Bright, balanced and very lucky: the happy ending

Few months since we paid someone to refinish our bathroom tile all white and shiny. So far? Success! I’ve even tried to learn about white balance for the occasion. Quick refresher: Same water pressure, same soap, and yet only the refinished, white version can make you feel clean. Obviously this Instant Results project was my favourite [...]

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I was born to be this lazy

Mr. Spray Man came to do his magic tricks. I felt guilty – surely I should be helping? Not actual helping but the getting-in-the-way helping: “Want me to tape that for you? Need a coffee? No? I made one anyway. Want me to rearrange your tools in order of size, colour or prettiness?” He needed [...]

If I lived here forever? 4 things I'd change.

The wish-list for what will never be. Different doors: Change the bathroom door into a pocket door. Fellow Vancouverite, Karen, promises it’s money well-spent – but it’s a job saved for next time – Tiny Ugly Bathroom II More plants: Install an actual green wall (because there would magically be enough light & I’d magically have [...]

Meeting Meg's Ugly Baby [guest post - part 2 of 2]

Part 2 of Meg’s ugly house tour (read part 1). Today’s includes what’s probably the most disgusting house story I’ve ever heard. Even worse than Jessica’s kitchen cockroaches. Meet My Ugly… KITCHEN! Functional? Practical? Beautiful? Choose one, or go cry in a corner because you got none of these, ever? Sounds about right! This kitchen [...]

Here, have some secrets: staging a bathroom

After Eights? I’ll eat the whole box. After eight on a Sunday night? A demoralizing time to look up bathroom photography tips. I dread the photo part of blogging – it looks great in real life, and yet I’m never satisfied with my photos. Darren Rowse, help! I spent 6 hours preparing the bathroom “after” [...]

“I’m outside your bathroom. I’m going to get you”.

Scary bathrooms? I’ve known a few. Only one left me too frightened to scream. Vancouver on a student budget can be grim, and university years were a parade of bad-to-worse rentals: basements, studios, hovels. Just not nice. The prettiest place tricked me. After surviving half a dozen genuine horror houses, I found a charming one [...]

What Canada's ugliest bathroom looks like AFTER

It’s dooooone. Like actually, actually done. So, renovating a bathroom wasn’t fun – but unless I look at these – I don’t remember the pain. I like after. Painted. Plumbed. Towel-railed. Accessorized. Magic Erasered. We’ll take a tour and we’ll all completely ignore the bath and shower area – still awaiting some TLC with Mr. Spray Man, and 1x [...]

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Skype, smashing, and grouting my laptop keyboard

After installing vinyl tiles, they asked for a day’s sticky-sticking time before we walked on or grout them. Yea – or not. “My house – my rules. You’ll stick – and you’ll stick now.” The vinyl tile box had specified the size of grout spacers required, and we’d simply picked up the ready-mixed pot of [...]

Well that was easy: installing vinyl tile

And heave-ho, in went the vinyl tiles! A lightning-quick run-down of that little process. First, it fell to me to clean the floor. Along the way Paolo’s somehow learned things about plumbing and wires. I need to rectify this skill imbalance quickly – because I don’t like the way my role is headed: bottom-dwelling floor scrubber. The [...]

Toilet, toilet, you so scary

I was dreading this part. I’d watched a hundred videos of changing toilets on YouTube. No problem. Dead easy. Yea – in the real world. The rules according to Ugly Baby are different. This place has a snarky sense of humour – it likes to trip us on straightforward tasks. Then it points and laughs. [...]