Well, we’re pretty excited! We have been insta-blogging for just over a month and are finally launching the full blog to take anyone who is interested into the renovations of our tiny post-war home, located in the Carlington area of Ottawa, called Veteran’s Village.
The history of this adorable little neighbourhood is pretty cool; best described by Ottawa Magazine’s Laura Byrne Paquet and Janet Uren, Veteran’s Village “developed rapidly in the late 1940s when these sturdy little houses were built for veterans. Ottawa suffered an acute post-war shortage of housing when six years’ worth of young men and women flooded back into civilian life, married, and started families. Central (now Canada) Housing and Mortgage Corporation was established in 1946 with orders to provide these hordes with small, decent, and affordable houses.” To put it simply, we feel honoured to be the second owners of this little home.
This home is special to us for so many reasons. First of all, it’s our first home either of us have ever purchased. Secondly, we had been looking for the perfect home since June 2016, lost multiple bidding wars and had a hard time finding a house in the price range that would let us customize it to our liking. Kaara was obsessed first and foremost with location and Stacy wanted something she could put a personal touch on. Price, location and the overall condition of the home had to intersect perfectly. After winning a bid on a house that we found out was falling over in Hintonburg (due to a rubble foundation), we were so relieved and excited to find this gem which passed the home inspection with flying colours right before Christmas!
We really wanted a home that felt like we got a good value, in a central location and could make exactly what we wanted out of it, rather than get something in the most perfect location and have to live with the previous owner’s tastes for a good decade until we could afford to renovate. Our real estate agent and good friend, Hosnia Qazi was able to help us meet this goal. If you’re looking for a fantastic agent in Ottawa, Ontario, we highly recommend Hosnia as an awesome, energetic, flexible and caring agent – and we would be amiss to not mention her great taste.
We are just a little under a month away from getting the keys, and then the renovations start immediately! We have one month to get it all done, with the help of Malloch Construction, Stacy’s handy skills and Kaara’s incessant bossiness – we are moving in on April 1, 2017!
That’s just the introduction to the house and the process of getting the perfect one for us – stay tuned for why and how we’re planning to bring all the hygge of Scandinavia to our tiny-post war home in Canada.
Sending love and light.
Kaara & Stacy