched:

Kitchen walls out with support posts:

The finished beam and posts!

Inspiration

Every design and renovation book suggests making a scrapbook of design inspirations.

I’ve been down with a cold/flu for close to a week and I’m in need of some inspiration to get better, so I thought I’d share some ideas that I’ve gleaned from a variety of design books.

First, let's start at the bottom. My concrete floor is cold. For a while I was going to install recycled rubber flooring throughout, but I've realized that the floor needs a better insulating layer than that. 

So, I've decided to install a 2" insulated subfloor, but the catch is that the subfloor will just be my floor. I'm using 1.5" rigid foam insulation, and 0.5" OSB wood. The OSB and insulation will be screwed directly into the concrete, then the floor will be finished with a clear polyurethane coat. 

Here's two links to sites where people have use OSB or plywood as the floor. 

http://www.braitmandesign.com/home-remodeling/plywood-flooring-attractive-inexpensive-option/

http://hubpages.com/slide/rustic-flooring/3821322

Surprisingly cool results, right?!

In the bathroom, I'm going to indulge in one of the more expensive recycled rubber floor products on the market by ecosurfaces.com. The colour I've chosen is "blue bayou". I don't think the photo does it justice, but it's extremely rich:

In contrast to the house, I'm going with fairly light or white coloured walls. However, I'd like  to have splashes of torquoise, and, perhaps, orange:

There are many interesting industrial tile products on the market - I like this one for a steel 
back splash:

While my kitchen posts and beam will be made of a wood paralam, I look forward to having an exposed kitchen beam!

Big news: kitchen cabinets don't need to match anymore! I'm hoping to install a variety of cabinets, hopefully compliments of Craigslist!:

What a good way to hide the electrical panel!

Instead of a traditional sliding door to my walk-in closet, I'm hoping to install a modern take on the barn door:

The sway

Waves of panic and excitement oscillate daily. 


I had expected the ride to be bumpy for a while; newly single and embarking on a major renovation of a property I own myself is both daunting and exhilarating. I keep touching moments of a youthful grit that used to be more familiar to me in the past. Those are moments of determination and boundless hope. They're great! But, then they sway.


Some obvious anxieties abound: Will I have enough money to complete the renovations? Will they take a year instead of a small handful of months? Will MLR continue to work and come up with brilliant solutions? Will my wacky second-hand furnishings have any of the urban sophistication that I'm hoping for, or will they look like a flea market refuse pile? And most significantly, will I become a social hermit in the lonely comfort of my refurbished bachelor pad?


With the help of a crowded Saturday afternoon at Brentwood Mall, I had a moment of clarity today that let me step off the teeter-totter. 


After scouring some used building supply stores for everything from lights to plywood, I stopped by the Sears at Brentwood Mall to check out their appliance outlet. There was nothing in Sears, but I pushed on into the mall wondering if there were any other home supply stores to scour. The mall was teeming with activity and people everywhere were buying lots, and lots, of crap. 


After spending the first half of my day sorting through miscellaneous bins of cabinetry and hardware, the velocity of consumerism in the mall struck me as ludicrous. I kept thinking, do they really need this stuff?


I'll stop myself from going on some smug moralistic rant. I drive a truck. I occasionally drink coffee from a styrofoam cup, and so on. 


The moment of clarity was important, though. I realized how satisfying it is for me to be conscientious about the products that are going into my new home. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel that radiated achievement and ease. I saw that I will love my new home and that the process of renovating will make me stronger. It even made me want to learn how to measure and use power tools better (er, at all)!


I promised a renovation manifesto, but I don't have a proclamation with bravado. What I can list are the four principles underlying this renovation:
1. Avoid wasteful purchases - source used or reclaimed building materials, and source as much of it as possible locally. 
2. Recycle as much as possible of the materials being removed.
3. Work with nice people.
4. Research, envision, and try!


Finally, here are a few shot of work in progress. 


Carpet & sub-floor garbage:

Kitchen comes out!

"Loki the helper" 

Demolition playtime.

Mortar is not easy to remove.

The valences are gone!

The "before" shots

To contextualize the upcoming renovation photos, here are the "before" shots of the condo from the original real estate listing. 

Raze + Restore - an introduction

Raze: tear down completely.

Restore: repair or renovate; bring back; return.

Welcome!


I've created this blog for two reasons. First, to document the renovation of my new (old) condo, and secondly, to have a platform to ponder the process of renovating in the context of my new life as an unattached woman. 


The words "raze" and "restore" work both literally and figuratively for this blog. I'm tearing down walls, ripping out carpet and sub-floor, and building them back up again. More figuratively, it's time for a fresh start. While daunting at times, I'm excited to be breaking down old walls and rebuilding a solo identity. 


Two side notes:


For those of you who are particular about semantics, I realize that "raze" might be heavy-handed. After all, the new (old) condo can't be completely destroyed (despite the awful peach and forest green exterior colour scheme).


And to give credit where it's due: I'M not doing all of the work myself. That would be ridiculous as my way of measuring is "a pinch of this or that", and I can't always see the forest through the trees. So, I'm getting help. Lots of it. Especially from MLR, who is visionary and kind.


I'll leave this first post with one image of me amongst the sub-floor detritus. 


More photos of the demolition work to follow along with my renovation manifesto that is a testament to how cheap I really am, and also how much I'd like to do my part for our global environmental crisis.

Thanks for joining me.