Progress is a Tricky Thing...

You see, you make the progress and you think it's done, made, complete. But, then you realize the progress is fleeting, fickle and can toy with your emotions.

Case in point - our retro chic green bathroom. On a side note - we recently discovered that this was "remodeled" and "modernized" in 1935 when we opened up the kitchen ceiling and exposed all the pipes to find handwritten dates on them. Of course, they are 50-year pipes (you do the math!), so now we are re-plumbing the whole bathroom. Anyway...progress in the green bathroom...if you recall, we had replaced the toilet and sink and had a fully-functioning, if not almost complete (new ceiling, new plaster, new closet, all new paint, new radiator cover paint) guest bath. Here's how it looks today:


Note the "floating" sink and lovely hole in the floor...yeah, that sink's out of commission.


And, why yes, that is our toilet IN THE TUB. Great. Love it.

At least we'll have all new plumbing in that bathroom (you all - as the "guests" that will use said "guest bathroom" should appreciate that!) within the week.

In another oh-so-comical example of "progress", the Lounge was looking pretty good and "getting there" in terms of drywall, wiring, painting and even some furniture and unpacked items. Here it is as of today:

"What is that?" you say. "Another wall being built? But, I'm confused..." Yes, it is a structural support wall digging right into our freshly painted ceiling - lovely. The carpenters realized that without it, K's office may, you know, "fall down from the 3rd floor into the 2nd floor lounge" when they removed one of the walls in the kitchen, but before they had laid the new steel support beams.

While we did want to keep the ceiling paint intact, this seemed like a not-really-an-option situation...hence, the temporary wall.

But, don't fret. More "progress" marches on. The 1st floor stairway, living room, dining room and billiards room are all completely re-plastered. Ceilings have been fully repaired (or, in the case of the living room, were demo'd and replaced with new drywall) and the plasterers meticulously worked around all of the wainscoting - K was ready to kill the whiny #$#%@!!! by day 5.

Here is some of that handiwork - we're mid-priming and painting, but you get the idea...1000% improvement!

The top of the stairwell heading from the 2nd floor hallway down to the 1st floor (the 2nd floor deck is out that window).


The view going down the stairs.

If you recall, this used to be a lovely shade of dirty cream (curdled?) walls and mud brown wainscoting and trim (we are shocked that the last painter's oh-so-savvy attempt to make it look like dark hardwood didn't quite work out!). It will soon be a buttercream wall with extra bright white trim and wainscoting. Can't wait.

In other related news, we're closing in on 2 weeks until Pipsqueak's anticipated arrival. K's belly is dancing around as Pips continues to show that he/she loves music and the sounds of Daddy's voice and Trevor & Tuscany's barking. Thankfully, Pipsqueak also seems to enjoy the hum of power tools (thank goodness!). K is hoping she has the full 2 weeks (all signs point to yes (fingers crossed!) so far) for both work and house renovation reasons. Meanwhile, J is kicking off marathon painting sessions and making progress all over the place. We'll keep you all posted!

Two-More-Weeks-Would-Be-Nice-ily,
K&J

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

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