Well, here it is July 5th and the reno is still not quite complete. It feels done but there is a bit of tweaking to do. Some of my handles aren’t on my cabinets yet. My mirror and glass for my ensuite bath won’t be going in until the end of this week. My ensuite lights still need to be installed (waiting for the mirror). I haven’t got my tile yet for my kitchen backsplash yet. My stair railing still is not installed and quite honestly I don’t want to talk about it. I had it out with the railing company owner today and I’ll leave it at that.
I had my final garage sale this past weekend. I made a bit of money (believe me, I need it after this reno). I still want my garage revamped and the exterior of my house painted and my master bedroom balcony re-done with a topless glass railing but I’m guessing the railing will have to wait until next year as the moola is getting dangerously low. For my exterior paint I’ve now decided to deck out the house with a turquoise door. I think a grey exterior with white beams and a white eave outlined in a darker grey trim will be just what the mid century doctor ordered. My minds eye tells me it will look fabulous with the turquoise door.
I am very happy with the house! It looks like the photos from my coveted Atomic Ranch Magazine. When I look back at the reno pictures I honestly don’t know how I lived like that. I am proud to say “I did it”. So far the results are what I had envisioned right from day 1.
Things I am happy about most:
I have running water
I can cook on a stove
I don’t have to clean up a mess everyday after work
The bottom of my feet aren’t rough anymore
I don’t have to worry about my cats
And
I can now relax and have people over
I will add more photos when I can. I’m gaining more and more time as the days progress.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Is it over though?
Okay, I haven't been writing in my blog. I should have been but unfortunately you need time for that. Lately the house, or should I say the trades have been...lacking. I would like to know where common sense seems to go with regard to doing things in other peoples homes. What's that saying?
You wouldn't do that in your own house so don't do it here.
I have had nothing but disappointing days lately. Small floods. Three plumbers 40 minutes to hook up the water to my fridge. A leak in my baseboard which damaged my flooring. More flooding of my kitchen from my master bath. More damage to my floors and stairs from the railing installer. Uneven tile installation. Crooked installation of pea traps. Lights installed incorrectly. A shower door that leaks. Unfortunately the list goes on.
It all started out so well. Who knew it would end up being a nightmare. I feel like a Mom scolding her flock...haven't I already brought up my kids? At first I felt bad that I was complaining about what was going on in my house but no more. I am a certified Reno Bitch now. R.B. are my new initials which will now be embroidered on my towels and pillow cases. I may even have a t-shirt made.
Even though these things are happening I do love the way the house looks. It is truly almost at the finish line. The railing should (better) be finished by tomorrow along with the quartz counter top and my master bathroom shower glass. Because the counter tops will be installed it means the plumbers (and I say the word "plumbers" lightly) will be able to install my kitchen and master bath sinks.
I would love to take some pictures of the almost finished product but look high and low, I can't seem to find my battery charger for the battery to my camera. I did see it the other day but can't remember where. The day I get organized around here is the day I will relax.
On a good note, here are some positive things:
Craigslist has been a great avenue. I bought two 6' X 3' mirrors for $20 each and refinished them for $7.00 each. This will save me hundreds of dollars. My quote for custom mirrors for my house was initially $795. which I got down to $700. I've decided to use the mirrors I've bought, buy mirrors from IKEA for the main bath and phone around for a custom mirror for my bathroom.
I also bought a very cool dresser off C.L. for my bedroom for $50 and one for my daughter's bedroom for $45. These dressers are from the 1950's or early 60's and go with the house beautifully. I also picked up a large mid century teak framed picture in mint condition for $25. and when I was looking at a mid century antique store I saw the same artist's picture (a lot smaller) for $195. Mine is much nicer and would be worth a lot more. It looks great in my bedroom but I still haven't decided where to put it. I splurged on a mid century tea cart that folds in half for my master bathroom. It works wonderfully to store things on that I use in my bath tub. I just pull it over to the tub to use. It houses my magazines, crossword, soaps etc. One of the most exciting finds on C.L. was a replica sputnik light fixture for $35. I had purchased the exact same one for my stairwell for over $300. So now I have two. One over the stairs and one in my bedroom.
I now have my new flat screen T.V. set up. I gave away my old Sony which had served me well for more than 20 years. Getting the old Sony out of the house myself is a story in itself. Damn those old T.V.'s are heavy. I pulled it down off the stand onto a quilt and dragged it out the front door. It sat there for a day and a half until someone finally snatched it.
