Days 76 thru 93 - Behold the changes as I get caught up

I sort of lost my mind from Day 76 thru today 92.  I had to get ready to move, I scheduled the appliances to be delivered. I had this JOB that I sort of needed to maintain in order to pay for this fun journey. But to be honest, there wasn't a lot of activity after the main floor bathroom tiling was done. I think my guys got pulled onto another job, because I know they didn't forget me (as if anyone could!). 

Here's a breakdown of what happened in the last 3 weeks. The lights were back ordered and just showed up on Day 91 or 92. That was NOT my fault (for once). The plumbing inspection had to wait for the bathtub refinishing (it looks awesome except for one spot where someone clearly touched it before it was dry). The carpet has been laid, the master bath is beautiful and... I moved in and took away the pristine look of an empty house! And no, I'm not unpacked. And no, I don't have enough furniture for the house. Oh and my queen matress and box spring wouldn't fit up the stairs to the attic. 

Here's a breakdown of things that aren't done. The pulls aren't on the vanity (I could do it but I'm not going to), the vanity isn't sealed or set (or whatever the hell you call it), the quarter round isn't on the kitchen floor or the master bath. The outside light isn't up yet, nor is the outlet for hot water heater. The dumpster is still in the driveway (and with the 30 MPH winds today, I had to gather cardboard from the neighbors several doors away). There are other things but why go on. It'll get done. After all, there's no payment until items are completed. I know how this game is played.  And I haven't done anything in the way of home improvements, but that's OK. Unpacking boxes is hard work too. Plus, acclimating myself to my new location.

So here are some pretty pictures.

Carpet. I say I picked it because of the picture of the kitty on the sample. I did. Can't lie.

It's color is "flannel" and it's soft and comfy on my toes

Transition to master bath

The cats like the carpet. I like the carpet. We're happy. It compliments the wood and the wall color nicely. It's a little darker than the sample, but I was warned about that. The salesman told me that it's always a little darker than the sample, so keep that in mind when picking carpet. (Thanks to Carpetland for the awesome service, btw). Since the master bathroom isn't complete, I'm not sharing that just yet. But it's pretty awesome.

Next came the appliances. Again, the weird kitchen layout caused me a little heartburn, but I think I got it figured out with the help of one of my coworkers. It's all about functionality in an old house. Back in the day, there was an ice box in what is now my laundry room. There's a milk door and everything. But putting the refrigerator in that room wasn't an option. So without further ado....

I switched the fridge and stove

This gives better sight lines when coming into the kitchen

 I like the flow in the kitchen. I bought black to tie out the black granite on the other side of this galley kitchen. I know stainless is "the thing" but since this is free standing, I didn't want a stainless front and then "not stainless" on the sides. It works for me. I plan on getting a small cabinet to put between the fridge and the stove to give me a little working room. Not a high priority. And I may have to make it based on the measurements I think I need.

This is not the final location

I didn't want (originally) the laundry on the first floor. But after considering the cost of relocating the plumbing and the fact that my dirty clothes were already on another floor, I decided to keep the laundry off the kitchen. Here's another "mistake" I made when considering my reno. There's a door to the driveway to the left. The stairs outside are super awkward. I knew I wasn't going to use that door (turns out the fact that one of the subs broke the key off in the door, rendering it useless, actually helped me) but I should have included this in my loan amount. So eventually there will be a window here, the door removed and the steps taken down. In the meantime, the washer/dryer have been rotated to left. They fit perfectly and gives me room for a shelving unit for more storage (always lacking in an older home). I also might have given more thought to stacked machines. I'm pretty old school. I really don't like front load washers. It's a personal preference (and a financial consideration as well).

Lights. Ah, my lights. I'm so ecstatic with my lighting choice in the master bathroom and bedroom. I was also surprised by my electrician when I found out that I have 2 smoke detectors hard wired into the house. It's the simple things (no annoying dead battery sounds!)

