Mini Home:Brendon and Akua Build Small

Traveling with a celebrity

2013-03-24T07:59:00.000-07:00

I’ve often wondered what it would be like to be Justin Beber or Nelson Mandela – where you can’t go anywhere without big crowds of adoring fans forming. I feel like this trip has given me a small insight how these celebrities experience fame. Sometimes I think that Brendon and I are just Oren’s entourage. Everywhere we go, people flock to our blue eyed, white skinned, bald little baby. And lucky for them, he appears to be a people person so he offers them big smiles and happily accepts being held by just about every stranger out there.

There are incredible benefits to this. Thais and Laotians love babies and the family structure is very important. This means that we are often elevated to a different level of traveler and perhaps given opportunities that the 20-somethings don’t get. For example: we have yet to have a meal out together where the wait staff don’t take our baby away to explore the kitchen or a random fountain so that we can eat uninterrupted. It also means the locals want to talk with us. They cross busy roads just to ask us about our baby. To facilitate interactions between us and the locals, I’ve learnt some Lao and Thai – enough to convey the most crucial information – “he’s a boy”, “6months old”, “his name is Oren”, “he’s [insert] tired, hungry, thirsty, hot”, “do you have children?” “he smiles a lot” and most importantly “peek-a-boo”.

Yes, that is a monk taking a picture of Oren.

We’re now in Laos and have been traveling for a little more than a month. I feel like we have really hit our groove. We’ve figured out how to get Oren to sleep just about everywhere which now make long days pretty feasible. Not only are we more relaxed than we’ve been in years, we have time to feel inspired and to reflect on what’s next for our family. It really is pretty luxurious.

Napping on a picnic table by the Mekong and being put to sleep by a waterfall.

It really is somewhat ironic that we chose Laos - a country where malaria and dengue fever is endemic. It also happens to be the most heavily bombed place in the world. We forfeited the excellent health care system and first world amenities of Thailand (that convinced us to travel overseas with a baby in the first place) for the slow paced, luscious, ceremonial country of Laos.

A few days ago our celebrity baby celebrated his 6 months on the planet. We rented a scooter and took the back roads to an elephant orphanage. There, Oren got to meet a beautiful mamma elephant who used to work in the lumber industry. Stopped in a small village on the way back for some noodle soup and were swarmed by just about everyone that lived there (refer to above picture). Life is pretty good.

Traveling with Oren

2013-03-01T20:32:00.003-08:00

It’s 40 degrees outside and I am in an air-conditioned hotel room waiting out Oren’s third nap of the day. It seems like a strangely normal routine now. We plan our activities around his two hours wakeful sessions. Like Cinderella though, if we miss the window and try to postpone his nap a little longer, what was once a happy friendly baby becomes a screaming, inconsolable mess. We think of him as a ticking bomb that if we do not diffuse in the allocated time - will blow up in our faces.

Anyway, all is calm right now. Daddy is out taking pictures in the beautiful evening light. We're in a town called Nong Khai and our guesthouse is perched on a hill overlooking the Mekong river. In about a week we will make the trip across the border into Laos but for now we are immersing ourselves in the slow paced lifestyle of this quaint river town. It’s amazing how much traveling has changed since either of us did our global tours ten years ago. The most obvious change of course is the fact that we have a baby and this has made our choice of accommodations and travel itineraries a little more civilized although perhaps pedestrian. We always choose rooms with ‘air con’ and hot water. We do not take bus trips any longer that 4 hours and we consider things like ‘health care’ when we choose our final destinations.

But the world has changed too. I used to carry around my Lonely Planet like a bible – the thought of seeking out accommodation without it was disconcerting! Now every single $17 hotel or guesthouse we've stayed in, I’ve found and booked online. I read through the countless reviews from tourists all over the world and we make the call based on their recommendations. It almost seems strange to remember my life before Agoda.com. Back in the day (the early 2000s to be precise) I would have had to call to confirm or risk a room being available upon arrival. My impulse to call is still there but public payphones no longer exist. Like North America, phone booths are a symbol of the past and Thais all seem equipped with there very own cell phones. To top it off, the once prevalent internet cafes have gone the way of the dodo bird, as every guesthouse and hostel is connected and Wi-Fi is free and plentiful. Considering that it's only been 10 years since either of us has traveled overseas, it's hard to imagine how different it will be for Oren once he begins his own trek around this incredible world.

We rented our home!...and I finally found some time to put up a post.

2013-01-12T21:05:00.002-08:00

We rented our place. It all fell into place a couple of weeks ago when a lovely family from the UK contacted us to negotiate a three month stay. As of February 13th our little home will have new occupants. This means that we'll be overseas until mid-May.

I think we found a perfect match for our house. The Abrams Family includes Claude and Jaime and their two children Kobra and Zenchai. They have been travelling all across the globe since 2009 and have to date been to well over 40 countries. Leaving a traditional lifestyle behind, the family has been on a journey of discovery and adventure. When I was reading their blog to learn a little more about their family, I connected with a statement that Claude had written in his bio - "More precious than money is time." It's a simple statement that Claude used to articulate the reason he decided to quite a job as a magazine editor and take to the road with his family. After becoming a mother, the concept of time takes on a whole new level of importance which is perhaps why those words have been playing in my mind for weeks now.

