St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner and we’re ready for it. What began as a religious feast day for the patron saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods, and a whole lot of green. With Statistics Canada reporting approximately 77,000 people claiming Irish ethnicity, and another close to 200,000 with "British Isles" heritage, it's not a stretch to assume St. Patrick’s Day is well celebrated in the Waterloo area.



There’s no shortage of pubs in Waterloo, and whether you’re Irish or just Irish-at-heart, there’s a seat at one with your name on it this St. Patrick’s Day. Timbercreek Communities has pulled together this list of local pubs to check out:

Beertown

If it's beer you're looking for, this is the spot. With a raft of craft (most of it local) from Quads to IPAs, and a deep menu with a lot of affordable options, Beertown checks all the boxes. For Waterloo craft beer find out more here.

Morty's

A Waterloo staple, Morty's is a local K-W hangout. With live music every week, a solid menu, and a standard beer selection with a couple left-of-center options, Morty's is worth considering for your St. Patrick's Day festivities.

Bombshelter Pub

Bombshelter is a beloved Waterloo campus pub that will definitely tip the more raucous end of the scale for St. Patrick's Day. With live music, a great menu, and green everything, Bombshelter will be doing St. Paddy's day up in style. Check out the full menu and the pub’s upcoming events here.

Chainsaw

Jason himself would approve. Chainsaw, a neon lit pub known for its live music and table tennis, is a Waterloo staple. With all-day karaoke as just one of its many draws, Chainsaw will pull out all the stops for St. Patrick's Day. Have a look at their full event lineup here.

Duke Of Wellington

Can't have a St. Paddy's list without at least one Duke, Friar, Firkin, or Ceilidh. The Duke of Wellington is everything you know, love and expect from an Irish pub. Dark wood, velour bar stools, exposed beams, that white stucco wall -- it's all there. St. Patrick himself would approve.

We hope you have an amazing and safe St. Patrick’s Day in Waterloo! Please remember to follow the city by-laws when participating in the festivities.

Here is a list of transit options in Waterloo to get you around safely!

Book a ride with Uber

Waterloo Taxi – 519-888-7777

City Cabs – 519-747-7777

For more information on Timbercreek Rental Communities across Canada, including our Waterloo communities, please visit our website.

We could all use a little more space. When you don’t have any extra square footage to work with in your home, it’s important to use the space you have to the fullest. Timbercreek Communities has 5 ideas for small living spaces that will make you feel like you’re living large(r)!

Choose Simple Furniture

Furniture with simple lines makes a small apartment feel cozier. These sofas are great options for small spaces.

Add Hidden Storage

One of the most effective ways to maximize your space is to add hidden storage. Your Timbercreek apartment is your place for your everything and it is important to make sure everything in it has it’s own place. Even large spaces can feel cramped and cluttered when they are not well organized. Get creative and declutter your space this weekend.

“Invisible” Pieces

It’s not magic, it’s lucite. Lucite is a clear, acrylic material that is strong and transparent. Lucite furniture creates the illusion of more space in a tight space because it feels like it’s barely there at all. A lucite coffee table and/or lucite chairs can make your small space feel more open. Light will pass right through the pieces and make the whole room feel less cramped.

Plants Add Depth

Liven up a small space by adding some life to it. The right plants can add depth to tiny spaces. Peace Lilies, Spider Plants and Aloe Vera thrive in high or low light conditions and even clean the air.

Add Mirrors

Well placed mirrors are one of the easiest ways to make a small space feel larger. They trick the mind and make small spaces feel less cramped. Try adding them to areas like your hallway or your bedroom, you’ll be amazed by the new dimension they add.

Timbercreek Communities hope that this post helps to put you in the proper headspace to make the most of your space.

For more information on Timbercreek Rental Communities, please see our website.

When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade – make natural products to use around your Timbercreek Apartment! These natural lemon creations can replace store bought items that contain harmful chemicals and additives. Best of all, these natural products work just as well as their commercial alternatives.

Fridge Deodorizer

Using chemical-laden products close to your food feels like a bad idea. Thankfully, all you need for a natural fridge deodorizer is some lemon juice and cotton balls! Remove and discard all spoiled food from your fridge, transfer smelly foods (like cheese, onions and fish) to airtight containers, and then soak a few cotton balls in lemon juice and leave them in your fridge for 4 to 6 hours. That’s it! Repeat this process every few weeks, or whenever you detect unpleasant odours.

