Renovation Budget

I'm always interested in renovation plans and improvements. I like to hear about people's plans for their spaces and their dreams for their home. I think this was part of who I was even prior to working for Lowe's. (Being in  a retail environment where everyday I get to help people bring dreams to reality is pretty cool and somewhat fuels my obsession. But it also fuels my ideas and drains my bank account!)

When it comes to renovations, I'm not very good at them. I consistently feel that my project ideas are inexpensive and easy. Usually the opposite is the case. I'm all gung-ho at the beginning of a project, but my enthusiasm usually fizzles out which leaves my husband to finish the ending details.

Now that our basement rec room is done and the downstairs bathroom repainted my efforts and attention have been focused towards the kitchen and living room space. I'm not very good with knowing what things will cost, I'm usually good at ballpark-ing only what I "hope" they will cost. So I thought it would be an interesting experiment to blog about our renovation, our ballpark costs and actual costs.

Lowe's has designed me a kitchen which I think I will enjoy very much. Knowing we will be here for probably 5 years or so, I haven't chosen the high end finishes that one might want in their "forever" home. But It will be fabulous none the less.

Our cabinet choice is Diamond Cabinet's "Hadley" (pictured below) but in painted "Pearl".

We'll be removing a wall and installing an island.While walking through our seasonal department, I came across a really neat looking electric fireplace that I thought would look awesome in the island (on the side that butts up to the living room.) I got in on clearance, and then got another discount when it went even further on clearance the following week.

The laminate floor I purchased and installed when I bought the house 3 years ago is now discontinued, but I was able to find a few remaining boxes at End of the Roll in Hamilton in order to bring it through the entire space and finish the kitchen with the same flooring. It's a great German floor that I adore. I got it for $1/sq foot then what I paid originally too!

The sink I purchased at our Grand Opening when it was on sale for $100 less than original price. My mom got one too! I think it's a great find and am likely to take it with us if we ever move! It's a Delta Ashton Touch faucet. It's a one-hole system so I won't have to cut up the new granite top too much!

Originally I thought about going with just a high-end laminate counter top (as I don't like the "tink tink tink" sound of  glassware, plates and everything else that hits the counter). But then I found this beautiful quartz counter that I adored. The price...didn't adore that so much. With a bit more research, Scott chose a granite counter, for just over $1000 more than we can get laminate for! It's a black with auburn and silver flecks in it which I think will go well with our floors.

Our walls are a cool tone shade of green currently. I love the colour, but it will need a refresher, so we'll be repainting everything in a slightly lighter version of Valspar's "Sag Harbour". (This screen shot doesn't do it justice as it has more green to it.)

Here's my estimated budget so far! I'll let you know how our progress goes and will try to scan and upload the design as soon as possible!

Materials	Estimated	Actual	Comments
Laminate Floor	$450	$430
Sink	$300	$0	Free with purchase of granite
Hardware	$150
Faucet	$300	$300
Microwave	$400
Counter	$2000
Backsplash	$1000	$0	None since we upgraded the counter
Paint	$150	$150
Cabinets	$4500
Fireplace	$200	$160
Stair Railing	$150
Lighting	$1000
TOTAL	$10,600	$1,040
Labour	Estimated	Actual	Comments
Demolition	$500	$0	Weekend DIY
Painting	$1,200
Plumbing	$250
Electrical	$2,000
Flooring	$500	$0	Weekend DIY
Ceiling repair	$2000
Cabinetry	$5000
TOTAL	$11,450	$0

Dear High School Me:

There's so many things I wish you knew about you. Yes, you think you know who you are, but you really only see a glimpse of what you are becoming. So here's a few words of advice to get you through the next few years.

1. It's grade high school. Everyone feels like you. Relax.

2. Practise discipline and study hard. If you don't adopt this idea now, you may never learn how to apply yourself to your studies.

3. Make friends with your teachers. There's a greater chance you'll do better at their class.

4. That sarcastic wit that gets you in trouble now will come in very handy in your future career. Keep it in check while in school to keep yourself out of detention though.

5. You are not fat. In fact, you are the skinniest you will ever be. Enjoy it. 

6. Everyone isn't thinking about you nearly as much as you are thinking about yourself. 

7. Your parents are pretty cool. You should listen to them. And don't worry, they eventually loosen up when you smarten up.