The first thing that seems to happen with a baby is that time disappears. I don't quite know where it goes or when I'll get it back but it seems to have moved on to another household...probably one filled with single people. These days I am grateful if I find the time to complete two activities during a day. One of those usually involves a mandatory household chore like shopping. Fascinating, yes I know.

Interestingly enough, this change is juxtaposed with an equally new notion: the long night. Not since the all-nighters of my university degree have I experienced both 'closing time' (3am) and sunrise (6am) in one day. This is coupled with the sensation that time is almost at a standstill and the night will never #$#&'ing end!

A last aspect of time I've been thinking about has to do with our trip to Thailand. One of the things that often comes up when we do interviews is a question about how we've adapted to living in a small space. Brendon was the first to identify that our home has helped to reinforce a lifestyle that is heavy on experience and light on stuff. It's hard to own more than six towels when you have no place to put them. So instead of things, we've been able to save the money that we might have used to buy things and trade them in for activities outside of the house. (Brendon reiterated this point in a recent interview with CBC which aired in French on National Television.) This has meant mountain biking trips, walks by the ocean, delicious food etc. We're now just getting the chance to take this to the next level by carving out three months of sacred time together with Oren in Thailand.

While we do not yet have beautiful pictures of Thailand to share with you, we do have copious amounts of pictures of Oren who is, of course, the most beautiful baby in the world.

Most people say Oren looks like me. Over the holidays, we tried to bring out a little bit of Brendon by painting on some eyebrows.

We're going to Thailand! (if we can rent our home...)

2012-11-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

One of the things I worried a lot about before Oren was born was our finances. Even though we do get maternity leave here in Canada, there is a cap on how much the government pays you to stay at home with your baby. In my case, my income dropped by almost 70 per cent. To top it off, the Winter is Brendon's slow season. As a photographer, he makes most of his money in the summer months. So when it comes to money we are tight. We thought through a number of options, like picking up another job to supplement our income...but then we stumbled on Thailand.

Acquaintances of ours had already paved the way for us. When their baby was 5 weeks old, they up and moved to the beautiful country for seven months. They wanted to take advantage of the precious maternity and paternity leave they both had access too. But finances were top of mind for them too. Oversees, they were able to live on a fraction of what was required at home. In fact they saved money. They also came away from the experience with a baby that at six months was 'diaper free' and could communicate through sign language! But I'll save those details for another blog post...

Now, there is only one hitch - we need to rent our home. So here's our pitch. Send this out far and wide to friends, family, colleagues, people on the street that might be interested.

Looking for a unique place to stay over the winter? Rent a fully furnished laneway house from January 1st to April 30th 2013. Located in the Dunbar neighbourhood, the little home is close to UBC, transit lines, shops and restaurants.

While we travel to Thailand for four months with our baby, you'll have access to the best in modern living. The one bedroom home has a living room, bathroom (with bath tub), bright kitchen and office nook. A large patio and balcony extend your enjoyment of a quaint backyard and quiet laneway.

The eco-friendly laneway house has received lots of media coverage from articles in the Globe and Mail to a feature a David Suzuki exploration of urban innovation.

For $1800 CND per month all of your utilities will be covered, furniture supplied and high speed internet provided.

5 things Oren has taught us...

2012-11-13T13:59:00.002-08:00

Oren is already seven weeks old. It is hard to believe almost two months have gone by since he was born. There have been some major milestones since the little guy rocked our world, and not only for him. For instance, I finally figured out how to get my pants on before noon. (Mind you, I secretly miss my foray into nakedness so in retrospect I’m not sure I would consider it progress.)

Here is a sampling of some of the other things we have learnt over the last few weeks thanks to Oren:

1. Babies own a lot of #%$!’ing stuff! I started to notice this before Oren was born. Just walk into any baby store and you’ll quickly feel as though you are depriving your child of all the necessities of life. I was born in Africa and my mother tells me that for the first few years of life I slept in a drawer. Times have changed and, at least in North America, there is enormous pressure to get all the top of the line gizmos and gadgets. So while I was trying to sort out what I really needed for a baby, friends and family were helping us fill our small home with an endless supply of baby toys, swings, chairs and cloths. If we lived in a 3000 square foot home this might be doable but when you’re trying to squeeze everything into 750 square feet, one more pair of cut baby socks can really be an issue. We haven't completely figured this one out yet, so advice is welcome!

2. Babies are tough little buggers. I think it’s important for all the new parents out there to hear that. We were just so worried about hurting him either by holding him, strapping him in his car seat or laying him down to sleep. Our nerves were frayed even further as we were bombarded by warnings and safety regulations that were meant to keep Oren safe. In some ways, they made me long for the 1950s when everything was legal. Sure some of this is important but for us we just had to take much of it with a grain of salt. Take for instance co-sleeping: the experts say it’s a no, no. That you might accidentally roll onto your baby or smother him/her with blankets. But for us sleeping with Oren is a Godsend. It means we can cuddle with him all night and rather that waking up to a screaming child in another room. I wake-up to a squirm, pop out my boob and we’re back to slumber heaven.

3. Thank God for family. We made the decision to build a laneway home in part anticipating that we would have a child and were excited about the possibility of having him/her benefiting from living close to grandparents. What we underestimated was what a benefit it would be to us. The first week we didn’t cook one meal as Barb and Roger prepared delicious food and walked it across the 20feet that separate our house and theirs. You know what I said earlier about putting my pants on? Couldn’t have done that without the help of grandparents. When we need a little time to catch up on house work or take a shower, Barb and Roger are only too happy to play with Oren.

