After 9.5 years, a top to bottom, inside and out renovation of our home, we're moving. There isn't one corner, one inch, of this house that we haven't put our stamp on. And yet.

We finally got the house to a point where it feels complete. Where it feels so "us" and works perfectly for the way we live. But as doers and dreamers, DIYers and builders, we always knew this wasn't our forever home. We aren't done. This couldn't be it. This wasn't the end to our house story.

The kitchen... renovated in 2008

We've been casually searching for a new home for a while. There wasn't one overriding reason pushing us into a move but a dozen little ones, all of them propelling us forward. Life is funny that way. Many of our friends have moved off of the street. Our quiet 98-year old attached neighbour moved to a retirement home and a new lively family moved in. The Toronto housing market is super hot and we live in an in-demand neighbourhood; moving could give us a bit of financial freedom. We had started to re-do our rooms for a second time like this one and this one and we asked ourselves if we wanted to keep putting more money and effort into this home.

I can't help but be wistful even as I write this though. Sean and I bought this house just a month before we married. We brought Chloe home to this house. It is the only home she has ever known. And this blog... I had started it to document our house search and renovation. This blog, the story of this house, have always been one and the same.

Chloe's arrival in 2009 precipitated the renovation of the main bathroom...

... and the nursery which today is our guest bedroom

But it's time for a new adventure. One that starts very soon - we'll be moving before Christmas!! The quick sale and close was probably for the best. I don't think you're ever quite ready for these kind of big changes in life - sometimes you have to leap with your stomach in knots and your head full of doubt or else you'd never take a chance.




It will be fun to explore a different design style in the new house. I can say we didn't really know our style or taste when we started here. We tried out modern spaces and played with bold patterns. We lived with unfinished spaces far longer than we should have. But I am so happy with where we ended up. This home is cozy and welcoming, organized and detailed. The cabinetry and built-ins - oh, how I will miss those!!

The 660 sq ft basement was our biggest undertaking

I'm excited to show you the new house but for the next few posts I'll wrap things up with a few stories about this old house. We DIY'd our way through many projects and renovations and there were valuable lessons we took away. Are you curious about what we would have done differently? What our best design decisions were? What was worth spending our money on and what wasn't? I'll be sharing that.

I guess I'm not quite ready to let go of it all just yet. In the end, I'm a sentimental soul. We left a part of our hearts in these walls. It will always be our first home.