Yeah, ok, so I've totally slacked on the posting. But that's because despite working diligently on the house, I really haven't done anything of note. I really really want to (the dining room is just begging for new drywall and some floor removal), but somehow all the little jobs just take too damn long.
So what have I done since last post?
1. Hung a shelf in the bathroom. Expected completion time: 15 min (counting the time to get the tools from the basement). Actual completion time: 1 hr and 15 min, after discovering that I couldn't drill into the wall I originally chose because there is SOMETHING impermeable back there...
2. Worked on Erin's wall. Expected completion time: 1 day. Actual completion time: you think I'm done? Let's not be silly. I managed to put up the last coat of compound on the drywall, attach one piece of molding, discover that the other really wouldn't fit, decide not to scream, and sand part of the floor where the cabinet was. It may never be done. In fact, I may rip it down in a year when I'm less frustrated and re-do it. Because I can see the crookedness and gaps, and I haven't managed to cover them in an aesthetically pleasing fashion. I am REALLY not up to cabinetry level yet. Yes, I know, practice practice, but perhaps I should have started with a small table or something.
3. Set up the new Hoosier cabinet in the kitchen. Ok, that actually worked out quite well. It looks very nice, especially with all the orphaned plants I keep acquiring on top of it. I may remember to take a photo.
4. Work on Mom's porch. Expected results: finish one wall. Actual results: put up 3 new studs. Sigh.
Also, the damn bugs won't go away. I called the super expensive exterminators back for a follow up visit, and they essentially told me to live with the bugs. And to stop killing the ones I see (!!!!!!!!) so that they can carry the poison back to the nest to kill the ones I don't see. Um - yuck. I mean, we only see one every now and then, they aren't everywhere, but it's still a little embarrassing when I turn the basement light on and then wait at the top of the stairs for 45 sec to make sure the bugs have time to flee...
The rugby season starts for real next weekend, so I've no free weekends until November. Hopefully I'll be able to get some real work going on some Sundays though, because I am determined to "finish" the dining room by Thanksgiving! I mean, the stove works now and everything! And I am so very tired of looking at its unfinished-ness. (I rather imagine Erin feels the same way about her wall.) And so the challenge is out there - finish the dining room by Thanksgiving or bust!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
I need to lie down.
It's been rather crazy for the past couple weeks. We've had quite the flurry of work, with the goal of making the room previously known as the scary room fit for human habitation by yesterday, and fixing some other long standing appliance issues. The work went down to the wire, but I think it happened. As per usual, there were some ups and downs.
Ups -
--Most of the tin ceiling is in good condition.
--The subfloor under the linoleum is also mostly in good condition - and even the wood stain isn't that bad.
--New washing machine! It's very pretty. And my clothes came out quite clean! A Frigidaire front-loader.
--Finally the stove is fixed, courtesy of an appliance repair man. I have learned that it's about 40 years old, and is in solid shape. There's a screw that can turn the pilot light off, and it was off. The pilot assembly was also quite gunky. But he cleaned it and all is well. It's kind of cool - it takes 45 seconds to a minute to actually start once you turn it on, as it has to heat open a valve.
--We put some plants in the window guards. We look a little prettier :)
Downs -
--Part of the tin ceiling is not in good condition. And whatever the tin is covering is also not happy (i.e. falling on my head as I tacked up some aluminum flashing as a temporary fix). This will not be a fun repair, I suspect. And my interim repair job was super frustrating and very unattractive.
--There are no straight lines in my house. Seriously, I swear it. The small job of replacing a dropped ceiling panel in the hallway closet turned into a couple hours of swearing and attempts to make do, as everything was off-square and not the current standard size.
--More frightening large bugs were seen in the basement. Yes, I screamed. And chased them with Raid. Today I had a new (and much more expensive) exterminator come - they were really really thorough, and he seems pretty confident the bugs will be gone in a week. And he even left me some glue traps for future, though I'm pretty unexcited about having to pick up a piece of cardboard with bugs stuck all over it...
--Those brand new window guards are rusty already. So not amused. I will call the company, but really.
--Polyurethane is nearly impossible to remove from your skin. Damn stuff is clear, light (so it just feels like sweat when it gets on you), and I am still finding spots of it days later.
--Sneezing while wearing a respirator is only funny to spectators. Yick.
