The Journey Begins...

Welcome to my River Eco-Retreat Blog!

The idea to start a blog about my journey in transforming my leaky old house into a beautiful energy efficient home came about when a number of friends asked me what I was doing, how I was going about it, and how I accessed grants and zero percent interest loans from the government along the way!

About my home:

My house is an old cottage on the banks of the Rideau River in Ottawa, Canada. It was converted into a house and added to at various points in time prior to me purchasing it in October 2019. It has a few quirky structural details that have been interesting to work around, as well as still having an oil furnace and oil hot water heater when I purchased it!

A Phased Approach

As much as I would love to renovate the whole house all at once (which includes my plan to change the locations of the kitchen and bathroom on the main floor), the cost involved means that I will be doing the renovation in at least two phases.

Phase One

The First Phase will include the majority of the energy retrofits, including building a suite in the basement that will be used for family and guest visits.

Phase Two

Phase two will be the renovation of the main floor - moving the small, closed-in kitchen from the front of the house to be an open concept main floor with the living room and kitchen overlooking the water. In addition, one of the goals of the main floor is to be fully accessible. I want it to be a place that my whole family and friends, regardless of their mobility, can access easily and enjoy.

Follow my journey

Follow along as my house is transformed into an energy-efficient, warm and cozy home!