Greetings from the Money Pit! It's time for another Good News / Bad News update.
Good News: we made EXCELLENT progress on the house this weekend and have two more rooms close to completion. (BIG THANKS to all the helpers we had this weekend and to those that continue to offer - you're lined up for next weekend!!!).
Bad News: camera batteries are out and the rooms are in various states of disarray, so no pics just yet...but, we promise to post them this week so you can SEE the progress.
Good News: K got to see her brother, hang out a bit and have lunch with him today.
Bad News: (for him) this included 3 hours of heavy manual labor as S helped move a LOT of furniture from the 1st floor to the 2nd and 3rd floors.
Bad News #2: S's friend G was with him and was also drafted into this work day (sorry, G!).
Good News: the colors in the Lounge ("Woodsmoke") and the Guest Bedroom ("Silver Fox") are gorgeous and K loves them.
Bad News: J is convinced K always picks the same colors...apparently we're not moving too far away from colors at the last house.
Good News: K and J have finally (!) relocated their bedroom up to the 3rd floor! Progress!
Bad News: K and J have not yet set up the bed frame, so their "bedroom" is Pipsqueak's nursery for now...hey, two steps forward and one step back...still equals ONE step forward!
Good News: progress - albeit slower than we always, ever, etc. anticipated - continues.
Bad News: none.
Thankfully,
K&J
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
It's Electric!
Well, the 2nd floor walls and ceilings are fully drywalled, taped, spackled and sanded...ready for paint. Before we go there, though, today was all about finishing up the electrical wiring - installing switches, outlets, fixtures and preparing for the final panel connections.
J worked with M on this in a true hands-on / DIY endeavor (disclaimer: M is a licensed electrician, we have permits and if our insurance agent is reading this blog (Hi, J!), it is meant for entertainment purposes ONLY!). Here's J wiring one of the closet outlets:
And here are some of the outlets and switches in BEFORE and AFTER mode:
The guys were also able to install the guest bath light fixtures and temporary lights in the guest bedroom:
Note that we've kept the art deco mirror (it's folded in in this pic) because it just fits with the oh-so-fabulous green tile motif!
Guest bedroom light "fixture" - we know, we know - SO sophisticated!
Finally, Trevor & Tuscany helped (moral support and occasional whining/barking):
Zap-pily ever after,
K&J
J worked with M on this in a true hands-on / DIY endeavor (disclaimer: M is a licensed electrician, we have permits and if our insurance agent is reading this blog (Hi, J!), it is meant for entertainment purposes ONLY!). Here's J wiring one of the closet outlets:
And here are some of the outlets and switches in BEFORE and AFTER mode:
The guys were also able to install the guest bath light fixtures and temporary lights in the guest bedroom:
Note that we've kept the art deco mirror (it's folded in in this pic) because it just fits with the oh-so-fabulous green tile motif!
Guest bedroom light "fixture" - we know, we know - SO sophisticated!
Finally, Trevor & Tuscany helped (moral support and occasional whining/barking):
Zap-pily ever after,
K&J
Monday, April 12, 2010
Plugging Away
Another productive weekend.
We're SO close. The nursery is 99% of the way there. We'll need to scrub the floor in there probably...oh...12 more times...to get up all the dust, but at least you can actually see the floor now.
The glider and curtains are the only furnishings moved in so far, but more to come soon (it's hard to see the curtains, but they match the pillow on the glider):
On the second floor, the drywallers have finished putting up all the sheetrock and have taped, spackled and sanded. Last day before priming and painting should be tomorrow:
Guest room view from the doorway
Lounge view from the doorway
We're quite organized and plowing through projects these days. J has hit his stride as our GC and is becoming handier by the day. K is still frustrated that there are many (many!) projects she can't do (painting, priming, scraping, etc.), so she's been ever-so-helpful by posting lists of to dos around the house (Jason loves them...really!):
Final funny (or telling!) anecdote from the weekend - we had a contractor who has been working at the house ask us this question:
"Wait, so you guys actually live here?"
Yep, that about sums it up folks...til next post,
K&J
We're SO close. The nursery is 99% of the way there. We'll need to scrub the floor in there probably...oh...12 more times...to get up all the dust, but at least you can actually see the floor now.
The glider and curtains are the only furnishings moved in so far, but more to come soon (it's hard to see the curtains, but they match the pillow on the glider):
On the second floor, the drywallers have finished putting up all the sheetrock and have taped, spackled and sanded. Last day before priming and painting should be tomorrow:
Guest room view from the doorway
Lounge view from the doorway
We're quite organized and plowing through projects these days. J has hit his stride as our GC and is becoming handier by the day. K is still frustrated that there are many (many!) projects she can't do (painting, priming, scraping, etc.), so she's been ever-so-helpful by posting lists of to dos around the house (Jason loves them...really!):
Final funny (or telling!) anecdote from the weekend - we had a contractor who has been working at the house ask us this question:
"Wait, so you guys actually live here?"
