Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

That's risky. You might end up with a granny.

My missus is being very sneaky with the renovations on our son's house.

"Our" bedroom in the basement already exists. If she convinces him to put a bathroom in the basement, he's ****ed. Stealth granny (not a granny yet but she wants to be).

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

We did it ourselves, that was considerably cheaper even after allowing for falling through the new drywall ceiling and having to re-do that.

We had our "before" tests for the various grants, the big fan on the porch test, while there was no roof on the house. That was an easy way to achieve a fundable "after" result.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Some things one can do oneself. Others, one should leave to people that can be sued or are happy to fall through a ceiling.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I confess that, at this house, we replaced the house roof but wimped when faced with the garage roof; it's high and steep. We left that to people accustomed to falling off such structures.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Have you ever seen one fall off?

I never have and those guys run around like frothing loons, with no safety gear.

And how do they manage to shoot that many nails per second?

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I didn't see it but my brother fell off a roof while roofing, it was a church or some such high structure. That didn't do him any good.

In our case I don't know if anyone fell off; it was a Mennonite crew, they'd expect the faller to get back up and carry on, broken back or not. We went to work, came home and there was a new roof, just like that. Metal, not shingles, so no shot nails.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

That doesnt phase me. My boyfriend is in restoration so he has plenty of contacts.

That is another option as well.

Thanks everyone - I was feeling pretty upset yesterday but it seems like it isnt the end of the world and there are options, it is just whether or not I want to stay in BC and its not an easy decision to make.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Freezing rain, Snow, summer tyres, I stayed home today! My winters go on tomorrow.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Feel good today after dropping off a huge box of candies to the hospital staff in the cardiac unit at Rouge River hospital. They was all smiles and took my gift to share amongst the doctors and nurses with many thanks. :@)

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

You're halfway there already!

Find a fixer-upper with sound bones.

And then buy lots of beer and pizza.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

There's merit in this plan but I think some realism is needed.

We've been at Foreclosure Farm for nearly three years and have worked on the place most weekends and holidays for that period, I suppose we've spent $50,000 and need another two years and another $50,000 to finish it. I expect we'll do that, we finished the last renovation successfully, but it's a serious commitment and, to a degree, it's a deferral of cost (to the time of each renovation step) rather than a saving against buying a house that doesn't need all that work.

There's also the snag that Vancouver has some expensive fixer-uppers. Refer crackshack or mansion.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I cannot argue with that.

You are into this sort of thing. We also are and have the benefit of a number of people with tools and that know how to use them. It looks like a Home Depot convention when we all converge for a project. We start running out of places to plug all the battery chargers. I hate to think how many drills/impact drivers we have between us.

Slight plug here but for anyone looking to get into cordless tools, I have one word for you. Milwaukee. I own none from that brand but I've used one. A little 12V impact driver that looks like it couldn't pull the skin off a custard. It has enough torque to rip the skin off a nuclear bunker.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I was just trying to work out why candles...then it clicked.:lol:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Try getting a larger screen;)

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Not buying in Vancouver but I see your point

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I would do a fixer upper, but then I would need to hire someone to do all the work since I don't have the necessary skills or knowledge to fix anything in a house, and then there is the issue of money, would need a loan to buy all the materials and pay for the labor, so in the end, I don't think a fixer upper would save money...... At least for us.

But our income means never owning have to win the lotto to own, but we don't play the lotto.



Our lease is up end of January and isn't being renewed, so we may try Vancouver Island out in our next move as there isn't much left if anything in the Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley area.

Looked at Kelowna but they seem to suffer from high rents/low vacancy rates as well, Island isn't much better, but at least most of the place is near the ocean,

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

My neighbour just got back from a week of hunting up north, and he got a nice whitetail buck. Last year they gave me some moose steaks and 2 deer hearts, mmmmmmmm.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Former Alberta premier Jim Prentice was killed Thursday in a plane crash near Kelowna, BC

Oil community lost a friend with tragic death of Jim Prentice | Financial Post


Starting to get windy and stormy now, city's to the west have lost power over the last few hours, I anticipate we will at some point if the wind gets stronger. I can deal without power, but the reef tank can't handle a long power outage.

Fingers crossed the power stays on.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

This place, perhaps? https://www.padmapper.com/apartments...mo-bc-v9r-2m2# (looking at the streetview - going along the road a bit to find it - seems like it's next to the train tracks, so may not be the quietest!)

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

The sound of trains at night. Lovely. Seriously. As long as there's no horns.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

That would actually be pretty perfect. I love trains and could watch them all day...lol....

I'll make note of the name of the place, and see if they have anything when it comes closer to moving.

Nicer place then we have now, looks like a nicer larger kitchen and living room, larger balcony and way nicer bathroom, and an extra bedroom and its 40 less per month compared to our current rent...

We live about a block from rail tracks, can here the trains at times, mostly when they use the horn, they are oddly quiet when there is no horn.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Bi used to live right by the Euston the Scotland mainline tracks. It was never a problem. The main road out the front though was a pain. And mucky, very mucky. You knew the net curtains were due for a wash when the could stand up by themselves and you needed the nets to filter out the muck.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Looking at it on Google Earth, it looks like there's a nice bit of woodland right next to it - not huge, but at least a bit of greenery!

