oh the glamour

It's been a busy weekend! In addition to the never-ending dirt shovelling and concrete mixing going on in the front yard (ok, I lie, the end is finally in sight with that one! I'll post when it's complete), today I swapped out my old, inefficient, construction adhesive-marred, frequently running toilet for a new 'low-flow' model.

out with the old:

and in with the new!:

Do try to ignore the floor (like I do!) - it's damaged and needs to go, but I want to finish up all these 'energy' improvements first. Once I get all those rebate dollars back I can move on to 'prettier' projects like tiling the bathroom floor.

All that painting and stuff will still be lots of work, I know, but it's definitely not like today's job. Because we all know about toilets, right? Gross.

Feelin' the Heat

Another big day in the life of my house, another major chunk of my house budget gone. *Sigh*.

I'm sure I'll be glad I made this decision when the winter winds are howling around outside and my house is snug and warm, but that wasn't really my thought today. I'm usually pretty practical, but today I could only think of how many other great (and pretty!) projects I could do with the amount I spent on this latest purchase.

Anyway, without further 'ado', here's the before (visually documented in order to impart the 'significance' of this purchase (read: to convince myself), not because the pics are particularly interesting!):


In the words of the installers of the new one, she was a 'dinosaur'. Their estimate of her age was '40+ years' (when the average lifespan of a furnace is 20-25). Well, that dinosaur is now extinct, replaced by this darling:


She's sleeker, shinier, cleaner, more efficient, more powerful (while using less power!) and just an all-around much better beast. So yes, a smart choice.

One drawback that emerged today: while removing the old one the installers noted that my duct work is in DESPERATE need of a good cleaning. Just another item to add to my 'to do' list - and my dwindling budget! Don't worry, I won't be posting pics of THAT process, I had a glimpse of what's in there today and it was pretty disgusting.

A Very Big Day

Before today, my house had zero insulation. None. Well, a useless sprinkling of it in the attic, but nothing in the walls at all. Can you imagine building a house with NO insulation in it?!
Anyway, that all changed today...


Here they are, blowing insulation into the attic and sloped ceilings very early this morning (before it got too hot up there to work).

The house around midday, riddled with holes...


And by the end of the day, from the outside you wouldn't even know they'd been here! But the inside is a much different story - it's SO much cooler!! I'm so excited to have this finished - and even more excited that the government will cover the work (through the ecoENERGY retrofit rebate program)!!

Isn't it crazy how priorities can change? Who'd have thought I'd ever get this excited about INSULATION? :)

Creation of a Laundry 'Room'

Maybe it's just me, but isn't doing laundry the coolest thing ever?! Ok, it probably IS just me. But check this out:


I am now the proud owner of a lovely, new-to-me, energy efficient washer & dryer!

Now, I'm generally not a big fan of basements, and mine is no exception - I visit it as infrequently as possible. But after these two beauties were moved in and hooked up, I set about making what was previously an empty basement wall become a cheerful and efficient laundry area.

I built a simple shelf from a leftover piece of mdf and some lattice (total cost: about $5), then I rummaged around the rest of the house to find a few coordinating accessories, and - voila! - a laundry 'room' was born!

I can honestly say that I've never been more excited to do laundry than I was tonight. I even stayed down there for a good part of the first load, just to 'watch' (well, that also might've been because I was the one to hook it all up, and I wanted to make sure nothing went wrong!) The novelty won't last long, I'm sure, but for today, it was pretty exciting!