Saturday, November 26, 2011

and the garage story unfolds

Well, it's time to update my blog.  I'm charging my camera to take some photos tomorrow. 

Since my last entry I had my electrical done.  I decided I wanted two extra plugs outside my house.  One at the back entry and one at the side of my house for the Christmas lights to be plugged into.  I wanted the electrician to make sure he would put my outside front lights beside the garage door evenly to the garage door.  When I arrived home that day they were off center.  One light was about 5" away from the garage door and the other side was about 12".  WTH,  I was mad.  Now if it was moved it would leave a hole in my siding.  I decided to be inventive and decided that because I have 5 numbers in my address that putting the address between the light and the garage would make it seem like it was supposed to be that way.  I had bought my address numbers before I had even done my house reno.  I originally wanted to put them under my outdoor lights but the lights are quite low on my house so putting them there would make the house numbers extremely low.

Now, what to mount the house numbers on.  I scoured the internet for days and was going to get plexiglass backing for them because that looked pretty cool from the pictures I was seeing.... but suddenly I thought about a teak shelf I wasn't using from inside my cabinet.  I quickly rummaged it up and placed the numbers on it.  That was it!  It looked fabulous!  Now if only the edges of the shelf weren't exposed.  Then suddenly I thought of what my contractor used for the edges of the tile when he did the installation.  Shluter!  (Metal trim).  I measured the depth of the teak and the next day made my way to the building store and purchased a piece of the metal trim.  Needless to say it finishes it off beautifully.  Now if I only had tools, I could put it together myself.  I have really had the urge lately to start building things.  In the new year, that's exactly what I'm going to do!  When one of the guys came to finish off my framing I got him to cut the teak into a 5 1/2" X 28" piece.  I can't wait to see it all finished!
The drywall guy arrived on Wednesday.  He ended up installing the drywall onto the beam on my far wall over the line of windows and also up the window posts to the beam.  Needless to say the next day I made him take it down.  I don't want any of my beams covered damn it!  That's one of the reasons I adore this house.  Don't touch the character features! The tapping and mudding has now been done so Monday should be the day it gets sanded.  That means by next weekend I will be painting again.  Then the trim will be put up next, then the lights will go in....then my doors (more on this in my next entry, it's a lonnnnggggg story.

I feel like I'm on the home stretch now and I've got to say I am glad.... because I'm really weary of living with the contents of my garage in my living space.

........more to come.....pictures to follow.......

Friday, November 4, 2011

I need some progress happening people

The garage is at a stand still at the moment and I've had some hiccups along the way.  A reno with hiccups?  Who new?  It does seem that the garage has been my nemesis out of this whole house reno experience.
First the ant infestation.  Then ripping down the ceiling tiles that were stapled to the ceiling.  Then pulling out each and every staple one by one.  Then trying to coat the ceiling with primer then paint...then ugggh, primer again and then paint again.  I think there is more paint on that ceiling than the whole house.  Drum roll please....I finally finished the ceiling painting last weekend.

My glass garage door was also installed last week.  I cannot tell you the excitement that was bubbling inside me the day it was being done.  I new that by the time I got home from work I would see what my house would look like with the prized glass garage door in.  As I turned the corner into my neighborhood I could  see my little gem with it's new addition.  All I can tell you is WOW!  It looks great!  I noticed when I got out of the car that the door was not flush which scared me a bit.  I decided to enter the garage via my kitchen.  As I opened the door into the garage the door hit something.  I thought someone left a box on the floor behind the door and it hit it.  I peeked behind the door.  Nope, nothing there.  I looked up and &%@*, the door was hitting the rail for the garage door!  No way!, You've got to be kidding me.  I called the garage door people to vent my disbelief.  Long story short, the garage door could not be lifted higher because of the beams in the house.  I would have to get a new kitchen door and have it swing in instead of out.  Definitely not what I wanted but at least there was a solution.  I received a discount from the garage door company.  It will help a bit with the new kitchen door and installation. 
 Before all this happened my plan was to get a new garage back entrance door because the one that is there is hollow core.  I had been scouring Craigslist for a full light double glazed french door.  I found one for $250.00 and tried to get the guy to come down with his price.  He wouldn't.  I mentioned it to a co-worker who told me he had a single french door and would sell it to me for $50.  I was going to do it until this whole out swing door problem occurred.  Now my plan is to take the existing kitchen door, which is a flush door, and use it for my garage entrance door.  The door back plate I never could use on my front entrance door can now be used on this door.  I also have a left over cracked window frame from Crestview doors (the originals for my front entry door arrived from their warehouse with cracks...but they did send me new ones). Now I'll take the cracked one, use some wood glue and fix it and have it installed on my back garage entrance door.  I got a price from a glass company to fit double paned glass in it for $25.  So now my front turquoise door will match my back garage entrance door...except it will have one window instead of three.  I will be getting the glass this weekend, along with sourcing out a chrome door knob to match the back plate I had chromed soooo many months ago (you have no idea how hard a polished chrome door knob is to find without special ordering it!).
Even though this whole door project is going to set me back more than I thought, in the end the result will be mid century amazing.  I'm all about the mid century amazing thing...or hadn't you noticed?

I have more to tell but I'll put it in my next entry.....