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As I shared previously, we recently moved our family from a 2000 square foot semi-detached home to a 6000 square foot cabin in the woods (that is walking distance to a Starbucks)! I still cannot believe we have the opportunity to live in such a beautiful space.
We are also very excited to make our space our own. I have so many fun décor projects up my sleeve and I cannot wait to share them with all of you! But before we can get to the pretty, I wanted to make sure the house was safe. Today, I am teaming up with the Electrical Safety Authority, the administrative authority mandated by the Government of Ontario to enhance electrical safety in the province, to highlight some of the things you want to keep in mind when you are making your home your own.
With a family as large as mine (I don’t even want to tell you how much my family of 6 kids spends on groceries every week), I have to make very careful decisions with my budget to make every decorating dollar count. For me, this includes DIY-ing whatever I have the time, the energy, and the skill for- which often includes things like painting, hanging art, and assembling furniture (I painted my laundry room ceiling at 2am while 7 months pregnant to finish it for a photoshoot!)
But there are a few things I will never mess around with from a DIY point of view, and this includes anything electrical. Electrical work is complicated and, in most cases, it is an important part of any renovation plan. But did you know that if you hire an unlicensed electrician and something goes wrong, you’re responsible? And, if an insurance claim can be traced back to work that was performed by an unlicensed electrician, the claim may be denied. If you are hiring someone to do electrical work in Ontario, by law they must be a Licensed Electrical Contractor.
So, one of the first things we did in our new home was to have my Licensed Electrical Contractor in to tidy up the MANY random wires that were very precariously hanging in multiple areas. Our new house, while new to us, is over 50 years old and has plenty of evidence of that fact. In the area I am going to use as an office, we had a bouquet of wires sprouting from the wall with zero knowledge of what was live and what was not. My Licensed Electrical Contractor was able to tidy them up safely.
Good bye messy cables! Come back soon for the after!
Another project I am so excited about is installing an electric fireplace in our master bedroom. The house is surrounded by so much nature, and has incredible natural light. Unfortunately, with the age of the home and the windows, it means drafty rooms are a reality, and the warmth and ambiance an electric fireplace will bring this space is really going to increase our comfort. When planning for your fireplace, either electric or gas, there are specific electrical requirements. Under the advisement of our Licensed Electrical Contractor, we are going to have a dedicated circuit for the fireplace installed. This will help to ensure that the the circuit breaker won’t trip when the heater is operating. Here’s a peek at what I am thinking for the bedroom:
I can’t wait to share this finished space with you so soon! It’s a bit of a departure for me design wise, embracing the whole cabin in the woods aesthetic, but I’m pretty excited about it!
While I love the beauty a new renovation can bring, what’s most important to me especially where my family is concerned, is the safety and integrity of what’s behind all the beauty. With this sentiment in mind, I was excited to see my long time mentor and friend Kimberley Seldon (remember her beautiful magazine Dabble that I was a regular contributor to?) partner with the Electrical Safety Authority for its Power Your Reno program. It’s an online resource that provides homeowners and design enthusiasts with the tools they need to create beautiful -– and safe -– home renovations.
On March 17th, ESA is hosting a panel discussion titled “Behind the Walls” at the National Home Show in Toronto featuring designer Kimberley Seldon, CityLine host Tracey Moore, and electrical safety expert Steve Smith. Kimberley and Steve will share tips to achieve a home reno that is on-trend and powered to perform. To learn more about the panel, click here.
Thanks to the Electrical Safety Authority for partnering with me on this sponsored post.
