Grace

Photography | Jessica Rediker

I remember when it was just her and I on mat leave. When I had one perfect little baby. I remember watching her sleep during the day. Taking her to the mall, her sitting in the stroller, staring up at me, watching my every move. I forget sometimes that I won't get those moments back. I fear that I won't remember them one day. 

I remember thinking that she is just so sweet and innocent, I don't want to ever hurt her. And now, here we are. I find myself losing my patience and thinking the worst. There are moments when she just wants to spend time with me, and I just want my space...and I feel guilty for that. 

But every day is a chance to start again. We are not defined by our mistakes or missed opportunities. There are things that I wish I could have done differently, or that I could take back. I'm not perfect, but there is grace. It is there with me in my coming and going...everyday. When I sleep and when I wake. My past is for yesterday and my present shapes the future. Today, I choose grace.

RENO REVEAL

Jesse and I bought our first rental property back in October 2017 (you can read more about that here) but we never shared the final reveal. Well, here it is! It took about two months, a lot of hours, a lot of driving back-and-forth, a lot of helping hands, stress, blood, sweat and tears, but we're so glad to say that the renos on our first rental property are done.

It definitely wasn't an easy task, but I'm so proud of Jesse! While working his full time job, he was driving forty-five minutes to the rental house (most days), working late into the night, managing all the projects and communicating with trades people. This was also our first reno project, so it was a huge learning process for both of us.
As this was a rental property, our goal was to keep costs low so that when we had renters, we would have a positive cash flow. We did our best to purchase supplies on clearance, second hand, or price match where we could. We also did most of the work ourselves (with the help of family), with the exception of the plumbing and roof work which we had contracted out. Jesse did most of the labour, liaised with contractors and handled the numbers. I managed the interior design and helped with labour as babysitting was available. 

KITCHEN:
In the kitchen, we painted the walls, built an open shelf to visually balance the cupboards, refinished the cupboards, added hardware, and replaced the sink, counter, backsplash and floors. We also installed a range hood over the stove and replaced the existing fridge.

Where we saved money:
Kept the existing cupboards, but just repainted them and added hardware. The backsplash was on clearance (we got the last few boxes). The fridge was second hand, but barely used.

DINING ROOM:

The fresh paint, fireplace and new ceiling were the biggest changes in this room. It's amazing what a little bit of paint can do. In place of a fireplace, there was a dated gas heater which vented out the side of the house by the driveway. The vent would get incredibly hot and was a major hazard. We replaced it with a gas fireplace which was more visually appealing and didn't vent out the side of the driveway.

We replaced the popcorn ceilings with wood slats and gave it a white wash. 

Where we saved money:

We did all the painting, installed the ceiling and built the frame for the fireplace ourselves.

BATHROOM:
Unfortunately, we didn't get too many before photos of the bathroom. I think we were too eager to start demos. So when I tell you what it used to look like, you'll just have to take my word for it. 

We gave the room some fresh paint, redid the shower by replacing the tub and adding a surround. We also updated all the hardware in the shower, redid the floors, and replaced the vanity.

Where we saved money:
We did all the labour ourselves (except for the plumbing), kept the existing toilet and light fixture. We kept the mirror above the vanity and just repainted the frame.

 

We have some great tenants who have been renting the place since we completed the renovations in December 2017. So far, our first experience as landlords has been a positive one and we look forward to acquiring a second rental property in the future.

Special thanks:

To our friends Mike and Sean for drywall and bathroom help, and Karl for help with the electrical.
Jesse's sister, Judy, and mom, for painting, cleaning and babysitting.
My dad for help with the plumbing, drywall, and framing the fireplace.
Jesse's dad for help with the ceiling, painting, and bathroom.
A huge thank you to Jesse's sister, Vicki, who seemed to be there all the time and would work hard most evenings after we had left.