My washer and dryer have been set up for a few weeks now. What a God send! It's upstairs in the hall closet. I love having it by the bedrooms. It's so convenient. I was worried it would make too much noise but it doesn't. Not at all. Putting them upstairs is a decision I'm really glad I made.
Well, as abreviated blogs go that's all folks...or at least all I care to write. I'll be back.
Yours truly,
Reno-Bitch
You wouldn't do that in your own house so don't do it here.
I have had nothing but disappointing days lately. Small floods. Three plumbers 40 minutes to hook up the water to my fridge. A leak in my baseboard which damaged my flooring. More flooding of my kitchen from my master bath. More damage to my floors and stairs from the railing installer. Uneven tile installation. Crooked installation of pea traps. Lights installed incorrectly. A shower door that leaks. Unfortunately the list goes on.
It all started out so well. Who knew it would end up being a nightmare. I feel like a Mom scolding her flock...haven't I already brought up my kids? At first I felt bad that I was complaining about what was going on in my house but no more. I am a certified Reno Bitch now. R.B. are my new initials which will now be embroidered on my towels and pillow cases. I may even have a t-shirt made.
Even though these things are happening I do love the way the house looks. It is truly almost at the finish line. The railing should (better) be finished by tomorrow along with the quartz counter top and my master bathroom shower glass. Because the counter tops will be installed it means the plumbers (and I say the word "plumbers" lightly) will be able to install my kitchen and master bath sinks.
I would love to take some pictures of the almost finished product but look high and low, I can't seem to find my battery charger for the battery to my camera. I did see it the other day but can't remember where. The day I get organized around here is the day I will relax.
On a good note, here are some positive things:
Craigslist has been a great avenue. I bought two 6' X 3' mirrors for $20 each and refinished them for $7.00 each. This will save me hundreds of dollars. My quote for custom mirrors for my house was initially $795. which I got down to $700. I've decided to use the mirrors I've bought, buy mirrors from IKEA for the main bath and phone around for a custom mirror for my bathroom.
I also bought a very cool dresser off C.L. for my bedroom for $50 and one for my daughter's bedroom for $45. These dressers are from the 1950's or early 60's and go with the house beautifully. I also picked up a large mid century teak framed picture in mint condition for $25. and when I was looking at a mid century antique store I saw the same artist's picture (a lot smaller) for $195. Mine is much nicer and would be worth a lot more. It looks great in my bedroom but I still haven't decided where to put it. I splurged on a mid century tea cart that folds in half for my master bathroom. It works wonderfully to store things on that I use in my bath tub. I just pull it over to the tub to use. It houses my magazines, crossword, soaps etc. One of the most exciting finds on C.L. was a replica sputnik light fixture for $35. I had purchased the exact same one for my stairwell for over $300. So now I have two. One over the stairs and one in my bedroom.
I now have my new flat screen T.V. set up. I gave away my old Sony which had served me well for more than 20 years. Getting the old Sony out of the house myself is a story in itself. Damn those old T.V.'s are heavy. I pulled it down off the stand onto a quilt and dragged it out the front door. It sat there for a day and a half until someone finally snatched it.
My washer and dryer have been set up for a few weeks now. What a God send! It's upstairs in the hall closet. I love having it by the bedrooms. It's so convenient. I was worried it would make too much noise but it doesn't. Not at all. Putting them upstairs is a decision I'm really glad I made.
Well, as abreviated blogs go that's all folks...or at least all I care to write. I'll be back.
Yours truly,
Reno-Bitch
Monday, May 17, 2010
It's getting close
Again, it’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to blog about the house. It’s been a whirlwind.
I’ve had very busy weekends trying to gather everything needed for the reno. My kitchen and master bath tile arrived at Rona. I went out to pick it up. Being naïve I didn’t realize how much tile it really was. First my kitchen tile was packed into the car…pretty loaded down. The store manager came out to look and didn’t think we could get more in. I put all the seats down and they piled it into the front and middle of the car. They all watched me drive away. I’m sure they thought the tires were going to pop. Let’s just say the car didn’t have much oomph. Wouldn’t you know it there was road construction on a main intersection and I had to detour up a major hill. I floored it and it probably only went 30km. Every bump I went over I winced. I was glad to make it home in one piece. It was a long drive. All the way home I was thinking I’d have to unload the tile myself. As luck would have it my daughter’s boyfriend arrived at the house a few minutes after I got home and we unloaded it together.