Pretty:

Sconces in Master Bath

Master Bath

Bedroom overhead lighting

 The new code requires a lot of outlets, which allowed me to have a couple that are attached to the main switch. I don't have a preference, but I'm sure someone will. The ceiling fan is also wired so that I can turn either the light or the fan on via the main switch. My outdoor light is also set up upstairs. It's a motion and dusk to dawn light. But this way, if I hear an odd noise, I can manage the light without coming downstairs. Kinda nifty. That's what I like about my contractor and subs. They're always looking out for me in different ways.

So, going forward, I hope to have the master bathroom completed, pictures of how my furniture doesn't fit and general comments about this whole process. Even when the contractors leave, it doesn't mean that the work is done. I have a list of restoration projects that need to be completed. I have a home tour for Restoration Exchange to prepare for (in a year). I also have a house warming that needs to be thrown. But in the mean time, I am really enjoying my new/old digs. My house is warm and welcoming. Oddly, it doesn't creak and grown like other old homes I've been in. It just needs some sprucing up outside, some more love inside, and it'll truly be "my home". It's getting there, slowly but surely.

Day 73 - 75 Ode to a Bathroom

I remember waaaayyyy back, about day 5, when one of the construction crew said to me, "It's going to feel like it's taking forever. And then one day, it'll go so fast you won't believe it, it'll be done."

Well, that day has arrived, folks. 75 days into this project and I am well and truly amazed by how far we've come. Not only my own work in the kitchen, but the painting my friends accomplished, the attic renovation, the hardwood floor refinishing and now the main floor bath.

I walked into the house on day 75 and was literally speechless.  ME. Speechless! I know I griped about having to pick out paint, and pick out tile and grout and faucets and lights and blah blah poor me. But I had no idea the impact these things would have on my little 1922 Craftsman. This poor house was soooo run down. It hadn't felt the love in years. I was giving it my all to see it return to it's former glory. So I present to you what I consider to be the crowning glory of my design skills.  Ok, not really, but I DID pick all this shit out.

Before:  Can we just say GROSS. I mean, besides the fact the the previous owners had left personal items in the medicine cabinet. The pipes for the faucets leaked from the wall to the sink (I'm sorry I couldn't save you, sink) hence the white and green buckets underneath it. The shower surround was poorly installed, and had gross icky stuff on it (I honestly refused to go near it and I'm not typically grossed out by much.) Amazingly, the original window and frame had very little damage, making  me question just how often the shower was used. But at any rate, gross is probably an understatement.

And now for the big reveal (I know the floor isn't clean yet, and the tub isn't refinished either, but...who cares, this is freakin' awesome)

I win. I win. I "decorated" something. And it's so good the contractors' office manager brought his girlfriend to the house to see it! This bathroom impressed a MAN! I WIN!

Ok, so, technically, the water still isn't on, I haven't flushed a toilet in the house, EVER. But COME ON. Is this not a thing of beauty? Look at that rain type shower head. IT'S SQUARE! Look at that window! Look and drool over that tile job! With its 2 built in shelves and its rockstar gray grout that draws the eye from the floor. I walked into this bathroom and thought... "holy shit, I want to SHOWER in here... NOW!"

Too bad it's for my eventual guests. I could always just pretend I didn't have any room for them to stay....

*Note... I'm not sold on the color. And it's my fault. I fat fingered the paint code when I wrote the email with the paint colors.  Clearly, attention to detail is crucial with paint colors, or you get robin's egg blue. Not acceptable.

**PS Note... OMG I'm so excited!

***PPS Note...yeah, we're going to fix that horrific white p-trap thingy. Seriously. I am NOT going to have plastic screwing up my chrome design aesthetic (listen to me!!!)

Day 70 - 72 - It's All About the Floors

I have to say, I feel very badly for my Aunt. And if she feels like I sold her a bad deal, I wouldn't blame her. But the day before she arrived, I found out I wasn't able to move into the house as expected. That really put a crimp in my plans. But given that I can do nothing about contractor delays, and she was already on the road, I had to make the most of it.

