Annual Reno Issue

A 2018 poll conducted by CIBC found that 71 per cent of Canadians faced with the choice of renovating or moving would opt for the former. This makes sense, both to me and to Stephen “Love the One You’re With” Stills. But whether you buy new or fix up what you already have, for a forever home to make you happy, it must work.

I thought a lot about effort while putting together our annual Reno issue – both ours and that of the homeowners we feature. There’s the polished write-ups and the professional photos printed on semigloss paper. At shoots, we hide electrical outlets with plants; we disappear watermarks with Photoshop. Yes, the magazine treatment can gloss over the nitty-gritty, the brains and brawn invested by the homeowners (and their architects). Instead of just throwing money at their problems, these people work smart and hard, too.

Heidi (p. 60) learned that a clean construction site keeps the neighbours happy, and to do your research when selecting a contractor. She and her husband purchased a floor-model tub, built a desk and chose off-the-rack closet systems to reserve funds for a bigger investment in their kitchen and appliances.

Steph (p. 66) learned that the best way to stay on budget is to stay on schedule. “If the general contractor says, ‘I need the faucets in on Tuesday,’ you pick, purchase and have those faucets there by Tuesday.” By committing to the design wholeheartedly, she saved time, labour and her team’s patience.

Over at Anna’s house (p. 73), a floorplan rethink turned into a full gut job once black mould was discovered. After designing the home (and some of the furniture), Anna volunteered to help, and drove her GC’S flatbed to pick up toilets in Markham. Her project wrapped in just six months.

More than 70 per cent of us are willing to put the effort into our homes. I’ll keep that encouraging nugget in mind as I delve into a kitchen project of my own. And, for the sake of inspiring my fellow renovators, I leave this letter with a few of our favourite remodelling moments – see them at dlm.ag/favouriterenos.