It’s Looking Like a Home Now

In the last blog, I left you as we were doing baseboard and nothing changed come Sunday, we’re still doing baseboard.

 

 

For a little break on Monday and we were in a little warm spell and still had some out door work to be done so we shifted our focus to those tasks. Some areas of the weeping tile bed had sunk down some and we needed to pick up some gravel to top those areas up. So, off to the local landscaper where they loaded about a yard into the truck – the bad news, they would not follow us home to unload it. So, between us, we unloaded and dumped and raked the gravel and made the weeping beds look much better. One yard was enough for today so back into the house and – yes, more baseboard. Our counter top was coming soon so we had to build a base for the island to sit on and it has to be fastened to the floor so it does not move. We had that done and wired by the end of the day too.

 

 

We woke Tuesday to another beautiful warm day and went and got another yard of gravel to finish the weeping bed. We needed to install a plumbing union on the sump pump so it can be serviced easier. I also installed a water trough heater so the sump pump does not freeze. While I was ‘playing’ with the pump and stuff, Barb raked and bagged leaves – one of the joys of home ownership again. After such a beautiful day, we went inside and installed the kitchen cabinets on the island frame and installed the dishwasher. We’re on the down side of the hill now and it is really coming together and looking great.

 

 

 

 

 

When the counter top installer came by to take the measurements, we told him we were getting our sink from Ikea. He stopped measuring and gave us a look – he said they are the most difficult sinks to install and if we were doing the install, we would be better to buy one from one of the big box stores. So, since we were going out for more supplies today, we picked up a sink too. We also wanted a WiFi thermostat so we could monitor the house temps from LA. Our counter top was ready so we went by there too – a busy day but we have been known to put in some long days and today was not too different – Out for supplies and we hung the bedroom door which was no easy task. Some dumbie built the rough stud opening about an inch too short and we had to cut out some of the header and drywall to install the door frame. What a mess! There may have been an easier way but I just went ahead the the reciprocal saw and cut it out, drywall dust everywhere! I should have been more surgical about it. Anyway, we got the frame in and it is level and plumb! With the bedroom door hung, we call it a day, albeit a late one. Once in the rig, we look at each other, I asked what was for dinner and who was cooking. No one put their hands up so we went out!

 

Thursday was a fun day – besides installing the bedroom door trim and more baseboard, our counter tops were installed today and Zeke did a great job. He even installed the sink and the gas cook top. Now you can see a real kitchen and a cute home.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday sees us finishing the baseboards in the mud room and installing the rest of the kitchen cabinet doors and drawers. Some had to be left off so the counter tops could be installed. We also hooked up the water and drains for the kitchen sink. Wow, a working kitchen now, it is getting more and more exciting but we soon have to make our decision, sell or rent.

 

 

Saturday was a little slower, now that the baseboards are done, the kitchen installed, now just a few more small tasks that we need to work on. Barb peels the protective covering off the bedroom door and I puttered around. We also did the first load in the new dishwasher.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had a great week and a summer. The project is mostly done now and we love the way it turned out. We hope all is good where you are….

It’s Close Now

I have been more than a little slack at up dating our blog! In the last posting, we were working on the flooring and Terri & Mark came up to help out again. It is Sunday, Nov 2th and Barb & Terri are finishing the flooring in the living room and the front study. Now that the ladies have finished the kitchen, Mark & I start to hang the wall cabinets. Have I mentioned how much we love the Ikea kitchen cabinets? Well, they are easy to assemble and they provide all the hardware to securely fasten them down or up on the walls. In short order, they are in place and level! Barb & Terri managed to get all the floor down except for the bedroom – we bought all the store had at the time so we have to go back for more when it arrives. It was a very productive weekend and we really appreciate their help.

 

Monday was a day off for us or was it? Off to Ikea, Costco, Home Depot & Lowes for more supplies and more flooring for the bedroom.

On Tuesday, we continue with the kitchen cabinets, Barb assembling the drawers and mount the hardware and install and adjust – what an assembly line we had going. No more drawers to put together so Barb starts putting down the flooring in the bedroom – the last to be done but not the least, there is still lots of cutting to do and at the end of the second day, a great job done. Way to go Barb, the flooring looks great. Now that the upper cabinets are up and secure, we can finally get our microwave/convection oven out of the box – we’ve only had it since early June.

Now that the floors are down, you know what that means – yes, the baseboard can go down, filled. sanded and painted. This is the tedious parts of a reno, the finishing work. It goes so slow with hardly any show of progress but looks great when all done to finish off a well done job. I would measure and cut and fit and barb would nail and fill the nail holes. I would caulk the top and corners and soon Barb would paint – another assembly line, what a team! The first few lengths of base, we tried cutting 45 degree cuts on the inside corners but it’s an old house so that didn’t look great so I tried my hand at using a coping saw and cut the corners to fit and that worked out much better. It took longer but a better job for sure. While I am taking my time with the intricate cutting, Barb finds other tasks to do, like assemble more drawers!

The rest of our week was baseboard and more baseboard. In our spare time, we installed more lighting And painted baseboard! That was another week of this adventure but it is really coming together now. We are confident that we will be done before we head south that we have asked if we could hold our family Christmas celebration here to Christen the house and our 3 daughters all agreed so now we really have to git-r-done!

