tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67372524928115055842024-03-19T04:20:32.343-04:00One Canadian HomeKeep up with Jenn and James and all of their DIY and other home-related adventures, including tips that will help you save money and make your home improvements go smoothly.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-42052135480555174602012-07-30T16:59:00.000-04:002012-07-30T16:59:00.626-04:00How to build a wooden trellisAfter we moved into our house we discovered a young grape vine growing in the back yard. Well, it wasn't growing when we moved in, at that point it really just looked like a stick in the ground, but before long it sprouted leaves, and vines and even a solitary little bunch of grapes. We're still waiting to find out what type of grapes we have, and whether they're good for eating (or making wine?). In the meantime I thought I'd better do something to support the vines that were getting ganglier by the day, and starting to lean out onto the ground.<br />
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I checked out trellises at my local hardware and garden stores, and was shocked to find that even basic wooden ones cost at least $30. Forget what you'd pay for a fancy wrought-iron one! The one I made cost about $6 in materials, and took me less than an hour to make. I used five 8' 1x2s, a hand saw, a drill and a handful of 1.5" screws. If you have any scraps of 1x2 around, this is a great opportunity to use them up, since this project requires some shorter pieces, and it doesn't really matter how long they are. Here's my setup:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZi2K4u5BxE503S_3tHDGy8-D7LKZxkIzH6Uv6xAs_KWTSbmtydB1-lw2hdisLt9HTKesA9UD91jWcG9Lp3u4Ow8MSJ9_tq84rkVmWpN48uNWUv2xr63-pw-o1rZdsefI2BUu4lRoH54/s1600/DSC_0802.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZi2K4u5BxE503S_3tHDGy8-D7LKZxkIzH6Uv6xAs_KWTSbmtydB1-lw2hdisLt9HTKesA9UD91jWcG9Lp3u4Ow8MSJ9_tq84rkVmWpN48uNWUv2xr63-pw-o1rZdsefI2BUu4lRoH54/s320/DSC_0802.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I started by laying an 8' 1x2 that would be the center piece on the ground, and attached a short (about 1') cross piece to it about 18" from the bottom using two screws. If you want to be sure that the wood won't split, you can pre-drill the holes, but I just went ahead with the screws themselves and backed up and drilled if the wood looked like it was starting to split.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bAFjcbRsyW-vLBFXK3lUKtwg_e2RgzYbXfcbCuCQLDzTrr01Y2RB1fLSjsagJ0DaizShlqoVbz0OPOVCod8pIwVCTwdD8ytKnxSFQIBY4EJLrJ8ZMSUXRdtgn9UjaSK8Npl7coZSTJ0/s1600/DSC_0804_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2bAFjcbRsyW-vLBFXK3lUKtwg_e2RgzYbXfcbCuCQLDzTrr01Y2RB1fLSjsagJ0DaizShlqoVbz0OPOVCod8pIwVCTwdD8ytKnxSFQIBY4EJLrJ8ZMSUXRdtgn9UjaSK8Npl7coZSTJ0/s200/DSC_0804_1.JPG" width="142" /></a>I then attached two more 8' 1x2s, one to each end of the cross piece, using only one screw each so that I would be able to adjust the angle between each of them and the cross piece. This is how you control how much wider your trellis is at the top than it is at the bottom. I just sort of looked at it and adjusted it until it seemed right.<br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br />I used a scrap piece of 12 that I had lying around for the next cross piece, attaching it where the vertical pieces were the same distance apart as it was long. I then cut one of the other 8' 1x2s into two pieces, one smaller and one bigger, and attached them lower down and higher up on the trellis, respectively. I attached each one to the center piece and each of the other vertical pieces with two screws. </span></div>
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At that point I decided that the trellis had enough bars and vertical pieces for my purposes, but you could certainly add as many cross pieces as you want. If your outside vertical pieces were farther apart, or you wanted to build a very tall trellis (or a short wide one), you could add more vertical pieces. I would recommend attaching them to the second or third cross piece, so that more structure is added to the trellis as it gets wider. </div>
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Here's how the trellis looks now that the grape vines have grown a bit more, and are used to being supported by it.<br />
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Grapes are, of course, far from the only type of plant that a trellis like this could be used for. It would be great for roses too, and you could use different sizes and widths of trellises for raspberries, cucumbers, pole beans or any kind of climbing vine. </div>
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You could also paint or decorate this trellis in any number of ways (red, anyone?) to add a splash of extra colour and interest to your yard or garden. Do you have a home made or decorated trellis? I'd love to see what you've done, and hear your ideas for how I should jazz mine up a bit!</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-85072001369890410252012-07-29T16:51:00.002-04:002012-07-29T17:38:59.586-04:00How to secure a ladderA few weeks ago we had our bedroom window replaced (a topic I'll cover in another post soon), and the guys who came to install the window used what seemed to me to be a very clever trick. <span style="background-color: white;">They held a full size crow bar against the bottom rung of the ladder, and hammered the straight end into the ground like a tent peg so that</span><span style="background-color: white;"> the foot of their ladder wouldn't slide out from under them. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28u3OK9bJy2mQbw53MNLGeYqImlOBhpl2EmwWh2QmccvMpHt4Gu3MCFZOHMT83uoBp7VajLWccWc6QRd2FxKaqAvmtSaf-aSWKtJDCCO7MtNZEEvNzfnfsqgKjBckPRfFYKMqTdcHPuM/s1600/DSC_0807_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28u3OK9bJy2mQbw53MNLGeYqImlOBhpl2EmwWh2QmccvMpHt4Gu3MCFZOHMT83uoBp7VajLWccWc6QRd2FxKaqAvmtSaf-aSWKtJDCCO7MtNZEEvNzfnfsqgKjBckPRfFYKMqTdcHPuM/s320/DSC_0807_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Do you think that this is another great use for the woefully under-appreciated crow bar (see <a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/ode-to-mini-crow-bar.html" target="_blank">Ode to the Mini-Crow Bar</a>), or a dangerous recipe for disaster?<br />
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Would it be better to hammer the crow bar in until the curved part hooked right over the bottom rung, or does the way that they have it work just as well?<br />
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Or should we just stick to doing things the old-fashioned way and make sure that we have a friend on hand to hold the ladder in place?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-5708674028343490082012-07-29T16:37:00.000-04:002012-07-29T16:37:22.358-04:00Makeover: Adding Colour and Contrast in the Kitchen<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMDwTSpWNv-8yCmCvE7lJ2uNhlP55EmizKFZAxaWdpHEPjcmcFyBZkEf8RxkcGx0wMDSuk43OP1jJ5U8g2inGPBfEV2XoX_i9_EO6fjCZSPOrCQQ7jOCu6cEmKbwJ2ZG-CAI__OKi9ZU/s1600/1415_img1909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMDwTSpWNv-8yCmCvE7lJ2uNhlP55EmizKFZAxaWdpHEPjcmcFyBZkEf8RxkcGx0wMDSuk43OP1jJ5U8g2inGPBfEV2XoX_i9_EO6fjCZSPOrCQQ7jOCu6cEmKbwJ2ZG-CAI__OKi9ZU/s200/1415_img1909.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
I am one of the very fortunate women (who are becoming more and more common, it seems) whose husband loves to cook. And I'm not talking about barbecuing, which James also does exquisitely, but the real gourmet stuff. Don't get me wrong, I can hold my own in the kitchen, but since James cooks most of the dinners, it seemed only right that he have a proper kitchen to do it in. And so the kitchen makeover began.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKhOWsCV4oysPC1aI-xhFREN8AXrlhiZRdGRDHV7M-YVJdD6gSVdwxuAQ68-FhyYvUTjiOO2yTQNo1wZNKigHFVrCD-4ZQvPAxaWPvR4ftdhYlK0tbIzhtVXgk3k9nTmNPoGTac14bWA/s1600/1415_img1910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQKhOWsCV4oysPC1aI-xhFREN8AXrlhiZRdGRDHV7M-YVJdD6gSVdwxuAQ68-FhyYvUTjiOO2yTQNo1wZNKigHFVrCD-4ZQvPAxaWPvR4ftdhYlK0tbIzhtVXgk3k9nTmNPoGTac14bWA/s200/1415_img1910.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">These photos were taken by the folks at <a href="http://homesinmotion.ca/" target="_blank">Homes in Motion</a>, who kindly gave me permission to use them here, to advertise our house before we bought it. The door on the back wall opens out onto the back patio, and the one in the opposite corner leads down to the basement. Since we don't have the money to tear out any walls at the moment, the basic structure of the room had to stay the same. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRl5BQFU2sEGFwBko2mrkeGFNjZoG_vxsosYTVR7O79rXqVtMCwipBmZsCLTEpIOm7wkSpUPu8yKe7FnfumPNeRo0v5piD2Io-d7q1UYNaZAWU2rDTVCjaOvomM4-D8hhoLH_6DRzgbk/s1600/1415_img1911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYRl5BQFU2sEGFwBko2mrkeGFNjZoG_vxsosYTVR7O79rXqVtMCwipBmZsCLTEpIOm7wkSpUPu8yKe7FnfumPNeRo0v5piD2Io-d7q1UYNaZAWU2rDTVCjaOvomM4-D8hhoLH_6DRzgbk/s200/1415_img1911.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: left;">
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We love how bright the kitchen is, but hated having the fridge all the way across the room from the stove and sink. For financial reasons the cabinets, counters and floors had to stay (at least for now). Lucky for us, James' parents gave us a generous housewarming gift, so we were able to replace the fridge from 1986 (yup, that was the date on the sticker on the back) and the 27" electric stove with miniature oven. (No turkeys or full size baking sheets would have fit in there, never mind dutch ovens full of lamb roasts, which are not unheard of at our house.)</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcaYRWFgWNFbl5X_IMz87BtIOOvarH86-vqMGPjPCGiQH5gK1Mnzj5mtJfCxc0dnnaEJinTnnYIpY3TWW3HwjzT8ISc8QGrNDpjMWOPizEsDpBA3qpJKgo_UsdtfvRvBgBbYvkz-cLMk/s1600/1415_img1913.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCcaYRWFgWNFbl5X_IMz87BtIOOvarH86-vqMGPjPCGiQH5gK1Mnzj5mtJfCxc0dnnaEJinTnnYIpY3TWW3HwjzT8ISc8QGrNDpjMWOPizEsDpBA3qpJKgo_UsdtfvRvBgBbYvkz-cLMk/s200/1415_img1913.jpg" width="200" /></a>The other important issue for us was the lack of a dishwasher. We had to have one, not least because I abhor washing dishes, but also because it apparently uses less water to wash dishes in the dishwasher than it does to wash them by hand. (That's a convenient rationalization, isn't it?) Since it had to be installed close to a water source and drain, and we didn't want to lose a cabinet and 4 drawers, we opted for a mini dishwasher that was only 18" wide.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRi3KwZPE3m22aWDmmZzNRVIfyMiNi5yIBONseG6C53SOe0jwtgJuZWx-v9VvR2BADiR3GykMQW3feAOhZDCIdHiWuYMxfyM7VlhC-Xq8RZWwEorZ8xvS21sv4NvuXV2POESRBOdVptg/s1600/DSC_0823.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQRi3KwZPE3m22aWDmmZzNRVIfyMiNi5yIBONseG6C53SOe0jwtgJuZWx-v9VvR2BADiR3GykMQW3feAOhZDCIdHiWuYMxfyM7VlhC-Xq8RZWwEorZ8xvS21sv4NvuXV2POESRBOdVptg/s200/DSC_0823.JPG" width="142" /></a>The biggest design challenge was figuring out what to do about our stranded fridge. We didn't want to put the fridge beside the stove, not only because having a heat source right next to the fridge isn't a great idea, but also because we didn't want to block the lovely window that's there. But where else could it go? A<span style="background-color: white;">fter a few days of mulling it over, James came up with a brilliant solution.</span><span style="background-color: white;"> We would seal off the door to the hallway (after all, we already have access to the living room from the kitchen), and get a shallow fridge that would fit in the space between the liquor cabinet and the door to the basement. Eureka! (</span><span style="background-color: white;">One of these days I'll post about the experience of hanging a 26" door in a 27" door frame that's not square, but that's a story for another day.) You'd never even know there used to be a doorway there now, would you?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQu_s3s3AatIH-S9yznlXDsOEe3iNgRW9bmc0bmYGKwk_0-iQsnXwH7aFUjx7L3bbztelitFSv_3GBRcYOW6-4NGm2EakYyZHvN68DGUw45af01MGlzzbVuubjcFDiuIEFRUDniesFHk/s1600/kitchen2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieQu_s3s3AatIH-S9yznlXDsOEe3iNgRW9bmc0bmYGKwk_0-iQsnXwH7aFUjx7L3bbztelitFSv_3GBRcYOW6-4NGm2EakYyZHvN68DGUw45af01MGlzzbVuubjcFDiuIEFRUDniesFHk/s200/kitchen2.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white;">We decided on black for the new appliances, since stainless steel appliances are significantly more expensive, and the ones that just look like stainless still seem to cost more than black. Also, we like black. We think it looks modern, and it's easy to keep clean. In order to unify the look of the kitchen given the black appliances and white cabinets, I had the brilliant idea (is it okay not to be modest? I think it was brilliant!) of replacing the white cabinet handles with black ones. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPwvCz1FmbjcwSifWLL8buzvbJnweaw_0ODJdjxBGDaTB9h4_tdhxn1divh5GqpAeo7bJfDR9tG9xfRp-FPAcTFehLVmbEJC1dqsdZgphWcd5rssAKtQ-IZVo1zXwxgMNDZYTkQ_MzFw/s1600/kitchen3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyPwvCz1FmbjcwSifWLL8buzvbJnweaw_0ODJdjxBGDaTB9h4_tdhxn1divh5GqpAeo7bJfDR9tG9xfRp-FPAcTFehLVmbEJC1dqsdZgphWcd5rssAKtQ-IZVo1zXwxgMNDZYTkQ_MzFw/s200/kitchen3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">In addition to jazzing the place up by adding black accents, we decided that the walls needed a splash of colour too. Along with our bright yellow/orange accent wall (which friends who helped us paint were <b>really</b> not sure about at the time), we opted to paint the bulkhead above the cabinets a lovely dark Georgian brick red that matches our banister.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMyqBQkywkKxONHG5FZBiWwSufowRw4wgE3YvGvheP5AqVIA2NiP9ax2uX8e1R7ujjUq6mkeEj-5bPeO0Wo_S36bAaanxj67byJ_mvwGFHXdQPJIzzgXHKBkQOgKeOwFKcag_irfY_KA/s1600/kitchen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMyqBQkywkKxONHG5FZBiWwSufowRw4wgE3YvGvheP5AqVIA2NiP9ax2uX8e1R7ujjUq6mkeEj-5bPeO0Wo_S36bAaanxj67byJ_mvwGFHXdQPJIzzgXHKBkQOgKeOwFKcag_irfY_KA/s200/kitchen1.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: white;">For storage we used shelves that we already had, selected mostly because they fit the space. We also added a fantastic kitchen island that we found for $250! We love having the extra counter space, and it has a drawer and a shelf for added storage too. Best of all, we fluked out and found a mahogany one with the wood of the base stained in a reddish tint, to match our red accent bulkhead.</span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghE3HJ4L_b92hB_U8QC8PXAp-7KZZquG8NSHbE5coK0g4ANEfWX4jhDjLDqX_P3m17kOPfsx2HaXIvKyXncFCxjw8NpX8rwdb02TCRFFCv2F5pulB6vLi3GeVgRfPSAepwdlDnyMsM0Qs/s1600/DSC_0821_sml.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghE3HJ4L_b92hB_U8QC8PXAp-7KZZquG8NSHbE5coK0g4ANEfWX4jhDjLDqX_P3m17kOPfsx2HaXIvKyXncFCxjw8NpX8rwdb02TCRFFCv2F5pulB6vLi3GeVgRfPSAepwdlDnyMsM0Qs/s200/DSC_0821_sml.JPG" width="159" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">One of our favourite features of the kitchen was the built-in liquor cabinet, which you can see between the door to the living room and the door to the hallway. We wanted to highlight it as a special feature, so removed the door and painted the inside of the cabinet dark red. James had to use a screw extractor bit to remove the hinges, but once we had the right tool, the job went smoothly.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">When it came time to decorate we were thrilled to discover that the faux-window painting that my mum had created for our kitchen wall in Austin, based on a photo that I took while we were travelling in France, was a perfect match with our new yellow wall colour. It now hangs over our kitchen table (you can see it in the photo, above). </span><span style="background-color: white;">With a few more little personal touches, like these great canisters with little yellow flowers that match our yellow wall that James' mom brought for us from her house, the kitchen has really started to feel like home. </span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_eCAb_hFZjHokVEBPdhyphenhyphen-YUxZ15sHCPvrDuU_lUNyYkWmUsvLGxFLMIiSNMK2Fvfy8CkIwMsS3npH_oF4-FPHkUmt3D6hutj9ukMCAJIvBbu6BBqYPh2921CFjdz4dCV5Nj-S-HEc74/s1600/kitchen7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_eCAb_hFZjHokVEBPdhyphenhyphen-YUxZ15sHCPvrDuU_lUNyYkWmUsvLGxFLMIiSNMK2Fvfy8CkIwMsS3npH_oF4-FPHkUmt3D6hutj9ukMCAJIvBbu6BBqYPh2921CFjdz4dCV5Nj-S-HEc74/s200/kitchen7.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;">I am amazed and what a difference we have made to this room without changing its fundamental structure in any way. It feels modern, bright and fun, which just goes to show what updated appliances, paint and and the right island can do for a kitchen!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">Have you ever made a dramatic change to a room in your home without altering its structure? Perhaps you've changed it's purpose or layout just by swapping out the furniture, and updated it with fresh paint. If you have, we'd love it if you'd share your tips and experiences in the comments!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-64532882028473522382012-07-27T19:07:00.001-04:002012-07-27T19:07:25.205-04:00Healthy & delicious white bean spreadBack when we lived in Austin our favourite restaurant used to bring freshly baked bread and a delicious hummus-like spread made from cannellini beans to the table for us to enjoy while we waited for our meal to be prepared. It was always a welcome change from the bread and butter that you so often get at restaurants, not only because it's a healthier alternative, but also because they had different versions of this deliciously simple spread. For a while they served a roasted red pepper version, and later they switched to serving it with olive pieces mixed in, and a few olives on the side. <span style="background-color: white;">Since moving to Toronto, we can't go to Sagra any more, so today I decided to try making this yummy spread at home. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">If you've made hummus before, you'll find that the process of making white bean spread is quite similar, although I find that the finished product is a bit lighter and smoother in texture. White beans are also a little less expensive than chick peas, and this recipe calls for less tahini (which can be almost as expensive as hummus itself) than most hummus recipes. For me, the biggest challenge was figuring out exactly which "white beans" were the right ones for this recipe, since several different varieties of beans at the grocery store seem to go by that name, and none of them said "cannellini beans" on the package. After a little online research I was able to determine that the beans I was looking for are also called white kidney beans. For my first attempt at the recipe, I decided to go with a can of beans instead of committing to a whole bag of dry beans (although this would be a less expensive way to go, if you plan to make the recipe more than once and have the patience and foresight to soak the beans overnight).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">I started with a recipe from FoodNetwork.com, which you can find <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-specials/white-bean-hummus-dip-recipe/index.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I'll share the original recipe along with my adjustments, substitutions and things I will do differently next time below. The instructions are very simple; just combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white;">The recipe calls for:</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;">1/4c chopped green onions </span></li>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I used fresh chives from the garden, and put in 1/3c because I harvested too many and didn't want to waste them. I would use chives again, but next time I'll stick with just 1/4c.</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">2 T fresh lemon juice</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">2 T tahini</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1/2 t dried oregano</li>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I used fresh oregano from the garden, but next time I would use dried instead, since the final version ended up tasting a bit leafy, even though it was well blended.</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">1/4 ground cumin</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1/8 t salt</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1/8 t freshly ground black pepper</li>
<li style="text-align: left;">1 (19 oz.) can cannellini (aka white kidney) beans, rinsed and drained</li>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I drained the cannellini beans, and set aside the bean liquid, which I used about 3 T of to thin out the spread at the end, since it ended up a bit too thick. I didn't rinse them, but I probably will next time.</span></div>
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<li style="text-align: left;">1 garlic clove, peeled</li>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I used 2 cloves, and I'm glad I did (but then again, we like garlic!) I cut them in thirds before adding them to the food processor.</span></div>
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This spread is delicious on bread, but it's also great as a healthy veggie dip, and a fresh new alternative any time you would use hummus. It should last for a week or so in the fridge.<br />
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Enjoy!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-18341912910967933462012-07-18T16:37:00.002-04:002012-07-29T17:59:06.460-04:00Makeover: From Back Patio to Outdoor Oasis<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
One of the spaces in our home that we have come to use the most since summer has arrived is our back patio, so I wanted to share with you how it came to be so nice and comfortable, since it wasn't that way at all when we moved in. Here is what the back patio looked like when we moved in:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqWoys1bjsPPxb2QEdz8X4a8t8zKEaev05pCUzmXB0yVIKUbUzx-5AoGODb2b6-HZQ5DQVmy48eeb6FWfbrpjk6ovj-skIUFPKIo48_cVSo1XneSOQZ7DIp5fs32bRa4qImFHueodesI/s1600/1415_img1943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqWoys1bjsPPxb2QEdz8X4a8t8zKEaev05pCUzmXB0yVIKUbUzx-5AoGODb2b6-HZQ5DQVmy48eeb6FWfbrpjk6ovj-skIUFPKIo48_cVSo1XneSOQZ7DIp5fs32bRa4qImFHueodesI/s320/1415_img1943.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since then, it has come a very long way. The first addition was the cheap plastic greenhouse that we brought over from our old place. It was a set of poles and shelves with a clear plastic cover that goes over it. I won't recommend it here, since one of the zippers broke almost right away, and it kept falling over (which really isn't good for the plants). In any case, I managed to stabilize it by attaching a 1x2 diagonally across the back, so at least it doesn't fall over any more, and it now provides at least a little covered outdoor shelving for storing gardening and barbecue tools.</div>
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Early in the season we picked up a great table and chair set that we love, on sale for only $99. They're metal and really sturdy (although storing them will take up a bit of space in the winter), so we're hoping they'll last a long time. Next, we added a 8' x 8' canopy for shade, which we got at a steep discount because it was discontinued. We picked up a Weber charcoal barbecue and chimney starter (a must-have for any charcoal grill-master, which James is planning to post about soon), and then it was just a matter of adding a few finishing touches.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhsjqHVBhnimCsL7Y0tiwrcibBDcgmDf9L1zqm5tZje2SKnu6AKUGbp_bov16qDBP351p4md6UwFaqF2laiR1hLk4f6rkspTlWetBIX2iJAZrUMj2cQ9bN0jU0JYU6BrGw-hsoOG85Es/s1600/DSC_0839_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEhsjqHVBhnimCsL7Y0tiwrcibBDcgmDf9L1zqm5tZje2SKnu6AKUGbp_bov16qDBP351p4md6UwFaqF2laiR1hLk4f6rkspTlWetBIX2iJAZrUMj2cQ9bN0jU0JYU6BrGw-hsoOG85Es/s320/DSC_0839_2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our whimsical new door mat!</div>
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When James' parents came to visit last week, his mom got us a great outdoor rug for under the table and chairs, and a whimsical bird-themed doormat (above), to help keep the mud from the garden from making it's way onto the kitchen floor. His dad helped us to replace the old outdoor light with a one with a motion sensor for security (and savings, since it won't get left on like the old one sometimes did.) <span style="background-color: white;">And there you have it, our wonderful outdoor oasis!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin16bvRuP8YL9f2N4OyJUYpBZx0AMIg3PEApuQGnV2ELJ3A-6h-AHRA_Qj6mh_K_y3xhyphenhyphen1DdlOELh7pt7112r7xCx_UaXFSRUWYRVDw0sARXSF1_wFs_Vq0VGQDdhWXd1j3rIRbmdu030/s1600/DSC_0838_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin16bvRuP8YL9f2N4OyJUYpBZx0AMIg3PEApuQGnV2ELJ3A-6h-AHRA_Qj6mh_K_y3xhyphenhyphen1DdlOELh7pt7112r7xCx_UaXFSRUWYRVDw0sARXSF1_wFs_Vq0VGQDdhWXd1j3rIRbmdu030/s320/DSC_0838_1.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-22240106044023267792012-06-10T00:45:00.006-04:002012-06-10T00:45:55.604-04:00Creating a Gravel Parking PadWhen we decided that we wanted to have a nice gravel parking pad, instead of a dirty, uneven, weed covered parking area off of our back lane, I had a number of questions, like where does a person buy gravel anyways? Not to mention how much do we need, what does it cost, and how do we get it home?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeY5-AOdYDGX8LBNAEKetdstR0vth9iknpwD1xeRU3a-wzPUEjvRpHSInpOvdZut1OkewDSc3SYR5TeIqRWc52MzjS5G_Ui96xfKG948Awc-NH38jl5qdDQRqyXbDLQmVmmmcQlO5XaQ/s1600/DSC_0633.NEF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEeY5-AOdYDGX8LBNAEKetdstR0vth9iknpwD1xeRU3a-wzPUEjvRpHSInpOvdZut1OkewDSc3SYR5TeIqRWc52MzjS5G_Ui96xfKG948Awc-NH38jl5qdDQRqyXbDLQmVmmmcQlO5XaQ/s200/DSC_0633.NEF" width="200" /></a>One reason we chose to put in a gravel parking pad, rather than paving, is that using a permeable surface for parking is more eco-friendly, since it reduces run-off. In case you're considering this relatively cheap but high-impact project, I will share some of my new-found insights here, along with some photos of our project. This is a before picture from when we were building the fence. (There were a lot less weeds then.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitr_RjdWuVxUIvJVxsZ3dbTNcKL0tgC382lPzIAXw2KxnK9BIhvQdPtHxZ-nHW3UrVwzFAIF3RLKQ65E8q4xl4nuf-8apHwuwuT2M83G_Zv9KN81aDhhMPYHi-uYYS2aSDex0MyIaxv3o/s1600/DSC_0789.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="141" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitr_RjdWuVxUIvJVxsZ3dbTNcKL0tgC382lPzIAXw2KxnK9BIhvQdPtHxZ-nHW3UrVwzFAIF3RLKQ65E8q4xl4nuf-8apHwuwuT2M83G_Zv9KN81aDhhMPYHi-uYYS2aSDex0MyIaxv3o/s200/DSC_0789.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