4. Walmart and malls were made for parents. In the fourth week or Oren’s life Brendon and I decided to take a road trip to introduce our baby to my side of the family. I amazingly still have three grandparents living in Saskatchewan. My parents made the trek from Ottawa to meet us in the middle where all my relatives live. It took us three days to drive there and as you can imagine, we had to stop several times to feed and let Oren stretch his little limbs. We stopped in towns like Meritt and Valemount to stretch and quickly realized the only place that was dry, warm and big enough to accommodate a good walk with a vigorous bounce was Walmart or the local mall. If only I could go back in time and share this development with my 24 year-old anti-establishment self. Oh, the horror.

5. Having a baby doesn’t make you more mature. Before I had a kid, parents somehow seemed older and more mature. Well I’m here to tell you that in our case it seems to have done the opposite. We’ve regressed to plotting silly photo shoots, bouncing around the room to bad dance music or an endless supply of Raffi songs, and video taping what Oren will certainly deem as ‘lame moments’. But man oh man, is it fun.

Baby is born...at home

2012-10-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

Oren Kai Purdy was born at home, in our laneway house on September 21^st at 5:09am. At 7lb 12ounces he was healthy, beautiful baby boy.

We had been considering a home birth for a while but didn't share our plans widely just in case Oren had other plans for his birth. There are a few reasons we wanted to have our little guy at home. First off, I didn't believe that I had a medical condition that needed treatment. I was just pregnant - a perfectly normal state of being that women all across the world experience. And because I wasn't sick nor did I fall into an 'at risk' category, it just felt strange to me to consider giving birth in a hospital

A second reason that swayed us towards a home birth was the comfort of being in our own space. I knew that labour was going to be intense and because our intention was to have a natural child birth free of interventions, comfort was going to be key. Being at home meant that we could create our own little sanctuary free of bright lights and full of good music. The fridge, bath and bed would all be nearby when we needed it, during and after birth.

If those weren't strong enough reasons to sway us, the professionalism and experience of our birth team was. Midwives are birthing specialists and have more experience delivering babies than most doctors. And our doula was an expert labour guide and pain management 'specialist'.

Our birth story could not have unfolded more perfectly. Labour started at 10:30am on September 20^th. I baked cinnamon buns and made a loaf of olive bread in anticipation of the little munchkin. Brendon got the birthing room ready for the new arrival. We went for a walk in the evening and even managed to sneak in a movie before things really got started at 11pm. Nancy the doula arrived soon after the contractions became more intense and was a Godsend for both Brendon and myself. Our team of midwives (and one family doctor) joined soon afterwards and helped me over the next few hours. Oren was born on our bed. Brendon was given the incredible role of ‘baby catcher’ and 20minutes after birth added ‘cord cutter’ to his list of accomplishments. I came out of the experience in awe of my body's birthing ability and in love with my new family.

Thank you for all the love and support you've shared with us over the past few weeks. Looking forward to sharing more stories or our growing family in our small home.

Passing time during early labour...

Being born...

One year and counting

2012-07-15T11:45:00.003-07:00

It's our anniversary. It's hard to believe that already a year has passed since we first moved into our little home.

A lot has changed since then.

August: It was a full house with two renters (our friends) sharing the basement suite putting us up at a 6 person household. In various iterations, we've had a full house for almost the entire year.
November: I was elected to the Dunbar Residents Association and have been trying to find a way to bring a different perspective on housing to my official neighbourhood.
December: Brendon and I got hitched in a very low key ceremony in Hawaii. Over the holidays we successfully celebrated our union with friends and family and then made a baby....
April: I was officially diagnosed with rhinorrhea - basically my nose muscles have swollen up as a result of pregnancy making me a very noisy sleeper. See snoring video below
May: We finished our landscaping of the backyard and laid out vegetable beds out front. It has become a veritable jungle of fresh vegetables that is overflowing with goodies on a daily basis.
June: We decided that we are going to try for a home birth - body, brain and baby willing. Hoping to do this as naturally as possible and part of what will relax me is being able to do this in the comfort of my own home.

Today, I woke up to the sound of my snoring. Brendon had recorded me in the middle of the night to try and impress upon me what a loud snorer I had become. This is one of the downfalls of living in a small space - there is nowhere for Brendon to go to escape my noisy sleep. I figure though that it's just training for the baby. Sorry hun.

Then, I googled my name to see if an article I had interviewed for would show up in today's paper. For those of you that read the National Post, check out Saturday's edition. You know it's a slow news cycle when a pregnant couple and their small house get on the front page. While I'm not totally thrilled with the wide angles depiction of my ever growing body, the article is an interesting exploration of whether or not size matters.

Growing revolution

2012-06-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

It's been just over six months since this munchkin first started growing in my belly. And as my body has expanded to accommodate the little baby, so too has our home become the incubator of another type of growth.

A couple of weeks ago after a long and rewarding process, Brendon and I finished our landscaping. We struggled with what to fill our garden with but in the end settled on a combination of fruiting plants and trees intermixed with flowers and shrubs. We may have bitten off more than we can chew between the espalier pear tree, plum tree, apple tree, rhubarb, blueberries and strawberries...especially since Brendon and I have yet to successfully keep a house plant alive....

But as much as our backyard is a source of great pride, I'm even more excited to tell you about our guerrilla gardening project that appears to have taken off.

