We received a second generation Nest thermostat for Christmas and after excitedly installing it, having it set up an automatic schedule we ran into an issue where sometimes the heat would not turn on. Some days we would come home from work or wake up in the morning to an unpleasantly cold house that was only 55 […]
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With an older home typically comes old knob and tube wiring and the necessity of replacing it to make sure that it is safe and up to current building codes. As we peeled back the layers in the basement we uncovered some astounding electrical woes. This post covers our work to date on how we […]
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The night before New Year’s eve we heard animal sounds coming from our attic. Our immediate thought was: Raccoons! Our second thought was: how to get rid of raccoons in the attic? Our third was: how much is this going to cost? Our first encounter with raccoons was the summer we moved in when we tried […]
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The biggest project we did this year was to have a new roof installed. First we chose a roofing company then we picked the colours for the roof and aluminum work (soffit, fascia, eavestrough and downspouts). Then the new roof and aluminum was installed. Now we have a brand new roof! Choosing a roofing company […]
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Christmas is just around the corner (seriously, where did this year go?) so we thought it was a good time to post our 2014 Christmas gift guide for DIYers. Our list covers a pretty wide range of interests and includes items for both genders. For those just getting started Vaughan 18 oz Split Head Hammer A […]
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Winter is setting in and we have already had snow once covering up the backyard (which we completely reseeded last fall). As we finish up with the fall yard cleanup of raking leaves it is time to put the tools into storage and break out the shovel. Before putting away the yard work tools we will […]
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Over the weekend we picked up some new-to-us decorative items from family that were moving. One of the items was a (very heavy) mirror with a beautiful ornate dark wood frame that we were excited to add to our house decor. Here are the steps we took to hang a heavy mirror Step 1 – […]
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There are many pros and cons of tankless water heaters, and this is our experience with replacing our old tank water heater. The existing tank water heater was old (think late 1980’s), due to be replaced and was rented for a monthly cost from the local energy company. We had run out of hot water a […]
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A parking spot was one of the requirements on our list when we were looking at houses. The Row House had a parking spot but the wooden gate that enclosed the driveway was barely hanging on by its rusty hinges. In order to park the car we had to get out, then manually push open […]
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Looking at our renovation journey so far we have had a lot of conversations with family and friends about the projects we have already completed and the projects we have planned for the future. One thing a few people have asked us is what kinds of tools we thought were necessary to start taking on […]
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Kitchen appliances are one of the major items to look at carefully when buying a property. When looking at the Row House, we were excited to find out that it had gas hook up for the kitchen, but the stove itself was very old and we assumed it would need replacing within a year. The dishwasher had never […]
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