Starting on the Yard!

Now that the sink is back and basically finished (I need to do paint touch up and the second round of caulking) I somehow decided it was a good idea to take out the bush in the driveway. And I do mean the bush was IN the driveway. A good foot into it. 

I had, once or twice, taken to hacking away at it. But I didn't really make a dent. Just took out some frustrations. Mainly due to scratches on my car! But on this, the first official day of spring, I decided it was time to get outside and take care of some things. And what a difference it made!! 

Before...it sort of made the driveway look trashy (and I found several beer cans and water bottles in that damn thing). It just wasn't very nice. No one could pull all the way into the driveway! Consequently, the north side of the driveway had a rut that got muddy. It's not a narrow driveway, but the bush from hell made if feel that way!

Note the arrows and the awkward parking job

After! I realize I need to get the rest of the weeds out, but this initial swipe at it makes it that more open. It's incredible!!

I've come to realize that when the original owners planted the shrubbery, they really didn't take into account that these shrubs and bushes grew...and got bigger unless maintained! Everything is planted so close to the house (or the driveway in this case). The last owners clearly didn't give a crap about the house OR the exterior, as seen in my blog from the beginning. Everything is over grown. To the point where I think the house still looks abandoned! Except the grass is "normal" height.

But I'm working on that. And with the help of friends, the hacking project went relatively smoothly until I realized...I need to borrow a truck. No way I'm cutting this up to put it in yard bags!! There are some things that just take too much time.

After the other shrubs bloom (viburnum and Korean lilac) I'll be taking those down (or out) as well. The lily's are starting to pop up. I wish I had some daffodils. Maybe some tullips. But that can all wait until next year. I'm sort of excited to see if my raspberry's come up again (I hacked those to the ground based on an article I read). So the yard will be quite interesting this year... to say the least.

It's all about progress and keeping up with it... that's the challenge!

Finally! The Sink is HOME!!

Being without a sink (THE SINK) is a lot harder than I imagined. I can't tell you how many times I turned to pour something down the drain, or fill a glass, only to feel like...an idiot. Using the hall bathroom to do dishes also felt "icky". So I either ate out or didn't cook much beyond eggs and toast. 2 weeks is a long time when you're used to eating clean and healthy. I survived...barely. 

In my efforts to save some cash, I decided to patch the gaping hole in the wall myself. Clearly because I know how, right? Not so much. But with the help of a few online videos (provided to me via "a friend" who thought he was being funny) and my awesome perseverance, I bought a 4 amp reciprocating saw and went to work cleaning up the edges of said hole. I have to admit, I felt kinda badass!

See! There's my saw (and my gardening knee pad...a MUST!)!! In the course of taking out the old cast iron, my awesome plumber, Tom, found a potentially big issue with the drain. It had rusted out! Not cool. 

what do you expect for 94 y/o

One cool thing I found... My support beams still have bark on them! Weird. 

So I set out to on my first attempt at drywall "patching" and... I did it!! There's so much satisfaction in doing this I can't even explain it! It wasn't pretty and I am really glad I bought extra concrete backer board because I measured at least 10 times and ended up cutting 3 different pieces for the the bottom half (only once for the top piece). But who cares! I did it!! Here's proof!! 

Drying Joint compound

All the walls in the kitchen (and previously in the hall bathroom) have this faux brick pattern to them. I'm sure there's some "right" way to do it, but I said screw it and used joint compound and made my own pretty pattern. It's not great, but it'll do. It's under the sink so really, if you're visiting my house, the LAST place you need to look is under the sink! Just look AT the sink. It's quite impressive!

Paint is still wet

I still can't believe that the sink is held on by those two brackets in the picture above. It's caste iron. It's SUPER heavy. But that's what's holding it on! Incredible. And OLD!

This is what i was dealing with before. The drain was broken, the sink itself was pitted and stained. I couldn't keep it clean, even with bleach. It just absorbed everything! Especially coffee. The drain "ring" was rusting. It was just awful.

