Our Little Canadian Home

In “The Canada List” I explained what it was like to find and rent an apartment online.  In “The Move” I mentioned how our unit was in less-than-desirable condition when we moved in.  Well, this post is all about our apartment after those things – our little Canadian home.

The Building

All of the apartment buildings here named creative things:  “The King Edward,” “Stewart Tower.”  Our building is named “The Statesman,” an appropriate surprise, considering that not only are we citizens of the United States, but we are graduates of Iowa State University, as well.  It is a charming 6-story building on the corner.  Ottawa University is just a few blocks away, so there are many students who live in the building, there are always young people on the street, and there are plenty of bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and grocery stores within walking distance.

Our Unit

Our apartment is on the third floor, which I love.  Being from a very small town (and watching a ton of fictional crime shows), I find myself afraid of crime in a large city.  In Ames, I learned to get over it, but here in Ottawa I am still a little suspicious every time I see graffiti near our building.  So, being on the 3^rd floor is perfect for me: we aren’t so high up that it is a nuisance to take the stairs, but not close enough to the ground that sketchy people can break in through our windows.

We knew very little about our unit throughout the rental process.  We knew the location of the building, our parking situation, and the price; but nothing about the floor plan or interior design.  These were a pleasant surprise.  The unit is around 300 square feet, and consists of four spaces: a living/dining space, kitchen, Chad’s office, and bathroom. 

Shortly before we moved, I did some digging and found an old floor plan from the owners of this building before our property managers bought it, and it turns out that it is accurate!  I wish I would’ve found it earlier, but now I have it to share with you.

The Tour

The front door opens to the living space, with two closets immediately to your left, the TV/entertainment center to your right, and our three big windows straight ahead. Our couch is about five feet from the TV, splitting the room in half, and the table is about three feet behind. You’re standing on 12” square stone tiles, but they are only for the entryway and the kitchen.  The rest of our flooring is a dark wood-like laminate.  The walls are a warm tan with thick white trim at the floor and a textured white ceiling.

From the door, you can also see the bar poking out of a square hole in the wall: that’s our kitchen.  If you walk forward and lean on the bar, you can look through the wall to see our cupboards and our tiny kitchen.  The bar is the only counter space, and across from it (under the wall-mounted cupboards) is a full-sized fridge, a sink, and a stove/oven.  Because there are no drawers in the kitchen, all of our utensils, silverware, and dishes are in a cherry-wood shelf across from the kitchen’s doorway.

You look out the windows, almost occupying the entire wall, to see a large, red brick house with a lovely patio and a huge maple tree out front.  Nelson Street is below, buzzing with people bundled up against the cold, and lined by old buildings.  It is probably raining, as it has been for days and is predicted to continue.

While you’re looking out the windows, Chad’s office is to your left.  In it, you find his desk in the corner and a roll-y office chair, which frequently rolls away on its own because of the slightly sloped floor.  There is some storage that didn’t fit in the bathroom by the door, along with our scale and the printer.

From the office, take a left into the bathroom.  You may wonder, “Why is there a piece cut out of the door?”  The answer: it is so close to the toilet that there needs to be a piece missing in order for it to close.  It’s ok, though – there’s plenty of space in there.  We have a toilet, a pedestal sink with a medicine cabinet mirror, a towel rack, and a large shower.

And that’s it!  The entire place.  It is just enough space for two people, and the only inconvenience for us is not having a place for our bikes, and me being too short to reach the top shelves of the cupboards.  But Chad is tall enough, so we get by just fine.

The little kitchen bar, taken from the table

The couch/bed and the table, taken from the door

The kitchen, taken from the "kitchen door"

Entertainment center, taken from behind couch

Chad's office, taken from the bathroom

Bathroom, taken from Chad's office