I survived Easter weekend. It was actually quite nice.
I spent Thursday evening sweeping the house of sawdust and wood chips (I sound like Cinderella) and the cable and telephone wires were just being installed when I got home from work. There’s one more thing to check off the list.
Is it just me? Because I think the installation of cable and telephone jacks etc is highway robbery! Josh assured me he had put that in his original quote…(huge sigh of relief).
I was happy to have my water back on for the weekend but little was I prepared for Good Friday morning…I took it easy that morn. Not something I normally get to do. I very leisurely started my day with coffee and computer surfing and a little HGTV (alternating with sitting in front of the gas fireplace to get warm) I finally decided to get ready for the day. Heated up some water in my kettle and did the few dishes I had. Oh come on! The water would not drain from the sink. I had already heard from Josh about a half hour earlier. He was asking if I had gotten the stair nosing sample. I assured him it was on my list of things to do this weekend and it would be in his possession on Monday.
I proceeded to call Josh back about the water clogging. I just needed to know how to fix it. He tried to tell me how to release pressure from the valve behind the toilet. Nothing. Finally he instructed me to loosen it completely. I hung up and rifled through the tool bag under the stairs and found a wrench. I did my best to loosen it. I’m not a strapping young lad so it obviously wasn’t going to budge! I made an executive decision and got the hammer and whacked the crap out of it until it moved. I know, not the best solution but I didn’t want to be without running water for a long weekend and I wasn’t about to ask Josh to come out to my house to fix it for Easter. The whacking worked, the water drained. The frantic girl was happy.
I spent my day collecting light fixtures. First stop Vancouver lighting. I wanted to get my outdoor lights for the front of my house. Check.
Second off to IKEA (now my second home) to pick up the ceiling fixtures I had wanted. Check.
I stopped at my Mom’s on the way home. It’s my sanctuary for now and lets not forget my laundr-o-mat. What would we do without our Moms? I was starving when I got there and ended up snacking myself out of dinner. She warned me but I didn’t listen. Oh well. I enjoyed my day and fell asleep on the couch watching t.v.
I found out the next day that Vancouver lighting had sold me the wrong lights and I’d have to take them back. I ended up going to Richmond on Saturday and found green mosaic tile to go with my 50’s green sinks. The tile was only $9.99 for a 12X12 sheet. Not bad. I also bought my under mount kitchen sink from the same place for an awesome deal. I’ll be picking it up on Wednesday.
I’m struggling with my vanity lighting for my master bath. I found fixtures I like but they are way over my price range. I have a problem dropping 6 C notes for one fixture. I casually saw someone do this on Saturday. They were carrying around a Chihuahua and were wearing designer jeans and some fancy dancy shoes. A three light vanity light…nothing special..$600. just like they were buying chewing gum. They didn’t even bat an eye. I walked out of the store empty handed.
I got my outdoor lighting replaced and held it up to the house to see what it looked like. Awesome, but unfortunately the back plate doesn’t cover the outlet. I will let Josh know. He always has solutions for my issues (don’t even think it!).
It’s now Tuesday. My stairs are being re-built and should be done by the time I get home. I dropped in at at noon to talk to the guys and see the progress. It looks great like always. Drywall will apparently happen next week…and by the way the electrical passed inspection this morning. The bathtubs are supposed to be arriving tomorrow and will be installed. Unfortunately I still have no hot water so there will be no long soothing baths in the very near future. It will happen one day…and I can’t wait!
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
No Easter Egg hunt at my house this year!
What day are we on for the reno? Beats me! I thought I’d keep track of the days but it just hasn’t worked out that way.
I came home from work Monday (I think it was Monday…it’s turning into a blur now) to find I had no water and no toilet once again. It would have been nice to have had a heads up (again, no pun intended) but unfortunately the plumbers didn’t tell my contractor so in our briefing at the end of the day it never came up. I was sweeping up and needed to wash up but then found the tap taped shut to the handle. I had minimal water in the fridge so I called over the fence to my neighbor and asked if he could fill up the Britta jug for me. Thank goodness for neighbors. I knew the next morning I’d be heading to the gym to get ready for the day. Not my favorite thing to do.
I had to head to IKEA again to change my cabinet order because we didn’t think one cabinet would fit and Josh said he thought we would be able to use the fridge cabinet after all. When I looked at my original order I actually found a mistake with my bathroom vanity cabinets which I had ordered with my kitchen. It’s all fixed now so it’s all good and she even gave me the 15% off the new cabinets I ordered even though the sale is over. I took part of the order home with me. Holy lead! Those boxes are awkward and heavy!
