Monday, December 17, 2012
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
We might be buying a new house.
- Built after 1990.
- Previous owners agree to be interviewed.
Project #1
The ceiling fan in the LR. It finally went up. We ordered one from Home Depot and it came and the bracket fit just fine. (However, we did have to run out and pick up some screws to mount it to the junction box. And then we had it all put together, and had to take it all apart because one of the wires fell and was rubbing on the motor = totally annoying, and time wasted.)
Here is a recap of the ceiling fan fiasco:
- Bought AWESOME ceiling fan.
- Wasn't sure junction box could hold the weight of said ceiling fan.
- Cut hole in attic floor to see how junction box was connected.
- Not definitive.
- Attached junction box to stud using second screw.
- Still not sure it was rated for 50#.
- Took AWESOME fan back
- Bought new fan (not as awesome, mostly stupid)
- New ceiling fan bracket did not fit junction box.
- Ordered 3rd ceiling fan online (hugger model not offered in store in 50"+ widths; it is just a normal fan, not awesome or stupid.)
- Fan arrived & bracket fit!
- Holla!
- Mounted ceiling fan.
- Turned on.
- Rubbing noise.
- We're dumb.
- Took blades off.
- Secured wires above bracket.
- Re-attached blades.
- YAY!!!!!
We refinished the front door. This too, was NOT without troubles.
Previous owners had to fill a hole cut for what we can only assume was an additional deadbolt below the handle. They did fill it with a cut piece of wood (one, very small point for them). So, when I started the project, I even said that at least this project was going to go smoothly because I had refinished plenty of furniture before and knew what I was doing. I totally jinxed us. The cut wood was not held in place by wood putty, but by regular, ole' spackle. SERIOUSLY??? So, after I got the door stripped down best I could, I dug out the spackle around the wood and filled it with some stainable wood putty. It worked pretty good, and we just call that area character.
But, I'll be honest. The door? It doesn't look great. In the light, you can still see all of the paint that I couldn't get out of the wood grain. In the dark of the evening, it looks pretty damn sweet though, and really transforms the room. I stripped and sanded and stained it. And, really just needed more time. We can't just leave the door off the front of our house while we both head off to work ... so I only have limited chunks of time to devote to this project. I'm going to have to scrape all of that paint out if I want to leave it stained ... but we had to put the door back up on the hinges ... so it's going to have to look like this for a while (probably till next Spring). But I left off the poly, so it'll be easy to keep working on it over the next months ... chipping away at scraping the paint out a little at a time. (I'm not worried, our door is under a descent porch, and behind a glass door all winter.)
BUT, it does look really good in the room with the wood door & fan ... completely changes the feel of the room.
Also, for our concerned family out there, we narrowly escaped burglars/crazies ALL weekend by just having a locked, screen door on the front of our house ... and we didn't tell you all about this project beforehand so you couldn't steal all of our sweet stuff. :)
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| Old Living Room w/white paint & white fan |
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New fan & refinished door |
Project #3
A little story.
We originally discarded the ceiling fan in the guest bedroom because it was loud and ugly. It was the SAME exact ceiling fan we had hanging in the LR (& also one in the Den). I bought a new white one, but it was cheap and looked yellow-ish in the room; so I returned it. Then I bought a nice black one, and I think that it would have looked great. BUT, I instead decided that I wanted the expensive, AWESOME fan for the LR, so I returned the black one, and said we'll just move the LR fan to the guest bedroom so we can hang the AWESOME fan in the LR. (See what we did there - took down the old fan & replaced with the SAME fan from another room. Genius.)
So back to the story ... when Patrick was taking the old ceiling fan down in the bedroom (weeks before the LR ceiling fan fiasco), there was this crazy bracket and it was screwed in to a plastic junction box and the stud, and the screw heads broke off. We tried extracting them, and screwing them in further ... but to no avail. They were crazy stuck. So, we tried just ripping it out. In the process, we had to cut a larger hole in the ceiling. We really just cut a lot of spackle out, because these people installed the junction box, and then just spackled all around it and up in there so it was stuck like a junction box in spackle cement. And, we were told we shouldn't use a plastic junction box to hang a ceiling fan. But finally (I mean after DAYS of working on this), we pried that box loose and ripped it right off the stud. We both agreed, we are studs!
(Side note, the plastic junction box was imprinted with a phrase: Safe for ceiling fans. UGH.)
(Also, see above, the AWESOME fan never happened, and I feel a little jipped in this whole saga.)
Now, fast forward to hanging the new (same) ceiling fan. We installed a new junction box, and then drywall taped and spackled up the ceiling hole we had made bigger (even though it was all going to be covered by the fan mount). All that work, and we could have just used the previous bracket. But, this fan doesn't make noise like the old one, and I bought a new globe for the light fixture, so it looks a little (little) less cheap.
