All posts tagged home

we sold our acreage

If you read the title I’m sure you can infer what this post will be about. This summer we decided to list and sell our acreage.

This was an incredibly hard decision to come to. We never thought that we would be moving after only 3.5 years of living here. We were so content in this specific home and in this specific part of the province. We truly loved what our acreage inevitably became, and saw the potential for future growth.

When we first moved in, everything was red, dark, marked up, and just forgotten about as a whole. We painted and puttied and renovated like mad. Slowly, room by room, this house opened up; becoming brighter, functional, and more beautiful with every remodel. It became a reflection of us and where we who we were as a family unit.

It all began with a video tour. From there, we added fenced gardens, refreshed our master bedroom, the kid’s closet, guest room, playhouse, culverts, jungle gym, Wilder’s bedroom, exterior doors, basement bathroom, basement family room, dog run, living room, Wilder + Beau’s bedroom, entry + laundry room, and finally two bathrooms. What you didn’t see was our kitchen (see above) and hallway renovations.

So why are we moving?

We spent 4 anniversaries within these walls and welcomed another baby. While we did have setbacks (because that is just life), it was mostly only happy memories. I will never forget our daily walks to the park down the dirt roads, or the beautiful star-filled clear nights, or the quietness, or how we spend all day everyday outside in the summer, or seeing our dogs run in our big yard, or our nice neighbours, or the wheat fields that surround our property, or the easy flow of our house, or the freeing nature that just comes with living away from everyone and being in your own paradise. Everyone who came out here would exit their vehicle, stand in the driveway, and say “you’ve got a little slice of heaven out here, don’t you?”

Yes, we did.

So goodbye, little acreage. We will always miss you.

Emory

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by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 08/29/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 08/29/2022

https://helloscarlettblog.com/2022/08/29/we-sold-our-acreage/

5 valuable lessons you can learn from renovating your home

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Renovating your home is something that is almost inevitable, particularly if you own your own house, and especially if you live out on the prairies. And, like everything in life, it’s something you can learn from. 

We’re not just talking about the practical DIY skills you learn, either. Carrying out a home renovation can teach you things you never knew about yourself. 

In this post, we look at what you can learn from home remodeling and how it changes you for the better. 

It Teaches You Patience

Home renovation projects rarely work out how you want them to the first time around. There are almost always glitches, delays, and installation problems. 

Because of this, remodeling teaches you the art of patience. You learn that if you want to get something right, you need to work late into the night after work, perfecting your work so that it looks professional. You also learn to accept that not all building materials will arrive on-site exactly when you plan them to. There will always be problems and unexpected delays. 

You Learn About Smart Changes

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Big, showpiece upgrades make you feel good for a while (and will have everyone in the neighborhood talking), but once you become more experienced, you start to learn that it’s the smart changes that make the biggest difference to your quality of life. 

For instance, as leafcogutters.com points out, adding protection to your gutters is a small change, but it negates the need to clean them out every couple of weeks in the fall. 

Similarly, adding refrigerated drawers to your kitchen or an ice maker can make cooking and preparing meals much simpler, all at a low cost. 

You Discover How Fearless You Really Are

Transforming your home takes a lot more courage than many people imagine. In many cases, you have to completely destroy what’s there right now so that you can replace it with something better.

During this process, you discover how fearless you truly are. While you have some trepidation initially, you find that you actually feel quite comfortable with a hammer in your hand, or when applying paint stripper to the walls. You don’t get freaked out as much when things look bad after a tear-down day. In fact, you view it as a sign of progress. 

You Should Always Be Prepared

Going into any renovation, you always need to be prepared. Think carefully about what could potentially go wrong, and then cook up some contingency plans, just in case. 

Preparation could involve working with multiple suppliers, collecting all the tools you need, surveying your home, and ensuring that it can accommodate the changes that you want to make.

You Can Be Adaptable If You Want To Be

Lastly, we sometimes forget just how adaptable we can be, according to www.scientificamerican.com. However, you soon rediscover your ability to cope with change when renovating your home. It’s like you learn about a creative side of yourself that you never knew you had. In turn, that makes you feel more confident to pursue projects in the future. 