We decided to put landscaping fabric down underneath the gravel to crush the existing weeds, and prevent more weeds from growing up through it. If you do this (particularly on a windy day), be sure to have lots of rocks, or better yet (as we discovered) some 2x4's on hand to weigh down the fabric until the gravel arrives.
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When I was trying to figure out what type of stores I should be calling to compare prices on gravel, it seemed to me that in the old days, one would have just looked up "gravel" in the yellow pages. So, I tried it (on yellowpages.com, that is). This didn't turn up many places that looked promising to me, but it did set me on the path of the "building supply" store. That, my friends, is where you buy gravel.<br />
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Google maps led me to a number of building supply stores close to home (which, I reasoned, would make delivery cheaper). Now I know there are some hard core DIY'ers out there thinking to yourselves "Delivery, bah! I'll just pick up the gravel myself, shovel it into the back of my hatchback, and drive it home in a few small loads." (Okay, I'll admit it, I considered this.) Don't do it. Gravel is heavy. Really heavy. And the amount you will need is more than you think (I'll get to that in a minute). So if you can't avoid the delivery fee, how else can you save money on gravel?<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLyhSBId8Uhyp-9v4T9LQDSlmsIpTrioR_sRtqHTLRcD0nLy8ZqePf2flPWS-SXk7tIVc-Kol2sFxYInIV72K5I_sCvu6ds15qef3u-nP6AQ2_rAGhUWE4GfyVWGrcnvEp6_rSUbAwIU/s1600/DSC_0792.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLyhSBId8Uhyp-9v4T9LQDSlmsIpTrioR_sRtqHTLRcD0nLy8ZqePf2flPWS-SXk7tIVc-Kol2sFxYInIV72K5I_sCvu6ds15qef3u-nP6AQ2_rAGhUWE4GfyVWGrcnvEp6_rSUbAwIU/s200/DSC_0792.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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James and the dump truck.</div>
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The best way to save money on gravel is to call around and ask about the cost of gravel (usually given per cubic yard), and also about the cost of delivery. I called five building supply stores. The cost of the gravel ranged from $37 to $50 per cubic yard, and the cost of delivery was between $25 and $70. So you can see that it is well worth taking the time to shop around. Fortunately for us, the place with the cheapest gravel also had the cheapest delivery, so calling around really did save us a bundle.<br />
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So, how many cubic yards do you need? I asked a number of people, both family friends with experience in this area, and the people at the building supply stores. The conclusion that I have come to is that, as a general rule, 1 cubic yard per 100 square feet that you want to cover is about right. If the ground that you are putting the gravel on is not very compacted, or if there is room for the gravel to spread at the edges (which there wasn't in our case), you might need a bit more. We got 4 cubic yards, and it was a big pile! Here it is:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_DoDrlSOQx6Yhe0pZcMz085jGoQQD8dUOt8VIJNBOattBaEe-ifrI7087NxdPhiRo1W0-EsM-Hs-O-OMttfcX7hOv_iT08BbkPtGALDCYmbhf75_b6wqNyalLXkkXyqVitGNmS42FFw/s1600/DSC_0793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT_DoDrlSOQx6Yhe0pZcMz085jGoQQD8dUOt8VIJNBOattBaEe-ifrI7087NxdPhiRo1W0-EsM-Hs-O-OMttfcX7hOv_iT08BbkPtGALDCYmbhf75_b6wqNyalLXkkXyqVitGNmS42FFw/s320/DSC_0793.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Our other big tip for you, given our experience raking and shoveling the gravel to convert it from a giant pile of rocks into a nice, even parking area, is to have the dump truck dump it in the middle (rather than at the edge) of the area that you plan to cover with gravel. That way you can spread it out from the middle in all 4 directions, instead of having to spread it a farther distance in only 3 directions, like we did. Also, wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTmtBXmK9GmPAdEPNTRK3-dkBYEQmYmqP7RVslcx6AsjyoYLq54lt-K7v0lBgBsWuWoWDdtHqOqc_OXnZxGK3KdPGZSqISt3VBbwzlvGCm3vqpUOGdEM8eNPND7eAjq_Y7ouMdPyVaOs/s1600/DSC_0797.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTmtBXmK9GmPAdEPNTRK3-dkBYEQmYmqP7RVslcx6AsjyoYLq54lt-K7v0lBgBsWuWoWDdtHqOqc_OXnZxGK3KdPGZSqISt3VBbwzlvGCm3vqpUOGdEM8eNPND7eAjq_Y7ouMdPyVaOs/s320/DSC_0797.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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And voila, a dazzling new parking area that's eco-friendly too!<br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-2703145947605378662012-05-27T15:15:00.001-04:002012-05-27T15:15:08.078-04:00Household Hints: How to get more juice from a lemonEspecially during the winter, lemons can be expensive. Here are a couple of tips that will help you get more juice from a lemon.<br />
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<a href="http://images.yourdictionary.com/images/definitions/lg/cheesecloth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://images.yourdictionary.com/images/definitions/lg/cheesecloth.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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- Warm your lemon up in the microwave before cutting it in half to get more juice.<br />
- Roll your lemon on the counter, applying pressure with the palm of your hand will also loosen up the juice inside.<br />
- If you just need a little lemon juice, poke a hole in the lemon with a toothpick, squeeze out the juice that you need, and put the toothpick back in to plug the hole. This will keep the lemon fresh and ready to use again.<br />
- If you're serving a family, or having guests, wrap half a lemon with cheesecloth and bring it to the table face down on a small plate. Each guest can squeeze the juice he or she needs from the lemon, put it back on the plate, and pass it along to the next guest. The cheesecloth will prevent the juice from squirting anyone across the table, and keep the seeds from falling into your food. If you don't use it up, simply put the plate and the lemon in the fridge and use it at your next meal. You can use any type of porous cloth you wish. Try coloured cloths or tie the corners together with a ribbon for extra decorative flair, your guests will be impressed!<br />
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Do you have any other lemon-related tips to share?<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-35086100343886644942012-05-25T03:31:00.003-04:002012-05-25T03:35:50.529-04:00Ode to the Mini-Crow Bar<div style="text-align: left;">
Of all of my tools, the mini-crow bar is my very favourite.Why, you ask? Well, there are a number of reasons. It's diminutive size and elegant shape make it cute and endearing, but it is also strong and powerful. </div>
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0038MIGZ8/ref=as_li_tf_il?ie=UTF8&tag=onecanhom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0038MIGZ8" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL110_&ASIN=B0038MIGZ8&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=onecanhom-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a></div>
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My particular affinity for demolition (see my description of ripping up the floor in the guest room <a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/makeover-guest-bedroom.html" target="_blank">here</a> for an example), and the mini-crow bar's aptitude for it doesn't hurt either. It's wonderful for demolition, but it's great for other practical reasons as well. </div>
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I can use the mini-crow bar in place of a variety of other tools when I'm working on a project and can't remember where I've put them down. I have used it to remove nails, as you would the claw end of a hammer, as a pry-bar, to open a can of paint (although there are <a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/choosing-right-paint-can-opener.html" target="_blank">better tools for that</a> which are also quite versatile), as a chisel (by hammering on the curved part). Not only that, it can be used in tight spaces like closets, it fits nicely into my tool bag and it isn't nearly as heavy as a full sized crow bar would be.</div>
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Mini-crow bar FTW!</div>
</div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-80256372803056497142012-05-23T02:10:00.004-04:002012-07-27T19:07:47.049-04:00Why is Breakfast Cereal so Expensive? or How to Make GranolaToday's blog post is brought to you by Rocky and Bullwinkle. Well, not really, but The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show inspired this post's disjunctive title. Do you remember the show's great episode titles like "Lion in the Bedroom or The Cat’s Pajamas"? I sure do! And now on to the real post!<br />
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Although most of my blog posts so far have been about home improvement, One Canadian Home is intended to be a do-it-yourself blog in the fullest way possible. James and I are very interested in doing and making whatever things we can around our home for a couple of reasons. Saving money is a big part of our motivation, but we're also interested in learning how to do a wide variety of different things, like our grandparents did. We also strive to be eco-friendly, and this is often easier to do if you buy ingredients instead of finished products. Since this is a post about granola, not about why we want to do as much as we can ourselves, and I've already gone off on a tangent about Rocky and Bullwinkle, I won't digress further, but hopefully you get what we're after, and maybe you'll read along and join the conversation in the comments.<br />
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Breakfast cereal is incredibly expensive, especially for what it is. Mostly wheat or oats or corn, all of which are very cheap. It's easy to pay on the order of $5 for a box of cereal, depending on the size of the box, and even the generic brands (which I find don't usually taste as good) are pretty pricey. So, I've been looking for alternatives to breakfast cereal.<br />
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My first attempt at making breakfast cereal will be making granola, although in researching the topic I also came across a recipe for home made bran flakes that I really want to try. When I do, I will post about it. I found a couple of granola recipes online, but I also remembered that my friend Kate used to make granola, so I got in touch and asked her for her recipe. In the end, I decided to try Kate's recipe first since it didn't have any ingredients that seemed too hard to find (and some which can be substituted), and wasn't full of coconut, which I don't really like. I also know that she's been making granola this way for years, so I figure it's probably good!<br />
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Here it is: <br />
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5 cups oats (or 4 cups oats and 1 cup rice puffs)<br />
1 cup cashews or almonds<br />
1 cup sunflower seeds<br />
2/3 cup tahini<br />
2/3 cup concentrated apple (or other) juice (from frozen)<br />
chopped dried fruit: papaya, apricot, cranberries, raisins, etc.<br />
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Mix everything except fruit in a large baking pan such as a lasagna pan. Bake 60 minutes at about 275F, stirring every 20 minutes. Add fruit 20 minutes from end (ie at the second stir). Stir immediately upon removal from oven to make clean-up easier.<br />
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We usually use two baking pans and make double this recipe which also makes the amount of juice more closely match a standard frozen can. You can substitute other sugars for the fruit juice. Oil can replace some or all of the tahini.<br />
