Brendon and Akua experiment with TV

Have you ever listened to a recording of your own voice and cringed? It's like being confronted by an alter reality - suddenly you sound nothing like how you imagined yourself in your own head. Well, today I found out that it's even worse seeing yourself on TV.  

We were featured on the 6 o'clock news in a short segment on creative housing solutions. Take a look at the video below. What the hell is up with my posture and why does the hair on the back of my head look so bad! 

Now that you've gotten used to us on the big screen - we have news for you. We're going to be on a future episode of the Nature of Things on urban regeneration airing in February 2012. Yes, just last weekend we hosted the amazing father-daughter duo - David Suzuki and Sarika Cullis-Suzuki. This was a dream come true. 

Like so many of us, Brendon and I grew-up with David and the Nature of Things. From an early age we were fed the science of nature in a way that incited wonder and made us care when we saw it threatened. And then when I was 19 I picked up his book The Sacred Balance. It accompanied me on a 3 month cycle touring adventure through the Yukon. Its message was with me through the stark and imposing Tombstone range and along the rushing Donjek river. The book changed the way I saw the world and set me on the trajectory that I find myself today. It help me notice the profound connection we humans have with nature and first put words to a spiritual world view that I hadn't been able to articulate myself. 

Life always seems to come full circle. Sarika and David had both spent time up in the Yukon this summer and raved about the beauty in that place. It's a reminder to me to do as much as we can to preserve wild spaces like the North while we also find ways to nurture and expand nature in our own backyards. 

But I digress. 

Sarika, David, Brendon and I chatted for over 2hrs about everything from our energy efficient appliances to living in a very small home. But really, the theme that emerged stronger than any other was the importance of community and how intergenerational housing arrangements can support vibrant neighbourhoods and people just like us.

While we can't show you any finished products from the filming, I can share some pics with you.

David's beautiful daughter Sarika

Barb and Roger chatting with our guests.

Sorry. Couldn't resist how cute Steven looked. If we're like this with a cat, can you imagine how crazy we'll get with a kid!

The Inside Scoop

Well, you've been asking about it for a long time and we finally got to it. Here are pictures of our upper floor. From the photos you can see our bed nook and living room. You also get a glimpse of the balcony that overlooks our lane.

We've had a number of drive-bys lately with people creeping along the laneway and peering into our home. Our house has developed a reputation of its own and now its been booked for a weekend in October to be part of a heritage tour in the city. And tomorrow, we'll open our doors to a group of UBC students.

Whenever we're around we're happy to open our doors for a tour. But, its only fair to give you online followers the full tour as well. Brendon is working on the time lapse video that will take your from our crawl space, up to the garage, through our kitchen and over to our second floor loft. We'll have that up in the next few days.

For now though - check our our fence, finished just yesterday! For you viewing pleasure we've also included an awesome photo of Steven and a refresher on what our kitchen looks like.

The Commune

When I was in my late twenties Brendon and I lived in Ottawa and shared a group of incredible friends. We all spent time with each other throughout the week. Many of us lived together, shared groceries, chores and leisure time. I remember when one of my closest friends Rebecca began dating her future husband he nicknamed us the Get-Along-Gang.

The group of friends is still incredibly close but now many of us live thousands of miles away from one another so the type of communal lifestyle we'd dabbled with faded away in concert with the distance that separated us. Something is afoot though and once again we are starting to witness a new version of communal living on our little plot of land.

Many of you know that while we were building the laneway house and for a few years leading up to it, Brendon and I rented Barb and Roger’s basement suite. The two bedroom apartment allowed us to test-drive living close to the parental units and helped us come to the quick decision that we liked sharing air space with such an amazing couple. When we moved out, Barb and Roger hadn't planned on renting out the apartment very quickly but life intervened and withing one week 3597 West 23rd got a new tenant.

I’ve known Allee Wells since I was 15 years old. We went to highschool together and then shared our first big adventure – cycling and hiking through the Yukon. Allee has lived in Vancouver for almost 12 years now and while we’ve stayed close, we haven’t seen as much of one another over the last few years as I would have liked. Well that all changed this July. Allee and her longtime partner split and she needed to start fresh. She moved into the basement suite just as we began taking out the last of our boxes.