Knowing that the final coat was going on the floors, and knowing that any imperfection would be because I wasn't diligent on the cleaning of the baseboards, we started (and I use the term "we" loosely) to wipe down all the wood in the house.

Have you seen the pictures of the first floor? Wood is pretty much the theme.

And while we were working, the guys reminded me that the main floor bath needed to be primed. I hate painting wainscoting. I also caulked the seams. I think I earned a little "contractor cred".  Maybe. But honestly, I enjoy working in my house. It's MINE!

And while Roxanne toiled away with the shop vac and Murphy's Oil Soap, and I cussed those little lines in the wainscoting, the guys finished putting in the vanity top in the master bath. Sad moment... I'm not completely sold on the vanity/paint/tile combination. I'm not completely sold on the main floor bathroom paint color, either, but I'm waiting to see the final product. But the vanity...it is pretty cool. I just have to pick out a complementing mirror (read: more shopping).

After we finished up the cleaning/priming etc., we had a day of "rest", packing/sorting the following day.  While we were doing this, the magic was happening at the house. 93 year old oak hardwood floors were being transformed into something new and vibrant. I'm still mad I couldn't move in, but... I get it. So the following day, we went to the house, and in barefeet/footies, we toured the house. I couldn't be more pleased.

Laundry Room

Dining Room/Living Room

Front Bedroom

The floors are the same color, but my camera and the lighting in each room makes things look different. They are basically the most like the laundry room picture (I think).

I could sit and stare at these floors for HOURS.  They did a wonderful job. I decided that I would go with 3 coats of poly for a natural look. The house doesn't have the best natural lighting. Therefore, dark wasn't really an option. They're just so beautiful.

Days 54 - 69 I should leave town more often

I had to leave town for work for days 58 thru 63. It was a good thing and a bad thing. It was good because I needed to step away again. I was working a lot of hours at the house and I needed a break. But at the same time, things were starting to move forward at a really fast pace! I hated to miss it.

When I left, I had drywall. And when I returned...I had a ROOM. That's right. The attic is now, really and truly, a room. With paint and ceiling texture and a door and baseboard. I'm just amazed. Simply amazed.

Here's a slow progression of the attic renovation.

Raw oak cap on the wall around the stairs

New framing around the windows

Trying to match the door style

And then we get paint and stain:

Looks very close to the other doors

Hello Painters

This may be my favorite thing. The craftsmanship

In addition to the painting upstairs, the kitchen counter was finally "fully" installed. Again, I'm just amazed by these countertops. And by adding 1 1/2" lip to the countertops, I feel like I have more counter space. Plus... BACKSPLASH. Can I just say...I'm so pleased with my choices. Everyone knows Purple is my favorite color, but I think I'm rocking the green pretty well. And black!

Partially painted, backsplash tile started

Loving the tile

Then there's the floor in the master bath...Yeah. I'm geeking out a little...

Subfloor

TILE!!!

And finally... the hardwood floors...almost complete. And so PRETTY!! Coat 3 will be done coming up in the next couple of days.

Stain Choices

Raw floors, beautiful!

2 coats

1 coat

So we're winding down. Or ramping up. Take your pick. It's all coming together like a well oiled machine, except maybe a couple of weeks behind my schedule. I won't be able to move in by September 30, but when I do move in, most, if not all of the small items will be completed. I can hardly wait!

Day 50 thru 53 - It's ALIVE (Ok, it's just WALLS)

When they told me things would move quickly, I didn't really realize just HOW quickly. And it's so exciting! I keep saying "this is so exciting" when last month I was saying "this is so stressful" but I really have no other words for it. Now that the stress of getting my necessary projects done, the colors picked out, the fixtures, the tile, the toilets...and almost all the painting completed, things are starting to take shape.

Even though it was a holiday weekend, it's also the weekend where appliances go on sale because the new models will come out soon. I bought my appliances from Sears, after I price shopped and did my due diligence with Consumer Reports (and walked out of Nebraska Furniture Mart when no one would wait on me). Then I cried when I paid the bill. Seriously. I didn't go overboard, I didn't get all the bells and whistles. I bought what I needed, what will fit, and I'm going to hope it looks good as well. 