** This was a contributed post.

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by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 05/14/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 05/14/2022

https://helloscarlettblog.com/2022/05/14/5-valuable-lessons-you-can-learn-from-renovating-your-home/

how to maintain your washer properly

Having a functional washer at home is important as it spares our hands from doing the dreadful laundry. To ensure that your washer works properly, you need to pay attention to the maintenance on a regular basis.

Have your clothes become wet as soon as they come out of the washer? This is because the seal around the door on your washer has failed. Just replace this seal and it will stop leaking water.

If you have a traditional top load washer, then you probably have to deal with overflowing clothes. The problem here may be due to a faulty tube connecting to your vacuum pump. Or if it’s an older home, the standpipe might be clogged. Either way, call a professional technician before you end up with standing dirty water in your machine.

If you only want to clean your washer properly, you can check the following simple steps:

To start with, make sure to remove any clothing from the washtub so they don’t get stuck in the small spaces of the drained water inside. If there are still clothes stuck inside make sure to use a tool to pull them out if possible or call a repairman to come and fix the issue. Using a tool would not be that hard because washers are basically dry inside after they drain the washtub.

In the meantime, get a washer bucket and fill it with warm water and add some dishwashing liquid soap into the washtub and let it sit for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, you will want to wash out the washtub of your washer until clean, then rinse clean by running another cycle. Then you can fill up the washtub again and rinse it thoroughly. Do this process multiple times if needed.

There are other steps you can take such as deodorizing the washer. There are washer deodorizing disks that you can put into your washer on the washtub, then just run it just like you would with a normal washer cycle. This will not only clean out the washer but also take away odors and leave it smelling fresh.

Last but not least, it is always a good idea to save the factory manual at home in case you find any error codes in the future. It is also helpful to have a few reliable appliance repair technicians in your area. Meanwhile, if your washer has worked for more than 10 years, you can consider replacing it with a more energy-efficient model.

** This was a contributed post.

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by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 02/18/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 02/18/2022

https://helloscarlettblog.com/2022/02/18/how-to-maintain-your-washer-properly/

new year, new home?

 

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It’s the start of a new year and many of us are reflecting on areas of our lives we want to improve on. The pandemic over the course of the past two years has made many of us reflect on our living spaces. Some of us are now working from home, so need extra space for desks and other office style equipment. Some of us have new jobs and want to move. Some of us have realised we want to be closer to friends and family. Some of us have simply had time to reflect on our properties and have decided we want something different. Whatever your reason for considering a new home for the new year, here are a few areas of focus that you can take into consideration. Hopefully, they’ll help you to find something that works for you!

Considerations

There are so many things to consider when choosing a new home. Some will hold more weight than others for different people, so here are just a few to take into account to get the ball rolling.

  • Area – where would you like to live? This is the first step you should take, as it will allow you to begin your property search. Do you need to be close to work? Do you need to be near schools for children? Do you want to be close to friends and family? Would you like to live in the city or a more rural area? These types of questions should help you to find a location that you’re happy with.
  • Property size – how big does your home need to be? Would you be fine in an apartment? Or do you need a home with separate rooms and living spaces? If you’re buying, it’s generally best to go bigger than your current needs if you think your family may be growing in the near future.
  • Aesthetics – how a property looks can determine how much you like it. Do you want something new or older? Modern or traditional?

Once you have an idea of what you’re looking for, you can use reliable real estate sites like Compass to get your property search started.

Remember

Moving isn’t necessarily the only option. Sure, if you want to move location, then you will have to move home to achieve this. But if you’re considering moving because of things like outgrowing your property, wanting more natural light or wanting more or fewer rooms, you could always consider renovating the property you’re already in. This is a great option for those who love their current home and don’t really want to leave and those who have children who they don’t want to disrupt. Sure, renovations can mean having work carried out in your living spaces for a while, which isn’t always ideal, but it’s a good way to make the property you’re already in better fit your needs and preferences.