All Purpose Cleaner/Natural Bleach Alternative

Clean your Timbercreek apartment and leave a pleasant lemony scent in the air with this simple Three Ingredient All Purpose Cleaner. The ingredients for this non-toxic, natural cleaner are lemon juice, water and 3% hydrogen peroxide solution which is available from any drugstore. Hydrogen peroxide (3%) is the only germicidal agent that contains only water and oxygen. It kills microorganisms through oxidation. The lemon juice breaks down grease and grime. This homemade solution can even be used as a natural bleach alternative.

Homemade Mouthwash

It's easy to make your own homemade mouthwash. All you need is lemon juice, water and cinnamon. This mixture will freshen your breath and clean your mouth without chemicals like benzoic acid, sodium benzoate and poloxamer 407 (sounds pretty harmful).

Natural Insect Repellant

Lemons can be used as a natural insect repellent to deter uninvited guests that may have found their way into your home. Apply some fresh squeezed lemon juice along floors, windowsills, or anywhere an ant has appeared. You can also place dried lemon peels in your closets to deter moths and leave a fresh scent.

We hope this helps you find new uses for your leftover lemons and helps you replace harmful chemicals in your home.

For more information on Timbercreek Rental Communities across Canada, please visit our website.

Choosing the right sofa for your apartment can be tricky. A home theatre-style sectional is a little impractical, and that second-hand chesterfield isn’t going to fit in with your decor. In the hopes of helping you choose the perfect piece for your apartment, and maximize space, Timbercreek Communities has put together a list of the top 5 best sofas for apartment living.

1. Loveseat 

Like a bicycle built for two, a loveseat is the perfect perch for any twosome — and it doesn’t take up too much room in your rental unit! Just be sure to remember the cozy closeness of this type of sofa. This kind of togetherness can be ideal for a couple, but not optimal for roommates. Loveseats are available in many styles and sizes. If you don’t know where to start, check out these Pinterest pins about loveseats.

2. Pull-out couch 

The pull-out couch is the Swiss Army knife of sofas. It's a brilliant choice because it adapts easily to your needs. Whether you have to host unexpected company, are preparing a spare room for your parents, or are just really feeling a mid-Netflix-binge nap, the pull-out couch is the perfect pick. Check out this list of the best sleeper sofas and sofa beds from Apartment Therapy.

3. Chaise lounge

Comfy, casual and sleek, chaise lounges are a great option for your apartment, and are usually more compact than a couch. Our favourite picks? Ikea’s lineup -- check it out here.

4. Sofa bunk bed

Asking friends and family to sleep on the floor when they come to visit can lead to a lonely home away from home. Host friends and family in your small space with ease with a super practical sofa bunk bed! A single sofa converts easily into two completely separate beds -- so no one has to sleep next to uncle Larry.

5. 3-seat L-shaped sofa

L-shaped sofas are great when you live with a roommate or a partner. They allow you both to stretch out on the sofa without getting in each other's way. They also fit beautifully into the corner of a room, leaving you with a lot of open space to put to good use. If you have the space to spare, a 3-seat L-shaped sofa is a great option. Stay on budget with one of these affordable sectional sofas from Ikea.

When it comes to energy-saving initiatives, we all win. Cutting down costs while reducing your carbon footprint can be done in many simple ways in your life. In an effort to inspire positive change for you, your wallet and the planet, the team at Timbercreek Communities has some easy tips for going green. Check out our ultimate guide to making any rental more energy efficient:

The phantom menace  

If you’ve never heard of phantom power (or standby power), it is a mega-waste of megawatts. Your phone charger and your laptop charger are sucking up energy at an alarming rate (if left plugged in but not charging anything), not to mention other everyday devices and appliances around your home. According to HyrdoOne, you could save $150 a year just by cutting down on phantom power alone.

Cut the lights

Who doesn’t want a nice ambiance in their home? Brightly lit rooms can make a space feel inviting, but having several lamps on in each room of an apartment can also be really expensive and wasteful. If a tree falls in the forest and nobody's there to hear it, maybe it makes a sound, maybe it doesn’t – we’ll never really know. But we know for sure that if the lights are on in a room and no one is there to see it, that energy is getting used up for nothing. Make it a habit to flick off the lights as you leave a room, and try to keep the excess ambiance lights (lamps, twinkle lights, etc.) to a minimum.

Waste not, want not

If you’re one of those people who loves long, hot showers, consider the benefits of taking a shorter one. Cutting back just two or three minutes on your showers may help reduce your monthly bills by quite a bit. You’ll also be doing the world a favour since water conservation is a major issue at the moment.

For more tips and tricks on how to make your apartment more energy efficient, check out the Canadian Energy Efficiency Alliance’s page. The team at Timbercreek Communities hopes that this information will help reduce your power bills while reducing our carbon footprint!

To learn more about our rentals across Canada, please visit our website.