In front of Barb and Rogers house is a sidewalk. In front of the sidewalk is about 12 feet of manicured lawn owned by the City. At the end of the lawn is the neighbourhood street. This lawn gets some of the best sun - the kind of sun you need to grow great vegetables. So with the leadership of my inlaws, Roger built us two beds and filled them with soil, Barbara planted and cared for dozens of seedlings and I helped plant them all in May.

What started as our own little ghetto project has taken on a life of its own as two additional homes have joined in on the fun. First our neighbours Simon, Kelly and their little girl Avalon set up two beds and are already harvesting vegetables from it. Secondly, our neighbours across the street showed us all up by building 4 beautiful beds overlaid on river stone. Can't wait to see who's next.

Oh...if you are in the neighbourhood and need some lettuce, please help yourself. we're swimming in it right now.

Tiny package for small home

2012-04-15T17:18:00.001-07:00

Avocados are one of my favourite fruits and this week they've taken on an even more special meaning. They represent the size of the little baby I'm carrying inside. Yes, we're pregnant - 16 weeks along now! For those who are doing the math this basically means that we had a great celebration over New Year's and wasted no time between our wedding and the new pro-creation stage.

Both Brendon and I are really excited and we can't wait to welcome the little muchkin into our lives and our small home. Our mind is racing with things we need to figure out over the next few months like, "Where will be put the baby...and it's stuff?" and "Can we have a home birth?", but for now we're trying to focus on the same things that everyone seems to be occupied with these days (no, not hockey) - gardening.

While earlier posts would have you believe that we were complete disasters at this, we've had some recent successes that make me hope that I do in fact have a nurturing side. (I always knew Brendon did.) That grass that we planted back in October - while still shabby, is starting to fill in.

This shot from above makes you realize that there is still much to be desired but...

When you take a look at it lying down on your stomach... it looks fabulous!

I've started growing sunflowers in our bay window and too my glee, they've begun to sprout!

Brendon finished our first landscaped scene, he planted baboo intermixed with some beautiful black grasses, and then build a rock garden in front of the planter box. This is on our laneway side and so is our first contribution to beautifying the road.

Lastly, I took a trip to a suburban gardener last weekend. Mike, a retired man and passionate gardener started using his front and back yard to grow perrenials. He sells them from his home four times a year. I loved the concept of someone using their own garden is such an innovative way and couldn't resist getting out to see him. I wasn't disappointed and left with 2 blueberry plants, some rubharb and a bunch of grasses.

Guilt

2012-02-15T20:51:00.000-08:00

I grew up Catholic so I’m familiar with guilt. But over the last two decades I’ve managed to un-school myself from living up to an unrealistic ideal. Unfortunately its been creeping back up recently for something I had not predicted – our landscaping.

We started this process back in November when we seeded the grass. I should remind you that only in Vancouver can you plant things as Winter is coming and still expect them to grow. While we don’t have a luscious green garden, we do have the beginnings of a lawn - be it patchy and balding... But other than that we have nothing. No shrubs, no trees, no rooftop garden, no grasses, no fruiting plants and no flowers. As a result we also don’t have birds or bees or any of the other fabulous critters that make up a healthy eco-system, not to mention an inspiring melodic backdrop while sipping coffee.

Instead we have a big wide patio full of paving stones and a wide stone path taking over even more potential green space. We also have a lot of (very high quality) dirt. This is my nightmare. I knew that we would lose green space when we build the house but I thought that we’d replace it quickly enough that nature would be reintroduced on the ground floor as well as on our roof.

My guilt is probably compounded by the fact that at the David Suzuki Foundation we do a lot of research on the value that nature provides for people like us living is cities. Access to nature, whether though sitting in a garden, walking through a park or even just being able to see greenery from a window has profound impacts on our health. Greener environments:

Nurture psychologically and physically healthier populations,
Reduce stress levels and improve well-being overall,
Enhance recovery from surgery,
Enable higher levels of physical activity,
Improve immune system functioning,
Reduce rates of childhood obesity,
Help diabetics achieve healthier blood glucose levels,
Improve independent living skills in seniors, and
Facilitate pollinators like birds and bees that are responsible for 1/3 of the food we see in the fridge.

…and that’s just to name a few.

So I have good reason to feel guilty! But now especially, as the crocuses begin to bloom in Vancouver, Brendon and I have got to figure out how we can bring nature back to this beautiful piece of land. We miss it and we owe it to ourselves and Mother Nature to bring it back.

Winter and Family

2012-01-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

We’ve just come through the season of family. Every second year Brendon and I make the trek out East to Ottawa to spend time with my family. I come from a big crew - three younger sisters plus mom and dad. This year we were able to get three of the daughters together while the one remaining spent her fourth Christmas in Taiwan. We rented a cabin in Quebec about an hour away from Ottawa and miles away from the frantic energy that literally consumes many holiday festivities. With only one relatively small sister fight (somehow pulling hair is still a choice weapon at 33) the whole experience can be considered a great success.

With our souls’ a little replenished from our immersion in nature and family, we took off to Val David in the Laurentians to visit friends. As many of our closest peeps have begun to have kids it’s amazing how quickly and often our conversations begin to turn towards family, and not just of the nuclear sort but the importance and conundrum of grandparents.

Some of our friends with children have moved across the country to buy homes close to their parents. Others make the weekend trips to visit family regularly so their kids get to grow-up with grandparents. But one of our friends did what we did...though in typical Quebec-country style.