I’ve been busy on Craigslist trying to find some deals on bar stools and patio furniture. I got the patio furniture (took two trips with a van) but I’ve had a hard time snagging bar stools. Not that they are not in supply but I think everyone and their dog are looking for bar stools. I’ve seen some pretty awesome ones (retro) but either the people don’t get back to me, someone else gets them first or they are the wrong height. I did pick up a terrific deal yesterday. I found the atomic sputnik light fixture I had already purchased for my stairwell (I paid $300 for it a few months back)…the light on Craigslist was $35. I ended up getting that deal. I will put it in my bedroom. All I’ll have to do is replace one bulb.
My main bath tile is now finished. Wow, it looks incredible! The only thing is I think the bathtub is cursed. It’s been replaced once and the plumbers broke the bottom of the second tub. The repair person said the tub would not look 100% because of where the piece was broken off. I was angry. He said it would cost a lot to take the bathtub out and replace it which I quickly told him was not my worry although it would probably take another two to three weeks for another bathtub to come in. The plumber would have to incur the cost of it. He said I should just put molding around the bottom of the tub to hide it. That made me even angrier. I called my contractor and he said he would take care of it on Monday. I’ll leave it in his hands.
The laminate is now completely finished downstairs and by tomorrow all the laminate will be finished upstairs. It looks wonderful. Josh will be tiling my master bath today, mostly the shower area. The house is coming together and should be completely finished by the end of the month. Then the fun begins, decorating.
I’ve had very busy weekends trying to gather everything needed for the reno. My kitchen and master bath tile arrived at Rona. I went out to pick it up. Being naïve I didn’t realize how much tile it really was. First my kitchen tile was packed into the car…pretty loaded down. The store manager came out to look and didn’t think we could get more in. I put all the seats down and they piled it into the front and middle of the car. They all watched me drive away. I’m sure they thought the tires were going to pop. Let’s just say the car didn’t have much oomph. Wouldn’t you know it there was road construction on a main intersection and I had to detour up a major hill. I floored it and it probably only went 30km. Every bump I went over I winced. I was glad to make it home in one piece. It was a long drive. All the way home I was thinking I’d have to unload the tile myself. As luck would have it my daughter’s boyfriend arrived at the house a few minutes after I got home and we unloaded it together.
I’ve been busy on Craigslist trying to find some deals on bar stools and patio furniture. I got the patio furniture (took two trips with a van) but I’ve had a hard time snagging bar stools. Not that they are not in supply but I think everyone and their dog are looking for bar stools. I’ve seen some pretty awesome ones (retro) but either the people don’t get back to me, someone else gets them first or they are the wrong height. I did pick up a terrific deal yesterday. I found the atomic sputnik light fixture I had already purchased for my stairwell (I paid $300 for it a few months back)…the light on Craigslist was $35. I ended up getting that deal. I will put it in my bedroom. All I’ll have to do is replace one bulb.
My main bath tile is now finished. Wow, it looks incredible! The only thing is I think the bathtub is cursed. It’s been replaced once and the plumbers broke the bottom of the second tub. The repair person said the tub would not look 100% because of where the piece was broken off. I was angry. He said it would cost a lot to take the bathtub out and replace it which I quickly told him was not my worry although it would probably take another two to three weeks for another bathtub to come in. The plumber would have to incur the cost of it. He said I should just put molding around the bottom of the tub to hide it. That made me even angrier. I called my contractor and he said he would take care of it on Monday. I’ll leave it in his hands.
The laminate is now completely finished downstairs and by tomorrow all the laminate will be finished upstairs. It looks wonderful. Josh will be tiling my master bath today, mostly the shower area. The house is coming together and should be completely finished by the end of the month. Then the fun begins, decorating.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Kitchen install
I have to put a plug in here for Creekside Construction. Best decision I made going forward with my reno. Josh and Jordan have been a breeze to work with. Why do I sing their praises? My kitchen and bathrooms! They’re almost finished. Josh retro-fitted some of the cabinets and they look awesome. I had purchased two refrigerator cabinets from IKEA to make a floating vanity in my bathroom. Unfortunately they are 24” wide which is not standard for a bathroom vanity and they looked a bit awkward. Josh is cutting them down today so they fit just perfectly and will be the size of a proper vanity. I’m leaving most of the blue plastic on the kitchen upper cabinets to protect them and I’ll wait till most of the work is done in the kitchen then take it off.
I received a call yesterday that the main bathroom tile has arrived and it ready to be picked up. Now I’m just waiting for my kitchen and my master bath tile to arrive at Rona. I’m crossing my fingers it’s in today as that’s when I was told it would be in. I’m going to think good thoughts.
I have decided to switch my daughter’s door out for a glass door. I had bought glass doors from Home Depot before the reno began but I didn’t think the size of doors I had got would fit where Heather’s door would go so I found one that looked exactly the same but that was solid. Now that it’s up I just don’t like the fact that it’s not glass like the rest of them. It should be ready shortly.