I also painted a side table back there, and got some cool pulls to put on the drawers. The room is coming together.
Moving on ...
Project #4
We painted the back hallway. Patrick spent 2 days preparing these walls for painting. Previous owners had wallpaper on the bottom half and the walls needed a lot of spackling and sanding. We did the work, painted the trim, and painted the walls. The paint didn't stick.
OMG, can we catch a break here? We let the paint dry completely.
Then, Patrick peeled the areas that weren't sticking properly and went to the paint store. It's definitely latex paint, nothing oil here. So, he re-spackled and re-sanded those portions of the walls. Then we primed with an oil-based primer, just to make sure it sticks. Then we re-painted with our latex paint. It looks good.
I did get to create my little coat rack area too, just in time for winter! And it
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| What the hallway used to look like from the front of the house ... |
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| What the hallway looks like now from the front of the house. |
Sunday, September 9, 2012
One Big Weekend!
Oh Boy.
We got a lot done this weekend.
It was awesome.
And it looks awesome.
We've been in the process of cleaning out the garage for about 1 1/2 years now. With all the projects, it just kept filling up and getting messy over and over again. Oh, the empty boxes. So many cardboard boxes. But, we finally cleaned it out a couple weekends ago, and then this weekend we put together shelves, hung racks and hooks, and Boy oh Boy ... it is nice out there.
We finally had to buy a new refrigerator. We're actually surprised that it lasted us this long ... and it's been freezing stuff for a long time - milk, beers, club soda. So, we went out Labor Day weekend and found a great deal. We didn't get the fanciest fridge, and decided to opt out of the ice maker upgrade (just means we'd have to put in a water line) ... but we did get a pretty great deal. And, it looks really good. And this one fits just perfectly in the area, so it looks more like the kitchen was built for it. And, it runs so well. And, leaving us with just the stove, counters, and sink to replace now!
AND, last, but CERTAINLY not least. We hung the interior LR shutters! WooHoo!! I am so shutter-excited. They look SO SO SO good. It makes the room look brighter, more open, and bigger. The paint on the walls looks crisper and lighter as well. They just look so good! I still have to add some hardware, latches, and knobs ... but those are just little details. :)
We got a lot done this weekend.
It was awesome.
And it looks awesome.
We've been in the process of cleaning out the garage for about 1 1/2 years now. With all the projects, it just kept filling up and getting messy over and over again. Oh, the empty boxes. So many cardboard boxes. But, we finally cleaned it out a couple weekends ago, and then this weekend we put together shelves, hung racks and hooks, and Boy oh Boy ... it is nice out there.
 |
| Pulled EVERYTHING out and took the hose to the garage! |
 |
| After the clean-out, we put everything back, but still needed to buy hooks, racks, & shelves to organize. |
 |
| All of the tables & bookshelf on the right side just need a coat of paint before they come back into the house ... so there will be much less clutter ... but it still looks pretty darn good and has plenty of room! |
We finally had to buy a new refrigerator. We're actually surprised that it lasted us this long ... and it's been freezing stuff for a long time - milk, beers, club soda. So, we went out Labor Day weekend and found a great deal. We didn't get the fanciest fridge, and decided to opt out of the ice maker upgrade (just means we'd have to put in a water line) ... but we did get a pretty great deal. And, it looks really good. And this one fits just perfectly in the area, so it looks more like the kitchen was built for it. And, it runs so well. And, leaving us with just the stove, counters, and sink to replace now!
AND, last, but CERTAINLY not least. We hung the interior LR shutters! WooHoo!! I am so shutter-excited. They look SO SO SO good. It makes the room look brighter, more open, and bigger. The paint on the walls looks crisper and lighter as well. They just look so good! I still have to add some hardware, latches, and knobs ... but those are just little details. :)
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| Biggest (and only) problem ... now you can REALLY see that the trim needs painting! Good thing that's my winter project. |
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Is summer almost over?
Seriously? Summer is almost over and I didn't get nearly as much done outside as I wanted to this year. Our house was going to have a cute, quaint cottage look by now ... but instead, the two front bushes are dead, the ivy is growing out of control, the lattice is falling down, the shutters are still peeling paint, and the house is d.i.r.t.y.
We have gotten some stuff done though ...