Then, in September the two bedroom suite filled up completely as Jean Yves (JY), one of Brendon’s oldest friends, traveled from Yellowknife to Vancouver to complete a 3 month culinary program. Call it "pre-tirement".  Pretirees are folks mid-way through their careers that choose to change course and seek out new work options that allow them to create the life they've always wanted to lead. Many are heading back to school for additional training or striking out on their own as consultants or independent contractors. JY who has worked as a teacher up North for the last 10 years decided to use his pretirement to travel, learn new skills and take a break.

What this has meant is that we have a new Get-Along-Gang – Barb, Roger, Allee, JY, Brendon and Akua. We share meals together in the evening, help with the landscaping during the day and support one another through the hard times and the good vibes. ;-)

If there is one thing that the experience of building a home has taught Brendon and I, it’s how important community is. For all the green building focus and urban planning experiment, the part that stands out the most for me is the fact that our choices have allowed us to be surrounded by family and friends, something that I've come to appreciate more and more the older I get.

Summer's Over

“Summer is like the ultimate one-night stand…hot as hell, totally thrilling, and gone before you know it.”

John Lubbock

Well, it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two months since my last post. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve felt really guilty about it. Truth is, we willingly threw ourselves into summer activities and frankly, needed the break from publicly writing about our lives.

But we’re back, and despite disappearing into a black hole this summer, lot’s and lot’s has happened to our beautiful little home.

First off, we got blinds. Yes, we liked sharing with all of you but we quickly realized that with 20 windows the goldfish syndrome was too much to handle. But OMG, I cannot believe how much window coverings cost! And after months of hemorrhaging money there was no way we could pay full price. Once again Craigslist came to the rescue and we connected with the Shutter Factory. Their price was unbeatable – 80% off regular retail prices. Amazing faux wood blinds with the same kind of mechanisms as you find on Hunter Douglas blinds. We were in heaven.

Then we were off to the Yukon for a couple of weeks where we left all thoughts of our home behind. Instead we filled them with grizzlies and mountain biking.  Yes, those really are grizzlies!

When we returned, Brendon took charge of the backyard. With some hired help he dug out all of the hard packed earth.  Kevin and his team laid out three beautiful patios and set the stage for all the greenery to come.

Then my father arrived. Now, I know I’ve been a little harsh on Mr. Schatz in previous posts mostly. There many sides to my dad, and this time around he really gave up some long, long summer days to help us get through what sometimes feels like an endless list of ‘to do’s’.  As Brendon found himself drowning in photography work and I disappeared out East for weddings, Ron took charge and built us a beautiful fence, dug a location and built a bamboo planting box, sorted out getting the wallpaper hung and cleaned ever single one of our windows! We are eternally grateful and can’t wait for your next visit. ;-)  (Oh, he did have some fun too...renting a motorcycle and touring around the province.)

With school and work all starting up again, expect to see a more committed blogger.

We’re back! 

Restoration project

Only in the back alleys of Dunbar can you find 10 year old yellow stalk bamboo for free. As we were taking friends of ours on a tour through the neighbourhood that is exactly what we stumbled across, not 5 minutes from our home. Similar to what we did in the winter when we began collecting furniture for our new home, now we are on the prowl for plants and shrubs and have begun stashing our finds in the backyard in anticipation of getting them into the ground. 

Since October last year when the demolition began Barb and Roger have suffered through being sandwiched by two cavernous pits of dirt. One would become our home and the other would carry all our water, sewage and gas pipes to the street. All the while, not only did their gardens take a beating but their home did too. Once we moved in a couple of weeks ago now, we knew that (even though the garden was crying out for attention) the next big thing that needed to happen was a major paint job on their house.

Now first let me remind you of how it looked back in October.

Presto, chango, look at it now!

Steven makes his mark in the wet paint.

Garage Sale!

Yes, we've alluded to it in posts past. The time has come to officially sell off and give away as much of our things as possible. Will you be the lucky one to purchase our wardrobe? Interested in a never used vanity sink? What about an incredible assortment of photography equipment? Well, if you're curious we'll be hosting a garage sale this Saturday July 9th from 9:30am to 2:30pm. You know the place - 3595 West 23rd Ave.

Now we're also interested in some trades (or donations). We are desperately looking for blinds for our windows. Preferably white and ideally wide. Got any that you want to get rid of? We'd be delighted to take them off your hands.

See you this weekend!

We're in!

