Love is in the air at this time of year. So, hopefully you have the more personal aspects of your Valentine’s Day season sorted out by now. But, what about that Guelph home of yours?
Look… it’s a crazy Seller’s Market in Guelph right now and a lot of people, myself included, feel like we really have little or no choice but to stay put. Well, yes – we could sell… it’s the buying part that’s a bit of a trick.
Much like a marriage, the relationship you have with your Guelph home is going to wax and wane over the years. Of course it is! Oh, I remember the glee… the downright passion I felt, when I bought my current home about 11 years ago. It was a forgotten house… an unholy mess, to be blunt. But it was mine and I loved it.
I loved it, that is, until I walked into it about six months in, took one look at the never-ending renovations and the dust and the bills and… yes the house made me cry. Often.
But we’ve made up and now the house and I… we’re all good. And in 2016, after years of talking about moving and the need for more… “something”… I decided to try to fall in love with my little Guelph home again. I did – and here are my tips, if you need to make up with your home:
1. Curb Appeal. Make your Guelph home pretty. I don’t know how many years I said, “I honestly don’t care what it looks like from the outside.” I meant it! Really, I didn’t. However, when I hired someone to take down the god-awful old white and dark green siding and made my home look like the beautiful century home that it is… wow. I love looking at it from the outside. There’s still work to do, but I honestly love the look of it. That’s fun to come home to. I recommend it.
2. Painting the Interior. I just went for it last year. Trim, ceilings, walls… I had the entire house (minus bedrooms) painted and I went many, many shades lighter. I felt like the house needed a lift – and it got one. I’m so happy with it, and all things said, paint is such a relatively painless and inexpensive way to transform your house. Just do it. If you don’t like it… paint it again! Scott Mooney, a motion graphics designer in Guelph agrees and feels like changing colours can bring a new vibe to a room.
3. Lighting. This was fun, though… who knew lights were so expensive? I went to a lighting store and bought really lovely lights for my dining room and kitchen. Let’s just say… I like glitter. As for my living room, I hired someone to put LED pot lights in and this old house has gone from a cave of darkness to a near-blinding show of light. Everything’s on a dimmer and I am thrilled with the results.
4. Appliances. Well, it has begun. Slowly, as my old appliances die (not quickly enough, by the way – and I kick them daily,) I am upgrading to nicer versions. How did I live before I had a microwave / convection range hood? Hard to say… very hard to say. Everything I am buying to replace older versions is quieter, more energy efficient, and more downright pretty than before. On all counts, I’m happy.
5. Outdoor Living. I finally accepted defeat over the dreaded gout-weed that had taken over my backyard and brought in someone to help me reclaim my backyard. It used to be a source of pride – I love to garden. Then, I had a child… and it all went to weeds. So I bit the bullet and paid someone to help me return my backyard to its previously acknowledged status as “Kelly’s gracious backyard oasis.”
Could I do more? Of course and, over time… I will. For now, the renovation well is dry and I’m honestly enjoying my Guelph home in ways I haven’t in many years. So I’m good. At some point, this house is going to say or do something… we’ll have a tiff and it’ll all work itself out. This house and I have history, and I can’t think of being anywhere else. House love… pass it on.
