Domus Home ~ Emerald Monster ~ Pink Christmas

Clever Gal has the keys to her new digs, but is small town Ontario ready for Clever Gal? Or is it Clever Gal who's finally met her match in the form of a tiny green house? It's cute and quaint, but it's in dire need of every bit of cleverness that Clever Gal can muster. Will Clever Gal tame the grungy green monster and turn it into a sparkling emerald in the sun? Or will she succumb to the home reno nightmare and crumble along with the stairs?

Stay tuned to see how the battle progresses.

Wow, exactly 6 months after my last update, I have something new to report. Somebody stop me! I'm not sure how much longer I can keep up this frantic pace!

Okay, it's true, I haven't done much this year. That's not to say, there isn't much left to do, because there is. Any homeowner will tell you, the "to do" list never ends. The problem is that the remaining jobs are not urgent. They're all things I can live without and therefore, I do. I do, that is, until someone gives me a deadline, the shorter the better. I recently had to get my deck finished so I could host some company from out of town. My house inside is too small to host many people, so that's where the outdoor space comes in very handy.

UPDATE! February 2/07

Shutters! What an ordeal this one was. A three week job stretched into 16 weeks after the company built them the wrong size, TWICE. They're still not perfect, but only if you get up close and inspect them. Which I do. Daily. See the photos.

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UPDATE! October 19/06

Guest Room: This room is the smaller of the two basement rooms. The larger one is my workshop (see below). I completed this project between the bathroom and kitchen reno. No demolition required here. The room just needed a deep cleaning, another 2 gallons of white paint and then the fun stuff: shopping! I used the white sheer material across the back wall to disguise the basement window and the electrical panel a little bit. I hung the painting with chain from the ceiling. (Always wanted to do that somewhere.) I freaked out my mom by using a couple of her old wedding pictures down here. She cringes, but I think they're adorable. 

To the left is the before picture. For once I can't even blame the previous owners for its disarray. But the plaid curtains were theirs. They have since been disposed of by HazMat: Cat Hair Division. 

This is the last room! I just have the stairwell left to do and then I'm on to important things like turning my garage into a cabana. :-P (I seen it on TV, really!)

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UPDATE! October 16/06

Clever Gal didn't have much time to make web updates this summer. So here's a whole summer's worth of exciting changes to the 'monster'.

First up: The bathroom reno. Starting way back in July, Clever Gal brought in the professionals to do a complete renovation of the bathroom. There was no telling what kind of horrors were lurking behind those 50 year old walls. And as it turned out there were plenty--nothing vented, crumbling wires, etc. With only one bathroom, Clever Gal couldn't risk being without it for longer than absolutely necessary. It was definitely not a DIY job.  Let's just say the poor contractor underling spent 2 whole days in the heat of summer crawling around in the attic covered in insulation and dust.

But after a week of living on her brother's uncomfortable sofa bed, and another week of living in the mess, Clever Gal was thrilled to get back to normal. The end result was worth all the discomfort and mess. 

Next up: The kitchen reno. Now here's the big one. The mother load, you might say. The project went surprisingly smoothly. It wasn't perfect, by any means, but considering what horror stories could have been lurking, it wasn't that bad. Besides, most of the issues were discovered and fixed during the bathroom portion, namely the lack of venting from the kitchen sink. The electrical was the only major issue. A new electrical panel and wiring throughout the kitchen delayed things by a few days, but Clever Gal is an old pro at the reno game now. She didn't panic, much.

And while all that was happening...
There's even a guestroom to show, but I haven't taken the photos for that yet. 

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UPDATE! March 29/06

Man, it's been a long cold winter. Actually, it was a really warm winter. Clever Gal only had to use her super strength to white knuckle it through the snowy countryside twice. And although, it may not seem like it from the lack of updates, she has been really busy. With several projects on the go all at once, they are all getting finished at the same time. Expect a flurry of updates to follow. 

The two biggest projects were the china hutch brought back from the brink (which can be found here) and the basement redecoration/rehabitation which involved a bunch of clever projects and neat ideas to breathe life into the darkest and most dire part of Clever Gal's domain.

Take a look at the befores and afters of the formerly uninhabitable basement work room.

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UPDATE! July 27/05

No surface is safe from CleverGal's paint brush. The living room has now been doused with the vibrant lime paint. No pictures up on the walls yet but the room is definitely coming together in an "I-cant-believe-I-chose-this-colour" kind of way. The room was originally the dining room but it made more sense to move the living room from the front of the house to the back, so youre not always on display to the street while  watching T.V. The dining table is now in the front room so it functions much better as a dining room, music room, library, entry hall and pass through all in one room. CleverGal doesnt need a whole formal dining room anyway. 

Click here to see more photos. 

When will the scourge of green end? Not yet! Next on the lime paint trail...the front room. That'lll be the end of the upstairs decorating for the time being. CleverGal is anxious to tackle the spacious, potential-filled basement. (It'll be the no green zone...maybe.) 

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UPDATE! July 4/05

Last night Clever Gal exercised her superior colour choosing skills and attacked the hallway with the first splash of colour. It's Benjamin Moore "Pear Green" (2028-40). She's started with the hall and the plan is to go throughout the living room and dining room with this vibrant colour. Has Clever Gal lost her mind? You be the judge...

(It's only paint, right?)

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UPDATE! June 27/05

Clever Gal 
has the
first spring
gardening 
photos all
ready for 
viewing.

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Check out the first pictures from back in March and April to chart the progress.

I invited all my friends, family and coworkers to a "Housewarmingcleaning Party". The place smelled of cat pee and didn't look any better. My brave workers were a huge help in getting me into the house. It would have taken weeks for me to do what they did in one day.

Don't worry. They knew what they were getting into. This was my invitation: