Reflecting back

Well, I've been in my home for 6 weeks now and was reflecting back over everything in the last year and a bit since I started the whole house buying process. I've learned so much over that time period. Thanks to those who have been reading my blog and introducing yourselves to me. I'm glad that you're finding the information useful and am more than happy to share the knowledge that I have gained.

One of the reasons for this entry is that I've been hearing about people's frustrations over the whole buying experience with Mattamy lately. Whether it be countless delays, lack of communication or just poor construction quality of their home. I can definitely sympathize with them as buying a home is supposed to be an exciting experience, not a journey of frustrations and disappointment. Fortunately, my whole buying experience was actually pretty darn good from beginning to end. I experienced no delays and am quite happy with the delivered product. Sure, there are a number of things that still need to be done with my house but it's not anything major that would prevent me from enjoying my house. Now if I were in the shoes of those experiencing delays or a poorly constructed house, I can understand their reactions. When I bought my house, I basically prepared for delays based on the countless stories I've read on forums and newspapers. Anytime there was a remote chance of a delay, I got into defensive mode ready to unleash some wrath on someone. But thankfully it did not happen.

Post closing service hasn't been as good. It seems that the responsibility falls on the owner to stay on top of Mattamy to get something outstanding done even though they tell you that it will be done. I had to call three times before they finally scheduled a plumber to fix a leak in the master ensuite which was dripping down to the dining room ceiling. The hole in the ceiling still needs to be fixed and is scheduled for next week. Talking to my neighbours, they are experiencing the same type of service. One neighbour was telling me the other day that workers showed up in the morning and started some work but never came back after lunch to finish it. I'm hoping that my 30-day list will be addressed fairly promptly. I may end up doing some of it myself in the end.

So what would I do differently now that I've been in it for a month and a half? Here's a short list:
- I didn't need to add an additional porch electrical outlet as it does come with one standard (I was told it didn't come with one);
- did not need the upgraded circuit panel box (it's huge when a standard one would have sufficed);
- probably could have gotten away with two potlights in the kitchen instead of getting four;
- did not need the over-the-tub light in the master bathroom as there is a standard light fixture near the toilet area (was told there wasn't one)
- should have added a couple of potlights in the master bedroom but I can do this later
- should have gotten the maple railings to match the floor better. The oak railings have a lot more wood grains in it and doesn't match as well
- in the great room and master bedroom, there are three windows but only one opens (casement window). I wished that the one on the opposite side would open too. But I'm not sure if this is even an option as it's not in the design centre catalogue
- I should have paid closer attention to the positioning of the light outlet in the kitchen area and dining room. They aren't exactly over where I put my tables.

Pickiness:
- no real windows at the front of the house on the main floor. Only one is in the powder room which is down a few stairs and in its own room. The only window is the front door so not much light comes in. But I realize that this is very typical of townhomes in general
- still not sure about upstairs laundry room
- don't like the railing configuration on the porch

What do I really like about the house?
- love the kitchen, I'm so glad I got the Executive Kitchen upgrade. I think it looks fantastic
- raised breakfast bar -> I think it looks good and like how it hides some of the kitchen stuff that I keep on the counters (e.g. dish rack, dish soap)
- colours - I'm quite happy with all of my choices for cabinets, flooring countertops, etc. They seem to work well with each other
- master ensuite shower -> love taking showers in it, it's very spacious
- main bathroom -> I like having windows and bringing in natural light into it

Overall, I love my house. Also helps that I've met some great people so far and really believe it's going to be a great neighbourhood.

Covering Wonderings

Okay, I've come to the realization that I really need to finish off the window coverings for the rest of the house. For the powder room, two smaller bedrooms and main bathroom, I got faux wood blinds from Bou Clair Home. They will cut them to the proper width and you can trim the length (which I still need to do). However, for my great room and master bedroom, they didn't have blinds wide enough to fit. So, I'm still in need of some. I was thinking of getting something a little more fancier like the sheer weave with blinds. But those are VERY expensive (e.g. approx $1200 just to do the great room window). So I need to find something more affordable. A friend suggested just going with curtains in the great room which I am leaning towards. But I still want to have some light control to allow some light in, reducing glare on the tv and give privacy. So I'm thinking of adding a sheer curtain, sheer roller blind or getting more faux wood blinds. And then there's the challenge of finding something that will look good. I seriously need some help here. I've been feeling dumbfounded any time I go to a store looking for decorative ideas. I seriously should just give some money to some of my female friends and tell them to go decorate my house. Martha Stewart (is she still considered a guru?), I am not (I pay my taxes).