Neither here nor there yet -
--I had another plumber come and give me an estimate for the oil to gas conversion. His was much lower than my original guy. On the one hand that's really nice, but on the other hand now I have to figure out why...
Ups -
--Most of the tin ceiling is in good condition.
--The subfloor under the linoleum is also mostly in good condition - and even the wood stain isn't that bad.
--New washing machine! It's very pretty. And my clothes came out quite clean! A Frigidaire front-loader.
--Finally the stove is fixed, courtesy of an appliance repair man. I have learned that it's about 40 years old, and is in solid shape. There's a screw that can turn the pilot light off, and it was off. The pilot assembly was also quite gunky. But he cleaned it and all is well. It's kind of cool - it takes 45 seconds to a minute to actually start once you turn it on, as it has to heat open a valve.
--We put some plants in the window guards. We look a little prettier :)
Downs -
--Part of the tin ceiling is not in good condition. And whatever the tin is covering is also not happy (i.e. falling on my head as I tacked up some aluminum flashing as a temporary fix). This will not be a fun repair, I suspect. And my interim repair job was super frustrating and very unattractive.
--There are no straight lines in my house. Seriously, I swear it. The small job of replacing a dropped ceiling panel in the hallway closet turned into a couple hours of swearing and attempts to make do, as everything was off-square and not the current standard size.
--More frightening large bugs were seen in the basement. Yes, I screamed. And chased them with Raid. Today I had a new (and much more expensive) exterminator come - they were really really thorough, and he seems pretty confident the bugs will be gone in a week. And he even left me some glue traps for future, though I'm pretty unexcited about having to pick up a piece of cardboard with bugs stuck all over it...
--Those brand new window guards are rusty already. So not amused. I will call the company, but really.
--Polyurethane is nearly impossible to remove from your skin. Damn stuff is clear, light (so it just feels like sweat when it gets on you), and I am still finding spots of it days later.
--Sneezing while wearing a respirator is only funny to spectators. Yick.
Neither here nor there yet -
--I had another plumber come and give me an estimate for the oil to gas conversion. His was much lower than my original guy. On the one hand that's really nice, but on the other hand now I have to figure out why...
Monday, July 28, 2008
What a mess.
This weekend's work started out quite nicely. We hung pictures in the living room, and cleaned out the scary room next to the kitchen. The living room looks much homier now! And then it just all went messy from there...
Max came over and helped on Sat. It took him an hour to do what would have taken me a full day - go Max! He pulled off all the baseboards in the dining room, so we can extend the drywall we put in to the floor (Dad, should I pull off the doorframe too?). Unexpectedly, this released a HUGE cloud of plaster dust. I don't know why I didn't think that would happen. Luckily the room was already taped off with plastic sheets as I was sanding down the first layer of patching I did... Anyway, quite the mess. It's also pretty ugly:
And then the paint removal started in the scary room off the kitchen. It has a tin ceiling - gorgeous! - and the paint was literally falling off. Because it's tin, all of the paint had to come down, since we can't just patch spots. Paint removal isn't pretty. A lot of the paint came down with a scraper (wielded by 3 friends!) and a lot of muscle, and Peel Away Smart Strip is hopefully removing the remainder as we speak. Though it too will take a lot of scraping and will make a big mess in removing. The worst part though was the discovery of several holes in the tin. It's no big deal to order new panels - my pattern is pretty common - but I'm truly scared of what I'll find under there when I go to replace it! It definitely rusted for a reason. I have some crossed fingers that whatever leaked has been fixed - but I'm so not holding my breath on that one...
Max came over and helped on Sat. It took him an hour to do what would have taken me a full day - go Max! He pulled off all the baseboards in the dining room, so we can extend the drywall we put in to the floor (Dad, should I pull off the doorframe too?). Unexpectedly, this released a HUGE cloud of plaster dust. I don't know why I didn't think that would happen. Luckily the room was already taped off with plastic sheets as I was sanding down the first layer of patching I did... Anyway, quite the mess. It's also pretty ugly:
And then the paint removal started in the scary room off the kitchen. It has a tin ceiling - gorgeous! - and the paint was literally falling off. Because it's tin, all of the paint had to come down, since we can't just patch spots. Paint removal isn't pretty. A lot of the paint came down with a scraper (wielded by 3 friends!) and a lot of muscle, and Peel Away Smart Strip is hopefully removing the remainder as we speak. Though it too will take a lot of scraping and will make a big mess in removing. The worst part though was the discovery of several holes in the tin. It's no big deal to order new panels - my pattern is pretty common - but I'm truly scared of what I'll find under there when I go to replace it! It definitely rusted for a reason. I have some crossed fingers that whatever leaked has been fixed - but I'm so not holding my breath on that one...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Butcher, baker, and candlestick maker - and one uninvited guest.