I’ve had enough of the waking up in the middle of the night and getting up scenario. I did sleep last night until 4:30am….hey, it’s better than 3am. My head is so full of things to order for the house. The biggest dilemma I have right now?, my stair railing. I want to get a few more quotes and the system I actually like the best is from the Seattle area. You send them the measurements and they make it for you. Apparently it’s easy to install yourself. There are a few railings I like, one being the glass and the other the cable railing system. I’ve heard is hard to get an inspector to pass the cable because kids can climb them so I’m sticking with the glass.
I had to find a sub for my fitness class for tonight because my fridge delivery was today. They could only give me a time frame of between 12pm – 6:30pm, so I couldn’t take the chance they would be there earlier than later. Apparently no one was going to be home so I thought I’d have to leave work at noon to be there for the day. Ends up I cancelled for nothing. The fridge came at 12:30pm. I was there and so was the electrician. Speaking of Electrician, the inspection will be next Tuesday, the insulation Wednesday and the drywall Thursday and the drywall dust soon after…ugh. Not that I’m complaining. Progress is good.
The plumbing inspection was today and passed with flying colors and as an Easter present I now have my toilet and cold water hooked up. That’s better that chocolate. I’m living the good life now!
I came home from work Monday (I think it was Monday…it’s turning into a blur now) to find I had no water and no toilet once again. It would have been nice to have had a heads up (again, no pun intended) but unfortunately the plumbers didn’t tell my contractor so in our briefing at the end of the day it never came up. I was sweeping up and needed to wash up but then found the tap taped shut to the handle. I had minimal water in the fridge so I called over the fence to my neighbor and asked if he could fill up the Britta jug for me. Thank goodness for neighbors. I knew the next morning I’d be heading to the gym to get ready for the day. Not my favorite thing to do.
I had to head to IKEA again to change my cabinet order because we didn’t think one cabinet would fit and Josh said he thought we would be able to use the fridge cabinet after all. When I looked at my original order I actually found a mistake with my bathroom vanity cabinets which I had ordered with my kitchen. It’s all fixed now so it’s all good and she even gave me the 15% off the new cabinets I ordered even though the sale is over. I took part of the order home with me. Holy lead! Those boxes are awkward and heavy!
I’ve had enough of the waking up in the middle of the night and getting up scenario. I did sleep last night until 4:30am….hey, it’s better than 3am. My head is so full of things to order for the house. The biggest dilemma I have right now?, my stair railing. I want to get a few more quotes and the system I actually like the best is from the Seattle area. You send them the measurements and they make it for you. Apparently it’s easy to install yourself. There are a few railings I like, one being the glass and the other the cable railing system. I’ve heard is hard to get an inspector to pass the cable because kids can climb them so I’m sticking with the glass.
I had to find a sub for my fitness class for tonight because my fridge delivery was today. They could only give me a time frame of between 12pm – 6:30pm, so I couldn’t take the chance they would be there earlier than later. Apparently no one was going to be home so I thought I’d have to leave work at noon to be there for the day. Ends up I cancelled for nothing. The fridge came at 12:30pm. I was there and so was the electrician. Speaking of Electrician, the inspection will be next Tuesday, the insulation Wednesday and the drywall Thursday and the drywall dust soon after…ugh. Not that I’m complaining. Progress is good.
The plumbing inspection was today and passed with flying colors and as an Easter present I now have my toilet and cold water hooked up. That’s better that chocolate. I’m living the good life now!
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Survival on a toilet, makeshift sink and cold water
This reno thing...it's not so bad. A little tense but all in all it's going well. I knew seeing my bank balance would make the hair on the back of my neck stand at attention but I'm doing my best to keep on budget. Okay, I have to admit....I've blown it in a couple of areas.
There are so many decisions. I knew there would be but I wasn't expecting to make so many decisions so quickly. Luckily I've done a lot of planning. Did I say a lot? I mean constant. I spend every morning on the computer looking for the perfect item at the perfect price for my perfect home. I need a personal masseuse to ease the tension in my neck from all the worry I'm putting myself through. I haven't been writing on my blog because I've been so busy finding, picking and ordering "things" for this mid century jewel.
