Moving Lock, Stock and Barrel to High Street, July 28, 2021

How, why, moving, renovating and everything else could possibly take place when I’m staring eighty years of age in less than four months?

Around 2017 the thought became a project: to find a Condo with lots of space and a view from an expansive balcony. That didn’t appear to be too difficult in an area from Burlington along the lakefront east to Marine Parade Drive in Etobicoke. We started looking, receiving assistance from professionals, guidance from friends and spending delightful hours driving around and seeing the listings and surrounds of places that met our criteria. For four years every place was evaluated by us and found wanting for many different reasons: to small, wrong neighbourhood, no balcony, too cheap, too rich, no washer and dryer hookup, too dark, too light, single file entrance or hallway et al. I could add more reasons that add up to the passing of four years of looking and saying, “no thanks.” During all of this time we had our eye on 66 High Street East (one half block south of a rental property that we lived in). This building was one that had four suites per floor on thirteen floors, humungous balconies, three bedrooms, three washrooms, an outdoor pool, indoor parking and everything we were looking for; but, no one ever sold and moved out.

That is until Margaret Boyd did.

She listed it on May 14, and we closed on June 1, 2021. We looked at it twice and made the offer (one of three they received).

We called in three contractors from Houzz and one who had worked for Suzanne who was highly recommended for the quality of their work. It was easy to select the right one for us. Hector and Oscar where put to work on removing a wall, cutting a 4’ by 5’ rectangle out of a kitchen wall, gut and completely redo a washroom, rip out the floors and replace with new throughout, and a number of add-ons mentioned as we get the feeling that we must do this now, while the iron is hot.

I make copious notes in EverNote containing items we need, shapes and sizes, photographs and all sorts of detail before committing to a course of action for Terryl and myself. The surprising aspect of all of this is that I’m loving it. I’m still at the Golf Course three times a week and I’ve got a new grip with my left hand and a different swing plane that is really working. But I digress.

We have a new Maytag washer and dryer that is to die for. The kitchen has a ULine refrigerator and freezer that looks just like any other two drawers. We are looking at samples of cornice and baseboards and flooring, while we have picked the toilet, vanity, sconces and tiles for the washroom. The work is progressing and we have been told by July 25 Hector and Oscar’s work will be completed. Our mover is scheduled to remove what we want from the apartment and move it 1/2 block to 66 High Street East on July 28, 2021.

What a day this has been. On June 29, 2021 we decided which way our tiles for the washroom will run, that we will have water in our Utility Room to accommodate an ice making Refrigerator, that we have selected a floor that will run throughout the condo except the kitchen and three washrooms, that we have decided on cornice and baseboards for all except three washrooms and two bedrooms, that we have decided on taps, toilets and pocket doors for the renovated second washroom and everything else up to the colours of paint for the living room, den, washrooms, bedrooms and hall way.