 

8. Get involved! You aren't too cool for extra-curriculars! In fact, you might actually enjoy them!

9. The girls you admire and wish you were like them, they wish they were like someone else too. Be yourself and like who you are. 

10. The boy isn't worth it. 

11. Mingle! Get to know more people than just your circle. People you don't know or may not have interest in will one day become inspirational to you.

12. Life won't be what you expect it to be, and it'll be better than you could imagine.

13. ...but don't be in a rush to leave these years behind, they'll be some of the best memories you have.



With Love & Sincerity from Future You

Out of the Blue

I haven't REALLY wrote a great blog lately. My new job has me running 11+ hours a day and usually by the end of the day it's difficult to keep up with my blog lists, let alone write one of my own. Not to say I haven't been thinking of fabulous topics, it's just my brain is about mush come 6:30pm. So I'm going to repost an interesting article I came across on Brian McLaren's blog. It's called "Why Young Christians Leave Church." It raises some interesting points. Feel free to comment below.

In other news, I felt the need this evening to have a relaxing bath. As I relaxed with a mud mask on my face, my kitten watched  the Lush bath balls roll by the edge of the tub. Just as I was finishing my short bath, I decided the kitten needed a bath as well. So I decided he should join me. Surprisingly, the kitten was not nearly as horrified with the idea as was my husband when I called him over to get a towel for the cat. And Chicago has been unusually and surprisingly docile since then!

My 2011 Thankfulness List

Inspired, yet again, by friends who make the most incredible "thankfulness" lists, I've taken to completing my own for the year. When I started the tradition 3 years ago, it was with a "not thankful list" which, in my opinion, was quite witty. But given lack of time and brain energy, and a plethora of blessings in my life...here goes it:

1. Teapots

2. My husband's friends that make him laugh.

3. How a celebration of my grandmother's 85 years of life brought our entire family together this summer for the first time in many, many years.

4. Our Saturday night small group that stretches my thinking and inspires learning.

5. Plushy new carpet to sink my toes into for our basement that just might get installed one day.

6. A high school experience that even 10 years later, I can think fondly upon.

7. The unknown.

8. Generosity.

9. Our Guatemala trip -learning and being inspired by Fe Viva & House of Refuge.

10. Awesome & amazing roommates for the last 3 years...

11. ...Not having anymore roommates (for now).

12. Working at GoodLife and teaching Les Mills that ensures I ALWAYS get in at least one workout a week.

13. My job at Lowe's - for both providing me with a salary, and a place for me to spend it.

14. For friends and family who stretch my thinking and ground my ideas.

15. My cousins Sarah & Lori- despite distance and lack of communication, we still have the strong familiar bond of  family when we get together.

16. Fall gardens that get me excited about spring.

17. Discovering how much I love my house.

18. Living close to my parents.

19. Arbonne's Figure 8 protein shake.

20. Chicago, our kitten. 

21. The blogosphere and the blogs I follow -Your dedication brings inspiration and ideas as well as gives me a place to memorialize my own thoughts and opinions. 

22. Homegrown veggies.

23. That as long as my parents have a pool, we'll never need one.

24. Articles like "Eating Sacred Cows" that provide clarity and increase my faith.

25. My husband, who is an example of patience, knowledge and graciousness to me.

Destruction Day

So, we recently decided to renovate a bit of our house, then we decided we would rather move, then we decided we'd rather stay and renovate just a little. Today was our first project! It took some conversation to get us started. (I'm the type that likes to jump in with little thought to all the steps along the way, while my husband likes to figure out all the details before making a move.) With a little bit of whining, tears, and emotional pleas, we went for it. (I was told it is unlikely that I'll ever win an argument by rational thought.)

 Our roommates came and offered us some sage advice and a little bit of muscle power. I invited the neighbour in to see what we were doing, and he helped take out the door frame and the last of the pieces we were having difficulty with. It took us about 5 hours from start to finishing the clean up. Here's the progression to finished product!

 The view from the kitchen before...

During...

View from the kitchen after!

The living room before...

 

 

The living room after!

Scott surveying the work!

We still have all the finishing details to do..., but I was so excited...I just had to show you!

