The Ugly Truth ~ The metamorphosis of the back deck of The Humble Bungalow

Third in the series "The Ugly Truth"
Our Back Deck...

Our fixer upper in 1982...

Not much curb appeal I know but we knew that it had wood siding underneath those shingles and the dining room was in it's original condition with dark fir waiscotting and beamed ceiling...

plus it had the granite faced fireplace that I wanted and several fruit trees in the yard.

The reason that we purchased this fixer upper was it's wonderful location;

2 blocks to the water

 good schools nearby

walking distance to Mr. HB's office

 and close to the Cook Street Village shops.

The bungalow had been rented out for about 10 years and as you can plainly see had been sadly neglected.

We were young energetic and thought sweat equity was a great way of getting into the real estate market!

We had a golden retriever and two small children so we had to act fast to get the yard cleaned up after we moved in.

 A dump truck was hired so we could remove all the junk...

Mr. HB worked with the truck driver all day and they made two trips to the dump!

The deck was rebuilt again in 2013-2014 and I love the look.

I think that Mr. HB has really outdone himself with this design.

We still have a few projects on the back burner...

the house needs painting and we have to redo our master bedroom and closet.

All in good time...

The Ugly Truth ~ before and after our kitchen restoration...

Several readers commented on our kitchen and Mr. HB suggested that I show you what our kitchen was like before we did the renovations...it was UGLY!
See for yourselves what we lived in before we did the restoration.
It took many years, lots of money, and hard work AND it required IMMENSE patience on my part...

I cannot believe we once lived in this kitchen...and what was with all the baskets?

Believe it or not I was able to serve meals to our growing family

host Christmas dinner

and we continued to entertain hosting many dinner parties!

The kitchen changes one wall at a time over a period of several years.

Starts to take shape...

Can you guess what I got for Christmas in 1998?

The Humble Bungalow Kitchen today.

The mission arts and crafts table is where I sit and write my blog.

I see that Chester snuck into the picture.

Mr. HB did these renovations on weekends and evenings over several years.

He could not take time off from his busy practice so he worked weekends and evenings.

He's a very talented fellow and has a keen eye for design and detail...

perhaps that is why his chosen profession is architecture.

Restoring our bungalow has been a labour of love...

Our Humble Bungalow is a designated home on the Victoria Heritage List which protects it from demolition.

I hope you've enjoyed this post.

Hostess

Peeking Inside the Humble Bungalow...Summer 2014.

I was inspired this Monday by Dani BP Mop Philosopher's post...
Dani purchased a chevet after a 2 year search and it is the perfect piece for her bathroom.

We have been collecting arts and crafts quarter sawn oak furniture for the past 32 years and it took quite some time to find. We had to consider the size and scale of each piece as our Humble Bungalow is small and we were mindful  of our limited budget as we were undertaking restoration projects from the very beginning of our ownership.

We still need to do our master bedroom and there are new front stairs and an exterior paint job on the do list...
it is a labour of love being stewards of a heritage designated home.

With the glorious and bright summer sunshine and riotous blooms in the garden it has been easy to forget that we live in a dark and cozy heritage home.

You can plainly see our front stairs are in dire need of repair and the paint on the exterior is peeling.

Having said that, heritage homes are always in need of maintenance.

Thank goodness ours is not as vast as Chatsworth or Highclere Castle!

Our Humble Bungalow is filled with dark arts and crafts oak furnishings...

many have been reupholstered at a local shop which is considerably more expensive than buying new reproduction pieces.

Wendy has blogged about this recently too...

We like to add a few bits and bobs to perk up the space.

You can see that we have kept our Christmas fairy lights strung up along the beams near the ceiling...

nothing like plugging them in when we entertain for a twinkle effect and more lighting!

Rugs underfoot are a must as our 1912 bungalow can be frightfully cold and draughty in winter.

Runner rugs and area rugs add a punch of colour...

we purchased these new at Chintz and Co.

Original art hung on Bradbury and Bradbury hand made period wallpaper.

We have art in our bathroom too..

Our dear friend Cheryl Fortier gave us this one that she painted when she was in France.

Arts and crafts book shelf re purposed for towels.

Our bathroom renovation was done by a contractor friend and designed by Mr. HB

It has in floor heating and I love the results...

The standing lamps in the living room were purchased new through Sager's Furniture and they are from California. They are oak and of a scale that suits the rest of the furniture.

The lights in the rest of our bungalow were made at Waterglass Studio in town.

Mr. HB designed the kitchen and many people think it is the original one which we take as quite the compliment!

(please overlook the tea towel left casually on top of the granite countertop...)

I hope you've enjoyed the tour today...

It's such fun when other bloggers fuel and inspire a response...

 to one that they have posted.

Be Well and Be Kind.

Hostess

Tigara ~ Part 2

Tigara is one of my favourite places to visit...not only is it home to my BFF but the gardens are pure magic.
Without further ado you will be able to witness more of our friends' glorious home and garden...

The weather was hot and sunny 

and fortunately a gentle breeze blew off the ocean.

The porch overlooks the garden and the ocean beyond.

Vintage wicker is the perfect furniture for this arts and crafts home.

My BFF sets a lovely table!

Fresh flowers are always in abundance and artfully arranged.

Appetizers 

The British AGA is at home here in the heart of the home.

Many delicious meals have been cooked in this kitchen.

My BFF's husband is a clever craftsman 

He designed and crafted this copper hood.

He's also the talent behind their company Waterglass Studios...

just look at all the wonderful period light fixtures in these images.

Alabaster beauty

The living room ia spacious and furnished with oak arts and crafts furnishings.

This bath serves the two bedrooms either side of the doors.

Another powder room is tucked away underneath the staircase in the front hall.

The dining room

A third guest room off the main hall.

I love this light

looks like she has serious matters on her mind besides holding the torch!

I spied this tote in the guest room and my BFF said it was a gift for me!

Thank you S.

The main entry way and stairs leading up to the vast bedroom suite above.

French 75's were the cocktail of the hour.

Delicious mix of bubbly, gin, and lemon.

The front porch which I am so passionate about...

Mr. HB did some fine design work here.

My BFF got her hands on my IPhone and snapped this one of me...

barefoot

just wish I was a barefoot contessa!

Looking west to their neighbour's home across the croquet lawn.

The heritage Tea House.

Cooper their Welsh Terrior

which my BFF refers to affectionately as the Welsh Terrorist.

He is picking up on the scent of the resident native bunny...

who apparently lives under the ground in a burrow in this perennial border.

The garage and a shed with a patio seating area in front

this is where one of the BBQ's are located!

Vintage lighting in the Tea House!

Looking toward the shed and patio.

Toward the house.

Mr. HB relaxing in the cool of the Tea House

while he and my BFF's husband took a break from BBQing the lamb.

I hope that you have enjoyed this tour....

Tigara really is a magical place to visit.

An even better place to be invited to dine or pop by for a drink!

The hospitality is amazing as is the warmth of good friends and shared experiences 

It is the kind of thing that one finds only once in a lifetime.

Rather like Tigara...

Thank you to S and P for sharing your special home.