ONE
We bought all new bushes for out front. We needed something to fill in the behind the scenes of our garden. Something that would stay green year-round and not make our house look so dead in the winter. Enter five holly bushes, good size, grown at a local nursery. It rained for about a week straight. Nice. Fertilizer, root grower. The bushes looked great. Enter 100+ degree weather with no rain for the next 3-4 weeks. The two bushes by the steps get direct sunlight for a good portion of the day. I did not water nearly enough (or maybe not at all for the first 2 weeks of heat?) ... BIG MISTAKE. Helpful hint for new home owners - plants need water. :) They are dead. We have to buy 2 more bushes for the front of the house. Good news, the 3 bushes near the house and the tree are doing great. Ugh ... I did not get my mother's green thumb ... that went to my sister for sure.
**See previous blog post and picture the bushes on either side of the steps dead - that's what it looks like now.**
TWO
We did finally get that guest bedroom painted and close to finished! We painted the walls, ceiling, and all of the trim, hung molding & trim, and got a few new accessories. It looks pretty good back there now. I have a few more items to round the room out ... including a second coat of paint on the small table, a headboard, and decorating stuff ... but it's coming along nicely.
THREE
So, when we were kids, my dad designed playground equipment to install at our elementary school - really only Libby & I went to school here because we moved before the boys were old enough. The school was right next to our house - literally it went our house, neighbor I don't remember, Dria's house, cross the street, @ the school, and you had to walk through the playground to get into the school. It was nice. In the winter, the firemen would come and flood the big field in the back of the school so we could ice skate during recess. I always wonder if today they ever do that anywhere anymore? Coming back from the tangent ... a while ago my parents were moving again and my mom was getting rid of some stuff and these playground equipment architectural drawings were in the pile. I took them and have been lugging them around with me for 5 years through 2 moves and finally had a place to put them. They are framed and hung in the guest bedroom, and THEY. LOOK. GREAT. You'll have to see them for yourself, but they are a totally cool, unique addition that adds a touch of modish adult style to the purpleness of the room. Have I mentioned that I am in love with them ... definitely on the list of favorite things in my house.
FOUR
We had the side back yard area groomed ... weeds pulled, top soil poured, paver stones laid, mulch & gravel spread. Our grill sits nicely on the paver stones now. Weeds won't grow back to the side of the garage. And eventually we'll plant some knock-out rose bushes along the fence. It's so nice. But, just so the story is documented ... it was NOT NICE getting it to this point! We called a local landscaper, finally giving in to the fact that we were just not going to get this done ourselves (our neighbor did it once, it grew back; we paid a guy to weed it, it grew back this spring; it was a jungle again; Pat tried to weed it - got about a 3' square section done in 45 minutes; that was the end of that). He came out a couple days later to look at the area. It was a bit weird, but we waited about 6 days for a quote after that. We talked it over and called him back within a week to tell him to go ahead with all of the work, except planting any bushes. We didn't hear from him for a couple of weeks, and the work wasn't done. One day, I came home to a message on the answering machine - "Sorry, things got really busy after we talked, but we'll be out in the next couple of weeks to do the work." I called him back, left a message and said - "No big deal; we still want the work done." Two weeks later, no work done. Pat now calls him, and left about 2-3 more messages. He never returns any phone calls. We are now about 4-5 weeks into this, with no work done and just leaving messages. So, we agree this guy is fired. Pat schedules another landscaper to come out and give us a quote that Friday. Thursday night, I get home and the area is all cleaned up. WTF? Haven't heard from this guy in 3 weeks - no messages, notes, nothing - and now he does the work? Whatever, Pat calls him again. Still no answer. A week later, he leaves a message saying his guys are spraying weed control and will be able to finish the job Thursday or Friday the following week. No work, nothing done that whole week ... or the week after. UGH. Finally, Pat calls and says that he really has to finish this or else. (Else what? We weren't sure ... but it was getting SO old.) He came out the next day and finished the work. Then he mailed us a bill RIGHT AWAY. The bill came out to double his quote. WTF, again? Pat called him that night and discussed the situation, and we came to an agreement. We mailed the check today, and as soon as that sucker is cashed, I am totally reviewing this business online. It was a nightmare. But, it's done and looks much better!
FIVE
We got a new kitchen light ... again ... for the third time ... but this one is good. It's really good. And the decor is good and the light is good and it just looks good.
We painted our interior shutters. They look good. They fit the LR windows perfectly, and the DR windows almost. So, we are going to figure out a way to hang those babies up and pull these curtains down. Oh ... this project is going to be enlightening (hahahahaha - because they are going to allow so much more light into our LR/DR ... (I felt I needed to explain that joke))! Stay tuned!
We have gotten some stuff done though ...
