Category Archives: Housing

The upstairs of our little home is just about finished, which allows me to sit at my kitchen counter/table/desk in our kitchen/sitting room/office and enjoy an extraordinary amount of sunlight pouring in. The coffee is poured, the soft-jazz Christmas music is drifting down from the built-in speakers in the ceiling , and the cat is trying to get my attention by being cute and naughty in turns and sometimes both at once.

Life is good.

We are rapidly getting to the point where the things that have not been done in our laneway get fewer and smaller.  It’s hard to believe it’s so far along when we consider the chaos we moved into…….

**cue time-travelling music**

We had packed up all our belongings, we actually had enough boxes and bags for everything.  The movers had come on time, and had shuttled back and forth to the truck and soon we were all packed up except for the cats and the fish tank and the furniture we were holding for the charitable pick-up later that day.

“Hmmmmm”, said DH, “I think it would be a good idea if we left the cats and fish until we’ve unpacked some stuff.” Wise words.  It was then about noon and that was the last minute we were in control of the situation.

We drove the five minutes to the laneway to find….at least 15 people working on it.  There was a team of cleaners valiantly trying to rid the place of the sanded plaster dust that the painters were creating.  A nice young couple were putting up the frame of our closet system.  There were people wiring and people moving us in, and well, frankly, I lost track of the jobs everyone was doing when the truck pulled up to blow top soil into the yard between the houses so the landscaper could put in the sod.

We unpacked a few things, made the bed, and went back to the rental to feed the cats and the fish, eat a pizza, and await the gentleman from the charity who was picking up the last of our furniture.

We went home to laneway to shower and sleep, but we really felt we were camping out.

The next day a crowd again descended, while I slipped back to the rental to feed the cats and the fish, and to do some shopping.  All told I went back and forth to the rental four times that day — mostly by foot.  That was the day when it seemed we were just not making any headway at all, when we had to move boxes to get to boxes, move boxes to get to the fridge, the washer and dryer, the bathroom sink. We were unpacking but we just could not make any headway.

But we brought the cats “home” and set the fish up on their new shelf, bought specially for that purpose. The cats promptly disappeared into the bowels of the pipes and tubes that are tucked away at one end of the storage space.  It took days until the cats were comfortable to make the whole house their own.  But now….

What are sunny kitchen ledges for, anyway?

There’s a new house being built down the street from our rental suite.  It’s a huge mega house and I wasn’t surprised to see a structure being built behind it, on the lane.  But I was disappointed when it became obvious it was going to be a garage — not a laneway house.  There’s a laneway house just two doors down from it, but they decided to put cars and not people in that space.

It seems such a waste to me. I would like to see that space turned over to densification.  But it’s not too late!  They could still do it — according to Apartment Therapy, Naomi and her husband turned their two-car garage in Portland into a lovely and liveable Accessory Dwelling Unit.  It’s a great story.

It is now a beautiful, modern living space modern with open plan, great daylight and highly energy efficient with many sustainable features. Highlights include re-used materials from Portland’s Rebuilding Center; 11 inch thick insulated walls which maintain a comfortable temperature range year round; radiant heating under our concrete floor; solar panels; combination washer/dryer in one; and a barn door made from reclaimed old growth fir.

That barn door adds interest and privacy to the home while saving space.  A simple shelf becomes an office with the use of a laptop.

The decor is fresh and modern but keeps a cozy feel.

Naomi rents out the main house on the property, and she and her husband live in the suite.  The money they make/save allows them to travel.

I think that’s a better use for the land — a comfortable and attractive home that fits into the neighbourhood.

Read the whole story at Apartment Therapy.