Yep, that about sums it up folks...til next post,
K&J
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Insulation...and Walls...and Ceilings...OH MY!
Well, one step closer to Project Second Floor completion - walls & ceilings! Definitely key.
But, first, in our never-ending quest (really...it feels NEVER ending!) to be smart and responsible home renovators, we made sure to insulate our exterior walls and ceilings. We were a bit surprised to find out that these oh-so-well-made homes were constructed with none - zero, nada, nil - insulation. So, we (read: J) insulated the rooms this week. Behold:
So, now, we're far more energy efficient...but, need walls and ceilings. This is where our new drywall crew comes into play. Let's just say that they are quick, clean and efficient...but, man, are they talkers! Poor J has been working with them which is teaching him a lot about drywall, but also has meant 8-hour days of gab. Still, the result (pre tape and finishing work)...heavenly:
We know - walls and ceilings are not really earth-shattering, but it's all relative here people!
On that note, we hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and festive weekend - thank you again for all of your generous invitations. We were sorry to decline (we'll be back on the festivities circuit soon - really). If it makes you feel any better, this pretty much sums up our holiday evening:
Finally, had Pipsqueak's week 25 doctor appointment today...all is well and continues to go almost unbelievably (knock on wood) smoothly. Pipsqueak has taken to reminding us more often that he/she is here and wants to be heard...or, at least felt! Kicks and pokes abound and J can now feel them through the belly. At least we're both getting to enjoy them now.
More updates to come,
K&J
But, first, in our never-ending quest (really...it feels NEVER ending!) to be smart and responsible home renovators, we made sure to insulate our exterior walls and ceilings. We were a bit surprised to find out that these oh-so-well-made homes were constructed with none - zero, nada, nil - insulation. So, we (read: J) insulated the rooms this week. Behold:
So, now, we're far more energy efficient...but, need walls and ceilings. This is where our new drywall crew comes into play. Let's just say that they are quick, clean and efficient...but, man, are they talkers! Poor J has been working with them which is teaching him a lot about drywall, but also has meant 8-hour days of gab. Still, the result (pre tape and finishing work)...heavenly:
We know - walls and ceilings are not really earth-shattering, but it's all relative here people!
On that note, we hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and festive weekend - thank you again for all of your generous invitations. We were sorry to decline (we'll be back on the festivities circuit soon - really). If it makes you feel any better, this pretty much sums up our holiday evening:
Finally, had Pipsqueak's week 25 doctor appointment today...all is well and continues to go almost unbelievably (knock on wood) smoothly. Pipsqueak has taken to reminding us more often that he/she is here and wants to be heard...or, at least felt! Kicks and pokes abound and J can now feel them through the belly. At least we're both getting to enjoy them now.
More updates to come,
K&J
Saturday, April 03, 2010
One Project Down...8,477,395 to Go!
More progress here at the house. The mason was here from Weds-Fri and we now have a repointed exposed stone wall for the Lounge.
BEFORE:
Detail of the un-pointed stone:
AFTER:
The lime/mortar is still wet in this picture, so it's a bit darker than it will be...but, we love it. ONE PROJECT complete!
We also made great painting progress this week - J has been a painting machine and with help today (THANKS!) finished nearly all of the nursery - windows, trim, closet, edging. Only the doors left to go.
Meanwhile, K has learned that she can spread joint compound and has been working away on the closets. Repairing cracks in plaster in this house could be a full time job! She also is steadily improving her mitre box sawing and caulk gunning skills. Pipsqueak is helping, too - offering encouraging jabs and cheering kicks all the while.
More news to come soon...we'll be thinking of you all tomorrow (as we paint, sand and caulk).
Hoppily,
K&J
BEFORE:
Detail of the un-pointed stone:
AFTER:
The lime/mortar is still wet in this picture, so it's a bit darker than it will be...but, we love it. ONE PROJECT complete!
We also made great painting progress this week - J has been a painting machine and with help today (THANKS!) finished nearly all of the nursery - windows, trim, closet, edging. Only the doors left to go.
Meanwhile, K has learned that she can spread joint compound and has been working away on the closets. Repairing cracks in plaster in this house could be a full time job! She also is steadily improving her mitre box sawing and caulk gunning skills. Pipsqueak is helping, too - offering encouraging jabs and cheering kicks all the while.
More news to come soon...we'll be thinking of you all tomorrow (as we paint, sand and caulk).
Hoppily,
K&J
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)