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Thanks, Kate!<br />
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For my first batch I used oats (no rice puffs), almonds, dried mangos and dried apples. Instead of the juice I used apple sauce, since that's what I had on hand. Since apple sauce is less liquid than apple juice, I added a little canola oil too.<br />
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After trying it, I decided that I wanted raisins in it as well, for a little extra sweetness, so I added them after the fact which seems to work just fine. This delicious granola is now stored in a canister on my counter, and I serve myself two handfuls with milk for breakfast almost every morning. Since there are so many variations, I'm sure each batch will be different and interesting, too.<br />
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Next up, how to make my own chai tea to go with it. Let me know if you have a recipe!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-32910713630865553922012-05-23T01:40:00.004-04:002012-07-29T18:21:36.378-04:00Makeover: Transforming our Guest Bedroom into a Vacation Hideaway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Welcome to the first post in a (likely to be long) series of room makeover posts. Since the people who owned our house before us were elderly, and had lived in the house for 36 years, I'm sure you can imagine that it needs a little updating. First up, the guest bedroom.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVWAYMCkxF0jezKzlg3KTL3VXEsgLfC5X6fGfOiTFfJFDCrQVaL3ZI_OSHUzO1fkFOBFhm2mjBHggbRX4dKeuGZOUKFcUVOSRlt0WjHtAciOFxKFk3KSwEpsQsGq14A0Kkowil02zAPM/s1600/1415_img1928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVWAYMCkxF0jezKzlg3KTL3VXEsgLfC5X6fGfOiTFfJFDCrQVaL3ZI_OSHUzO1fkFOBFhm2mjBHggbRX4dKeuGZOUKFcUVOSRlt0WjHtAciOFxKFk3KSwEpsQsGq14A0Kkowil02zAPM/s320/1415_img1928.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
Here is the before picture, taken by the folks at <a href="http://homesinmotion.ca/" target="_blank">Homes in Motion</a> (used here with kind permission from them) who were hired by the previous owners for the purpose of selling the house. Did you notice the rug? We didn't, until the previous owners removed their furniture and we saw what terrible shape the floor was in underneath it.<br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br />As post-home-purchase surprises go, this was not a bad one. The floor was structurally sound and all, it's just that the stick-down vinyl tiles were probably stuck down thirty-odd years ago, and they were all peeling up around the edges. This was a mixed blessing, since although the floor needed to be re-done, the old tiles came off really easily.</span></div>
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Because of this floor our new guest room was in worse shape than any other room, so we decided that (besides painting) replacing the floor had to be our first big project in the new house. And, since I started ripping the tiles off the floor as soon as we had made that decision, there was no looking back.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5ZBJ4cDBQhuyAXf1glMejffMBmOe8ndC9-mgX9BxZnPXGlqb4NIReU4vLyBT3pYYzGjMRUoX0iB8iehsbxA1xd2O5ZnSsAAoFUXlbZsatBkTkJ1AW1xtUuHRIkRz-G8_WH_h3b5lcAM/s1600/DSC_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5ZBJ4cDBQhuyAXf1glMejffMBmOe8ndC9-mgX9BxZnPXGlqb4NIReU4vLyBT3pYYzGjMRUoX0iB8iehsbxA1xd2O5ZnSsAAoFUXlbZsatBkTkJ1AW1xtUuHRIkRz-G8_WH_h3b5lcAM/s200/DSC_0590.JPG" width="200" /></a>With the help of a putty knife and some determination, I ripped out the old floor, and my good friends chisel and mini-crow bar (featured <a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/ode-to-mini-crow-bar.html" target="_blank">here</a>) came in very handy for removing the baseboards (learn how to do that here). I really like doing demolition, and ripping the tiles off the floor was actually incredibly therapeutic. Check out what the room looked like at that point:</div>
As you can see, we had already started spackling the cracks around the window (check out my <a href="http://www.onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/04/spackling-tips.html" target="_blank">spackling tips</a>) and painting the trim in the room at this point.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfZb6r6N8nBuPlyeAgBl4LVVRCuiQ-UVfJZYa400lzuplQgI2jSncy7cda21b4pVw8dkw7rl-X8JvMXKU-PqmUCOpPrw-9VDPtsq6HJRLVfDc-9lt15gjTlJMDMkw0iyKI3_5__TK7jc/s1600/DSC_0621_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqfZb6r6N8nBuPlyeAgBl4LVVRCuiQ-UVfJZYa400lzuplQgI2jSncy7cda21b4pVw8dkw7rl-X8JvMXKU-PqmUCOpPrw-9VDPtsq6HJRLVfDc-9lt15gjTlJMDMkw0iyKI3_5__TK7jc/s200/DSC_0621_1.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
Next up was closet demolition. The closet had built-in shelves that were clearly installed eons ago, and never removed (not even when the room was painted). Each shelf had four legs, and each leg was attached to the shelf with one nail, so the shelves were not very stable. We decided that our best bet was to dismantle the shelves, and hold off on deciding whether to paint and reinstall them, or use the wood for some other project.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPYxxSApxUMQ4X9xrtqB7H-GZofxrwuhgOptfAw14LysXI-tFPWH8XeqLlCaLmADE7QbxjQoltvZ0cQ6FSCgGlbunr3FKCbj95DskQfmAEUEAl6lITr67Vt5BniRQ5aOZptJxgbpHvHw/s1600/DSC_0591.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbPYxxSApxUMQ4X9xrtqB7H-GZofxrwuhgOptfAw14LysXI-tFPWH8XeqLlCaLmADE7QbxjQoltvZ0cQ6FSCgGlbunr3FKCbj95DskQfmAEUEAl6lITr67Vt5BniRQ5aOZptJxgbpHvHw/s200/DSC_0591.JPG" width="131" /></a>There is something great, I think, about getting a peek at the history of a room when you're renovating. In particular, I love to see what colours a room has been painted (or what wall paper has been put up) in the past. Interestingly, it seems like much of our house was, at one time, painted sea foam green (I hope not all at once!). Here's what we saw when we took the built-in shelves out of the closet.</div>
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As you can see from the next photo, the painting was well underway at this point. In fact, we had completed one coat on all of the walls. We were originally thinking that we would do all of the painting before we installed the new floor, but before we started on the floor we asked for advice from my Aunt Lori, who has lots of experience installing floors (once word got out that she knew how, it seemed that every friend and neighbour had a new floor just waiting to be installed). She suggested that since it's easy to clean paint off of a laminate floor, and not so easy to touch up the paint if we scuffed the walls in the process of laying down the floor, we should save the second coat of paint until after the floor was finished. (You can read about laying the floor <a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/installing-laminate-floor-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/installing-laminate-floor-part-ii.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/installing-laminate-floor-part-iii.html" target="_blank">here</a> - it was a big job!) Here is a photo of the new floor in the process of being laid down.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3tIccs2gXWdKLEZovtB3-sMmoXdcqZdPcge4QM2ZRZ38LfLnHGpuV2UlxUpgzdvwsrzs8NTS_pfnBYFkBOaDnQJUqvEnnIHHZcazsALjMMJIE3lH7GDVjt1f2-fLDOQNNKG6xK4b-LA/s1600/DSC_0777.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA3tIccs2gXWdKLEZovtB3-sMmoXdcqZdPcge4QM2ZRZ38LfLnHGpuV2UlxUpgzdvwsrzs8NTS_pfnBYFkBOaDnQJUqvEnnIHHZcazsALjMMJIE3lH7GDVjt1f2-fLDOQNNKG6xK4b-LA/s200/DSC_0777.JPG" width="200" /></a>Once the floor was laid, it was time to put the baseboards back on. But we just couldn't do it. The rest of the room was so beautiful and clean and new looking, and the baseboards were encrusted with yellowing varnish, and dripped with paint from years gone by. So we embarked on the very time-consuming task of sanding down the baseboards. (Well, we did cheat a little and paint the baseboards in the closet, since it hardly seemed worth the effort to sand those ones.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriKCBMTxXgYPZhjLRhqeUK5gz3bP9ApQx_aSKAUb3y2UxnYjGhU0PPZ82oCvKj2TeTv8jLxzoi3HYBAL9jmmYtOiade6TH7eX2OWIPQJ662bzls7GknYJf_GhTCTG_6VbaMUqPov71jY/s1600/DSC_0826_1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiriKCBMTxXgYPZhjLRhqeUK5gz3bP9ApQx_aSKAUb3y2UxnYjGhU0PPZ82oCvKj2TeTv8jLxzoi3HYBAL9jmmYtOiade6TH7eX2OWIPQJ662bzls7GknYJf_GhTCTG_6VbaMUqPov71jY/s200/DSC_0826_1.JPG" width="142" /></a></div>
Once we got started, there was no going back, so we were very glad to discover that under all that yucky varnish the baseboards were made of beautiful oak! We decided to invest $30 in a power sander, which made the job go a lot more quickly, and before long we had sanded, oiled (use mineral oil from the pharmacy) and replaced our beautiful new baseboards.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccGX4ZZiS3LTsl64vGtR_aMmQxZqrg7qkyG0O8qfNfg_xSGxWJyqgVAdykUSkHwaxc_almOmAlPlg62iOd9jZPHVr5HgVfu-BCfntwP6HHpCys8bj261QhA3l7vnqI3dZylRGXAUpWGE/s1600/DSC_0825.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiccGX4ZZiS3LTsl64vGtR_aMmQxZqrg7qkyG0O8qfNfg_xSGxWJyqgVAdykUSkHwaxc_almOmAlPlg62iOd9jZPHVr5HgVfu-BCfntwP6HHpCys8bj261QhA3l7vnqI3dZylRGXAUpWGE/s200/DSC_0825.JPG" width="142" /></a><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br />Then we installed a new pole (rod?) in the closet to hang clothes from (post about how to do that to follow), and a shelf above it. We used two cup hooks and an old curtain rod we had hanging around to hang the curtains. Incidentally, I made these curtains for James' bedroom in his apartment in Austin way back when we were first dating, and thanks to my grandmother Gloria's wise counsel, I never get rid of curtains. </span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><br />As for the furniture, we put in a double bed, instead of the single bed that you see in the "Before" photo, but I still think that the room looks bigger now. We're still on the lookout for an inexpensive (or free?) bed frame for it. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtOJ37etchOflFZeNnvoxtAfSDKr3BmO1PAhgxN5id8fSJSEGtmRsxFas0FUibAclMy1s4gw1RBu2R5TVa8mSdQI9gDjn8llm4VdbaAGljPCE1YiLTXbW7o0iY2wxJO0mWl9v4XooO0M/s1600/Guest2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggtOJ37etchOflFZeNnvoxtAfSDKr3BmO1PAhgxN5id8fSJSEGtmRsxFas0FUibAclMy1s4gw1RBu2R5TVa8mSdQI9gDjn8llm4VdbaAGljPCE1YiLTXbW7o0iY2wxJO0mWl9v4XooO0M/s320/Guest2.jpg" style="cursor: move;" width="320" /></a>We found the bookshelf on the side of the road (and it's in great shape!). I re-painted the little white bedside table, which sat beside my bed at my parents' house for as long as I can remember (and may have been in my aunt or my mum's childhood room before that). The mirror in the guest room also came from my childhood room, and my mother painted the painting that's hanging above the head of the bed.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqcGwYT2L2CXrPDmX_y3Vb5LmwKcse2R-R9y-owadB0GOK_O4wY_MevmX1DeYdmxcC9MKJ9lxkl80Qu91s2Yf37Yneoq_EfEcNte36k_FKsmBsd0MHx5UDdl9elxKlk-CPCHZB9zO_6rg/s1600/Guest1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqcGwYT2L2CXrPDmX_y3Vb5LmwKcse2R-R9y-owadB0GOK_O4wY_MevmX1DeYdmxcC9MKJ9lxkl80Qu91s2Yf37Yneoq_EfEcNte36k_FKsmBsd0MHx5UDdl9elxKlk-CPCHZB9zO_6rg/s320/Guest1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
And there you have it, our brand new guest room, which we now out to tourists and business travellers through AirBnB. It's very quiet because it overlooks the back yard, and comes with a lovely view of the garden.<br />
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If you went on vacation to another city, would you like to stay in a room like this? Would you mind having a dog like Asta around? What do you do to feel more at home when you're travelling?</div>
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So you've found, scrounged, thrifted or been gifted a great new (to you) lamp, but there's a problem that spray paint can't solve. It has a broken bulb stuck in the fixture! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSzUMnqU5Zd5dlglEXOgM_NUe2B_sNf4YrKCVLytlY9SSNOKSOBSasT7bS-bMpKWv2J6eYNKZ-Hn_5Uy9nSUnryXTgpn-nrWOfrpvtgN3Vhc3xKFSoAilqFWcptfRUTao9wgMQklJ1Nc/s1600/DSC_0751.NEF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSzUMnqU5Zd5dlglEXOgM_NUe2B_sNf4YrKCVLytlY9SSNOKSOBSasT7bS-bMpKWv2J6eYNKZ-Hn_5Uy9nSUnryXTgpn-nrWOfrpvtgN3Vhc3xKFSoAilqFWcptfRUTao9wgMQklJ1Nc/s200/DSC_0751.NEF" width="133" /></a></div>
Your first instinct may be to grab a pair of work gloves and unscrew it with them on to avoid cutting yourself, but beware of trying this solution, because if you break off the glass part of the bulb in the process, it will be much more difficult to get the bulb unscrewed.<br />