I'm quite smug about a few of my decisions. I've decided to use two IKEA fridge cabinets butt together to make a floating vanity for my ensuite bath. I was truly battling using my original idea, which was taking my dining room credenza and turning it into the bath vanity. Why the struggle? The style... and it would only allow one sink. It's a beautiful piece but really doesn't fit into the "mid century modern" design I'm so eager to achieve. While scouring IKEA hackers website I saw the fridge cabinet idea turned vanity. I didn't like how they had decorated it but it was a fantastic idea and cost effective at that. Yes, it would be more costly than using the dining credenza I already had but I knew that I would regret it if I didn't go for it. Now I can have two sinks...always better for resale in a master bathroom (always think of resale...always).
I'm using the fridge cabinets idea for another project as well. I'm leaving the under portion of my stairs open and I will be making a seating bench to fit under with two fridge cabinets. I found this idea on the internet as well, although not for under the stairs. The cabinets will sit on small pieces of wood (unseen plywood pieces perhaps) just enough to be off the floor so the doors can open to store things inside. I will then make a long pad with nice material to be the cushion on the top of the cabinets. Wa-la, storage and a seating area to sit and put your shoes on. I'm going to ask the electrician this morning if he will put lighting on the wall below the bench so the light will shine up behind it.
The meeting went well with Lorie from the bath store. I ended up splurging a bit here and got two soaker tubs but I was a good girl and selected vessel sinks for my ensuite that were mid range in price. The ones I liked were upwards of a grand each...cough, cough. I spent a sufficient $200 each and achieved the same look. They are on back order until April 22nd, which I'm sure will be fine. My bathtubs should be in next week. Keeping on the bathroom subject, I was thrilled to find some bathroom vanity lights for the main bathroom at a decent price. I found them at Canadian Tire of all places. I was there yesterday on a work mission and spotted them. I really like them because the glass looks like linen. I have tried to purchase all my lighting from Rona because I have over a grand to spend there from Airmiles. I have found some cool wall sconces for my upstairs hall but I just wasn't keen on the vanity lighting selection. I have pinned down some lights for my ensuite but I don't know if they will be powerful enough. They are from Rejuvenation Hardware and they are Atomic style which are awesome and just my cuppa tea. The kicker?...they are more than I would like to spend (what's new) and I will have to pay shipping because they are from the U.S. This company also make reproduction 50's drawer pulls I want for my linen and washer and dryer closet doors. I tried to steal some real 1950's ones from someone. (You know who you are)...but it just didn't happen :).
I have a lot of recessed lighting going into my home. I do love recessed lighting but the real reason I have so much of it is from bulkheads that have had to be built in to hide plumbing pipes. I knew it was going to happen in the kitchen because of my ensuite bath above but now it will be in all the bathrooms as well to hide the ugly wall fans that have to go in. It is going to look cool though, but it's also going to be more ca-ching.
All the framing is done upstairs and most of it is done on the main floor. The electrician will be here today to finish the downstairs wiring so I'm trying to be prepared to make decisions on where the lights will be...most of it is recessed lighting. My vacuum rough-in was finished yesterday and my cable and phone has been ordered to be put in.
On the weekend I went with my oldest daughter to Rona to exchange some wall sconces that I decided were not right. I spotted a Sears Home Center on the way and decided to pop in to see if they had lots of appliances on the floor. Well, indeed they did. In particular I was looking for an Electrolux side by side refrigerator because the french door version was way over my budget. I have changed my mind about the Fisher and Paykel fridge and stove and started veering towards Electrolux. I absolutely fell in love with the Electrolux stove because the warming drawer turns into an oven if you want it to be...think homemade pizza.
Lucky me, I found an Electrolux side by side fridge floor model marked down almost a grand.
It had a couple of scratches on the side but what did I care, my fridge was going to be built in so it would never be seen. I bought the stove and fridge and ended up getting a Kenmore dishwasher.
On a separate note, I also picked up my chromed backplate for my door knob. It looks terriffic with the chrome door knob! I can't wait to see the whole door put together.
Well, that's enough for now...I have to save this entry and post it later with some updated pictures...and more importantly....I need to scour the internet for more deals and ideas before "the men" arrive.
There are so many decisions. I knew there would be but I wasn't expecting to make so many decisions so quickly. Luckily I've done a lot of planning. Did I say a lot? I mean constant. I spend every morning on the computer looking for the perfect item at the perfect price for my perfect home. I need a personal masseuse to ease the tension in my neck from all the worry I'm putting myself through. I haven't been writing on my blog because I've been so busy finding, picking and ordering "things" for this mid century jewel.