And then there's the patio door. Again, I want something to control lighting while providing some privacy. For this, I'm leaning towards vertical blinds. I realize that they don't look the greatest but they will be much more functional and convenient that putting curtains.

I'm open to ideas so please feel free to comment. And if you see a guy shopping for window coverings with a clueless look on his face, chances are that's me. :)

A little motion to light your way

Another change that I recently did was swapping out the outside lights to fixtures with motion sensors. The lights will automatically turn on when it senses movement. So when people go up my driveway or the porch at night, the light will turn on. I've got it set so that it will stay on for three minutes. And the lights will not turn on during the day. I think the fixtures look pretty good. I got them from Rona and I believe Home Depot carries them as well. Cost is $70 each. My neighbours seem to be enjoying them as well as they're close enough that they will trigger them and it lights their way in. Aren't I a thoughtful neighbour? :)

(Before / After)

Abandon ship!

Well, okay not really. I've a got a small water leak coming from the master ensuite somewhere. I came downstairs after getting ready and taking a shower in the master ensuite to notice that the drywall tape in the dining room area was peeling. I grab a chair and touch the ceiling...yep, it's wet. It's not dripping down onto the floor so I suspect it's a slow leak. I put in a call to the Mattamy warranty office.

On a happier note, my neighbour pointed out to me that Mattamy installed the shudders and the accents on the exterior of the house.

Finally...some pics (but only a few) :)

I finally thought that a few of the rooms were in good enough shape to start sharing. So I snapped some pictures today. They're mostly of the main floor as there isn't much to share in the other rooms at the moment. You'll notice that I am in dire need of some art, accent pieces and decorative stuff. So please don't mind the bare walls and empty shelves. :)

Sakura Range Hood

"Sakura" definition - an ornamental cherry blossom tree and its blossoms

When I did the upgrades on my house, I knew I was going to swap out the range hood with something so I didn't bother upgrading it, not even for colour. The one I got was a plain Jane white range hood fan.
I decided that I would replace it with a Sakura range hood. My parents have one in their home and it does a very good job venting. Now, my mother makes a lot of stir fry type dishes and cooks on high heat so it is almost a necessity for them. For me, probably not so much while I do like to do my fair share of cooking. But I've always been impressed by the performance of the fan so I decided to get one for my home. I ordered the U2 II model directly from Toronto and had it shipped here. It took about 3 business days to arrive.

Today, I went to install it. Taking off the old hood fan is easy, just loosen four screws and then slide the range hood off. Undo the wires and voila. The installation of the Sakura required a little creativity. It only came with a circular damper so I originally thought I could just hook it up directly to the 6" venting hose. But the Sakura is a deeper fan so I couldn't use the round damper option as my cabinet is in the way. I could make it fit but would require me to cut into my cabinet and lose some of my shelf space. I was not keen on that idea. So, I took the rectangular damper from the old range hood, attached it to the Sakura and then got a sheet of steel to cover up the rest of the opening. It just barely clears the cabinet but it works! Once I got that together, I drilled new holes for the new mounting screw locations and then mounted the range hood. The wiring is easy, just three wires (hot, neutral and ground). Here are some pictures of the finished install.

I didn't realize how bulky the fan is. It sticks out a fair bit more than the standard fan. But as you can see , the actual fan is over the range rather than towards the back. The fan isn't really that quiet but there are two speeds and you can control the left and right one independently. But that's okay. As I mentioned when I ordered my appliances, I went with functionality over form.

Now...what should I cook up???

2nd Floor Laundry Room: An Inconvenient Truth?

I've read and heard from people how they love having their laundry room on the second floor. My house is so equipped and even when I had decided to buy the Fernwater, I wondered if I really liked that idea. So far I've done about four loads of laundry since moving in. The last one was the biggest and had two loads to do. I tend to do my laundry at night time just because that's when I have the time. Also doesn't hurt that energy costs are lower too in the evenings.