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The best solution is to get a potato that's just a bit larger than the remaining bulb parts (any type will do--it's best not to eat it afterwards anyways). Cut off one end so that you have a flat, skinless surface to work with.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZ5lnwCufVTF_-kD79One2qgmRiHJKMMeIlZRz_8fYM1JtDmMjYWV9k2V3g2CeQW0cNs4E_b_1RQ1Yy1sA3F2ePmwYmTo1D_buIctxIdNujanuUpDMFZFUazU5-d2c5IrpUK6rC1Eugk/s1600/DSC_0752.NEF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEZ5lnwCufVTF_-kD79One2qgmRiHJKMMeIlZRz_8fYM1JtDmMjYWV9k2V3g2CeQW0cNs4E_b_1RQ1Yy1sA3F2ePmwYmTo1D_buIctxIdNujanuUpDMFZFUazU5-d2c5IrpUK6rC1Eugk/s200/DSC_0752.NEF" width="133" /></a>Unplug the lamp, and then, holding with the cut end of the potato towards the base of the bulb, slowly but firmly impale the potato on the broken bulb, like this:<br />
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Once the potato is firmly in place, you can turn it (lefty loosey, of course) and the base of the bulb will turn with it, unscrewing the bulb from the lamp.<br />
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Put in a new bulb (of course you'll be using a super efficient compact fluorescent, right?) And voila, you have a lovely new lamp!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJT769cqclwif0OSJDb9LE-8icBONnIG7hyphenhyphen1uMTlswh-v2TIUqMVay2F5PiwIPmyxlrKpkau7XJro8Spgmi9ImDEP6f7f3qYnbA7-9i-lxu98iLJRYbpEqzGNR-bZeUWbqNXRU8icU88/s1600/DSC_0753.NEF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOJT769cqclwif0OSJDb9LE-8icBONnIG7hyphenhyphen1uMTlswh-v2TIUqMVay2F5PiwIPmyxlrKpkau7XJro8Spgmi9ImDEP6f7f3qYnbA7-9i-lxu98iLJRYbpEqzGNR-bZeUWbqNXRU8icU88/s200/DSC_0753.NEF" width="133" /></a><br />
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This beautiful lamp came to us courtesy of James' Aunt Sue!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-74688400639510255162012-05-20T11:59:00.000-04:002012-05-25T03:35:06.605-04:00Choosing the Right Paint Can Opener<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="http://www.sterlingpromotions.ca/Busrell/BRB-0156m.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="171" src="http://www.sterlingpromotions.ca/Busrell/BRB-0156m.jpg" width="200" /></a>There are two main kinds of paint can openers that are available. There are the ones with the plastic handle, like this: </div>
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and there are the all metal ones with a loop at one end, and the opener at the other end. In my experience the plastic-handled ones cost about $1.49, and the metal ones cost about $0.49. Price aside, there is one good reason to prefer the metal ones to the plastic ones, and that is that the loop end is a bottle opener, and as James says, "Nothing goes together better than painting and beer."</div>
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I picked up a curved curtain rod at my local hardware store for about $25 (which seemed a bit pricey to me, but I'm tired of feeling cramped in the shower). Here is a picture of our old, straight curtain rod.<br />
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Taking the old rod down was no trouble. I just unscrewed the screws that were holding the mounting brackets to the wall, and they came right off the pole. Here is one of them, next to a lovely glass of our home-bottled red wine that I was enjoying while I worked on this project.<br />
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As I worked on putting up the new rod, I discovered a few things. First, the order that you assemble the parts in is very important. The new pole came with both mounting brackets (black plastic) and fancy chrome covers for the mounting brackets. First, put the mounting bracket cover on the pole, chrome sides facing away from the wall. Then, put the black plastic mounting bracket on the pole.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmEIx6SwCo11u13lcLOBEx4q_gL1sxnPBLzDjetdyI1n0XbQalytmtHBx_1MPWh50d_CSJSrG1hNc-9QMO6qwUOI-VRdHb_ygJLoBRRv2zn-EnqT2lG7sfRhWLMzYTh0gCcwQyGjBVI8/s1600/DSC_0774.NEF" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvmEIx6SwCo11u13lcLOBEx4q_gL1sxnPBLzDjetdyI1n0XbQalytmtHBx_1MPWh50d_CSJSrG1hNc-9QMO6qwUOI-VRdHb_ygJLoBRRv2zn-EnqT2lG7sfRhWLMzYTh0gCcwQyGjBVI8/s200/DSC_0774.NEF" width="200" /></a><br />
Once these two pieces are already on the rod, you can take the pin that comes with the kit, and put it through the hole at the end of the rod. (Can you tell that I didn't do these things in the right order the first time around?) The pin will fit into a slot on the wall side of the mounting bracket, and this is what prevents the pole from spinning, and keeps it curving out away from the shower stall.<br />
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Here is the pin, in place through the holes in the end of the rod.</div>
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Once you have all these pieces in place, you can attach the rod to the wall. My old rod was screwed through the tile grout, and anchored with those little plastic wall anchors. Since the screw holes for the new rod were closer together than for the old one (why are they never the same distance apart?!?), I decided to re-use the bottom anchor, and make a new hole for the top screw. Since the rod seemed fairly stable after putting in the bottom screws on both ends, and I don't plan on hanging anything heavy from the shower curtain rod, I decided not to bother with plastic anchors for the top screw.<br />
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And voila, here is our fancy new curtain rod, and very spacious shower!<br />
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I'm still working on finding a creative new use for the old pole and mounting brackets, so let me know if you have any brilliant suggestions! </div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-28692523699309830462012-05-18T12:09:00.001-04:002012-05-24T00:21:26.160-04:00Installing a Laminate Floor - Part III: Finishing!In case you haven't read them yet, you can click here to read <a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/installing-laminate-floor-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part I: Demolition & Underlay</a> or <a href="http://www.onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/installing-laminate-floor-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Part II: Installing the Floor</a> (where I tell you all the things I wish I had known before we started). In this post I will tell you about some things that didn't go as planned.<br />
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So we began laying the floor, and the first challenge was that the boards didn't actually fit together the way that they were supposed to according to the directions that came with the flooring. We were supposed to connect the long side to the previous row, and then just slide the board along and it would snap into place next to the previous board in the same row. Not so, as we discovered.<br />
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We solved this problem (as I mentioned in Part II), by linking a whole row of boards together end to end and then attaching them to the previous row all at once. This worked great, until we got to the longer rows that went into the closet. Ultimately we needed to get a pull bar and a tapping block so we could hammer the boards into place effectively. Installing the floor might have been a one day job instead of a two day project if we had known this in advance (or maybe not).<br />
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As we worked our way towards the closet, we discovered that since our new floor is taller than the old vinyl tiles, the closet door would not open or close on top of them. In fact, it wouldn't travel over them at all--they blocked the door.<br />
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My solution? Take the door off the hinges and worry about it later. Fortunately, James found a really helpful video about how to trim the bottom off of a door online. You can expect a post about that project soon. But for now, no door.<br />
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We also had to improvise a bit when it came to installing the "transition strip" that connects the new floor to the floor in the hallway. Instead of using their fancy method of nailing down a little plastic groove for the strip to slide into, we just nailed down the strip itself. Since it's now firmly affixed to the floor, I call that a success.<br />
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Here are a few photos of the finished room:<br />
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If you really love it, you can stay here, since we'll be renting this room out through AirBnB!<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-86393924601114883592012-05-04T21:15:00.001-04:002012-05-25T03:09:02.262-04:00Installing a Laminate Floor - Part II: Installing the FloorIf you haven't read <u><a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/installing-laminate-floor-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part I: Demolition & Underlay</a></u> yet, click here.<br />
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Now that the underlay is in place, you are ready to start laying the floor. Start by laying out the first row along one wall, and the row that will run lengthwise down the centre of the room. You'll take these rows up again, but for now the point is to make sure that the centre row looks straight (your room may not be square, especially if you have an older house like we do), and to check that you won't end up with a row that is too narrow along either of the side walls. As far as the latter point goes, you have two options. You can either start your flooring in the left hand corner (advantage: you only have to make lenthwise cuts to your flooring along one wall), or you can start it in the centre and make the space between the last row on each side and the side walls equal (this means you will probably have to cut the boards along both side walls - probably not worth the effort unless you would otherwise end up with a very thin strip along one side). </div>
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As you can see here, we decided to start the flooring in the left corner.</div>
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Not sure which direction to lay your flooring in? For us, it came down to wanting your new floor to run the same direction of the existing hardwood on the second floor. For you it might be helpful to know that usually floors are laid lengthwise parallel to the longest wall of the room, or they are laid perpendicular to the window.</div>
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Now for the things that I'm glad I knew before I started, and the things that I wish I had known before I started. My Aunt Lori, an accomplished DIYer who has laid more than her fair share of floors recommended a few things, and I will pass along her advice. </div>
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First, the floor manufacturer will recommend leaving a space for expansion between your new floor and any fixed object (i.e. wall, pipe, etc) of 1/4" to 3/8" (0.5 to 1cm), you should really leave a smaller space. That space should be equal to half of the depth of your baseboards. Planning to leave a smaller space will also leave more room for error when you make your cuts. I found that used (or unused) paint stir sticks and the metre stick that I had on hand were about the right depth, and they were easy to lie on their sides between the floor and the wall.</div>
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Second, Lori recommended that although we have a (very old, second hand, straight from the '50s) circular saw, we should invest in a mitre saw (aka chop saw) for this project. We decided that it was worth it for $130, since it would make this job much easier, and would likely come in handy for future projects. In retrospect, we're glad that we got a compound mitre saw with the 10" blade (instead of 7"), but we wish we had invested the extra $50 to get a compound <b>sliding</b> mitre saw. With a saw with a 10" blade that doesn't slide you can cut up to 10" deep, and about 6" across. The sliding feature enables you to cut further across, which is useful if your floor boards are 12" across, like ours are. In the end, we made one cut from each side and finished off the middle with a hand saw, which worked out fine.</div>
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Our new mitre saw, and James finishing a board with the hand saw.</div>
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Third, get a pull bar. This is a tool that you hook around the end of the last board in a row, so that you can hammer it into place. Ours came in a kit that also included 20 or so spacers (that you can use instead of those paint stir sticks I mentioned above), and a tapping block (to put against the other boards and hammer on when you're trying to get them into place--or you could just use a sanding block or other small block of leftover wood, which you surely have, right?).</div>
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Pull bar (red) in action!