We are now eating and sleeping in our home. In fact, as I write this blog I’m sitting in my living room surrounding by a canopy of green trees as far as the eye can see.

Last week our home was inspected and reviewed to make sure that it met code and was safe to inhabit. The interiors got a green light which was a great relief considering all of the sweat blood and tears both we and Smallworks put into the place leading up to the review.

We started moving in almost immediately, carrying dishes and utensils across the 16 foot distance from our basement rental suite and our new home. We then christened the space with a party and close friends. It’s hard to believe, but it’s been over a year since Brendon and I started this journey and we can’t close this chapter without first acknowledging everyone that has supported us along the way. 

Barb and Roger – There are not many people that would have done what you guys did for us. In fact, I don’t know any. You’ve lived through having your front and backyard uprooted, unmet deadlines, challenging budgets, a stressed out couple and an endless assortment of crazy city rules and regulations. And yet, you have always only offered support, kindness and (at times) an intense commitment to negotiating the best possible deals for us. We are lucky to have you in our lives and honoured to call you family.  

Erin – The sister with the mister. You took a risk and put your finances on the line to make this project happen. And then from caulking to painting you rolled up your sleeves to help us even while your final exams for medical school loomed. As Brendon would say, “You’re a big sis to admire.”  Our/your bathroom is always open to you.  

Ron and Paulette – Dad thank you for being the devil’s advocate and helping me see every single possible configuration of disaster that could befall me as a result of this highly unusual arrangement. You helped Brendon and I talk through and negotiate some tricky financial discussions. And to mom for believing that we could do this and reminding me that I come from a lineage of home builders and DIYers. You gave me the confidence to keep going when the gap between what I knew vs what I had to do seemed insurmountable.

 

Friends – You were the reason we set up this blog. So many of you live far away from us and we missed not being able to share this experience with you in person. This online diary became a way for us to stay connected to you all. Yes – we periodically had to remove a few unsavory comments from our closest friends who some how forgot that discussions about lubricants on the same site that my boss and grandparents were reading was not appropriate. But for the most part you guys reminded us why we took on this crazy project in the first place. You are all people that believe in challenging the status quo, and working to make this world a better place. We are lucky to call you our friends.

Smallworks – We picked you because we liked you as people. Yes, we loved your homes, and yes we were impressed by your knowledge of environmental design. But really Brendon and I chose your company because we enjoyed your company. Now as all good business relationships go, we were not without our differences, but on a project so complex and complicated we feel lucky to wrap up our contract not only with a beautiful home but a warm friendship. Kate and Jake – you are superstars, patiently guiding us through this home building process accommodating our novice questions and applauding our early successes. You are changing the landscape of the city…for the better. Brent, Brian and John – from building to our bank accounts, you kept this project rolling.

Neighbours – When you move into a neighbourhood you usually do so because you like it just the way it is. If you live in a place long enough, you not only see people come and go but the physical shape and nature of the community change as well. We know that the construction of our home hasn’t always been easy on you and you’ll probably be very happy to never hear a tile saw in your life again. The saying goes that ‘fences make good neighbours’ yet we’ve been without a fence since October 2010 and it was only when that barrier came down that we got to know you. Thank you for sharing our journey with us and for all of the warm advice and support you offered on your dog walks, exercise runs or evening strolls down our shared lane. I look forward to many more conversations to come.

Readers  - When I told my mom that we had readers from as far away as Malaysia, she couldn’t believe it. To tell you the truth, neither could I. I still can’t figure out why so many of you from Ireland read our blog. The fact that our story has been followed by people in over 40 countries has literally meant the world to us. You all were on my mind every time I sat down to write an update. You reminded me that there was something universal to our story. That other young couples are struggling to find a home to call their own. That this resurgence of DIYing reaches beyond borders.  And that a call for innovative environmental solutions is not only compelling but critical as well.

And as all good speeches end…thank you to the Academy.  

Much love,

Akua and Brendon

Steven gets comfortable on the sill. 

 [sigh] our finished bathroom...

P.S. For those of you that think that’s it, we’re done and we’ll be shutting down our blog, you can breath a sigh of relief ;) We still have a huge project to landscape the front and back yard. Our goal here is to create a space filled with native species, fruit bearing plants and trees and a sanctuary for birds and bees. We’ll be learning how to do this along with you all so we are looking forward to sharing the process. If it's time for you to sign off and say goodbye - then a warm "Sayonara".