Monique and Ian have built a home in his parent’s backyard which consists of a couple of acres of beautiful boreal forest. Their two children now have a short nature walk to their grandparent’s house. Their own home is a beautiful combination of modern architecture and rustic cottage appeal. They’ve salvaged and bargained for everything inside the home. From the kitchen cabinets made from the drawers of an old dresser to the interior siding of the living room covered in the wood from an old barn. It’s inspiring seeing other couples making similar choices to ourselves, choosing not only to build their own eco-friendly homes but to do so near family as well.

I wish we could say we had pictures to share, but we got so distracted by our excitement that we forgot to take even one. I’m hoping Ian and Monique will see this post and send us lovely photos so we can share. Instead, here are four of our wedding photos hot off the presses!

Brendon and Akua get hitched.

2011-12-16T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well, we did it. Last week we took off to Hawaii and tied the knot. Not quite in time to substantiate the amazing article written about us (as a married couple) in BC Business Magazine. But at least in time to give ourselves the best Christmas present ever - the title of husband and wife. :-)

You might imagine that being married to a photographer would have some perks - like photos. But sadly, I have none to share with you just yet. What I will tell you is that we did it our way. By ourselves, on the beautiful island of Kona. We did it on a deserted beach standing on a lava shelf. Sea turtles lay sprinkled lay in the sand around us warming themselves as the last few rays of sun set on the ocean horizon.

I was given a book soon afterwards by a colleague with advice for married couples. Here is a picture of one of my favourite pieces of advice for Newlyweds. It's from a girly magazine - written in 1949.

Not the most positive or life affirming advice but interesting nonetheless. Any thoughts for newlyweds living in a small home?

The grass is greener in Gregor's Vancouver

2011-11-09T23:06:00.000-08:00

Gregor Robertson is hot! Yes, I'm talking about the Mayor of Vancouver and you're right - sex symbols and politics don't often go together. But man that guy is dreamy...

We are getting closer to our municipal elections and both parties (Vision Vancouver and the NPA) are hitting the campaign trail hard. I was at a debate tonight where the candidates talked out the Occupy movements, transportation issues and affordable housing. All of the topics brought out some great conversations and I can't help but share my bias that I found the one on affordable housing solutions the most interesting. So much so that (despite my soccer mom attire) I posed a question to the candidates. I asked them about their vision for innovative ownership models to help the working class break into the housing market. So often people talk about the housing form as the solution - row houses, basement suites, tiny condos, laneway houses... but if there is anything this build has taught us, it's that figuring our a creative ownership agreement is critical.

We had to look to Europe to develop ours between the inlaws and ourselves. In the UK you'll find rent-to-own schemes, shared equity models and land trust housing just to name a few. Anton wasn't able to give much of an answer. She reverted back to talking about the housing form and didn't want to touch financing. Gregor dove in and referred to an innovative project involving Habitat for Humanity as well as pointing to other cities where we can get inspiration. With housing prices so divorced from our salaries we really need to get creative about ownership and challenge the traditional mechanisms we currently have in place to finance, price and sell homes in the city.

And in other news. We have experienced our first landscaping failure. Because we live in Vancouver we don't get the blanket of white stuff that covers our backyard and we can still plant things throughout the Fall...or so I thought. About four weeks ago I rented a grass seeder and a roller, bought some seed and got to work. It took me all weekend (with some help) to get the project done and when it was over I was pretty happy. Right away, one of the first things I noticed was the number of birds in our backyard. It was amazing. For a moment I felt like Snow White surrounded by her forest friends. Then I realized the truth. I had just laid out an incredible feast and the birds had hit the jackpot. One of my big mistakes was that I didn't cover the seed with a shallow layer of dirt so not only weren't the seeds protected from the birds, they got cold and never germinated. So, there has been no progress. We still have a dirt pile. This landscaping thing is hard.

Brendon and Akua experiment with TV

2011-10-05T23:15:00.000-07:00

Have you ever listened to a recording of your own voice and cringed? It's like being confronted by an alter reality - suddenly you sound nothing like how you imagined yourself in your own head. Well, today I found out that it's even worse seeing yourself on TV.

We were featured on the 6 o'clock news in a short segment on creative housing solutions. Take a look at the video below. What the hell is up with my posture and why does the hair on the back of my head look so bad!

Now that you've gotten used to us on the big screen - we have news for you. We're going to be on a future episode of the Nature of Things on urban regeneration airing in February 2012. Yes, just last weekend we hosted the amazing father-daughter duo - David Suzuki and Sarika Cullis-Suzuki. This was a dream come true.

Like so many of us, Brendon and I grew-up with David and the Nature of Things. From an early age we were fed the science of nature in a way that incited wonder and made us care when we saw it threatened. And then when I was 19 I picked up his book The Sacred Balance. It accompanied me on a 3 month cycle touring adventure through the Yukon. Its message was with me through the stark and imposing Tombstone range and along the rushing Donjek river. The book changed the way I saw the world and set me on the trajectory that I find myself today. It help me notice the profound connection we humans have with nature and first put words to a spiritual world view that I hadn't been able to articulate myself.

Life always seems to come full circle. Sarika and David had both spent time up in the Yukon this summer and raved about the beauty in that place. It's a reminder to me to do as much as we can to preserve wild spaces like the North while we also find ways to nurture and expand nature in our own backyards.