Adding some pictures here. It shows the kitchen unfinished but by the time I get home today the cabinets should be done.
I received a call yesterday that the main bathroom tile has arrived and it ready to be picked up. Now I’m just waiting for my kitchen and my master bath tile to arrive at Rona. I’m crossing my fingers it’s in today as that’s when I was told it would be in. I’m going to think good thoughts.
I have decided to switch my daughter’s door out for a glass door. I had bought glass doors from Home Depot before the reno began but I didn’t think the size of doors I had got would fit where Heather’s door would go so I found one that looked exactly the same but that was solid. Now that it’s up I just don’t like the fact that it’s not glass like the rest of them. It should be ready shortly.
Adding some pictures here. It shows the kitchen unfinished but by the time I get home today the cabinets should be done.
Monday, May 3, 2010
The Reno God's have spoken
It was an eventful weekend. I am now going to put something new on my resume. Apparently I am capable of putting many IKEA kitchen cabinets together. I figure if something happens to my job I can be an IKEA cabinet assembler. I spent all of Saturday (from morning until night) putting my cabinets together. It really didn’t take a rocket scientist. I thought I would get a head start so that my family wouldn’t have to help for too long on Sunday. By Sunday morning I had all the base cabinets done and all but one upper cabinet done, oh, and the pantry cupboards needed assembly.
Everyone came around noon to help me. I needed muscles to help move the cabinets from the living room to the kitchen. One by one the cabinets exchanged rooms. We ordered pizza around 2pm and everyone was gone by about 3:30 or 4pm. I spent the rest of my day cleaning up, making sure I went through my IKEA list again to assure myself nothing was missing (miraculously, nothing was) and then put together my vanity cabinets. Josh is installing my base cabinets today and tomorrow the uppers go in. I did find a few things that need some attention after I rearranged the kitchen. The pot light over the fridge had to be moved because it was in the way of the fridge cabinet by one inch and the pantry drop down wall is a little lower than it should be but we will just make the cabinet shorter to the ground by a couple of inches. It’s all fixable things.
The door bell I ordered a little while back arrived on Friday but of course no one was here to accept it. They should be dropping it off today. I hope it looks great sitting inside my door knob back plate!
My windows were installed in my door on Friday morning. They look absolutely amazing, even if the door isn’t painted yet. There was unfortunately a glitch with them. When Josh took them out of the box three of the frames were split. He installed them anyway and we are waiting for the replacements. He said it’s an easy fix and would only take a couple of minutes to replace them.
The painting of the walls and my fireplace will definitely be done today and that will be the end of covering my furniture with plastic. I know that keeping furniture covered in plastic is a 50’s thing plastic but I am not that kind of 50’s nut.
Well the good luck seems to be back on track now. I’m a happy girl. Ah, the ups and down’s of renos.
Everyone came around noon to help me. I needed muscles to help move the cabinets from the living room to the kitchen. One by one the cabinets exchanged rooms. We ordered pizza around 2pm and everyone was gone by about 3:30 or 4pm. I spent the rest of my day cleaning up, making sure I went through my IKEA list again to assure myself nothing was missing (miraculously, nothing was) and then put together my vanity cabinets. Josh is installing my base cabinets today and tomorrow the uppers go in. I did find a few things that need some attention after I rearranged the kitchen. The pot light over the fridge had to be moved because it was in the way of the fridge cabinet by one inch and the pantry drop down wall is a little lower than it should be but we will just make the cabinet shorter to the ground by a couple of inches. It’s all fixable things.
The door bell I ordered a little while back arrived on Friday but of course no one was here to accept it. They should be dropping it off today. I hope it looks great sitting inside my door knob back plate!
My windows were installed in my door on Friday morning. They look absolutely amazing, even if the door isn’t painted yet. There was unfortunately a glitch with them. When Josh took them out of the box three of the frames were split. He installed them anyway and we are waiting for the replacements. He said it’s an easy fix and would only take a couple of minutes to replace them.
The painting of the walls and my fireplace will definitely be done today and that will be the end of covering my furniture with plastic. I know that keeping furniture covered in plastic is a 50’s thing plastic but I am not that kind of 50’s nut.
Well the good luck seems to be back on track now. I’m a happy girl. Ah, the ups and down’s of renos.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Okay, I’m back here again, more for sanity than anything. I figure if I write this down I’ll hopefully feel better.