Worth contacting them in advance maybe? It's not long til January! It looks like the physical address is 1150 Esplanade, by the way.

:)

Edited to add, that might be a dodgy advert - these are luxury condo's http://robinsgrove.ca/

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

What infill housing in Mississauga looks like:

Worst of McMansions

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Those are all truly hideous. Thankfully we are spared such monstrosities - someone here though spent millions on building a lakeside holiday home in a very dull bastardised tasteless craftsman design and then stuck massive copper cowls over the chimneys to really top it off. It seriously lowers the tone :thumbdown:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

The only thing that spoils them for me is the space devoted to cars.

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If only they were restricted to urban areas, but the countryside round here is filling up with 'beauties' like these :thumbdown:

(Am I alone in not seeing the point in mahoosive gate posts on an unfenced plot? :confused:)

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

That's a very strange website. Some appear to carry complaints of symmetry while others complain of things not being lined up and another of uniformity.

Make your mind up.

This is the equivalent of a bitchy celeb gossip rag for houses. :thumbdown:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Not one of those were appealing to me in any form. The longer I live here the less big monstrous houses appeal.

A big big barn for cars and a triple attached garage would suffice...yes I will end up in a house where the barn is bigger than the place we live - hey ho!

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Clearly it would be ill-advised to sit you two together at a dinner party :lol:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

But Piff Poff at least has Starsky's car :thumbup:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Yes -But she would probably have to park it down the road!
I know that it is very much personal taste but our next-door neighbours spent an absolute fortune on doing up the inside of the house . They stripped everything out and then rebuilt. I had a look at the website of the construction company and they actually did some very nice modern renovation projects with a very much more modern feel. I was actually shocked but perhaps not surprised when I saw the inside of the house as they subsequently put it up for sale and it was so dated. Maybe I have too much of a European eye, but the kitchen that they put in looked about 20 years out of date already!

They could have done an absolutely beautiful modern renovation but sadly missed that opportunity. I suppose it did them no harm as they subsequently managed to sell the place to someone who lives in Grand Prairie for $2.8 million. I have seen them twice since they bought it in the spring.... I hasten to add that whilst we have an amazing view, we do not have lake access hence our house is only worth a fraction of this before you say anything!

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Another bit of randomness, I took Stinky down to the lake. Up until the Summer,a doddle for him but he has aged so much over the past few months. His arthritis - (it has always plagued him having hip dysplasia from birth) has made his rear legs very weak. Today, I braved the beach on the lake so he could go in the water and he made it although his legs crumpled as he thought he was 2 again rather than 12 and went barrelling down the hill to the water :(.

He recovered and went into the water which he has always loved so much throughout his life. It was a real struggle to get back up the the hill but he made it there in the end. I fear his days are numbered but I was very proud of him. Well done Stinky :thumbup:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Perhaps they were aiming for advertising 'original features' even though they were not. :lol:

I don't mind the car space when they have separate garages...it's when it dominates the single structure....:ohmy:

http://www.maddendoor.com/_data/docs...rage-doors.jpg

http://cdn.designrulz.com/wp-content...nrulz-0055.jpg

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

I'm not going to show you our house then... All you can see is the garage from the road as the house is set side on to the road to get the best views of the lake from as many rooms as possible. :o

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

This house must be on the ugliest I've seen. I took a detour while in Montreal recently to see it.

https://goo.gl/maps/Gj5VxA9ZqWC2

Nearby, this neighbourhood is quite nouveau riche

https://goo.gl/maps/i7PPyr46tqt

Closer to where I am, this one stands out:

https://goo.gl/maps/L5tC5Ytd1y12

And just to prove that Brits don't all have refined tastes, this house is owned by a multi-millionaire from the UK

https://goo.gl/maps/LHBTbzL78242

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

A friend of my wife was taken into hospital yesterday. She's a tall, slim lady of 62, a retired schoolteacher and until yesterday in good health. While entertaining at home yesterday she had what we know now was a stroke, being called a Brain Bleed by the neurosurgeons. Fortunately on a scale of 1-10 (10 being highest) the doctors say she's a 1, so prognosis is good.
My point in relating this is to remind everyone on here that you can see the pimples and bumps etc on the outside of your body but, for the most part, you have no idea what's going on inside. I'm off to check that my affairs (legal that is, not sexual) are in order.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Yup, been there done similar to that but not quite that, last week or so :eek:

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Today we were in Richmond Hill. There are whole subdivisions of these things lined up right next to each other. If I were living in Richmond Hill, well, I wouldn't, I'd sooner be in Newcastle.

Re: Random stuff - the anything else thread
 

Laughably enough, a friend of mine (my wife) was also taken into hospital yesterday. She's a tall (fairly) slim lady of 64, a retired school teacher and until yesterday in good health. She had what we now know was a trip on a rut in the paving, resulting in an awkward fall onto concrete, now being called concussion and two fractured elbows by the brain surgeons and the fracture clinic doctors.

Marron, eh?