Roominations

Monday, December 25, 2006

Jingle bells

“Roofing, windows, siding and decks—we do it all for you: George J. Keller & Sons!” This is the jingle we sing when remodeling seems overwhelming. The standard punch line is my husband’s insistence that this is all the house actually needs.

That’s how we were both feeling before reviewing the latest set of lower level and exterior drawings. The broad strokes of the design are now very close.

Describing the evolving plans during Christmas Eve celebrations helped convince me that, yes, hiring an architect makes sense.

Earlier that day, the house also tried to convince us. Winter sun through the glass doors made us feel trapped in a terrarium. We opened windows, lowered the Vimco shades (obscuring our view) and went for a walk around the lake. As we left for the family gathering, the indoor temperature was in the high 70s. By our return, it had fallen to 64° Fahrenheit (windows closed, heat off). Energy efficient this house is not.

I dreamt of a cloudy Christmas and December 25 delivered. We spent every waking minute in the great room. From the couch, we watched migrating buffleheads dive, swans glide, downy and red-bellied woodpeckers eat suet, cardinals and Carolina wrens feed on seeds and juncos hop around the deck. The fire crackled and flat screen TV played, alternately, the Yule Log in high def (flames in stereo), American Choppers (marathon), Battlestar Galactica (DVR) and home shows. Taking turns using the laptop, we were never far apart. After socializing on Friday and Sunday, what could be better than a pajama party for two?

The sun set and rain began drumming on the 20 skylights. As Christmas Day drew to a close, we noticed a bubble forming between skylights six and seven. Grabbing a skewer, my husband pierced the paint—and got doused. Finding the path of least resistance, the rain then continued to flow down the wall.

Home improvements focused on roofing and windows sound pretty good about now…

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Heavenly H20

Not only was the boutique SoHo Metropolitan Hotel close to where the Who and Pretenders would play, it had a lap pool. At about 40 by 20 feet, it was at least 10 feet bigger in each direction than what we could include in our own Casa.

Thus, we approximated a smaller pool and did laps to determine whether we could comfortably pass each other. Generating impressive waves and enjoying ourselves madly, we swam three of the four days of our stay.

The pool cut through the building, providing two city views. The “Manifesto” discussed our desire for a long, narrow indoor swimming pool on the lake side of our home (now incorporated in an interim drawing from our architects) with a wall of glass that completely opens or closes off the area without hiding the view.

Adding to our sense of wellbeing was the hot tub. During Thanksgiving weekend, we visited our Pennsylvania friends for a soak on their deck. It was a crystal-clear night and all four of us saw a shooting star while the water jets pulsated. We began to think, “If we cannot have a pool, how about a built-in hot tub with bench seats?” As a result of our vacation, we’ve upgraded our desires to include both.

Some flaws in the SoHo’s design will help us with ours.

  • Probably to contain humidity, their architect segregated the pool from the rest of the hotel. While we need to protect our house from escaping moisture, our pool is to be both a design and lifestyle feature.
  • Ladders as they only way to get in or out. One side of our water feature needs steps.
  • On our last day in Toronto, the chlorine levels were out of balance, leaving our eyes red. This reinforced our interest in alternatives to keeping the water clear.
  • How much nicer would the water stay without hair gel and body lotion? In Iceland, we appreciated the rule to have bathers shower—with soap—before entering the geothermal spa. Same rule applies at the SoHo, but the women’s locker room was a bit too far from the poolroom. We need to make it convenient for swimmers to shower before jumping in.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Terrific Toronto

When the room at the SoHo Metropolitan Hotel wasn’t ready at the stroke of 3 p.m., the front desk rewarded my friendly impatience with an upgrade to a larger, corner suite. A wall of windows extends from the sitting room, down the hall, brings light into the walk-in closet area and into the bedroom where the second wall of windows provides a view of the Rogers Centre. The windows must have low R-values because condense water collects on the sill as the temperature continues to fall. Something to keep in mind for people like me who wish to live in glass houses.

Blackout curtains close with a touch of a button next to the bed, which features a wall-mounted upholstered headboard similar to what we want to have when we upgrade our own living quarters. The bathroom has a two-person shower and a cozy heated marble floor. We’ve long considered a radiant floor heating system for the remodel.

On the opposite end of the comfort scale are the seats in the Air Canada Centre, which make you feel even more constrained than you would in the coach section of an airplane. As for the concert, singer, songwriter, guitarist and vegetarian Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders rocked. I made a mental note to iTunes a live version of “My city was gone.” After the standing ovation, I told my husband, “I’d hate to follow that act.” Then the Who came on and they were, well, the Who. As in: Wooooooooo Hoooooo!

When in Toronto, visit the CN Tower. Be sure to buy the upgrade to the Sky Pod, at 1,465 feet, considered the world’s highest public observation deck. At 1,122 feet, guests can look straight down while walking across a glass floor. (Oh how I want one of these!) There is also an outdoor observation deck. (Brrrrr!) Have a brew at Horizons Café, which is 1,136 feet up. (Note: when in Toronto, opt for wine and beer. The pour for cocktails, due to some law, is nerve-wrackingly niggardly.)

Speaking of beer, another highlight from the flawless vacation in this super city was the Steam Whistle Brewery, across the street from the tower. We signed up for the tour and they gave us a beer. Then a refill, then another. Plus another right before we started the tour. They also provided a post-tour beer… It got to the point where we actually had to say, “No, thank you” to their continued generosity.