Lito's House Project List - Item 6

Number 6 on the list - Bathroom renovation - completed. 

When we moved in our new house, we already are aware that there are areas in the house that will be changed/upgraded or renovated. We just did not realize that some will come sooner than expected.

After a year, we noticed that the washroom tiles are becoming loose and some are about to fall. The two shower faucets are also problematic and is very hard to close. It does not matter how hard you turn it, there is always a drip. Since we do not have the budget for the renovation yet, I used my handy man hat and re-grouted the tiles and replaced the faucets rubber washers. The repair was a success and it kept the tiles in tact and the drip has stopper.

After a while, the dripping was back and tiles from the other side is becoming loose too. I realized, that we really have to save up for the renovation. We contacted RONA and Canadian tire to give us a quote. I thought we might get a financing scheme with them. Canadian Tire quoted us for renovation that only included the wet area (shower area) and RONA quoted for the entire washroom renovation. However, both quotes were too high. Based on our computation, for a 12 month financing, this will not fit or budget. We included our financial need for the bathroom renovation in our daily night prayers.

We decided to buy the things needed for the washroom little by little and then get a contractor to build it. We started buying the wall and floor tiles last year from Costco and Rona. Then we got the vanity and mirror/cabinet from a store in Dundas. The last was the Wall shower from Costco again.

We contacted two contractors that were referred by our friends and got a quote for the labor. We agreed with the terms and after a week, we have a newly renovated washroom all within our budget.

God is really good and answers prayers!

Photos here -> (Before and After)

Lito's House Project List - Item 13

Number 13 on the list - Replace washer and dryer - completed. 

I do not consider this as something to be urgent. The pair that we have is still working well. I made it part of my list because I thought that we would be able to save some space in the laundry area if we have a washer and a dryer that is both front loading so that we can stack them together.

There are a lot of new models out there that my wife and I think are to expensive just because it has to much bells and whistles that we do not need. So we have decided not to prioritize these in our list.

However, we saw a flier from Lowes one Friday that offers a lay away plan for 12 months and a laundry pair that we believe has just enough features that we need and will use. To top it up, it was on sale. We chose the Samsung pair (White finish):

• Washing machine Model  WF42H5000AW
• Dryer Model DV42H500EW/AC

We called Lowes and ordered the washer and dryer. With the stacking kit included and the delivery fee, it was around $1,500. Not bad, I thought.

As a bonus, Lowes even hauled our old pair.

Irmee's House Project List - Item 5

Number 5 on her list - Track Light - Completed

I can not count using my fingers and toes how many times my wife urged me to purchase and install a track light in our small hallway. She said that the current light is too bright that it affects the visibility of the shows on television when it is on. I finally gave in and purchased and installed one last Sunday.

I was hoping that I will at least have some time before the next request comes and I was mistaken. The next request came a day after this project was finished. I will just not mention what it was.

Project details:

Cost: CAD 74.94 plus tax IKEA

- CAD 29.99 - "Husinge" Track light

- CAD 8.99 x 5 - "Ledare" LED GU10 Bulbs

Duration: 1/2 Day

Installation fee: Priceless

Purchase date: August 17, 2014

Lito's House Project List - Item 20

Number 20 on the list - Tool Shed - completed. 

Although the tool shed is near the end of the list, it was one of the things we decided to purchase first so that we can store some of our tools and equipment that would otherwise make the house crowded.

Project details:

Cost: CAD 799 plus tax at Home Depot

Duration: 2 Days

Installation fee: Priceless

Purchase date: July 2012

Lito's House Project List - Item 3

Number 3 on the list - Stone edging maple - completed.

Before:

After:

Project details:

Duration: 1 Day

Completion date: 08 June 2014

Cost of Materials (stones, soil, Hosta plant) between CAD 100-150

Labor cost: Priceless!

Lito's House Project List - Item 1

Number 1 on the list - Shingles Replacement - completed. 

After delaying the shingle replacement for more than a year, we finally decided to go ahead and do it. Thanks to Canadian tire's 36 months equal instalment and no interest scheme. Now I no longer worry whenever it rains.

Project details:

Duration: 1 Day
Labor and materials: between CAD 5,000 and 10,000
Completion date: 17 April 2014

Pros: 50 year transferrable warranty, free inspection on the 5th and 10 year which includes fixing of issues for free, 36 months to pay via Canadian Tire Financial, 10 percent Cash back in terms of Canadian Tire money

Cons:a little bit pricey compared to smaller contractors quote. It always make you cry when you get the monthly Canadian Tire statement (LOL)

Lito's House Project List

A month after moving in our new house last August 2011, my wife and made a list of things that we wanted to:

Change/replace in the house.
Add to the house.
Renovate

Below are the things that I came up with:

1-Replace roof shingles
2-Extend roof to cover garage (currently the garage has a flat roof)
3-Stone edging maple tree
4-Emerald Cedar trees for privacy along the east side of the property
5-Stone edging for the East side of the property
6-Bathroom renovation
7-Hardwood flooring replacement
8-Windows replacement
9-Deck - connected to east side of house
10-Sliding door (dining room to proposed deck)
11-Tankless water heater
12-New refrigerator and range/oven (stainless)
13-Replace washer and dryer
14-New Apple iMac computer
15-Solar panel on roof connected to power grid
16-Room extension above garage
17-Convert 1 car garage to 2 car garage
18-Replace front steps
19-New entertainment center
20-Tool shed
21-Lawn mower
22-Snow thrower/blower
23-Upgrade A/C and heater system
24-Extend west side fence outward
25-Fence on the East side of the house (metal)

Here are my wife's addition:

1-Kitchen backsplash
2-Replace Yew tree with spiral tree
3-Extra room in basement
4-Lawn revitalization
5-Hallway Track Lighting

We'll it really is a long list and I am sure it will cost a lot. I hope that these projects or maybe dreams of ours materialize. I hope that some of my future post will be updates on what has been done or completed from the list.


NOTE:list was completed year 2011 and transferred/copied to my blog just now.