christine_z's Profile

I think it depends on two things: where you live, and what your tolerance is for renting. A few years ago we moved from Vancouver, BC to Montreal, QC - housing is much more reasonably priced out here and so we could live the urban lifestyle we wanted and be homeowners while being able to afford enough space to start a family. For me, that was a big part of the appeal.

For friends in Vancouver, if they want to have children, they have two choices: move, or rent. Overall, more and more families are choosing to rent so they can stay in the city of their choice, but it will take a few more generations before it's as common as it is in other parts of the world (such as in Europe for instance).

All your overages were money well spent – as was the entirety of this kitchen reno. You guys did an amazing job. Well done!!

This is looking so, so great! I can't wait to see the big reveal!!

Don't stop! Go! Go! Go! You can do it!!

I love the party idea. Totally remembering that!

These are excellent suggestions. I would second the suggestion to think long and hard about how much time you want to spend gardening every week. Do you travel for long periods in the summer? That's something to consider too. We bought an apartment a few years ago with access to small back yard that already had landscaping and three fruit trees, and we can barely keep up with it! I am now trying to simplify aspects of the landscaping to fit better with our busy lifestyle. I'd be happy to never mow our tiny yard again!

When we were house hunting, we put in an offer for a place - ground floor of a triplex, incredible original moldings, corner lot (so windows on three sides - a rarity in Montreal!). Our offer was accepted and it was almost ours, but we backed out when we discovered the other owners were considering converting most of the (shared, but on our floor) back yard into parking spaces. We didn't know if we would be able to reverse the decision, and we were about to leave on vacation for a month... so we opted to pull the offer.

The place we ended up buying has almost EXACTLY the same layout as the other place. Places built around 1910 in Montreal often have identical layouts, due to the bylaws around construction at the time. But there are a few notable differences - there was an additional window in the other place, and the bathroom was at the back of the house instead of in the middle. Different neighbourhood. And in our current place, the backyard is ALL OURS. We love our place so much, but sometimes I wonder if we'd gone through with it... it's like our house in bizarro world. Almost the same, but different. I think I'll always be haunted by it a little!

Oh, it is such a relief to see your budget. Our kitchen is very similar and our budget for our upcoming renovation is close to yours - I feel much better. I really can't wait to see the results!

REALLY fantastic tips. I wish I had had this list before having my sofa reupholstered - I still love it, but I would have loved to have felt better informed before leaping in with both feet. And I admit, while it is incredibly beautiful, part of me wishes I had held out for a deeper sofa! Should have sat on it first!

For those people who are saying "It's not worth it to reupholster a sofa" because you could get one for a similar price at Macy's, let me just clarify that that sofa you would be buying is *not* the same sofa. Finding the beautiful lines of a vintage sofa (not to mention the solid wood legs and kiln dried frame) is just not possible new, in a department store, for the same price.

I agree, don't do it as a cost saving measure if all you want is a place to sit down. But if you want a unique investment piece that you can personalize just how you want, AND you don't live in a bug bed-ridden city, then DO IT!

@janel, thanks for the replies! I signed up and I'm looking forward to receiving the first emails. I am really pumped about the second cure too - I find them very motivational in helping me tackle projects.

BRING IT 2013!

Finallyyyy!! I loved your previous cures and it's been ages since the last one. If we were previously signed up for the cure mailing list, do we have to sign up again?