I'm quite smug about a few of my decisions. I've decided to use two IKEA fridge cabinets butt together to make a floating vanity for my ensuite bath. I was truly battling using my original idea, which was taking my dining room credenza and turning it into the bath vanity. Why the struggle? The style... and it would only allow one sink. It's a beautiful piece but really doesn't fit into the "mid century modern" design I'm so eager to achieve. While scouring IKEA hackers website I saw the fridge cabinet idea turned vanity. I didn't like how they had decorated it but it was a fantastic idea and cost effective at that. Yes, it would be more costly than using the dining credenza I already had but I knew that I would regret it if I didn't go for it. Now I can have two sinks...always better for resale in a master bathroom (always think of resale...always).
I'm using the fridge cabinets idea for another project as well. I'm leaving the under portion of my stairs open and I will be making a seating bench to fit under with two fridge cabinets. I found this idea on the internet as well, although not for under the stairs. The cabinets will sit on small pieces of wood (unseen plywood pieces perhaps) just enough to be off the floor so the doors can open to store things inside. I will then make a long pad with nice material to be the cushion on the top of the cabinets. Wa-la, storage and a seating area to sit and put your shoes on. I'm going to ask the electrician this morning if he will put lighting on the wall below the bench so the light will shine up behind it.
The meeting went well with Lorie from the bath store. I ended up splurging a bit here and got two soaker tubs but I was a good girl and selected vessel sinks for my ensuite that were mid range in price. The ones I liked were upwards of a grand each...cough, cough. I spent a sufficient $200 each and achieved the same look. They are on back order until April 22nd, which I'm sure will be fine. My bathtubs should be in next week. Keeping on the bathroom subject, I was thrilled to find some bathroom vanity lights for the main bathroom at a decent price. I found them at Canadian Tire of all places. I was there yesterday on a work mission and spotted them. I really like them because the glass looks like linen. I have tried to purchase all my lighting from Rona because I have over a grand to spend there from Airmiles. I have found some cool wall sconces for my upstairs hall but I just wasn't keen on the vanity lighting selection. I have pinned down some lights for my ensuite but I don't know if they will be powerful enough. They are from Rejuvenation Hardware and they are Atomic style which are awesome and just my cuppa tea. The kicker?...they are more than I would like to spend (what's new) and I will have to pay shipping because they are from the U.S. This company also make reproduction 50's drawer pulls I want for my linen and washer and dryer closet doors. I tried to steal some real 1950's ones from someone. (You know who you are)...but it just didn't happen :).
I have a lot of recessed lighting going into my home. I do love recessed lighting but the real reason I have so much of it is from bulkheads that have had to be built in to hide plumbing pipes. I knew it was going to happen in the kitchen because of my ensuite bath above but now it will be in all the bathrooms as well to hide the ugly wall fans that have to go in. It is going to look cool though, but it's also going to be more ca-ching.
All the framing is done upstairs and most of it is done on the main floor. The electrician will be here today to finish the downstairs wiring so I'm trying to be prepared to make decisions on where the lights will be...most of it is recessed lighting. My vacuum rough-in was finished yesterday and my cable and phone has been ordered to be put in.
On the weekend I went with my oldest daughter to Rona to exchange some wall sconces that I decided were not right. I spotted a Sears Home Center on the way and decided to pop in to see if they had lots of appliances on the floor. Well, indeed they did. In particular I was looking for an Electrolux side by side refrigerator because the french door version was way over my budget. I have changed my mind about the Fisher and Paykel fridge and stove and started veering towards Electrolux. I absolutely fell in love with the Electrolux stove because the warming drawer turns into an oven if you want it to be...think homemade pizza.
Lucky me, I found an Electrolux side by side fridge floor model marked down almost a grand.
It had a couple of scratches on the side but what did I care, my fridge was going to be built in so it would never be seen. I bought the stove and fridge and ended up getting a Kenmore dishwasher.
On a separate note, I also picked up my chromed backplate for my door knob. It looks terriffic with the chrome door knob! I can't wait to see the whole door put together.
Well, that's enough for now...I have to save this entry and post it later with some updated pictures...and more importantly....I need to scour the internet for more deals and ideas before "the men" arrive.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
A little chilly last night but I did have a good rest. I had my coffee this morning and tried to get organized for the day. I decided to take the day off today because I know I have to get some things done for the reno. I met with Josh and the plumbers today. I pleaded for the toilet but alas I’ll have it tomorrow. We decided where the 1950’s sinks will be placed and I gave them the measurements for the cabinets for my ensuite. I had some questions about my kitchen because my day included going to IKEA to order the kitchen and bathroom cabinets. I needed to know the measurements of the bulk head above my kitchen cabinets and we needed to re-measure the kitchen because the powder room wall needed to be moved slightly. All was good and the kitchen could stay the way I planned.