ONE
We bought all new bushes for out front. We needed something to fill in the behind the scenes of our garden. Something that would stay green year-round and not make our house look so dead in the winter. Enter five holly bushes, good size, grown at a local nursery. It rained for about a week straight. Nice. Fertilizer, root grower. The bushes looked great. Enter 100+ degree weather with no rain for the next 3-4 weeks. The two bushes by the steps get direct sunlight for a good portion of the day. I did not water nearly enough (or maybe not at all for the first 2 weeks of heat?) ... BIG MISTAKE. Helpful hint for new home owners - plants need water. :) They are dead. We have to buy 2 more bushes for the front of the house. Good news, the 3 bushes near the house and the tree are doing great. Ugh ... I did not get my mother's green thumb ... that went to my sister for sure.
**See previous blog post and picture the bushes on either side of the steps dead - that's what it looks like now.**
TWO
We did finally get that guest bedroom painted and close to finished! We painted the walls, ceiling, and all of the trim, hung molding & trim, and got a few new accessories. It looks pretty good back there now. I have a few more items to round the room out ... including a second coat of paint on the small table, a headboard, and decorating stuff ... but it's coming along nicely.
 |
| The closet is still organized!!! |
 |
| Bought a new doorstop ... because the previous owners used a cordless phone base ... I know it may be hard to imagine, but it is true. (and I'm embarrassed to admit, but we used it for almost 2 years now too. totally. embarrassed.) |
THREE
So, when we were kids, my dad designed playground equipment to install at our elementary school - really only Libby & I went to school here because we moved before the boys were old enough. The school was right next to our house - literally it went our house, neighbor I don't remember, Dria's house, cross the street, @ the school, and you had to walk through the playground to get into the school. It was nice. In the winter, the firemen would come and flood the big field in the back of the school so we could ice skate during recess. I always wonder if today they ever do that anywhere anymore? Coming back from the tangent ... a while ago my parents were moving again and my mom was getting rid of some stuff and these playground equipment architectural drawings were in the pile. I took them and have been lugging them around with me for 5 years through 2 moves and finally had a place to put them. They are framed and hung in the guest bedroom, and THEY. LOOK. GREAT. You'll have to see them for yourself, but they are a totally cool, unique addition that adds a touch of modish adult style to the purpleness of the room. Have I mentioned that I am in love with them ... definitely on the list of favorite things in my house.
FOUR
We had the side back yard area groomed ... weeds pulled, top soil poured, paver stones laid, mulch & gravel spread. Our grill sits nicely on the paver stones now. Weeds won't grow back to the side of the garage. And eventually we'll plant some knock-out rose bushes along the fence. It's so nice. But, just so the story is documented ... it was NOT NICE getting it to this point! We called a local landscaper, finally giving in to the fact that we were just not going to get this done ourselves (our neighbor did it once, it grew back; we paid a guy to weed it, it grew back this spring; it was a jungle again; Pat tried to weed it - got about a 3' square section done in 45 minutes; that was the end of that). He came out a couple days later to look at the area. It was a bit weird, but we waited about 6 days for a quote after that. We talked it over and called him back within a week to tell him to go ahead with all of the work, except planting any bushes. We didn't hear from him for a couple of weeks, and the work wasn't done. One day, I came home to a message on the answering machine - "Sorry, things got really busy after we talked, but we'll be out in the next couple of weeks to do the work." I called him back, left a message and said - "No big deal; we still want the work done." Two weeks later, no work done. Pat now calls him, and left about 2-3 more messages. He never returns any phone calls. We are now about 4-5 weeks into this, with no work done and just leaving messages. So, we agree this guy is fired. Pat schedules another landscaper to come out and give us a quote that Friday. Thursday night, I get home and the area is all cleaned up. WTF? Haven't heard from this guy in 3 weeks - no messages, notes, nothing - and now he does the work? Whatever, Pat calls him again. Still no answer. A week later, he leaves a message saying his guys are spraying weed control and will be able to finish the job Thursday or Friday the following week. No work, nothing done that whole week ... or the week after. UGH. Finally, Pat calls and says that he really has to finish this or else. (Else what? We weren't sure ... but it was getting SO old.) He came out the next day and finished the work. Then he mailed us a bill RIGHT AWAY. The bill came out to double his quote. WTF, again? Pat called him that night and discussed the situation, and we came to an agreement. We mailed the check today, and as soon as that sucker is cashed, I am totally reviewing this business online. It was a nightmare. But, it's done and looks much better!
FIVE
We got a new kitchen light ... again ... for the third time ... but this one is good. It's really good. And the decor is good and the light is good and it just looks good.
We painted our interior shutters. They look good. They fit the LR windows perfectly, and the DR windows almost. So, we are going to figure out a way to hang those babies up and pull these curtains down. Oh ... this project is going to be enlightening (hahahahaha - because they are going to allow so much more light into our LR/DR ... (I felt I needed to explain that joke))! Stay tuned!
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