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Fourth, although the instructions that come with your flooring will tell you that your can fit the long side of each board into the one beside it, and then just slide it into place so that the short side meets nicely with the one next to it, <b>this is not true</b>. They only say this because they don't want to be responsible for any damage that you do to the boards when you're hammering on them to get them into place. </div>
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Fortunately, I am not afraid that you're going to sue me, so I'm going to tell it like it is. You have two options. You can link a whole row of boards together, end to end, and then attach them to the previous row all at once. This is quick and a bit tricky, but not difficult especially with two people, unfortunately it is not effective for rows longer than 3 or maybe 4 boards. If you're working on a longer row, you can put the first 3 or 4 boards in place this way, and it will save you a lot of time over installing them all using option 2.<br />
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The first few rows were short, so we were able to lay them even without a </div>
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pull bar or tapping block (which we didn't know we needed), using option 1.</div>
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Once you've put the first 3 or 4 boards in the new row in place using the above method, you will have to use your handy tapping block to get each subsequent board in place. Attach the long side to the previous row first, then hold your block on a diagonal against the end of the new board, and hit it with your hammer. If you have a friend helping you (recommended!), one of you can hammer, and the other one can monitor the gap between the new board and the row that you're adding to to make sure that you stop once the gap is closed. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_XlONnFK66WAoAy705Uu-_jlVSbiLWyu4jCt8n4_066cz0H-4fKwLKV4XGkDTE-2U9swlKPxoFf4ncuvEANfizixPBoKrU4GA0p2ms6I5WS4DlFh7SLgfGTQUKkhvg96cj-_J1Zg4Ho/s1600/DSC_0787.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_XlONnFK66WAoAy705Uu-_jlVSbiLWyu4jCt8n4_066cz0H-4fKwLKV4XGkDTE-2U9swlKPxoFf4ncuvEANfizixPBoKrU4GA0p2ms6I5WS4DlFh7SLgfGTQUKkhvg96cj-_J1Zg4Ho/s320/DSC_0787.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you've read this far, you've earned a cute puppy picture!</div>
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If it seems like your hammering isn't doing anything, take the new board off and check to see if there's anything (like a little piece of the tongue or groove that has broken off) between the two boards that you're trying to attach that is preventing them from meeting completely. Usually you will find that there is. Remove the debris and try again.</div>
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With a little patience, a combination of these two methods should work pretty effectively.</div>
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Always lay out the whole row before you start fitting the boards together. If one end of your row is a very small piece, start with it instead of ending with it, because that way you can avoid using the pull bar on any piece that won't be hidden by the baseboards (it can leave a mark). </div>
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If you read the instructions for your floor you probably know this already, but be sure to start with boards of different lengths, so that your floor doesn't end up looking like a checkerboard. You want the joins to be at different places, because this will make your floor more durable, and it will look better.<br />
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Next up, <u>Part III - Finishing!</u></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-79313350200182478932012-05-04T18:55:00.001-04:002012-05-24T00:22:28.050-04:00Installing a Laminate Floor - Part I: Demolition & UnderlayOne of the first times that we came to the house after it was ours, we discovered that the floor in the guest room really needed some help (the previous owners had cleverly put a rug in that room so we wouldn't notice). It had stick-down vinyl tiles that must have been 30 years old, and were peeling up around the edges.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVWAYMCkxF0jezKzlg3KTL3VXEsgLfC5X6fGfOiTFfJFDCrQVaL3ZI_OSHUzO1fkFOBFhm2mjBHggbRX4dKeuGZOUKFcUVOSRlt0WjHtAciOFxKFk3KSwEpsQsGq14A0Kkowil02zAPM/s1600/1415_img1928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUVWAYMCkxF0jezKzlg3KTL3VXEsgLfC5X6fGfOiTFfJFDCrQVaL3ZI_OSHUzO1fkFOBFhm2mjBHggbRX4dKeuGZOUKFcUVOSRlt0WjHtAciOFxKFk3KSwEpsQsGq14A0Kkowil02zAPM/s320/1415_img1928.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Before (notice the well-placed rug)</div>
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Now, for a demolition-lover like me, this was great news--it meant that tearing them up would be a breeze! Needless to say, I started ripping up tiles right away, because it was so much fun! I removed the baseboards (post on how to do this and how much I love my mini crow bar and my chisel coming soon), painted, and we ordered a new floor.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5ZBJ4cDBQhuyAXf1glMejffMBmOe8ndC9-mgX9BxZnPXGlqb4NIReU4vLyBT3pYYzGjMRUoX0iB8iehsbxA1xd2O5ZnSsAAoFUXlbZsatBkTkJ1AW1xtUuHRIkRz-G8_WH_h3b5lcAM/s1600/DSC_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC5ZBJ4cDBQhuyAXf1glMejffMBmOe8ndC9-mgX9BxZnPXGlqb4NIReU4vLyBT3pYYzGjMRUoX0iB8iehsbxA1xd2O5ZnSsAAoFUXlbZsatBkTkJ1AW1xtUuHRIkRz-G8_WH_h3b5lcAM/s320/DSC_0590.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Demolition!</div>
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We decided to go with a floating laminate floor for a couple of reasons.<br />
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1) We didn't want to removed the black paper that was stuck to the sub-floor if we could avoid it, and the sub-floor doesn't have to be perfectly flat to put a laminate floor on top.<br />
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2) We can't afford real hardwood right now.<br />
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3) The rest of our second floor has real, old-fashioned hardwood floors, and we knew that it would be impossible to match the colour exactly (and also that if we tried the laminate would look <b>so</b> fake next to the real stuff). We also didn't like the idea of having two different colours of wood right next to each other. Using laminate gave us the largest number of colours and styles to choose from.<br />
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This is the floor that we chose is called Picolo Light Grey, and it looks like this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/11346.1231-T_PicoloLightGrey_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/11346.1231-T_PicoloLightGrey_4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<u>Laying the Underlay</u><br />
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Once the old floor was torn up, the baseboards removed, and all the bits of the old floor removed from under the baseboards, I swept the floor and then vacuumed. I tore up any pieces of black paper that seemed loose.<br />
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We got a roll of the cheap underlay (since the room is on the second floor, we weren't worried about moisture, so we didn't see a need for the fancy stuff), and I laid it out on the floor with "This side up" facing up, and set out to cut it to fit the room.<br />
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Lay the underlay not only so that the writing is the same side up on each piece (i.e. facing the ceiling), but also so it's oriented the same way (i.e.top of all the letters towards the window). If you have the same kind of underlay that I did, the left edge of each piece will have a strip of thin plastic extending past the edge of the actual underlay by about 10cm (4 in). The right side of each piece will have a strip of tape, covered by a backing, about 5cm (2 in) from the edge. The idea is that you're supposed to butt the pieces of underlay up against one another, with the cellophane on top of the tape, remove the backing of the tape once it's all lined up, and stick the cellophane to the tape. That way your underlay won't slide around while you're laying the floor. It took me a while to figure out what the cellophane and tape strip were for, so hopefully now you won't have to!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4c2Liembgz-IZCl35pAOjc1-3IPXk8nakJkect2ZBmXSyivalv4x2If-fh9okF4wKeltOA265vcfMCx1aj3izSBAhviAEbPQp0v7UNbGDyxg4He7E57zbkUk_X5Uxl3VE31JvAoaVEE/s1600/DSC_0767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4c2Liembgz-IZCl35pAOjc1-3IPXk8nakJkect2ZBmXSyivalv4x2If-fh9okF4wKeltOA265vcfMCx1aj3izSBAhviAEbPQp0v7UNbGDyxg4He7E57zbkUk_X5Uxl3VE31JvAoaVEE/s320/DSC_0767.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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See how the word "Roberts" is one way up in the first row, </div>
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and the other way up in the next row. This is how not to do it.</div>
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Another trick that I discovered is that once you have the underlay lined up on three sides, you can use a utility knife or a pair of scissors to poke holes a foot or so apart along the underlay where the floor meets the wall. Then you can lift it up and cut to "connect the dots" to get an accurate line, even if your room isn't square.<br />
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With those two tips in mind, putting down the underlay is pretty easy.<br />
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Click here for <u><a href="http://onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/05/installing-laminate-floor-part-ii.html" target="_blank">Part II: Installing the Floor</a></u><br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-72342253782891624842012-04-29T19:23:00.002-04:002012-05-24T00:22:49.832-04:00Moving!It has been pretty quiet here on the blog for a little while now, and that's because we moved into the house just 4 days ago! People have been asking for photos, and I haven't been providing them, because this place is a mess--we're up to the ears in boxes! But, in the interest of authenticity, here are a few photos of how some of our rooms look at the moment.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97igAM76MB8FzLte_LYbJKPDIYpiPuVjcT7vHcwzPnxa4zcrkEkvEt-q4LZ42lsmOIQGAr53krQR6K1lGRnmHw9XmWfAeTkywFDsmQUbBmXmTm1kDdLeKXdty7xHrqEibglrxP8zTAx0/s1600/DSC_0765.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97igAM76MB8FzLte_LYbJKPDIYpiPuVjcT7vHcwzPnxa4zcrkEkvEt-q4LZ42lsmOIQGAr53krQR6K1lGRnmHw9XmWfAeTkywFDsmQUbBmXmTm1kDdLeKXdty7xHrqEibglrxP8zTAx0/s320/DSC_0765.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The office.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdK2Eg_EogwAd4bKnqmp5Z5MvK5_uXHMMOECP60AL4HIQdI0XbxIYYSX-s7TCHe4LHg0xBb9llfts6W0n8yWuqELO1NJ8K51skSFJn3MomYQqEp-FoZ7NwVRlCXI7Qk2EFrovOu9KvNc/s1600/DSC_0766.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhdK2Eg_EogwAd4bKnqmp5Z5MvK5_uXHMMOECP60AL4HIQdI0XbxIYYSX-s7TCHe4LHg0xBb9llfts6W0n8yWuqELO1NJ8K51skSFJn3MomYQqEp-FoZ7NwVRlCXI7Qk2EFrovOu9KvNc/s320/DSC_0766.JPG" width="228" /></a></div>
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The guest room.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgaoYZzI2RLHew10tyHYt1yJ5v-2WNDVkrKUuvz-4HYe_yOeLZmCEWxs2BNbskkolt95iyKGnah0rQrYAPc0n0lZgmApqI9pXNHXvGXoVFDffGNyI8VGsL_jlc1MqvdsXMGUzCK30y7Q/s1600/DSC_0754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsgaoYZzI2RLHew10tyHYt1yJ5v-2WNDVkrKUuvz-4HYe_yOeLZmCEWxs2BNbskkolt95iyKGnah0rQrYAPc0n0lZgmApqI9pXNHXvGXoVFDffGNyI8VGsL_jlc1MqvdsXMGUzCK30y7Q/s320/DSC_0754.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The living room / kitchen.</div>
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We'll be digging things out, and getting unpacked gradually over the next few days. More posts soon, I promise!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-42701865413009495222012-04-14T20:42:00.000-04:002012-05-24T00:25:45.265-04:00Attic InsulationOne of our priorities with respect to the house (and to life in general) is to do what we can to keep our recurring expenses as low as possible. When we had our house inspected before we bought it, the home inspector mentioned that there was almost no insulation in our attic. Since adding insulation now will cost about the same as adding it a few years from now, and adding it now will save us money on our energy bills in the meantime, we decided to tackle that job right away.<br />
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We got a couple of quotes from different companies, all of which had received good reviews on <a href="http://homestars.com/on/toronto" target="_blank">Homestars</a> (a great website where clients can leave feedback for home-related service providers). I was shocked by the price difference among the quotes though--the highest was $1600 and the lowest was $400! Both were going to do the same stuff, but the higher bidder was admittedly going to do it in a fancier way.<br />
