Ta Da!! |Our (Almost) Final Cottage Fireplace ....

We (ok, primarily Warren .. but I helped!) put up the stone on the new fireplace this weekend. A short post to show you the final (almost) result. Our order was a few stones shy of corner pieces, so we have to get 2-3 more of those and finish the top portion. We also still have to put up more porcelain tile on the hearth and fire box.  We're pretty proud of it. Can you see the weathered elm mantle? Looks like it's always been there! I think it makes our whole cottage look cozy! What do you think?

The stone product is a manufactured stone product made by Cultured Stone - the river rock series .. you can find out more about it here: http://www.culturedstone.ca/Products/colors-dressed-fieldstone.aspx

Aside from some (ok, many) body aches and pains, and some basic tiling experience, it's something you can do yourself ... Let us know if you're inspired!

ReNew Field Trip - A Visit to the WoodSource

Aside from two current client projects, our Delmar house project and the water damage repair work to our own home ... we are also in the middle of finishing a significant renovation on our cottage (never a dull moment)!

While our home in the city is contemporary, our little cottage is quite the opposite. It's small and cozy with lovely views of the Ottawa River, where it literally sits in the sand. I like to think of it as a beach house, because that's how it feels. Here it is last Thanksgiving ...




We bought the two bedroom cottage in a very forlorn and unloved state two years ago. But with a few walls knocked down, a cute Ikea kitchen installed and gallons and gallons of white paint, we brought back the charm. Last Fall, we completed a small addition, adding a third bedroom and a new bathroom (with laundry ... squee!) - as a bonus, we even have a few closets! We also replaced the doors and windows, did some electrical work, levelled the cottage's crookedness and winterized with insulation and heating.

With the worst of the interior changes complete, we're now at the "fun stuff" stage - closet shelving, door handles, decorative details like blinds .... and a bit of new furniture. Perhaps our favourite new feature is a working fireplace. This weekend, Warren will be installing the stone on the fireplace wall, as well as a new mantle. Because this will be such a focal point, we wanted something special for the mantle.

So ... we went to The WoodSource in Manotick to find a weathered wood mantle - the perfect accent to the new river rock cladding. We decided on a hand-hewn timber product. According to the WoodSource website - this timber is "salvaged from barns and other structures dating back to the 1800’s, and would have been harvested from the land adjacent to the building site. The timbers are usually square, hand hewn on four sides and commonly include some mortise pockets." You can choose from a wide selection.

After wandering through the stacks of timbers we selected a 62" x 11" x 4" greyish elm - that has all these weathered looking cracks and chips. I think it looks quite beachy!

We could have wandered endlessly, but while we were there I managed to check out their exotic wood and "live edge" selection. Lots of "live edge" products ... you can make counters, mantles and tables from this product....

They also have planks of barnboard,  (think headboards, tables, shelving) We made sliding doors in our city home from the re-claimed wood we found behind our lathe and plaster. Its' age gives it a lovely patina. These are similar. 

To find out more, drop by the WoodSource (  Mitch Owens Drive ) or visit their website: 
http://www.wood-source.com/reclaimed-vintage-wood-products/

Sneak Peek

We've been working away at our 1960's house on Delmar .... bringing our graceful friend up to the modern standard she deserves. Things are looking wonderful. With the snow melted away we are almost tempted to move in there ourselves! The yard is looking simply glorious. The original owner was quite a gardener and there are trees, trees, trees.  It's huge and private and a bike path runs right behind it.

With each day, this house seems to bring with it a number of pleasant surprises. (quite the opposite of the kinds of surprises we usually encounter with many renovations!)

Here is a sneak peek of the kitchen. All will be revealed shortly, but that's a marble mosaic back splash and some lovely honed granite accenting a contemporary look. The new windows bring in the sunshine (now that we finally have some).

The tile has turned out well, too. As always, our expert tiler, Tony, from TB  Tile did  a bang up job. Here's the master bath (check out the soon to be gone robin's egg blue toilet!) Yep, more marble.

The main/kids bath looks great, too. We kept the same cabinet - it was in good shape and was nice and large. But changed the sink, counter and back splash. I like how it's coming together so far.

My favourite tile of all, however is this brown, grey and black polka dot tile. It's a pattern we've used in our kids bathroom, and also in our own home's basement shower. We can't get this style any more. We had JUST enough to do this cool accent ... (I just find polka dots so happy ...) 

Stay tuned. We'll be posting all photos soon. By next week, we'll be getting ready for an Open House to showcase the whole project. Right now, we are run off our feet with last minute details. This is truly my favourite part, though, given how much shopping it involves.

ReNew in Washington

The entire staff of ReNew Homes (yes, that would be just the two of us ....) traveled to Washington DC over the Easter weekend. While there, as always, we poked around the city a bit, getting ideas wandering around neighborhoods  checking out how and where people live.  Sadly, we missed the cherry blossoms :( but the city was lovely all the same. Hope to do a deeper dive next time.

Here, in no particular order, is some good stuff we saw.

We headed to the well-known Georgetown area, where many of the homes date back to  1750's- here's the oldest house in Washington -  smack dab in the middle of the Georgetown shopping and restaurant district. It's been preserved and is worth a peek. Surprising to see the same type of stone foundation in many homes in the Glebe.

Georgetown University itself is quite beautiful - Gothic and huge. Near the school are houses like this .. .a virtual rainbow of what I imagine might even be student housing ....

A little fancier and equally bright homes - very "federal" in style. And further afoot some downright regal looking. Georgetown is an elegant area.

We also saw this upscale bathroom showcase called Waterworks in Georgetown (there are several locations across the US). The showroom experience is spectacular  I could have spent hours at the tile wall alone. The light in there was magnificent, and so were the samples. Check it out:

Here's a closer look at some of the marble selections.

We saw this cool shower, which would work in a traditional style bathroom, with a seamless tile shower floor. So unique.

We also spent some time wandering around Baker furniture - a company whose ads I have always admired. It was a wonderful store - although I quickly found all that neutral "greige" a bit tiresome. The furniture itself is lovely, and so well made. I can see how you would invest in a classic piece or two and want it neutral so you could keep it forever.

We loved Washington. With a good friend living there, I hope to return and do a deeper dive into some of the neighborhoods and architecture. I haven't even covered the cool buildings, monuments and museums we came across - many in my favorite mid-century era .... We'll be back, Washington!