All came over yesterday. And all were late! Really it was the insulation estimate guy, the window bar installers, and the plumber. The insulation guy said that his company didn't do my kind of attic and referred me to the group I had already spoken to. The window guys did a great job (pictures soon), though I kind of wish the bars had been painted with a matte finish. Should I have tipped them? I hope not. But I did give them water. And the plumber guy was really nice and really thorough (it turns out my chimney is clay lined, yay! - though the seams aren't perfect - not so yay), and will give me multiple quotes for my oil to gas conversion in a week.
And there was an uninvited bug guest. A big one in the basement. I missed it with the Raid (b/c I refused to go down there without Erin backing me up - yes, I know I'm a wuss), but did spray it where I thought he might be, causing my clean laundry to smell like Raid. Apparently to no avail, since Erin spotted him the next morning in the kitchen. At least, I hope it was him. One is enough. Ew. Think it might be time to call the exterminators again, and then put down some bait traps in the basement...
And there was an uninvited bug guest. A big one in the basement. I missed it with the Raid (b/c I refused to go down there without Erin backing me up - yes, I know I'm a wuss), but did spray it where I thought he might be, causing my clean laundry to smell like Raid. Apparently to no avail, since Erin spotted him the next morning in the kitchen. At least, I hope it was him. One is enough. Ew. Think it might be time to call the exterminators again, and then put down some bait traps in the basement...
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
See, we did do some work...
A couple pics -
The closet is finally finished, and has cleaning supplies back in it - yay for something off the list!
Floor:
Max showing how he hung the clothes rod:
And last weekend we did a lot to Erin's wall. She finished sanding the drywall tape, and I managed to put up the top part of the cabinet, the baseboards, and some trim. Now you may laugh, but that actually took 5 hours. It was fraught with crookedness, inexpert tool use (me), poor planning (so what if I did the math wrong and the new piece of oak was too small?), and lots of decision making. Another trip to Lowe's and Dyke's Lumber (they have the best moldings) will be necessary. And for all of that, I actually think it went quite well. Erin is very happy that she can no longer see into the ceiling through her cabinet!
This weekend I'm off to Dad's for his pig roast, so there will be no work done by me. But I suspect there will be lots of planning and discussions ;)
The closet is finally finished, and has cleaning supplies back in it - yay for something off the list!
Floor:
Max showing how he hung the clothes rod:
And last weekend we did a lot to Erin's wall. She finished sanding the drywall tape, and I managed to put up the top part of the cabinet, the baseboards, and some trim. Now you may laugh, but that actually took 5 hours. It was fraught with crookedness, inexpert tool use (me), poor planning (so what if I did the math wrong and the new piece of oak was too small?), and lots of decision making. Another trip to Lowe's and Dyke's Lumber (they have the best moldings) will be necessary. And for all of that, I actually think it went quite well. Erin is very happy that she can no longer see into the ceiling through her cabinet!
This weekend I'm off to Dad's for his pig roast, so there will be no work done by me. But I suspect there will be lots of planning and discussions ;)
Friday, July 11, 2008
Time flies...
When you're just plain busy! Last weekend I finished the closet (with some timely help from Max!), and worked a bit in the backyard. Max set up the composter, and we discovered there were actually some flowers growing in all those weeds. We also discovered that Dad brought some water in that dishwasher - which is really kind of impressive, all the way from Rochester! ;)
Pictures soon, I promise.
This weekend - I will make more progress on Erin's wall. With the goal of completion in the foreseeable future...
Pictures soon, I promise.
This weekend - I will make more progress on Erin's wall. With the goal of completion in the foreseeable future...
Monday, June 30, 2008
It's not quite as hot!
The roof is silvered! And I think it's really helped - don't get me wrong, it's still hot upstairs, but significantly cooler than before the silvering.
As per usual, it took much longer than I predicted, so of course we were up there in the hottest part of the day. That paint was impossible to stir! Stirring by hand = 30 minutes. Stirring with drill attachment = 5 minutes. Having a friend with enough smarts to make me go back to Lowe's for the attachment = priceless. Many thanks to said smart friend, who brought muscles and cheerfulness to the process in addition to brains.
The paint was also quite difficult to work with. Despite all attempts, we did manage to get it all over our shoes, on us, all over the painting poles. And all over the ladder to the roof, and a couple drips on the hallway floor (it's getting removed at some point anyway). We tried really hard to be neat! It's really tarry and hard to remove as well. Ick.
One silver roof:
Erin and I hung the window treatments too! Not having towels taped over my windows is a lovely thing. Now I just have to buy the curtain rods for the living room, and they'll be all done!
Slideshow:
As per usual, it took much longer than I predicted, so of course we were up there in the hottest part of the day. That paint was impossible to stir! Stirring by hand = 30 minutes. Stirring with drill attachment = 5 minutes. Having a friend with enough smarts to make me go back to Lowe's for the attachment = priceless. Many thanks to said smart friend, who brought muscles and cheerfulness to the process in addition to brains.
The paint was also quite difficult to work with. Despite all attempts, we did manage to get it all over our shoes, on us, all over the painting poles. And all over the ladder to the roof, and a couple drips on the hallway floor (it's getting removed at some point anyway). We tried really hard to be neat! It's really tarry and hard to remove as well. Ick.
One silver roof:
Erin and I hung the window treatments too! Not having towels taped over my windows is a lovely thing. Now I just have to buy the curtain rods for the living room, and they'll be all done!
Slideshow:
Friday, June 20, 2008
Heigh Ho Silver...
Ok, I didn't actually paint the roof last weekend. It rained. But with the assistance of my poor mom (who I'm sure really enjoys going to Lowe's every time she comes down), I did buy the paint. And discovered that the insulation is way too big to transport on my own - I'll have to have it delivered, or have a contractor do it (planning to call a friend's recommendation to see what's cheaper).
So this weekend, I'm gonna -
So this weekend, I'm gonna -
- Paint the roof
- Finish the closet (got the mortar and the quarter round last weekend)
- Maybe even finish the base and top of Erin's cabinet.
- And the window treatments all came in! Hanging those for sure.
Monday, June 9, 2008
The view from up here
I made it up to the roof this weekend. On the plus side, the view is lovely.
On the minus side, my roof is black and have have zero insulation in the "attic". Therefore - project next weekend will be to acquire silver roof paint and insulation, and paint the roof. Insulating it will have to wait for the week after. Why? Because it's HOT in the upstairs. And it'll make us that more environmentally sound.
I did also manage to do the last coat of joint compound on Erin's wall, hang the new mailbox, replace the broken outlet in my room (that one wasn't grounded to the outlet either Dad), and mostly seal up the downstairs closet. I just have to get the cement for the floor and a new piece of quarter round and it'll be done.
The project planning for the backyard fence is starting as well - all the lovely pictures in this slideshow are to show Dad the current backyard so we can figure out how to sink the posts for the fence where the patio is...
Slideshow:
On the minus side, my roof is black and have have zero insulation in the "attic". Therefore - project next weekend will be to acquire silver roof paint and insulation, and paint the roof. Insulating it will have to wait for the week after. Why? Because it's HOT in the upstairs. And it'll make us that more environmentally sound.
I did also manage to do the last coat of joint compound on Erin's wall, hang the new mailbox, replace the broken outlet in my room (that one wasn't grounded to the outlet either Dad), and mostly seal up the downstairs closet. I just have to get the cement for the floor and a new piece of quarter round and it'll be done.
The project planning for the backyard fence is starting as well - all the lovely pictures in this slideshow are to show Dad the current backyard so we can figure out how to sink the posts for the fence where the patio is...
Slideshow:
Friday, June 6, 2008
Projects this weekend
So have you noticed that everything takes me a million years to do? I have. Therefore the project list for this weekend is not terribly new and exciting:
- Erin's wall
- Downstairs closet
- Investigate attic for insulation preparation
- Hang mailbox #3
- Replace broken outlet in my room.
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