Tag Archives: DIY

November 21, 2017

Expect The Unexpected

When we bought our house, the back yard was as blank a slate as it could be. We had dreams & good intentions, but a cascading list of challenges (financial and logistical), plus a set of hard-partying neighbours just made us want to ...

November 23, 2016

Budgeting For Home Repairs

When purchasing a new home, it's easy to focus only on the short-term financial requirements (down payment, closing costs, moving expenses), and overlook a long-term plan for home maintenance and upgrades. It's also easy to have tunnel vision about saving for that custom ...

May 19, 2015

So You Want To “Flip” A House.

Confession: Like many people out there, I am addicted to those reality TV shows with words like “flip”, “reno”, and “fix” in their titles. It’s hard not to be dazzled by the potential for huge profit margins, or get sucked ...

Steaming off wallpaper
March 14, 2015

The Home Stretch

We are nearing the end of a four-month renovation at my mother's house, and I will be very excited to post photos of the finished product! The longest part of this process has been removing wallpaper from nearly every room and ...

January 18, 2015

The Great Bathroom Reno Experiment

In my 10+ years as a professional realtor, I've helped many clients make renovation decisions about their homes and flip projects, and handled quite a few of my own as well. I always advise people to max out their budgets ...

August 13, 2014

Can A New Shed Increase Property Value?

It's pretty common for clients to come to me with a project they have in mind, and ask whether it will actually increase the value of their home. The answer to that question will often be a matter of personal ...