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Our attic is about 400 square feet, and we wanted R50 of cellulose insulation (R50 means it ends up about 2 feet deep, it seems). I learned along the way that it is possible to blow added cellulose insulation into your attic yourself (although we decided it wasn't worth the hassle, given the great price we got). Apparently buying the insulation for our job would cost about $300, and there's a machine that you can rent that blows it up into the attic. At least this way if you're not getting any reasonable quotes in your area, you know there's another option available.<br />
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If you don't already have one, you should build a "collar" around the opening for the hatch. This is a wall that prevents all of the insulation from tumbling out when you open the hatch. Our expensive quoter wanted to make the hatch hole bigger, install a fancy plastic collar and a proper, insulated hatch. Our cheap quoter built a collar for us out of cardboard, and insulated our existing hatch cover with batt insulation (the fluffy pink stuff).<br />
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When it's done, it should look something like this:<br />
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<a href="http://www.ecodaddyo.com/files/images/attic-cellulose-insulation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://www.ecodaddyo.com/files/images/attic-cellulose-insulation.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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And you and your family will be warm and toasty all winter long, and stay nice and </div>
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cool all summer long, saving money and energy and the earth all at once!</div>
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Happy insulating!</div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-22775321495204051262012-04-14T11:30:00.003-04:002012-05-24T00:26:49.848-04:00Spackling TipsWith all the painting that we've been doing, there's been a lot of preparation to do too, especially spackling, so I thought I'd share a few tips that will make things easier for you the next time you have a hole to fill.<br />
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When I spackle, I'm always eager to start painting, so I'm always checking back impatiently to see if the spackle is try yet. The problem is that it can be hard to tell, and I'm often tempted to try sanding it down before it's really dry. If you've ever tried this you will know that it makes a mess of both your sandpaper and your spackle job. My first tip is a great solution to this problem.<br />
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Tip #1 - Buy the spackle that starts out pink dries white, so that you can easily tell when it's dry!<br />
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I have spackled many times over the years, and my next tip is something that it took me a long time to learn. You see, I was taught that the appropriate tool for spackling is a putty knife, and that one with a wider blade is better. It is true that a putty knife with a wide blade (at least 4") is a great tool for smoothing out the spackle, but I know of a much better one for applying spackle in the first place. And best of all, it's free!<br />
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Tip #2 - Apply the spackle with your finger (especially for nail holes and other small patches).<br />
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Using your finger enables you to push the spackle right into the hole that you're trying to fill, without getting it all over the wall around the hole. You will have to rinse your finger off afterwards, but spackle is water-soluble, so it's easy to clean off. Apply your layer of spackle, and then run the putty knife over it once to clean off any excess.<br />
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<a href="http://jeanettes.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c6ffb53ef010536a7088f970b-400wi" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" height="133" src="http://jeanettes.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c6ffb53ef010536a7088f970b-400wi" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">See what a mess it makes if you use a putty knife to apply the spackle? Avoid getting all that excess spackle on the wall in the first place by using your finger!</span><br />
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Wait until it's dry (no longer pink!), lather, rinse and repeat. Unless it's a very small hole, it will probably take 2-3 applications of spackle to fill it so it's flush with the wall, because spackle shrinks a bit when it dries. That brings us to our next tip.<br />
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Tip # 3 - Apply several layers of spackle if you need to fill a hole more than 1/4 inch (about 0.5cm) deep.<br />
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Spackle is cheap, and that's a good thing given my next tip. Spackle that has started to dry out, or that has bits of dry, crunchy stuff (like dried plaster or bits of paint) in it is terrible to work with. The same goes for a putty knife with bits of dried spackle or other crud on it. This tip will hopefully prevent this problem.<br />
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Tip # 4 - Never ever put spackle that you've scraped off of the wall back into the tub of spackle.<br />
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Wipe it off the blade of the putty knife with your finger or a cloth, and throw it out or wash it down the drain (water-soluble, remember?). Also, be sure to wipe off the blade of your putty knife whenever the spackle on it starts to dry, or when it gets crusty. Otherwise when you clean off the excess spackle with the knife, you won't end up with a smooth surface.<br />
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If you're patching a larger area, you may want to sand between layers of spackle to remove any imperfections in your previous layer (due, perhaps, to laziness in cleaning off the putty knife) before adding more spackle. However, following these tips will minimize the amount of sanding you will have to do, and the number of layers of spackle that you will have to use. It's still a good idea to give your spackle a quick sand before you paint it though. But, after the sanding and before the painting, there is an important step that you must not skip.<br />
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Tip # 5 - Always prime over spackle before you paint.<br />
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If you are not planning to prime a wall before you paint it, and there are just one or two little nail holes that you need to patch, you may be inclined (like me) to skip priming all together, and just get on with the painting already. You must resist this urge. You don't have to prime the whole wall, but you do have to prime anywhere you have spackled. Unless I'm painting over a dark colour, spot-priming is usually what I do for areas that have been spackled, and anywhere where there's a stain that might leach through to the next layer that I can't clean off.<br />
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If you don't follow this advice and paint without priming, when the paint dries you will be disappointed to discover that the sheen (how shiny it is or isn't) will be different where there is spackle underneath the paint. This sounds like it might not be that noticeable, but it really is, so save yourself the hassle of having to prime over the new paint and then paint again over the primer, and spot prime over any spackled areas before you paint.<br />
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Please share your spackling tips in the comments section! For tips on choosing paint colours while you wait for your spackle to dry, check out <a href="http://www.onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/2012/03/choosing-paint-colours.html" target="_blank">this post</a>.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-39786975474675016172012-04-11T00:27:00.001-04:002012-05-24T00:27:19.197-04:00James vs. The StumpOne of the first challenges that we discovered once we decided that we wanted to move the fence in the back yard to create two parking spaces off of the lane (besides, of course, <a href="http://www.onecanadianhome.blogspot.com/2012/04/how-to-get-rid-of-chain-link-fence.html" target="_blank">how to remove the existing chain link fence</a>) was that there was a medium-sized stump right where we wanted to put the new fence.<br />
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I suppose that we could have moved the fence a bit closer to the lane, or a bit closer to the house, but we wanted to line it up with the end of the neighbour's garage, since we felt that it would look nicer that way, while providing the right amount of space for parking. So, given that the stump was in the way, we had to figure out what to do about it.<br />
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One good solution for stump removal is to rent a stump grinder, and grind the stump down. I talked to the folks at our local hardware store (where they rent stump grinders) about this idea. It would have cost about $70 for the day, which we thought was a bit pricey, and the only grinder that they had would have been overkill for our (relatively) small 6-inch diameter stump.<br />
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We decided that for our purposes, it would be fine to leave the underground part of the stump intact, if we could just cut it down so that it was level with the ground, or a little lower. We would have to avoid it when it came time to dig the post holes, but other than that, the fence would go over it just fine, and it seemed like a lot less work than actually trying to dig up the whole stump (especially since we don't know how big the tree was, so it's very hard to know how big the below-ground part of the stump is).<br />
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We began this project by using our new shovel to dig down around the stump, so that we would have access to where we needed to cut for it to end up shorter than ground level. Here you can see another much smaller stump that is also in our yard. (This is as far as we've got with it at this point though.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIPC0oVPtHUERcMgLaCm7Xc0Nn2eUsEGwvxvyAKbJBbY9ZrKTStFVip3bU9CEY56zeaxYpI2FBp_spP6K3wayV5m5NohN31F9JBD10kzh-vlfaD_omT689pnR9t56_i2A4VMn0BaWA9o/s1600/DSC_0596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="132" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIPC0oVPtHUERcMgLaCm7Xc0Nn2eUsEGwvxvyAKbJBbY9ZrKTStFVip3bU9CEY56zeaxYpI2FBp_spP6K3wayV5m5NohN31F9JBD10kzh-vlfaD_omT689pnR9t56_i2A4VMn0BaWA9o/s200/DSC_0596.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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Once we had dug a nice moat around the stump, James got out the axe and our little hacksaw, and started experimenting with different techniques for demolishing the stump. The axe proved to be less effective than we had thought, since it was hard to get a good swing in and hit the stump parallel to the ground, which is what we really needed.<br />
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He was better, but still slow, progress with the saw when our friendly Italian neighbour (whose name I really must ask again) came out to help. He and his elderly wife have surely been living in the neighbourhood for on the order of 40 years, and she has managed to conduct her business entirely in Italian! (You can read more about them, and about our neighbourhood in my <a href="http://www.onecanadianhome.blogspot.com/2012/03/on-friday-my-husband-james-and-i-got.html" target="_blank">first post</a>.) He offered us his axe, which was heavier than ours, his wood saw, which worked much better than a hacksaw for this job. Our neighbour even climbed over the low fence separating our yards to bring the tools, and offer his support. Here is a picture of James in his ferocious battle with the stump.<br />
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The best technique for removing the stump was to use the saw to cut a 1 inch groove parallel with the ground along one side of the stump, and then use the axe to chip off that section of the stump. James worked his way around the stump this way in ever-decreasing circles (an age-old technique that can also be used to find your way to a destination when you're lost).</div>
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We did eventually emerge victorious from the Battle of the Stump, but it took a lot of patience, and having the right (or at least better) tools certainly helped. We hope that this advice will save you some time the next time you need to level a stump. </div>
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If you have any tips or suggestions to add, we'd love to hear them, since we still have one more stump to go! Here is a picture of the ground after the stump was removed, and we had leveled the ground in preparation for putting up the fence.</div>
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-72500673374994438512012-04-07T15:50:00.001-04:002012-05-24T00:51:54.823-04:00Building a Fence - Part IIToday we set out to finish our fence project (for Building a Fence - Part I, click <a href="http://www.onecanadianhome.blogspot.ca/" target="_blank">here</a>). We left off last time having dug the post holes, leveled the 4x4 posts, and anchored them in concrete. After it had cured a bit, we filled in the holes with dirt, and left the concrete to harden overnight.