Heather and I hoofed it to the gym to get cleaned up and ready for the day and we were off. First stop the door store. I got prices and forms to fill out for the door and closet sizes. Josh and I will do that tomorrow morning. Then it was off to IKEA to finalize the kitchen and place the order. We were there for quite a while. I ended up getting almost $800.00 back in IKEA gift cards which will pay for my under stair cabinetry and my shelving units plus more. After that it was off to take my doorknob back plate in to be chromed. It will be ready Friday.
Megan invited us to use her kitchen tonight for dinner so I picked up some fixin’s for fajitas, guacamole and salsa. It was great to use a real kitchen. I ended up bringing over some of my dishes from the morning to wash up as well.
It’s going to be a hectic morning tomorrow. I have a meeting with a girl from a bathroom store to order my tubs and maybe some sinks for my ensuite. The only trouble is I left her address at the office. Hopefully the plumber will be here tomorrow morning. He was the one who gave me her phone number so I can get the info from him. My head is having trouble holding all the info it needs to right now.
HELP!
Heather and I hoofed it to the gym to get cleaned up and ready for the day and we were off. First stop the door store. I got prices and forms to fill out for the door and closet sizes. Josh and I will do that tomorrow morning. Then it was off to IKEA to finalize the kitchen and place the order. We were there for quite a while. I ended up getting almost $800.00 back in IKEA gift cards which will pay for my under stair cabinetry and my shelving units plus more. After that it was off to take my doorknob back plate in to be chromed. It will be ready Friday.
Megan invited us to use her kitchen tonight for dinner so I picked up some fixin’s for fajitas, guacamole and salsa. It was great to use a real kitchen. I ended up bringing over some of my dishes from the morning to wash up as well.
It’s going to be a hectic morning tomorrow. I have a meeting with a girl from a bathroom store to order my tubs and maybe some sinks for my ensuite. The only trouble is I left her address at the office. Hopefully the plumber will be here tomorrow morning. He was the one who gave me her phone number so I can get the info from him. My head is having trouble holding all the info it needs to right now.
HELP!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Squatting...in more ways than one
Everything seems to be going so quickly. It’s surprising really. Here it is 1 week and 1 day since the reno began and my upstairs is totally framed in and most of the main floor as well. Interestingly enough I’ve been out of town for the last two days and feel like I’ve missed out on the action. It’s funny but I’d rather live in my house the way it is right now as apposed to be being in a nice hotel.
As I sat in the Calgary airport yesterday afternoon, I received a call from Josh. He proceeded to tell me that everything was going well. So well in fact he had lined the plumber and electrician to be here for today. I was told I’d have no water or bathtub or any sink. Not that I cared…I wasn’t there but my poor daughter Heather was. I had to break the news to her. She was fine with it.
Josh called me again this afternoon, at the Edmonton airport, and informed me I had no insulation and no plumbing/water and would have no computer/t.v. He would though, have one plug in by the t.v. and would make sure my fridge worked.
As I made my way home from the airport I have to admit I sped…not just a little but like I was in the Indy 500. I was trying to get home before the light diminished into darkness to see the progress in the house. Heather decided to stay at her boyfriends (good call). Unfortunately I didn’t make it home before nightfall and stumbled through the front door into darkness. It was nice to be greeted by my cats, who by now I’ve come to realize can live through a disheveled household. I dragged my suitcase upstairs, felt my way around my so called room and pulled all the boxes (my clothes etc.) that had been placed there for the day off the bed. I got into my Jammies, grabbed my quilt and made my way to the main living area. I was happy to discover Josh had hooked my computer up to the one plug by the fireplace that now looks like a baby octopus. I guess it was one or the other…computer or T.V. I’m happy with the computer. I have music and the Internet. I used the light from the computer screen to find the remote for the fireplace and turned it up full blast. It’s not really that cold in here but nothing wrong with being toasty, is there? That fireplace is amazing!
I had remembered I had used a metal cage utility light before I had left to go out of town…now if I could only find it. I turned the computer screen around to cast some light into the far reaches of the other part of the room. Aha, there it was. Josh had hung it up in the kitchen and had plugged it into an extension cord. I turned it on and wa-la I had some light.