But now...finally...with new hardware, pretty water shutoff values and a chrome drain pipe...she's a beauty!! I have hot water, a drain that I don't have to plug with a plastic lid. It's USABLE. And oh so pretty.  The guys at AAA Electrostatic Painting did an awesome job. It's smooth, there are no pits. Just incredible. (Look at the header of the blog if you don't believe me!)

I helped life this heavy thing onto the wall, thank you very much!

I spent the morning doing... you guess it. Dishes. I realize that everyone and their brother has a dishwasher. I could have one too, if I really wanted it. I can also install a garbage disposal. But right now, using this sink as it was intended makes me feel more connected to a restoration, as opposed to a renovation. Which is what I had intended. Now that the sink is usable, clean, easy to clean and a little stylish with the new fixture, I find that the house feels more...complete.

The remaining projects are smaller. Refinish the stairs going up to the master suite. Re-grout the tile in the main floor bath. Start on the windows. Cleaning out the garage (for the third time). Getting the piano off the front porch. Touching up paint in every room. Oh, and don't forget the yard! Lots of potential there! Next year, maybe electric to the garage and a window to replace the door where the laundry now sits.  That may be on the 10 year plan. It doesn't really matter at this point. 

I'm excited to be loving my new home. I'm excited to give the farm sink a new lease on life (top and bottom, btw). And now? Who knows what changes are in store for my little house, the sink and me going forward!

The Tub is Fixed!!

This literally took minutes. I'm so pleased with AAA Electrostatic Painting!!

Before:

Looks like a butt print... or jeans at least

After:

My camera wouldn't cooperate

In 24 hours I can use the tub again! Can't wait!! 

Back At It AND... I'm Touching the SINK!

After a 5 month hiatus, I'm back at it. Ripping things out and making my home...truly mine. I'm so proud of this little beauty! And proud of myself. 

This weekend marks the second "change" I've made since I moved in. I changed the main floor bath color in November because I just couldn't stand it. I also put in a soft close toilet seat (it's the little things, people!). I've yet to finish the floor, but soon! I have my first house guests coming in April and I'm so excited!! They'll be using that bathroom so I really do need to get it done. Even family deserves a pretty floor!

The reason I restarted demo was, in part, to get the tub "fixed". Something touched it, or bled through, after the initial re-plating.  So when Gregg from AAA Electrostatic Painting came to assess the fix (back in October) we talked about the prized kitchen sink. He gave me a price painting it in place and a price taking it out. Something to think about. Initially, I figured I'd do it in place. Even though it was a bigger hassle (think taping off the entire kitchen and staying out of the room for 36 hours).

But...after trying to hand wash dishes with a trickle of hot water (I swear I could spit harder!) for 5 months, I decided that something had to be done. I also realized that I had some main drain issues and the plumbing to the sink was the only plumbing that hadn't been updated. Definitely something to consider. 

So this weekend, I had the sink removed, I cleaned it up and...I'm without a kitchen for at least 10 days. Having lived through a reno before, I'm pretty sure I'm looking at longer, but I'll deal with it. As long as I don't have to travel for work!!

93 plus years of...ick

Here's the initial removal. And a little demo (which I did myself!). I can't wait to see the new paint job and the new faucet. So excited!!

The first wall I've every demo'ed!

I also had 8 outlets changed out. The old plugs were wiggly and 2 prong! I also had a new outlet put in my office, which will help with the lack of plugs for the computer, wifi, lights etc. These were things I didn't think about when the house was empty and unpainted. As soon as I put furniture in, I knew I had "old home" electrical issues. However, it wasn't as time consuming as I thought. 

As we move into spring, my list consists of windows and dealing with the 1970's storm windows, the windows in the new master suite and "dressing room" may need replaced and finally, FINALLY, I'll be able to start hacking back the horrible bushes that have taken over the front of the house. Yep... I have a bit of cabin fever!!