But I digress.

Sarika, David, Brendon and I chatted for over 2hrs about everything from our energy efficient appliances to living in a very small home. But really, the theme that emerged stronger than any other was the importance of community and how intergenerational housing arrangements can support vibrant neighbourhoods and people just like us.

While we can't show you any finished products from the filming, I can share some pics with you.

David's beautiful daughter Sarika

Barb and Roger chatting with our guests.

Sorry. Couldn't resist how cute Steven looked. If we're like this with a cat, can you imagine how crazy we'll get with a kid!

The Inside Scoop

2011-09-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Well, you've been asking about it for a long time and we finally got to it. Here are pictures of our upper floor. From the photos you can see our bed nook and living room. You also get a glimpse of the balcony that overlooks our lane.

We've had a number of drive-bys lately with people creeping along the laneway and peering into our home. Our house has developed a reputation of its own and now its been booked for a weekend in October to be part of a heritage tour in the city. And tomorrow, we'll open our doors to a group of UBC students.

Whenever we're around we're happy to open our doors for a tour. But, its only fair to give you online followers the full tour as well. Brendon is working on the time lapse video that will take your from our crawl space, up to the garage, through our kitchen and over to our second floor loft. We'll have that up in the next few days.

For now though - check our our fence, finished just yesterday! For you viewing pleasure we've also included an awesome photo of Steven and a refresher on what our kitchen looks like.

The Commune

2011-09-18T19:40:00.000-07:00

When I was in my late twenties Brendon and I lived in Ottawa and shared a group of incredible friends. We all spent time with each other throughout the week. Many of us lived together, shared groceries, chores and leisure time. I remember when one of my closest friends Rebecca began dating her future husband he nicknamed us the Get-Along-Gang.

The group of friends is still incredibly close but now many of us live thousands of miles away from one another so the type of communal lifestyle we'd dabbled with faded away in concert with the distance that separated us. Something is afoot though and once again we are starting to witness a new version of communal living on our little plot of land.

Many of you know that while we were building the laneway house and for a few years leading up to it, Brendon and I rented Barb and Roger’s basement suite. The two bedroom apartment allowed us to test-drive living close to the parental units and helped us come to the quick decision that we liked sharing air space with such an amazing couple. When we moved out, Barb and Roger hadn't planned on renting out the apartment very quickly but life intervened and withing one week 3597 West 23rd got a new tenant.

I’ve known Allee Wells since I was 15 years old. We went to highschool together and then shared our first big adventure – cycling and hiking through the Yukon. Allee has lived in Vancouver for almost 12 years now and while we’ve stayed close, we haven’t seen as much of one another over the last few years as I would have liked. Well that all changed this July. Allee and her longtime partner split and she needed to start fresh. She moved into the basement suite just as we began taking out the last of our boxes.

Then, in September the two bedroom suite filled up completely as Jean Yves (JY), one of Brendon’s oldest friends, traveled from Yellowknife to Vancouver to complete a 3 month culinary program. Call it "pre-tirement". Pretirees are folks mid-way through their careers that choose to change course and seek out new work options that allow them to create the life they've always wanted to lead. Many are heading back to school for additional training or striking out on their own as consultants or independent contractors. JY who has worked as a teacher up North for the last 10 years decided to use his pretirement to travel, learn new skills and take a break.

What this has meant is that we have a new Get-Along-Gang – Barb, Roger, Allee, JY, Brendon and Akua. We share meals together in the evening, help with the landscaping during the day and support one another through the hard times and the good vibes. ;-)

If there is one thing that the experience of building a home has taught Brendon and I, it’s how important community is. For all the green building focus and urban planning experiment, the part that stands out the most for me is the fact that our choices have allowed us to be surrounded by family and friends, something that I've come to appreciate more and more the older I get.

Summer's Over

2011-09-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

“Summer is like the ultimate one-night stand…hot as hell, totally thrilling, and gone before you know it.”

John Lubbock

Well, it’s hard to believe that it’s been almost two months since my last post. If it makes you feel any better, I’ve felt really guilty about it. Truth is, we willingly threw ourselves into summer activities and frankly, needed the break from publicly writing about our lives.

But we’re back, and despite disappearing into a black hole this summer, lot’s and lot’s has happened to our beautiful little home.

First off, we got blinds. Yes, we liked sharing with all of you but we quickly realized that with 20 windows the goldfish syndrome was too much to handle. But OMG, I cannot believe how much window coverings cost! And after months of hemorrhaging money there was no way we could pay full price. Once again Craigslist came to the rescue and we connected with the Shutter Factory. Their price was unbeatable – 80% off regular retail prices. Amazing faux wood blinds with the same kind of mechanisms as you find on Hunter Douglas blinds. We were in heaven.

Then we were off to the Yukon for a couple of weeks where we left all thoughts of our home behind. Instead we filled them with grizzlies and mountain biking. Yes, those really are grizzlies!

When we returned, Brendon took charge of the backyard. With some hired help he dug out all of the hard packed earth. Kevin and his team laid out three beautiful patios and set the stage for all the greenery to come.

Then my father arrived. Now, I know I’ve been a little harsh on Mr. Schatz in previous posts mostly. There many sides to my dad, and this time around he really gave up some long, long summer days to help us get through what sometimes feels like an endless list of ‘to do’s’. As Brendon found himself drowning in photography work and I disappeared out East for weddings, Ron took charge and built us a beautiful fence, dug a location and built a bamboo planting box, sorted out getting the wallpaper hung and cleaned ever single one of our windows! We are eternally grateful and can’t wait for your next visit. ;-) (Oh, he did have some fun too...renting a motorcycle and touring around the province.)