Okay this next part may be a little too much information but you can cover your eyes if you don’t want to read it…
I new I had to find something to use as a port-a-potty. I decided to look for some ideas in my garage. First thing I spotted I knew was a good idea. My small plastic garbage container was sitting by the washing machine. It had a garbage bag lining it. I decided it would be a perfect solution and since kitty litter was good enough for my cats why not a human. I would put some litter in the bottom of the bag and quite simply have my overnight facilities. I wasn’t really keen on the idea of going outside in my back bushes…especially in the middle of the night. This was definitely the answer. I really don’t want to use my neighbor’s bathroom in the middle of the night. With my luck they would think it was a break and enter and beat me with a baseball bat.
On a very positive note, I just found a new pound of coffee after rummaging through some boxes. I thought I was out. I will be able to have my java tomorrow morning without leaving my house! I gotta have my coffee first thing when I wake up. Life is good. Life is very good!
As I sat in the Calgary airport yesterday afternoon, I received a call from Josh. He proceeded to tell me that everything was going well. So well in fact he had lined the plumber and electrician to be here for today. I was told I’d have no water or bathtub or any sink. Not that I cared…I wasn’t there but my poor daughter Heather was. I had to break the news to her. She was fine with it.
Josh called me again this afternoon, at the Edmonton airport, and informed me I had no insulation and no plumbing/water and would have no computer/t.v. He would though, have one plug in by the t.v. and would make sure my fridge worked.
As I made my way home from the airport I have to admit I sped…not just a little but like I was in the Indy 500. I was trying to get home before the light diminished into darkness to see the progress in the house. Heather decided to stay at her boyfriends (good call). Unfortunately I didn’t make it home before nightfall and stumbled through the front door into darkness. It was nice to be greeted by my cats, who by now I’ve come to realize can live through a disheveled household. I dragged my suitcase upstairs, felt my way around my so called room and pulled all the boxes (my clothes etc.) that had been placed there for the day off the bed. I got into my Jammies, grabbed my quilt and made my way to the main living area. I was happy to discover Josh had hooked my computer up to the one plug by the fireplace that now looks like a baby octopus. I guess it was one or the other…computer or T.V. I’m happy with the computer. I have music and the Internet. I used the light from the computer screen to find the remote for the fireplace and turned it up full blast. It’s not really that cold in here but nothing wrong with being toasty, is there? That fireplace is amazing!
I had remembered I had used a metal cage utility light before I had left to go out of town…now if I could only find it. I turned the computer screen around to cast some light into the far reaches of the other part of the room. Aha, there it was. Josh had hung it up in the kitchen and had plugged it into an extension cord. I turned it on and wa-la I had some light.
Okay this next part may be a little too much information but you can cover your eyes if you don’t want to read it…
I new I had to find something to use as a port-a-potty. I decided to look for some ideas in my garage. First thing I spotted I knew was a good idea. My small plastic garbage container was sitting by the washing machine. It had a garbage bag lining it. I decided it would be a perfect solution and since kitty litter was good enough for my cats why not a human. I would put some litter in the bottom of the bag and quite simply have my overnight facilities. I wasn’t really keen on the idea of going outside in my back bushes…especially in the middle of the night. This was definitely the answer. I really don’t want to use my neighbor’s bathroom in the middle of the night. With my luck they would think it was a break and enter and beat me with a baseball bat.
On a very positive note, I just found a new pound of coffee after rummaging through some boxes. I thought I was out. I will be able to have my java tomorrow morning without leaving my house! I gotta have my coffee first thing when I wake up. Life is good. Life is very good!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Reno Day 3 and 4
Well, I survived the week. Here it is Saturday morning and I’m still here to write about it.
Not a lot happened on day 3. Okay that’s a lie…the permit is ready to be picked up. I didn’t know I could be so elated about paying over $300. for a piece of paper.
The tear down went swifter than Josh had planned (money saver #1) and so it was only a half day of work. The work included accidentally putting a crowbar through a kitchen window. Surprisingly, it was the only window in the house I hadn’t replaced with the new energy efficient ones. Reason was, back then the window guy couldn’t measure it properly because tile was installed on the ledge of the window and at that time I hadn’t picked a contractor yet. I just told him to leave it and I’d get him back to install the new version when the house was completed. So, it was time to call him. He came out and measured and it’s now on order. No biggie.
I decided to do some laundry tonight but what I didn’t count on was deciding to wash my concrete floor in the kitchen. As the washing machine went through the cycle of emptying of water it spurted onto my kitchen floor. With the dismantling of walls the pipe had been disturbed and had formed a leak. I had a small heart attack when I saw the lake on the floor. I quickly mopped it up with some rags but I knew the washing machine was going to fill up again with water to do the rinse cycle. I held the pipe with a rag while it did it’s second drain and withheld the water from spilling onto the floor once again. I chuckled to myself, threw all the rags outside when done and new Josh could fix the pipe in the morning. I’m still grateful I have a washing machine.