These are just a few suggestions that could help you find the living space of your dreams. Hopefully, some of the information will come in useful for you and make all the difference! You’ll be in your new home before you know it.

** This was a contributed post.

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by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 01/06/2022  •  Permalink
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Posted by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 01/06/2022

https://helloscarlettblog.com/2022/01/06/new-year-new-home/

wonderful additions to your home that will put a smile on your face

https://unsplash.com/photos/R-LK3sqLiBw 

Your home should be something more than just a place that keeps you warm and private. It should be something that makes you feel warm inside all of the time. You should be proud of what you come back to every single morning, afternoon, and evening. If not, then it might be wise to begin reimagining your home and seeing what you can add!

It’s amazing what you can do to a home. Your creativity might let you in on all kinds of different ideas. Right now, you might think that not much can be done, but with a little thought and a little help, you could create something wonderful that not only makes you happier but raises the value of the place. Adding in certain items in order to put a smile on your face makes all the sense in the world. Here are just a few things you can do to your home in order to improve the area:

Driveway Additions 

The driveway is literally the first part of the home you will reach – in most situations, anyway. If your driveway is looking a little worse for wear or a little boring, then it can take a huge toll on how everything else goes. First impressions are key and can set the tone. Even if the rest of the home is fine, the mind may not see it that way. Think about adding a few borders and/or ornaments. A be sure to give it a clean with a pressure washer in order to take a few years off it. It’s amazing what dirt can do in terms of making a driveway look decades older than it actually is.  

Extend A Part Of The Home 

If you have the money and the space to do so, then there’s no reason why you couldn’t add an extra room or two to your home. It would be a terrific idea. If you have a family and need the room or you just feel like adding another dimension, you’d get a kick out of it. The value of your home would go up, too.

New, Fresh Lighting 

It’s amazing what lighting can do to a home. Now, of course, we’re not expecting you to add the most expensive lights or the kind of equipment that makes you feel like you’re in a movie studio. Adding a few artificial lights to the corners and the roof could make a huge difference to the look and the overall feel. Even an extra window would be helpful as you could get some natural light in. 

An Office Or Study 

The feeling of setting up your own workspace in your home feels wonderful. It allows you to feel as though you’ve got a place that you can really concentrate in. A spare room that has a table, a chair, and a computer can do half the trick, but a genuinely dedicated room is a huge upgrade. 

En-Suite Bathroom(s) 

Again, anyone with a bathroom should obviously be grateful they have functioning plumbing that allows them to take part in some of the most basic of needs. Getting straight out of bed and heading into a bathroom, however, is a privilege we all deserve. There are so many benefits of an en-suite bathroom, starting with convenience.

A Room Exclusively For Relaxing 

A lot goes on in your life, so you’re going to want to make sure that you do whatever you can to chill out. Why not use one of your free rooms or spaces to create a room for relaxing. You can add comfort items like pictures and a kinetic sculpture that is easy on the eye. You could make it clear to everyone that when it’s in use, nobody interrupts. 

Loft Conversion 

In this day and age, a lot of people have their lofts or basements converted into something more useful. Possessing an old, damp area of the home is absolutely pointless in this day and age. So, if you have the funds, then you may as well turn this vacant area into something more important. 

Backyard Ornaments And Decorations

The backyard has the power to change the entire look and feel of a home. It’s supposed to supplement a house but it does so much more than that. If the garden is looking a little boring or eerie, then you could always liven things up with a few decorations. You can turn something very bland into something that has a real sense of character with a genuine atmosphere. Adding personality to a backyard can liven up a home even more.

** This was a contributed post.

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by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 11/25/2021  •  Permalink
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Posted by Hello, Scarlett Blog on 11/25/2021

https://helloscarlettblog.com/2021/11/25/wonderful-additions-to-your-home-that-will-put-a-smile-on-your-face/

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  • Hello! My name is Emory. I am a wife, mother of four (three on earth in heaven). This is our life on the Canadian prairies.
    email: helloscarlettblog@outlook.com

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