My particular laundry room is not super big. It fits my Samsung laundry pair fine. But there's not much room to do much else. With the doors on the machines open, there isn't much room afterwards. In my prior home, having the washing machines in the basement allowed me to do all the sorting downstairs. I basically just made two piles of laundry on the basement floor and then scooped them into the laundry machine when it was their turn. Furthermore, the basement provides space to hang dry those items that don't go in the dryer. I don't have that luxury anymore. I plan on hanging a wall cabinet (similar to the "uppers" that Mattamy offers in some of their homes but strangely enough not on mine) and then a closet bar in my laundry room above the machines which should help alleviate this problem.

The other negative of the second floor laundry is noise. Mind you, my Samsung pair works quite well (more on that later) but the noise from the water lines and then the dryer is still quite noticeable. I was worried that the noise and vibration would be heard by my neighbour who has a bedroom on the opposite wall. But he said he couldn't hear or feel anything so that's good to know. I did upgrade to a solid door to the laundry room and it does make a pretty noticeable difference. But the noise still travels through the adjacent bedrooms in my house. And I can notice it from the master bedroom as well.

A quick review of my Samsung laundry pair. The VRT (Vibration Reduction Technology) in the washer works quite well. When the washer enters the spin cycle, it does a really good job of balancing itself out and is pretty quiet. And it spins fast. Items come out not too wet but items can tend to twist up. Also, I'll need to figure out if my shirts are getting flipped inside out by the machine or whether they went in there that way. One thing I did notice about the washer is that a little water still sits in the rubber ring opening. With my last front loader, this could lead to mold growing if it sits there for a long time. I solve this by wiping it down and then keeping the washer door open. The dryer seems to work well too but really there's not that much technology involved in making a dryer work. It looks pretty next to the washer and does its job. Not much more to say. On a related note, my neighbour has a gas dryer. Says it only takes 20 mins to run a dry cycle.

To wrap up, it could be that a slightly bigger room would be better for me but then I think that I'd prefer more bedroom space. I also miss having a laundry tub nearby. I realize that there will be noise from the laundry machines regardless where they are. So, I may just have to schedule my laundering at better times and just change up my laundry routine (i.e. sort before going into the laundry room). We'll see how it goes as I do more laundry. It is nice not having to lug the laundry baskets downstairs but that never really bothered me. Maybe as I get older (maybe I am already with my rants?), I'll really appreciate the convenience but for now the jury is still out.

*ugh* First house payment

I guess it was inevitable that my first payment on my house mortgage would come and today was the day. Actually, today was just the interest adjustment payment for the period from my close date. So, I didn't actually pay any principal down. My first "real" mortgage payment will be later this week. Yay for being in debt!

stopping to take a breath and blog

I've been quite busy since I've taken possession of the house trying to get things organized. I thought I would be a lot further ahead but I'm slowly getting there. I am taking my time with things instead of just rushing through things. And some things are just taking longer than I thought it would take. I'm basically focusing on the main floor first. Things that I have completed to date include:

- hanging pendent lights over breakfast bar. $38 from Rona.

- swapping light switches to decora and dimmer switches for the Great Room and kitchen lights. Still other switches to do but these were the first ones to get done. From left to right: the left is a 3-way dimmer switch to control the breakfast bar pendents (other switch is by the patio door and also is a dimmer, cost $70); dimmer switch for potlights in kitchen (cost $40); regular decora switch for ceiling fan in Great Room (cost $2); dimmer switch for Great Room potlights with remote control, I had bought this a long time ago for my old place and never did end up installing it

- installed ceiling fan in Great Room. It was a bit of a pain to hang but works well. Only $25 from Home Depot.

- building two Ikea bookcases. I'm becoming a pro at assembling Ikea stuff. Although I don't think it's anything to be really proud about. :) Here's the one in the Great Room.

- setting up home theatre. I ran the speaker wire for the rear channels down into the basement through the central vac rough-in. I then came back up through a hole in the floor by the heat register. I'll insulate the wire a little more just in case it gets warm. I think it'll be okay. It's not *in* the vent itself

- built and hung the Ikea Leksvik coat/hat rack by front door

- installed bathroom fixtures

- swapped out window crank handles for ones that fold in and are more compact. I got these from...you guessed it...Home Depot. The standard crank handles are quite long and can get in the way more if you've got inside mounted blinds. The new ones are less instrusive.

The shopping also continues. I don't know how many trips I've made to Home Depot lately. Luckily it's very close by but still. And I sorely underbudgeted for bathroom accessories. I spent a whopping $300 at Bed, Bath and Beyond. Yikes!