Day 4
The sub floor is now done upstairs or should I put it the way Josh did when I came home yesterday… “Cori, we have your dance floor finished”. It looked a whole lot better up there with a consistent floor. I joked that I thought to save money I should just stain it and not put flooring on top.
The framing is now done in the exercise room and most of Heather’s room and all the room walls have been laid out. Just looking at it I thought my bedroom looked a little small so I gabbed the tape measure and measured it out and it’s 12’.2 X 13’.3. I know that’s not huge but it’s a bit bigger than my last bedroom which was plenty for me, plus I’ll have a 3’ X 8’ closet and a large master bathroom.
I went to the door store yesterday morning and have decided on my exterior doors. I’m going with fiberglass flat finish doors. I’ll get two single pane window doors, one for the dining room out to the patio and one for my master bedroom out to my deck. Then I’ll get a plain flush fiberglass front door and have my retro window lights installed in it.
Josh measured my kitchen for me (my piece of mind) to make sure my IKEA kitchen and my appliances fit in. They do, although, I’m wavering on appliances again. I’ll go to the appliance store today or tomorrow to make a decision. I’m questioning the Fisher and Paykel appliance servicing in Canada.
When I got home from work yesterday my neighbors came over to see what all the hullabaloo was about. It was funny to see their reaction. These are the same neighbors who helped me take down the hideous playhouse that was in my backyard a few days after I moved in. I had let them know back then that I was going to gut the place. Obviously Brad the hubby hadn’t taken those words to heart. Brad’s exact words when he walked in today…. “You weren’t kidding about gutting were you?” I smiled. “Nope”.
In my mind it was always the plan. He just looked around the house and said… “I love post and beam construction.” As he said that I thought, so do I!! They had been in the house before and made a comment that this poor house needed some TLC. Brad asked if everything was sound, as in, were any surprises found. I told him not a one. Everything is solid as a rock except for the minimal rot by the bathtub. They asked how I was doing living through it and I said I was fine. I told Angela I would be without “facilities” for a few days possibly next week so she gave me a key to her house so I could use the bathroom. I really appreciated that.
I’m heading out of town on Monday for two days. It’s going to be hard to leave the reno. My mind is totally intertwined with the fundamentals of constructing this house. Heather will have to hold down the fort.
We are both doing great with regards to living through this (and my cats are even getting used to it). We both know it’s worth the end result and so far, with no help from negative statements from well meaning people who try to scare you (or warn you) with their “oh, just wait, it’ll get worse” comments. We are excited and are looking at this as a process. Yes, there will be times that will be uncomfortable but I can’t help it. I love the challenge of it. I get off on the flurry of decision making and discovering the stages of the progress.
Bring it on!!...Okay, that is, with regard to living through discomfort bring it on…not having to fork out more money. That I don’t want to bring on!!! (I’m nervously knocking on wood as I type that)
Not a lot happened on day 3. Okay that’s a lie…the permit is ready to be picked up. I didn’t know I could be so elated about paying over $300. for a piece of paper.
The tear down went swifter than Josh had planned (money saver #1) and so it was only a half day of work. The work included accidentally putting a crowbar through a kitchen window. Surprisingly, it was the only window in the house I hadn’t replaced with the new energy efficient ones. Reason was, back then the window guy couldn’t measure it properly because tile was installed on the ledge of the window and at that time I hadn’t picked a contractor yet. I just told him to leave it and I’d get him back to install the new version when the house was completed. So, it was time to call him. He came out and measured and it’s now on order. No biggie.
I decided to do some laundry tonight but what I didn’t count on was deciding to wash my concrete floor in the kitchen. As the washing machine went through the cycle of emptying of water it spurted onto my kitchen floor. With the dismantling of walls the pipe had been disturbed and had formed a leak. I had a small heart attack when I saw the lake on the floor. I quickly mopped it up with some rags but I knew the washing machine was going to fill up again with water to do the rinse cycle. I held the pipe with a rag while it did it’s second drain and withheld the water from spilling onto the floor once again. I chuckled to myself, threw all the rags outside when done and new Josh could fix the pipe in the morning. I’m still grateful I have a washing machine.
Day 4
The sub floor is now done upstairs or should I put it the way Josh did when I came home yesterday… “Cori, we have your dance floor finished”. It looked a whole lot better up there with a consistent floor. I joked that I thought to save money I should just stain it and not put flooring on top.