It just keeps getter better. I’m being facetious I know but I gotta do the old sarcasm thing or I’ll lose it. I decided to head out to Rona Abbotsford yesterday partly for work and partly just to see what tile choices they had. It’s a big store and not as busy as the Burnaby store so it’s the better choice.
I actually found some tile I like for my bathroom and my kitchen. I decided to order it. Good thing here is that whatever you don’t use you can bring back by the piece. The sales guy told me it would be in next Thursday. I’m crossing my fingers that it will be because lately things just have not gone according to plan. I’m trying to be positive because I am of the belief that everything happens for a reason but I am also human so naturally I go through the ups and downs that all humans do.
I headed back to the office did some work and got a phone call from the flooring store I bought my laminate from back in January. I was originally told my laminate would be in to pick up late next week but she informed me they made a mistake and it wouldn’t be in until the end of May. I swear I almost lost it!!! I now had to find new flooring. I had matched everything to the laminate I had originally chosen. The paint, the tile…everything! I decided to go back there today on my lunch. I spent a good chunk of time pulling samples off the wall and placing them beside the paint chip and the tile I had just purchased to get the right fit. I ended up having to get a darker floor but I think it will look very good. They ended up giving me free delivery which was a bonus.
Heather and I tried to check all the IKEA boxes last night to make sure they were all there but we could not for the life of us figure out the IKEA check list. Yes, we could find the item number and match it but what we could not figure out was how many of each there were. It just didn’t make sense. We thought we had it understood but then we would come across some that said there was one and we had two. Totally confusing. We gave up. I’m hoping everything is there because I only had 48 hours from pick up to do this and that time frame is now kaput.
The painter was supposed to finish today but because his helper didn’t come along he probably won’t get it done. This puts us another day behind. I let him know that Josh would be there tomorrow as he was working on my door and other bits and pieces. Also, my laminate is being delivered tomorrow so he will have to load that into the house.
I had the pleasure of taking a bath in my house for the first time last night. It wasn’t as hot as I like but hey, it was nice just to have one at home. Josh is going to get the plumber to fix it so it’s warmer which will be appreciated.
Okay, I’m done writing. Do I feel better? Hmmm, a little I guess. My head just seems to keep spinning with all I need to do before Monday. Oh and those IKEA cabinets...I have to put all those cabinets together by Monday...OH MY!
It just keeps getter better. I’m being facetious I know but I gotta do the old sarcasm thing or I’ll lose it. I decided to head out to Rona Abbotsford yesterday partly for work and partly just to see what tile choices they had. It’s a big store and not as busy as the Burnaby store so it’s the better choice.
I actually found some tile I like for my bathroom and my kitchen. I decided to order it. Good thing here is that whatever you don’t use you can bring back by the piece. The sales guy told me it would be in next Thursday. I’m crossing my fingers that it will be because lately things just have not gone according to plan. I’m trying to be positive because I am of the belief that everything happens for a reason but I am also human so naturally I go through the ups and downs that all humans do.
I headed back to the office did some work and got a phone call from the flooring store I bought my laminate from back in January. I was originally told my laminate would be in to pick up late next week but she informed me they made a mistake and it wouldn’t be in until the end of May. I swear I almost lost it!!! I now had to find new flooring. I had matched everything to the laminate I had originally chosen. The paint, the tile…everything! I decided to go back there today on my lunch. I spent a good chunk of time pulling samples off the wall and placing them beside the paint chip and the tile I had just purchased to get the right fit. I ended up having to get a darker floor but I think it will look very good. They ended up giving me free delivery which was a bonus.
Heather and I tried to check all the IKEA boxes last night to make sure they were all there but we could not for the life of us figure out the IKEA check list. Yes, we could find the item number and match it but what we could not figure out was how many of each there were. It just didn’t make sense. We thought we had it understood but then we would come across some that said there was one and we had two. Totally confusing. We gave up. I’m hoping everything is there because I only had 48 hours from pick up to do this and that time frame is now kaput.
The painter was supposed to finish today but because his helper didn’t come along he probably won’t get it done. This puts us another day behind. I let him know that Josh would be there tomorrow as he was working on my door and other bits and pieces. Also, my laminate is being delivered tomorrow so he will have to load that into the house.
I had the pleasure of taking a bath in my house for the first time last night. It wasn’t as hot as I like but hey, it was nice just to have one at home. Josh is going to get the plumber to fix it so it’s warmer which will be appreciated.
Okay, I’m done writing. Do I feel better? Hmmm, a little I guess. My head just seems to keep spinning with all I need to do before Monday. Oh and those IKEA cabinets...I have to put all those cabinets together by Monday...OH MY!
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