Inspirational Homeowners Series: Fighting Cancer with … Renovations?
Celebrating the Real Life Stories of Royal LePage Homeowners in Ottawa
To the outside eye, Mark and June seem like your average retirees enjoying their glory years by downsizing and renovating their new home into their long-awaited dream home. They, like many Ottawa homeowners, have many years (eleven to be exact) knee deep in the process of home improvement. They are continually inspired by their shared vision of their perfect retirement home in Ottawa’s beautiful West End.
Meet Mark & June
In 2005, June and Mark were ready to downsize. As experienced homeowners on their journey through retirement, they excitedly purchased a 1200 sq. ft, 1942 bungalow in Ottawa West. While the home was purchased with no intentions to renovate, it was not too long before both interior and exterior renovations were underway. As they often do, an initial decision to transform the detached garage and relocate the front door snowballed into a 400 square foot addition to the house. These additions included an attached garage, master bedroom with ensuite and walk in closet, a four season sunroom, and a front porch.
Demolishing Walls and Expectations
The couple started their renovation project by doing their due diligence. Before securing a contractor and an architect, they interviewed three contractors, following up with phone references and even visited said contractors’ work before signing on. A seemingly endless trail of meetings led them to eventually lock down the perfect duo and finally begin renovations.
It was right when things seemed to fall into place that Mark and June were hit with the unfortunate news of Mark’s cancer diagnosis. Everything had to stop. Visits with architects and contractors were replaced with visits to the hospital. Finishing and demolitions were replaced with a series of cancer treatments, and all of the emotional exhaustion that comes alongside a diagnosis.
“Whether one decides to hire professionals or do it yourself renovations, the process is stressful, chaotic and guaranteed to include the unexpected. The ability to manage everything is essential and then it is possible to put some order in chaos. If homeowners decide to work together, their relationship needs to be strong just as a house needs a solid foundation. It is very helpful to have a mutual respect for each other’s input. Also, good communication and patience is necessary. It is a good feeling to work together on a project where you feel you have control especially when you have other issues beyond your control. We have the tools and knowledge to fix a house but not to cure cancer. We are definitely stronger because of our experience and better equipped to deal with serious issues.” – June
When the cancer treatments were completed, Mark and June were back on the renovation train. The couple came together in the midst of Mark’s recovery to manage everything from ongoing negotiations with the contractor, to setting up a system of payment, to navigating neighbourly frustrations at the scope of their renovations. In the end, all the exterior renovations were completed as per their initial schedule and budget.
Renovation Success Against All Odds
During Mark’s recovery, the couple spent the bulk of their time inside their home. This inevitably led to new ideas for interior renovations, which ultimately extended to every single room in the house. Mark is an engineer and very skilled in construction, electrical and plumbing, woodworking, and preparing specs. June is keen in design and function, painting, organization and the utilization of space, and helping with the labour. Together, despite everything, they were unstoppable. They launched their dream renovation with no schedule in place, but with the re-sale value in mind.
“In the process of home improvement, we faced the challenges of unexpected hip surgery, power saw accident and a cancer diagnosis. Although the accidents and cancer caused some disruption in the work, we did not abandon our vision for our new home.”
As of June 2016, Mark is a cancer survivor and what a survivor he is. It is not surprising that the couple are now in the third phase of renovations. A Royal LePage Realtor® advised them to complete the basement because it’s good real estate and should increase the value of the home substantially. She also evaluated the home as is and the re-sale value had increased considerably. The basement phase was interrupted by two unexpected accidents. First, Mark severely cut his fingers on the power saw, and though he did not lose any fingers he did require many stitches. Not long after, he fell and broke his hip and had to have a hip replacement. Shortly after that, once again, he was diagnosed with a more serious cancer.
Mark completed his cancer treatments in January, was declared cancer free in June, the interior and exterior renovations are complete, and the basement renovation is ongoing.
Helpful Tips for Renovations during Trying Times
- Communicate with your neighbours to avoid additional frustration
- Work together as a team with your partner and family
- Set up a system of payment, invoicing, and detailing work with your contractor from the start
- Be careful with the demolitions and saved materials to be re-used (g. baseboards, trims, doors.) The main floor was completed in 2015 and all was quite impressive.
- Keep the re-sale value in mind when you are renovating
- Commercial flex tiles are the least expensive of any flooring. They come in many different colours, are very durable, and can be combined in different patterns. We used these tiles in our pantry, laundry, workout rooms, and basement floors.
- Set your renovations up in a series of phases, prioritizing as per your preferred needs.
- Remember, if Mark and June pulled it off, so can you!