I started looking at carpeting. That's all I can say about that. Other than I took pictures. Again, what's with all the damn choices?!

We also started to spruce up the yard. However, we still haven't touched the bushes in the front of the house. It's not the right time of the season to clean those up. But the choker weeds, and the rogue trees are now gone, and it looks cleaner. 9 yard waste bags later, it should. Thank you to Bob and Anthony for helping me. I had originally just wanted to borrow the lawn mower!!

I also remembered that I needed to paint the laundry room (opps). So I started that and will finish up in a day or two. Small room, one person job. Using the same paint as the front bedroom because I like it. It looks cleaner already (and I really am bad at taking "before" pictures!) Also thinking about shelving in the room. I struggle with that because all the walls are plaster and lathe...so I don't really know how to hang shelves. But I'll figure it out at some point.

So, without further ado... here's the attic space with WALLS. That's right, I said it. REAL WALLS! And so many choices for bed placement! Squeeee!

Looking towards the bathroom.

Remember when?!

Bathroom, where the vanity will be

Looking south, towards the back of the house

Day 46 thru 49 - The Cabinet Reveal (Among Other Things)

Since we are now post "tape removal" from the painting marathon, I'm pretty sure things are going to start moving pretty quickly.

And to that end... I present "the cabinets". The culmination of my weekends, evenings and stress for the past month. I'm pretty damn proud. I also learned a lot in this process.

Here's the before of the cabinets. Missing handles, crappy paint job. Very unappealing. The entire kitchen is white. It felt so sterile. It's not a small kitchen, but the white made it seem... something (or nothing). So I chose cream and green as my cabinet colors, with a black granite that has a green/gold speckling in it. 

Here is the "almost" finished product. These "pre-installation" pictures give an idea of where my own personal design is going. The backsplash (which is currently the old linoleum from the floors, as seen above) will be a green glass subway tile. Not exactly sure when that is going to be installed, but pretty soon, as things seem to be moving quickly. The cream cabinets up top (which the insides shelves still need to be washed/painted/something), needed to be lighter, in my opinion, to make the room look larger. I also think cabinets that are different colors are kinda... cool. In the picture to the left, the floors aren't finished (and neither is the bottom of the cabinets because I didn't want to waste time painting something that could be damaged by the floors being refinished) but the color of the wood definitely compliments the room. Super excited about that! I still need to paint the pantry door. And I accidentally put the handles on the larger cabinets on upside down. It happens!

During this week, I also finalized my decision on the shower door for the new master bathroom. We passed the framing inspection and I made a final decision on the the rest of the paint colors (of which I am NOT painting). I have to say, the new Pottery Barn colors out at Sherwin Williams are pretty awesome. But...I'm staying true to the house and not going way outside the color palate of the period. However, I'm staying away from salmon, which was apparently a thing in 1922. It's not my thing.

Another big step forward...Insulation! Part of the issue of renovating an old home, especially an old attic, is the lack of ceiling vents, and venting through the eves. Neither of these are options in my house,without a lot of expense. A lot of cities will approve alternate means of venting with insulation, pretty much grandfathering these reno's by approving certain types of insulation. I chose Icynene (or rather Mike did, but I did research it before agreeing). These old houses don't have ridge vents either, which means conventional insulation wouldn't be as effective. It was a cost and efficiency decision as well.  When I walked in to the attic/office/master suite...I was amazed. It totally changed the look of the room. Incredible. The knee walls will have batt insulation behind them, since I don't plan on using those spaces as storage. I know a lot of people disagree, but I really feel this house has enough storage. A full basement, nice closets. These cubby holes/spaces will be lost space. But I'm OK with it. It's starting to look like a real room!

I've been told that once inspections are completed, things tend to go quite quickly. And it's true. Inspection on Tuesday, insulation on Wednesday. I have a couple things left on my to do left... I better get cracking!

