Loving Stratford ... Not So Much

Okay, so last post I mentioned some of the things I really like about living in Stratford. This post isn't quite so upbeat.

The renovation I posted about earlier this year that was to have lasted 10, no 12 weeks from start to finish wasn't quite complete after 27 weeks when we fired our first general contractor.

I won't go into details here, but you can read more about it (with pictures) at stratfordrenovations.com.

Stratford Outside in June

Remember this?



Well now it looks like this ...



This is not to say that there isn't work to be done outside at our new home - I have lots of ideas. A few more pictures of the yard and deck as it looks in the early summer.







Most of the work this summer will be cleaning up and thinning out. The soil here is heavy clay and the plants are quite overgrown. Also, we are thinking of making some changes to the decks, adding a storage shed and garage - so any serious work on the gardens around the decks will have to wait until we decide what we're doing.

Stratford Reno - Almost There

The renovations to our new home in Stratford are almost complete. We decided to change all the floors and ended up selecting an engineered hardwood through most of the house. The kitchen and bathroom floors are limestone and the stairs are carpeted.

First some pictures of the main floor as it is now.






The kitchen cabinets, bathroom vanity, built-in closet and stereo cabinets are all in matching cherry wood with an espresso finish and were designed and built by Woodecor





Here are Roel and Zeus sitting on our new carpeting and waving hello. And next a dog's-eye view of our new living space.





I'll end with the view from our bay window that I'm pretty sure we'll be enjoying every day. You can see more before and after pictures at Katamat.

Stratford Renovations

We are making rapid progress with the renovations to our house in Stratford.

First some pictures of the inside of the house as it was in late March.

We decided to open up as much of the space as possible and one of the best ideas was to remove the walls around stairs, giving us more light and more sense of space.


When we bought the house, it was operating as a B & B and there was a small office on the main floor. We've taken the walls down and made a space for the grand piano. We were a little fearful the piano would be a tight fit, so we made a cut out to check the space for sure. And it looks like the piano will fit just fine.


Here's what remains of the kitchen. Here, too, we removed the wall separating the kitchen from the dining room.


Now for the outside. The snow is starting to disappear so I was able to get more photographs of the yard to assist in my garden planning. The first two shots show different angles of the front of the house and yard.






Here's the view from the front porch ...



And the side and back yards ...







Now that spring is on it's way, I'm hoping to get more shots of the yard and start giving some serious thought to plans for gardens.

As for the inside of the house, the exciting part is just beginning. My next post will definitely be showing rooms coming together rather than being torn apart. We've decided on floors, counters, kitchener cabinets, sinks, faucets and outside doors. It's really exciting now watching the progress from week to week.

We've been working with WoodDecor here in town on the kitchens and other cabinets. Lloyd is an amazing craftsman and artist. With the vaguest description of what I want, he pulls together a sketch in minutes that captures it completely.

Before long, I look forward to being able to post some before and after shots of the inside.

Happy Easter to all.