The framing is now done in the exercise room and most of Heather’s room and all the room walls have been laid out. Just looking at it I thought my bedroom looked a little small so I gabbed the tape measure and measured it out and it’s 12’.2 X 13’.3. I know that’s not huge but it’s a bit bigger than my last bedroom which was plenty for me, plus I’ll have a 3’ X 8’ closet and a large master bathroom.
I went to the door store yesterday morning and have decided on my exterior doors. I’m going with fiberglass flat finish doors. I’ll get two single pane window doors, one for the dining room out to the patio and one for my master bedroom out to my deck. Then I’ll get a plain flush fiberglass front door and have my retro window lights installed in it.
Josh measured my kitchen for me (my piece of mind) to make sure my IKEA kitchen and my appliances fit in. They do, although, I’m wavering on appliances again. I’ll go to the appliance store today or tomorrow to make a decision. I’m questioning the Fisher and Paykel appliance servicing in Canada.
When I got home from work yesterday my neighbors came over to see what all the hullabaloo was about. It was funny to see their reaction. These are the same neighbors who helped me take down the hideous playhouse that was in my backyard a few days after I moved in. I had let them know back then that I was going to gut the place. Obviously Brad the hubby hadn’t taken those words to heart. Brad’s exact words when he walked in today…. “You weren’t kidding about gutting were you?” I smiled. “Nope”.
In my mind it was always the plan. He just looked around the house and said… “I love post and beam construction.” As he said that I thought, so do I!! They had been in the house before and made a comment that this poor house needed some TLC. Brad asked if everything was sound, as in, were any surprises found. I told him not a one. Everything is solid as a rock except for the minimal rot by the bathtub. They asked how I was doing living through it and I said I was fine. I told Angela I would be without “facilities” for a few days possibly next week so she gave me a key to her house so I could use the bathroom. I really appreciated that.
I’m heading out of town on Monday for two days. It’s going to be hard to leave the reno. My mind is totally intertwined with the fundamentals of constructing this house. Heather will have to hold down the fort.
We are both doing great with regards to living through this (and my cats are even getting used to it). We both know it’s worth the end result and so far, with no help from negative statements from well meaning people who try to scare you (or warn you) with their “oh, just wait, it’ll get worse” comments. We are excited and are looking at this as a process. Yes, there will be times that will be uncomfortable but I can’t help it. I love the challenge of it. I get off on the flurry of decision making and discovering the stages of the progress.
Bring it on!!...Okay, that is, with regard to living through discomfort bring it on…not having to fork out more money. That I don’t want to bring on!!! (I’m nervously knocking on wood as I type that)
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Reno Day 2
Reno day 2, my main floor is now gutted. Good thing I like the minimalist look because that is basically what I now have. Josh was good enough to set up a computer station for me downstairs by the T.V. so I can do research for finishing materials for the house.
The container we had ordered to put the materials from my house in was filled to the brim so we had to order another container (over budget #1) and it was delivered in the evening. My briefing with Josh went well. We have to switch the toilet with the shower in my ensuite to make things work better, which is no problem for me and I’m now in a bit of a rush to get the tubs I want for my bathrooms (a request from the plumber). I’ll be going this morning to the Kohler showroom to hopefully find the tubs I want. I do have my eye on the “Archer” model but want to lay in it first and give it the ol’ comfort test.
Apparently my subfloor will be going in upstairs tomorrow and the framing will begin. Now all I can think about is the dreaded “drywall stage”. I’ll have to pick up some tarps for that process…cough, cough. I’m guessing my hair will feel dusty constantly and I’m imagining I’ll be like Pig Pen from the Peanuts comic strip with a constant cloud of dust trailing behind me.
The container we had ordered to put the materials from my house in was filled to the brim so we had to order another container (over budget #1) and it was delivered in the evening. My briefing with Josh went well. We have to switch the toilet with the shower in my ensuite to make things work better, which is no problem for me and I’m now in a bit of a rush to get the tubs I want for my bathrooms (a request from the plumber). I’ll be going this morning to the Kohler showroom to hopefully find the tubs I want. I do have my eye on the “Archer” model but want to lay in it first and give it the ol’ comfort test.
Apparently my subfloor will be going in upstairs tomorrow and the framing will begin. Now all I can think about is the dreaded “drywall stage”. I’ll have to pick up some tarps for that process…cough, cough. I’m guessing my hair will feel dusty constantly and I’m imagining I’ll be like Pig Pen from the Peanuts comic strip with a constant cloud of dust trailing behind me.
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