With school and work all starting up again, expect to see a more committed blogger.

We’re back!

Restoration project

2011-07-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Only in the back alleys of Dunbar can you find 10 year old yellow stalk bamboo for free. As we were taking friends of ours on a tour through the neighbourhood that is exactly what we stumbled across, not 5 minutes from our home. Similar to what we did in the winter when we began collecting furniture for our new home, now we are on the prowl for plants and shrubs and have begun stashing our finds in the backyard in anticipation of getting them into the ground.

Since October last year when the demolition began Barb and Roger have suffered through being sandwiched by two cavernous pits of dirt. One would become our home and the other would carry all our water, sewage and gas pipes to the street. All the while, not only did their gardens take a beating but their home did too. Once we moved in a couple of weeks ago now, we knew that (even though the garden was crying out for attention) the next big thing that needed to happen was a major paint job on their house.

Now first let me remind you of how it looked back in October.

Presto, chango, look at it now!

Steven makes his mark in the wet paint.

Garage Sale!

2011-07-07T22:48:00.000-07:00

Yes, we've alluded to it in posts past. The time has come to officially sell off and give away as much of our things as possible. Will you be the lucky one to purchase our wardrobe? Interested in a never used vanity sink? What about an incredible assortment of photography equipment? Well, if you're curious we'll be hosting a garage sale this Saturday July 9th from 9:30am to 2:30pm. You know the place - 3595 West 23rd Ave.

Now we're also interested in some trades (or donations). We are desperately looking for blinds for our windows. Preferably white and ideally wide. Got any that you want to get rid of? We'd be delighted to take them off your hands.

See you this weekend!

We're in!

2011-07-05T23:35:00.000-07:00

We are now eating and sleeping in our home. In fact, as I write this blog I’m sitting in my living room surrounding by a canopy of green trees as far as the eye can see.

Last week our home was inspected and reviewed to make sure that it met code and was safe to inhabit. The interiors got a green light which was a great relief considering all of the sweat blood and tears both we and Smallworks put into the place leading up to the review.

We started moving in almost immediately, carrying dishes and utensils across the 16 foot distance from our basement rental suite and our new home. We then christened the space with a party and close friends. It’s hard to believe, but it’s been over a year since Brendon and I started this journey and we can’t close this chapter without first acknowledging everyone that has supported us along the way.

Barb and Roger – There are not many people that would have done what you guys did for us. In fact, I don’t know any. You’ve lived through having your front and backyard uprooted, unmet deadlines, challenging budgets, a stressed out couple and an endless assortment of crazy city rules and regulations. And yet, you have always only offered support, kindness and (at times) an intense commitment to negotiating the best possible deals for us. We are lucky to have you in our lives and honoured to call you family.

Erin – The sister with the mister. You took a risk and put your finances on the line to make this project happen. And then from caulking to painting you rolled up your sleeves to help us even while your final exams for medical school loomed. As Brendon would say, “You’re a big sis to admire.” Our/your bathroom is always open to you.

Ron and Paulette – Dad thank you for being the devil’s advocate and helping me see every single possible configuration of disaster that could befall me as a result of this highly unusual arrangement. You helped Brendon and I talk through and negotiate some tricky financial discussions. And to mom for believing that we could do this and reminding me that I come from a lineage of home builders and DIYers. You gave me the confidence to keep going when the gap between what I knew vs what I had to do seemed insurmountable.

Friends – You were the reason we set up this blog. So many of you live far away from us and we missed not being able to share this experience with you in person. This online diary became a way for us to stay connected to you all. Yes – we periodically had to remove a few unsavory comments from our closest friends who some how forgot that discussions about lubricants on the same site that my boss and grandparents were reading was not appropriate. But for the most part you guys reminded us why we took on this crazy project in the first place. You are all people that believe in challenging the status quo, and working to make this world a better place. We are lucky to call you our friends.

Smallworks – We picked you because we liked you as people. Yes, we loved your homes, and yes we were impressed by your knowledge of environmental design. But really Brendon and I chose your company because we enjoyed your company. Now as all good business relationships go, we were not without our differences, but on a project so complex and complicated we feel lucky to wrap up our contract not only with a beautiful home but a warm friendship. Kate and Jake – you are superstars, patiently guiding us through this home building process accommodating our novice questions and applauding our early successes. You are changing the landscape of the city…for the better. Brent, Brian and John – from building to our bank accounts, you kept this project rolling.

Neighbours – When you move into a neighbourhood you usually do so because you like it just the way it is. If you live in a place long enough, you not only see people come and go but the physical shape and nature of the community change as well. We know that the construction of our home hasn’t always been easy on you and you’ll probably be very happy to never hear a tile saw in your life again. The saying goes that ‘fences make good neighbours’ yet we’ve been without a fence since October 2010 and it was only when that barrier came down that we got to know you. Thank you for sharing our journey with us and for all of the warm advice and support you offered on your dog walks, exercise runs or evening strolls down our shared lane. I look forward to many more conversations to come.