Days 38 thru 41 - Challenge Laid Down

Time flies when you're as busy as a one legged man in an ass kicking contest. And honestly, I feel like I have been beat up several different ways. I'm about 10 days behind on this blog (SORRY!), so I'm going to update this in chunks, because honestly, one big post just won't do it justice.

Day 38, for reference, is Sunday, August 23rd. I feel like it was a month ago, not just a little over 2 weeks. But here's the breakdown.

Day 38:

I finally finished priming the cabinet doors and framing. 2 coats, both sides of the doors. Major progress

I also, with the help of Cody, got some more "trash" out of the attic.  Namely a queen size mattress and box springs. Made me realize that I do NOT want to move my own stuff when the time comes. The attic, while super cool, is not really conducive to moving furniture.

Day 39: 

I had a walk through with Mike. Which just added to my "to do" list. As expected. Remember way back when I said "I don't want to be the homeowner that holds up this project"? Yeah, well. I was about to realize that I was that homeowner. And I was on the verge of pushing back my potential move in date. 

As Mike and I were finalizing things like the window in the bathroom, and the repairs of my closets (where they ran the HVAC, electrical and plumbing), he told me where I stood.

PAINT THE ROOMS ON THE FIRST FLOOR NOW OR YOU'LL BE PAYING RENT IN OCTOBER!

Uh, what?

I believe Mike's exact words were..."If I were running this project 100% (meaning that I am a bit controlling, is how I heard it), I would paint these rooms before the floors are sanded, and have everything moved out of the first floor by middle of next week"

Uh, what the what?! Is that a suggestion or are you telling me what to do?!?!

He wasn't kidding. I did see his point. But talk about panic at the disco. I thought I was making good time. I thought I had the timeline down. I thought I HAD TIME.

I was so wrong. 

So with that in mind, I basically put out an APB on any one willing and able to help me paint the following weekend. Because Wednesday before Labor Day weekend is my official cut off. No ifs, ands or buts.  Talk about a stressful walk through....

Day 40:

I took this evening after work to pick out colors for the marathon painting session on which I was about to embark. I dreaded this. Just absolutely dreaded it. But with the help (and patience) of Cody's wife, Bridget, I made some pretty good decisions (although I'm not completely thrilled now that it's on the walls). I still have to decide on the master suite and master bathroom. But I do have a little time for that because, well, someone else is painting that! That's the upside.

Day 41:

We failed the plumbing inspection but it's fixable and not a huge issue.  But let me tell you... the first time you see that "red tag" that can't leave the premises, you sort of freak out. I freaked out (sorry Mike, I'll make it up to you).

I also found out that the kitchen sink is backing up in to the stationary tub. This is not a good sign. But like everything else, sort of expected and can (for the right price) be fixed. I just haven't gotten that estimate yet.

I finished putting the second coat of paint on the cabinets (I'm not really sure which day I put the first coat on, to be honest... I didn't write that down).

I also cleaned up the hardware (I have no idea if this is original or not, but it cleaned up very well). The hardware looks very "art deco" to me. Someone correct me if I'm wrong, or if it's not original to the house. I like it though!

Days 25 - 28 Caution, Men at Work

As the days move along, things are starting to take shape in the attic addition. Especially the plumbing and electrical. I think pictures will do a better job of explaining than I can.  As all this was going on during the day, I've still been coming to the house every night, plugging away at my little projects. Cabinets are on hold until I can get a full day of work in. I can't finish much up in 2 or 3 hours. I'm already burning the candle at both ends. Which is my own damn fault.

So, without further ado... here are some changes from previous posts, in the attic (or affecting the attic).

A doorway appeared

I'm going to have a 60" Vanity 

To fit the plumbing upstairs, we will drop the ceiling 5" or so in the main floor bath. I'm short, it'll be OK

Looking up into the attic

The finished product as viewed from the main floor bath

Looks like more than 5" to me.

This freaks me out... holes in the floor leading to the shower

More plumbing stuff

Water lines for my excessively large vanity

Here will be the "stool" (I hate that term)

Um... plumbing

Lots of new wires in my box