DIY Cabinet Hardware

So I would like to preface this post with, "I am not a DIY-er." I love the idea of DIY. I just don't have the attention to detail needed to complete projects in a truly "complete" manner. As always, I was inspired by AKA Designs' blog on 30-Minute Home Improvement Projects. Well, I can honestly say, it wasn't a 30 minute project, but, I had fun none the less. The part that took the longest was taking all the hinges and handles on and off the doors.

I read the blog on a Thursday morning while I was on my month of vacation between jobs. I thought to myself, "Well, I have nothing else planned today!..." 

So, I went to the local hardware store (who will remain nameless because here on in I believe EVERYONE should shop at Lowe's) to pick up some supplies. In total, it cost me $12 for the items I bought: spray paint & screws! (When I checked out the silver hinges, just to see the price difference, they were about $3 each. So I definitely saved a bundle).
 
Prior to my 30-minute home improvement project, my door handles and hinges were a nasty used-to-be brass colour. Here's a few pictures (that I can't seem to get rotated). The lighting makes the cabinets a more yellow tone than their actually taup-y colour.

I did my spray painting outside on our patio table. Note to all impatient DIY'ers...it's worth the extra 2 minutes to go get another garbage bag to cover the other half of the table before spray painting. Lesson definitely learned.

I also bought new silver screws to replace the nasty gold ones so I could reassemble the doors to the cabinets. That's also the reason why the post was delayed for 2 weeks....I was short 11 screws to finish the project! (Though some may say I was short a few more to even attempt the project).

All in all, it was a very easy thing and I'm happy I did it! (Though my husband didn't even notice till I pointed it out).

A final thought to remember when attempting: Despite your impatience to get the project done, it's probably worth the extra time to let the hinges dry completely before flipping them over or putting them back on the doors! Of course, I kind of knew that already,...but hey, I am who I am!

One final time. The before:

The after!

Next project coming up is repainting the rec room! Through many different paint samples thrown about our house, I think I've finally come to the decision of these two from Olympic:

Tightrope (for 2 of the larger walls)

and...Castile (for 2 smaller walls)

You Got a Big Ego

On my way to work this morning, I started to think about what it will be like when I'm out of training and into my own store. I started thinking of some of the people I met already that I will be working with in my own store. I'm getting to a point in my career where I'm starting to see people's strengths and opportunities in a fairly quick manner. (Sometimes I can even surprise myself with my observations!)

Being in HR, as well as managing people, is truly a remarkable experience. People managers have the daily role to make those they look over more excellent colleagues, friends, workers, corporate citizens and individuals. They have the opportunity to get to know them and speak into their lives in a way not many others can. Most people managers certainly don't take these opportunities as they should. They don't get to know their people in order to be able to know how to lead them. Instead they throw all people into the same category, leading them the same way, and that often results in a few or a lot of  frustrated individuals in any team. But I digress...

As I thought about how I can develop and influence people, I asked myself, "Why do I want to develop and influence people?" This was my train of thought:

"I want to see them grow...so that they can develop others...so that others find satisfaction in their role working at our store...so that our store becomes a phenomenal place to work....so that our store becomes recognized in the company...so that I feel good...so that I become recognized..."

I stopped myself and went through the reasons again trying to find a different  outcome. I mulled over the thought of being quite selfishly motivated though at first my intentions seemed good. In my work, I truly want to do good for people. I value people. But when I dig deep, is it truly because I want to feel better about myself? 

How often in life do we do things but with a selfish intent? To feed our own ego? Does it count as selfish intent if we don't even know that that is the reason we are doing it?

Have you ever noticed when you do a "random act of kindness," like paying for the groceries of a person ahead of you in line who's card isn't working, it makes you feel good inside? The other person is thankful, but really, it's your own self that gets even more pumped up. And for good reason...it feels good to show kindness and goodness to others! Were we created like that? Or is it a product of society?

 

I think I have to chew on that one a little bit more. My brain is so full of new information from training and learning a new industry, I can't quite sort through all my thoughts yet.

In the mean time, I finally finished an amazing book that I heard about at a conference over a year ago. It's called "The 3 Signs of  a Miserable Job". It's a very easy and I'd say -powerful- read, in a novel form. This book is for anyone who manages people, or who is managed by someone! (Ha...that's most of us!) Check it out!