Readers - When I told my mom that we had readers from as far away as Malaysia, she couldn’t believe it. To tell you the truth, neither could I. I still can’t figure out why so many of you from Ireland read our blog. The fact that our story has been followed by people in over 40 countries has literally meant the world to us. You all were on my mind every time I sat down to write an update. You reminded me that there was something universal to our story. That other young couples are struggling to find a home to call their own. That this resurgence of DIYing reaches beyond borders. And that a call for innovative environmental solutions is not only compelling but critical as well.

And as all good speeches end…thank you to the Academy.

Much love,

Akua and Brendon

Steven gets comfortable on the sill.

[sigh] our finished bathroom...

P.S. For those of you that think that’s it, we’re done and we’ll be shutting down our blog, you can breath a sigh of relief ;) We still have a huge project to landscape the front and back yard. Our goal here is to create a space filled with native species, fruit bearing plants and trees and a sanctuary for birds and bees. We’ll be learning how to do this along with you all so we are looking forward to sharing the process. If it's time for you to sign off and say goodbye - then a warm "Sayonara".

Touchy feely

2011-06-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

I went to my book club tonight for the first time in months. It's my kind of club. You don't really have to read the book and even if we all have, we usually don't talk about it for longer than 15mins. That said, its the place where I have some of the most fascinating conversations.

This week Brendon and I started packing up. We've got a small set of boxes that contain the contents of our new home stacked on one side of our apartment. On the other side, we have a much, MUCH bigger pile of boxes that we'll be selling or giving away. But there is much more to sort through and it hasn't all been easy sailing. Last night we got stuck on two very significant assets - our bookshelf and CD collection. There is a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in music and books. Brendon had CDs from when he was in high school and I wear much of my book shelf as a badge of honor. There is Nelson Mandela's autobiography - Long Road to Freedom, the English Patient by Michael Ondaatje and a recent favourite - The Book of Negros. Music and books - they are like visual representations of who we are and what we value. It doesn't matter that Brendon may never listen to CCR or Led Zeppelin again, not to mention the 600 other CDs in his collection. It is the time in his life that it represents that feels impossible to let go. I feel similar about the books I own. I will probably never read them again but they are like keys to the past, helping me remember what I was like when I curled up with them.

But we have no room.

So we are now having to grapple with these new ways of storing information and challenging ourselves to consider them. In my book club, one of my friends owns a Kindle. She's stopped buying the paper versions and loves the fact that she can carry around hundreds of books in her purse adding only the weight of a small notebook. And when it comes to music, everything that we ever play these days is on the computer. I personally haven't looked at a CD jacket in years. Yet in our book club today we couldn't help mourn the loss of all that is tactile and gauge how and why we felt compelled to keep the material versions of these prized possessions. I don't have an answer for what we should do next though. Do you?

One banister away...

2011-06-21T23:43:00.000-07:00

Well the Globe and Mail article couldn't have happened at a better time. Sandwiched between breaking news and analysis on the Vancouver riots was the story of our little home. We had well over 100 people tour the house. Many of you are our neighbours and others came from as far away as Victoria and Port Moody. Some of you were considering building a laneway home yourselves, others looking into models of co-ownership and even one family with almost an identical story to ours. Thank you for coming by. We felt very honoured to share our space with you.

Now on to the last final obstacle - the final inspection. This one involves inviting a building inspector into the home to ensure that everything is up to code. On our side of things, the one thing standing in our way was the banister railings. We needed one for the stairs to the crawlspace and up to the second floor. For those considering installing one themselves here are few things you need to know:

A handrail is generally required if there are four or more stairs.
The handrail should be at least an inch and a quarter in diameter with a maximum of two and a quarter.
The height should be between thirty four and thirty eight inches and in the case of Vancouver - aim for 36inches. Measure consistently from the stair nosing upward. This will help to ensure that you get the right angle.
Find the studs before you try to hang it!
Make sure you've already put a final coat of paint on the wall where you'll be mounting the banister. There is nothing harder than doing touch-ups around the brackets.

If all goes well, we'll be able to move in...hopefully by the weekend.

Well it's not quite a riot but...

2011-06-17T17:28:00.000-07:00

...we're hosting our Open House tomorrow and Sunday from 1pm to 4pm. Come one and come all to 3597 West 23rd Ave (just off Dunbar). There will be treats, info on building green and a chance to meet my in-laws.

If you can't make it, take a look at this Globe and Mail article on us that will run tomorrow in the BC Real Estate section and ran today in the Ontario paper. Seems like when it rains it pours so we also got an article in the Westender Magazine. As soon as I get an electronic copy, I post the link.
See you this weekend!

Cancelled!

2011-06-08T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well, life happens. Brendon got his wisdom teeth pulled yesterday and is still trying to recover. We've got good friends visiting from out East (that we forgot about) coming tomorrow. And we can't seem to finish all the painting and last minute details we need to for Saturday. So we're postponing the open house till June 18th and 19th. Sorry! Hope you can still make it one week later.

Open House

2011-06-06T21:50:00.000-07:00

Hear ye! Hear ye! Come one and come all. The day has come to tour our laneway house. June ~~11th and 12th~~ 18th and 19th (that's Saturday and Sunday) from 1pm to 4pm our doors are open. Now is your chance to bring up all the questions you've been dying to ask like, "Does Akua really get along with her in-laws?" and "What the heck is Paperstone?"

Our address is 3597 West 23rd Avenue. The house still looks like a construction site so that should be your first clue. Looking forward to hosting you all.