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In the meantime, James prepared two fence sections to fit between the 4x4 posts. To make them, we used 2x4s for the horizontal pieces at the top and bottom, and pre-cut 48" 2x2 posts, spaced 3.5" apart.
He started with a 2x4, pre-drilled each vertical post and the 2x4, and anchored each 4x4 post to the 2x4 with a black construction screw. We decided to use these screws because they will look good as the wood weathers, and provide an interesting design detail.
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Once both horizontal pieces had all of their vertical pieces attached, it was time to measure the distance between the 4x4 posts carefully, and cut the 2x4s to fit. In retrospect, it probably would have been better to attach the top 2x4 to the 4x4 posts first, and then attach the vertical 2x2s. At the time it seemed easier to attach the verticals to the 2x4 with it lying flat on the Workmate, but that did make it more difficult to cut the 2x4s to the right size.
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We then worked together to hold the fence segment to the right height, placed a long level on top of it to make sure it was level, pre-drilled and screwed the 2x4 to each 4x4 fence post. We attached one screw on each side, checking the level as we went, and then went back for a second screw on each side.
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We then lined up the bottom 2x4 with the bottom of the vertical posts, and screwed it to the 4x4 posts using the level again to make sure it was straight.
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And this is how it looked once it was done! We still have to screw each vertical piece into the bottom 2x4, but that and building the gate will have to wait for another day.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-14308910357173360182012-04-04T23:25:00.002-04:002012-05-24T00:29:08.166-04:00Finding a Mummified SquirrelToday we dug holes for our new fence posts, and in the process (although not underground), I found a mummified squirrel. Well, it wasn't actually wrapped in cloth or anything, but it was a very well-preserved squirrel specimen. <br />
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It startled me when I first realized what it was, and then my scientific curiosity took over. It was actually very cool, although I did feel bad for the little guy, because he apparently did not get a proper burial. The most interesting part of it, I think, was that this was not just a squirrel skeleton (not that you see those every day...), but the skin and whiskers were preserved as well. <br />
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Here is a photo for those with a healthy scientific curiosity. You can't see it that well, but I wanted to include the trowel for scale. <br />
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Tomorrow (when I have my good camera with me) I will take another photo, and then we will give this poor little guy the proper burial that he deserves.<br />
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Have you ever found the remains of an animal, an interesting fossil, feather or something like this when you were digging in your yard? I'd love to hear your stories of interesting finds!<br />
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Update: Here are some better photos of the mummified squirrel:<br />
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The squirrel has now had a proper burial in our back garden.<br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-65761614596946770622012-04-04T22:42:00.002-04:002012-05-24T00:30:31.993-04:00Building a Fence - Part IToday we started building the fence that will go along the back of our yard, and separate the garden area from the parking area. There was a chain link fence at the back of the lot before, but we had that removed last week, and we're keen to get the fence up and restore the separation of our space from the public space that is the lane.<br />
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To say that this is Part I of Building a Fence is a bit of a misnomer. Today was the first day that we actually started putting the fence in place, but it is actually the third or fourth day of the fence project. A few weeks ago I read a book called "Fences and Gates: Plan, Design, Build" that I got from the Toronto Public Library (yes, I will plug the library!). That book was very useful in deciding what type of fence to build, and what materials to get. Here it is:<br />
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<span style="text-align: right;"> </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580110940/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&tag=onecanhom-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1580110940" style="text-align: right;"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL110_&ASIN=1580110940&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=onecanhom-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=onecanhom-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1580110940" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important; text-align: right;" width="1" /></div>
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Once we had decided on a style of fence, we spent a fair bit of time choosing materials (cedar or pressure treated?), hardware (construction screws) and accessories (a post level, sealant for below-ground parts of posts, etc). I will probably write another post about these tools and materials soon. The folks at our hardware store were a great resource. We also bought and transported the materials to the house a bit at a time, since we have a small car and they probably would't have fit all at once.<br />
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So here we are, on day 3 (or 4?) of the fence project, finally ready to start digging the holes for the fence. Yesterday we leveled the ground that will be below the fence, and prepped the below-ground end of the posts so that we would be all set to install the fence today. We rented a manual post-hole digger for 24 hours ($16), which made the job easier. <br />
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We decided to dig our holes 18" deep, since our fence will only be 18 feet long and 4' high, so the posts don't have too much to support. The post-hole digger was most useful for the last 6" or so of each hole, but James says it was "most definitely" worth having. Our main challenge with the digging was the number of tennis ball sized (and larger) rocks that slowed us down. It took us a little over 2 hours to dig four 18" deep holes, working side-by-side (aww) with a shovel and post-hole digger. Luckily the weather was fairly nice, and it didn't rain on us.<br />
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Some of the folks who we talked to about how to build a fence recommended putting gravel in the bottom of each post hole, to help water drain away and prevent the posts from rotting, so we did this next. We just gathered small-ish rocks from around our yard, and used those, since we have lots. <br />
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To prepare for pouring the concrete that would hold the posts in place, we put a post in each hole, used the handy dandy post level (which cost about $8) to make sure it was straight.<br />
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We used two 4' 1x2's to hold each post in place once it was level, while we poured the concrete and let it set. (I'll add a photo soon.) This is an idea that I got from the fence and gate book. We nailed one end of each 1x2 to one side of the post, and stuck the other end into the ground, 2 or 3 inches deep, and put a rock on top. That was enough to keep the post from tipping in one direction. We did the same for the other direction, and we were all set.<br />
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Today was the first time either of us had worked with concrete, so we were flying by the seats of our pants, so to speak. We got a 30kg bag of pre-mixed concrete (the standard size), which contains rocks, sand and cement already mixed together. We used a large bucket, and mixed about half the bag with water according to the directions, and it worked pretty well. In retrospect, it would have been better to mix 1/4 of the bag at a time, just because it was hard to stir it properly in a bucket that was taller than it was wide. (We were using another piece of 1x2 as a stir stick.) Putting about 6 inches of concrete around each of the four posts used up about 2/3 of the bag in total.<br />
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At that point, all we had to do was wait 2.5 hours for the cement to set, before we could fill in the holes. Fortunately, we had lots of other things to do, like try to figure out a way to anchor the new posts for the side gate in the holes that were left behind in the existing concrete by the chain link fence posts. But that's a story for another day.<br />
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By the time we came back to check on the posts and make sure the concrete had set, it was dark outside. We removed the supports, filled in the holes above the concrete with dirt, and called it a night. And that's the end of Part I of building a fence.<br />
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Have you ever built a fence? What resources did you use to help decide what kind of fence to build? Did you find that the planning and shopping took way longer than the actual building, like I did, or was it the other way around for you? Do you have any advice or tips for others who are planning a project like this? For us discovering the post level was key!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-88731291035196277842012-04-01T21:14:00.001-04:002012-05-24T00:31:15.783-04:00There's nothing like a hot bath after a day of painting!After two days of hard work at the house, and two long hot baths for me in the evenings, the painting is well underway. The living room is finished, with two coats on each wall and three(!) coats on the ceiling. We've also painted two coats on the (very bold) accent wall in the kitchen, which you can see me painting here. (Once it's dry it won't be shiny any more.)<br />
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And here's a photo of James, working on the top edge of the one of the green walls in the living room.</div>
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I'll post more photos of the completed rooms soon!</div>
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<br /></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6737252492811505584.post-30062402683212269362012-04-01T18:12:00.008-04:002012-05-24T00:33:01.828-04:00How to get rid of a chain link fenceWhen we first visited our new home, one of the things that we knew we wanted to update right away was the fence around the back yard. There was a practical reason for this, namely, that if we moved the fence we would be able to turn a small part of our yard into a parking space (a much sought-after commodity in Toronto, since street parking is neither easy nor cheap). In addition, the existing chain link fence was unattractive, and since we're planning to hang our in our yard a fair bit this summer, we wanted something nice to look at.<br />
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Challenge number one was that the gate between our back yard and the fence was chained and padlocked shut. Once we discovered this, we called our realtor to find out whether the previous owners had the keys, since that seemed like the easiest solution. Unfortunately, the previous owners said that it had been "years since anyone had the keys to those locks". So much for that plan.<br />
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Our next idea was to use our handy hacksaw and cut through the chain (since heavy chain is easier to cut through than even a cheap padlock). So, we got some new safety goggles--a necessity for a job like this if you want to be sure you won't get a metal splinter in your eye--and waited for a sunny day.<br />
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In the meantime, I decided to do some online research into the best way to remove a chain link fence. I came across a great tip I thought would be worth sharing here.<br />
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<b>The first and most important step</b> in removing a chain link fence is posting an ad on Freecycle, Craigslist, Kijiji, or a similar list or site offering your fence for free to someone who is willing to come and remove it. This is what we did, and is how we managed to get our fence removed without having to dig out the posts ourselves. Be aware, in preparing your ad, that when you post something for free people are quick to reply and say that they want it, without really thinking it through. I ended up refining my ad a few times, so that I would only get replies from people who were serious, and who had the tools necessary to complete the job.<br />
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Here is the final version of my ad:<br />
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<h2>
Free Chain Link Fence & 2 Gates - 50ft long. </h2>
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Date: 2012-03-27, 10:24PM EDT<br />
Reply to: <small><i>your anonymous craigslist address will appear here</i></small><br />
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We have a chain link fence in our back yard that we will be replacing with a wooden fence. It is in fairly good condition, and the mesh does not have any holes. If you would like to come and take it away, you can have it for free.<br />
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The fence has not yet been dismantled, and the poles are still in the ground. I have not dug in the dirt around the poles, but I can only assume that the poles are held in place with concrete blocks, which I've heard can be removed from the poles with a chisel or a jackhammer. (They will be hard to transport without removing the concrete first.) The mesh is also still attached to the poles, so you will need to take the mesh off of the poles before digging them up.<br />
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This offer is only open to people who want to remove and re-use the whole fence, including the poles. The fence is approximately 70 feet long, and there are two gates included as well. I would like it removed within the next week or so.<br />
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**BEFORE YOU REPLY please carefully consider whether you have the tools, time and ability necessary to remove the fence and posts, and transport them to their new home.<br />
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Thanks for your interest.<br />
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Sure enough, once it was refined, our ad worked like a charm. Well, it did take two tries to schedule the removal, and require us being at the house for the afternoon while the fence was removed, but in the end some nice folks who needed a fence to keep their rottweilers out of their neighbour's yard came and did the heavy lifting, and took the fence home to re-use as their reward.<br />
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They were happy, we were happy, and now we're ready to start building our new fence!<br />
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Here is a photo of the nice folks who came to take away our fence, hard at work.<br />
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Have you ever participated in a win-win exchange like this one? Here in Toronto there is a web site for people who want to swap their skills called Swapsity.ca. It's amazing how often we can get what we need from our friends and communities, in a way that benefits everyone. I would love to hear about you experiences finding that your trash is someone else's treasure (or vice-versa)!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1