Projects this weekend

The trend continues - more work on Erin's wall. And hopefully the downstairs closet. I would really like to get back to the dining room, too. There will also be some banister stripping done, courtesy of a friend who actually likes that stuff, so if you want something to do on a rainy Sat, there's plenty available!

New windows!

Hooray! New windows are in! And I might be slightly high from the caulking fumes...

They look great, I'm excited about them. The guys did a really good job (at least, I think so now. I'll wait until tomorrow's rainstorm before drawing my full conclusion). Two of them look a little ridiculous to me - the windows are straight, but the existing outside moldings look a little crooked, which makes the windows kind of look like they are winking. But once the treatments are up, I don't think you'll be able to tell...

Anyway, I'm really excited to see how these do in making it quieter in here! As well as the breezes in the winters, of course... Pictures after we hang the window treatments.

Oh - and did I screw up? There was great debate over whether or not to tip them (I mean, it seems to be accepted that you don't tip plumbers and electricians, so does this apply to all skilled handymen?). I had money in my pocket ready to go - but the one guy just disappeared, and the head guy charged my card, shook my hand and was out the door. There didn't seem to be an expectant pause, so I didn't tip them. Was I wrong? Share your thoughts...

Erin's new wall

Finally, the pictures of Erin's new wall cabinets. I think they will eventually look quite lovely. They aren't the best of pictures, but the room is too narrow for me to capture them head-on. Anyway - base removal:

Dad rocking the wall:


Look, pretty cabinets!:


And the work continues...

Who knew?

The front window replacements are being installed this Fri (please please let them be more soundproof!), so it was time to actually buy curtains and blinds/shades. After hours of looking with Erin, we still haven't completely settled on the shades. But I ordered the curtains. And really - who knew curtains are sold singly? Who in the world thinks, "I should dress up my windows. Guess I'll buy a curtain. Don't need two, that's just wasteful. One'll do me." Let's not even talk about why a single piece of fabric is $60... Gaak.

Also, I think Dad was right (hush Dad), and I do need to prioritize insulating the "attic". It was HOT upstairs last night, and it was only 80 degrees. I might boil when it's 100 outside. Researching.

I did do some actual work this weekend. Will post that later tonight with the pics.

Lots to do - and lots done!

Ok, so I'm slacking a bit on the posting. Really I'm slacking on the picture taking, which is causing me to slack on the posting...

Dad managed a ton of stuff last weekend. I helped a little bit too. He cut down the dog-run style fence cutting my yard in half, planted two lilac bushes, closed up the pipe in the downstairs closet, and most exciting - began the closing of the destruction I wreaked on Erin's wall!

Originally I had just wanted to drywall off the wall, and either build a little closet or just close off the pipe. But Dad (who by his own admission has been watching a lot of DIY tv shows), had an idea of building in shelves that would mirror the existing ones on the other side of the room. The project was not without its struggles (things learned - not only should you actually draw full plans before beginning, you probably shouldn't measure and do math while hungover), but it's going to really look great! Dad got all the pieces up already, we just have the finish work left. And a couple molding-type pieces to put on. Pictures soon, I promise.

So this weekend - lots finish work to do on the cabinets and drywall, and the downstairs closet. I'd also like to take advantage of the nice weather to do some cleanup outside. Maybe even mow the weeds. It would also be exciting to try the new bbq...

Projects this weekend

Lots of possibilities! Dad's in town, so not quite sure what we'll manage. I know there will be some planting involved! Besides that, hopefully some work on Erin's wall, and maybe closing the downstairs pipe back up... I always either over- or under- estimate the amount of work we can do though!

And they're out!

Thanks to Frankie's muscles, the upper cabinets are now out and waiting for me to get rid of them somehow. No animals were harmed, but I did end up with a face full of dirt at one point. In the process we discovered that someone dropped the ceiling about 8 inches. Why would you do that? I mean, if you have a finished tall ceiling, why would you make it shorter? I know the heating might be more difficult if it's tall, but that's why you insulate the "attic"... Weird. I won't be tearing down the dropped ceiling any time soon though, I think I've created enough mess in Erin's room for a while...

Out damn cabinets!

The plumbers came, fixed, charged, and left. Now we have a fancy new pipe - and a lot of patching to do. Since the wall probably needs a great deal of help (and Dad is coming next weekend and can advise and assist), we decided to pull out the upper cabinets this weekend. Hopefully it won't take too long - actively seeking muscle for Sunday afternoon if anyone is around!

These are the cabinets we agreed on as replacements. We're only going to install the base piece with the sink - I hate overhead cabinets, and I think they are very inefficient. Mind, that could be due to my height, but still... http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/categories/rooms/kitchen/11836/

Now we just have to figure out how to cover that large wastepipe running up the entire wall.

Well, they put that in well...

This weekend we tore out the base cabinet in Erin's room in preparation for fixing the hugely cracked pipe. Admittedly I don't know much about kitchen installation - but I think they did a pretty good job installing it, because it took us forever to get it out! Highlights of pain included having to turn off the water to the entire house as the cutoff valve to the sink didn't work, another trip to the hardware store for a bigger wrench, hitting my elbow on the edge of the sink in the middle of a full-body sledgehammer swing, discovering little worms under the cabinet (EW), and the hole in the floor. Number of things accidentally destroyed: one. And I think we needed new molding for that door anyway.

This is what it looked like when I bought it (I forgot to take a newer before picture):


And this is what it looked like after 8 hours:

It was VERY DIRTY. You may be wondering why everything is covered in drywall, duct tape, and paper. Because Erin didn't want to sleep in a room with big holes in the walls and floor - can we really blame her? And why is the sink faucet hanging from the upper cabinets? Because I bought the wrong size caps for the pipes, and needed to put something on there so we could turn the water back on...

The base cabinet is now in the basement, as we thought it could be repurposed into a lovely laundry area. I wish there was video of the two of us getting that thing down a flight of stairs, through the house, out the back door, down into the basement, and around a basement corner - but sadly, you'll just have to imagine it. The bump on Erin's head is gone I think, and my bruising is fading... ;)

Slideshow:

Plumbing update

Well, the nice plumber came. And exhibited a certain amount of awe - and sympathy. Then he told me I have to rip out the base cabinets in Erin's room so they can replace the pipe up there as well. Depending on whether or not the pipe to the roof is cracked, I may also have to rip out the upper cabinets. Argh.

Erin is trying not to admit it, but she's kind of excited - since she hates the current backsplash and cabinets. Don't worry Erin, I won't put the backsplash back up ;) We'll talk about the cabinets. But it is annoying, especially because it's her bedroom I'm tearing up.

So, more deconstruction this weekend! Totally wreaking havoc with my "finish dining room before June" plan. At this rate...