Hope all is good where ever you are….

It’s not a Train….

In our last posting, we were painting the house and Barb & Terri continued painting on Sunday, Oct 26th. I continued installing lighting in the rooms that were done. Finally, the house is all painted so we started to install the bathroom cabinet. Yes, we bought the unit from Ikea and easy to assemble and hang. Our problem is we’re dealing with old people – Barb & I could not remember the co-ordinates of the blocking that we put in the wall to support the unit! Great plan but dumb mistake not to record where the blocking was! At last, we found one set and decided to use wall anchors for the other pair. It was too late to go shopping for anchors so enough for the day.

Well, Monday morning brings a clearer head and Barb & I tackle the bathroom vanity again and found the wall blocking and mounted the vanity, installed the sink and connected the plumbing. Another milestone, running water in the house (beside the shower) and a place to clean our paint brushes – I don’t think so says Barb! Barb continues with painting doors, outdoor lights and the house numbers. This gives us a sense of nearing the finish line by doing the small tasks.

Tuesday was another day off, Randy & Norma came over for a visit before we all went south for the winter. Their plan is to leave early November and today was the best day for all of us to get together. After a quick tour of the progress of the house, we settled back in the trailer for games of fast track – I say games because it was a bit of a marathon of fast track. We stopped for lunch – Norma brought lunch to treat us for our hard work – and then carried on with our marathon. It was a fun day off and all too soon, we were saying our farewells until next summer when we all return from our winter retreats.

That evening, we drove into HD to pick up our flooring – yeah, laying flooring is another step toward the end! It is exciting but at the same time we’re anxious, it’s an old house and with uneven floors, less than square walls, where do we start? The guys at HD were great, we had 31 boxes of flooring and they loaded it right into the truck – using a fork lift of course and refused to follow us home to unload it! Arriving late, we decided to unload the flooring in the morning – no light in the garage – and since the flooring is vinyl, the dampness will not harm it.

On Wednesday, after we unloaded the flooring into the garage, we cut the 1/4 round for the windows and Barb nailed, filled and painted it. I installed receptacles, switches and plates. Whew, busy, busy as we can see that the light at the end of the tunnel is NOT an oncoming train!

On Thursday, Barb continues with the window trim and I install more electrical devices. Our building code specifies that we have to have a smoke and CO detector in the main area and a smoke detector in each bedroom, they must be interconnected so when one goes off, they all go off. Seems like over kill for a house this size. Anyway, we both complete our doings and decide to try to fix a major floor squeak in the bathroom. Because our ‘crawl space’ is too small for anyone to go under the floor, we have to open the floor from above to try to fix. It seems like a step back but we have to do it so out comes the circular saw, remove screws and open it up. We do not see anything obvious but we add some cross bracing anyway and replace the floor. It seems like we have improved it but it still squeaks a little.

We start to rationalize how and where we start the vinyl plank flooring. We do not want to put transitions at thresholds on the 2 doors where the flooring goes through so to us DIYers, this will take a little planning. After discussions, we get underway and start in the bathroom. The vinyl flooring we choose for here is not as flexible as we thought and after a couple of hours of frustration, we break down and read the installation instructions! Everyone knows that laminate flooring needs to be acclimatized before laying but who would have thought that vinyl also needs to be acclimatized! So, we carried all the boxes into the house so it can acclimatize before we attempt it again. It was amazing how much easier it was to install after 24 hours in the house. By the end of Friday, the bathroom and hall floor were down and the toilet installed.

Saturday was another milestone day – we had a counter top installer in to measure for our kitchen counter tops! Whoopie. He gave us some tid bits of info for the kitchen and also re-assured us that the Ikea kitchen cabinets are among the best, he has had one for 10 years now and no problems of adjustment and hasn’t fall apart. After he left, Barb & I continued the flooring that now extended into the great room. We had moved the fridge earlier and now that the cabinets have been measured, we move them out so we have an empty easel for the floor.

Terri and Mark arrive early afternoon to help out again – it’s always nice to see them, the extra hands helps us move forward a bit quicker. So Barb & Terri carry on with the flooring in the great room and move into the study while Mark & I get at those pesky little jobs like putting the subfloor over the concrete in the mud room. All this work made us thirsty and after dinner, we played a few games of fast track.

 

 

 

That’s it again for our week, we hope all is good where you are….

Many Hands Make Progress Fun

Today, Sunday, Oct 19th, we are taking a day off! Yes, a day off. But, before we do, we created a couple of earth berms to help keep the rain water from the road away from the house and it needed some sod to keep it in place. Then we cleaned up so we could be somewhat presentable. We are having friends from Minnesota stop by for a few days to lend a hand or two. We met Dick & Karla at a Habitat for Humanity caravan build in Thibodaux, Louisiana, in 2005 and have been good friends ever since. They have a winter place in Florida and are on their way south and stopped by for a few days – we had a great time and with their help, moved our project forward.

Anne, our cousin in London was judging in Toronto and also stopped by for a tour of our project and stayed overnight. First though, Anne wanted a tour of Buffalo before arriving here! She was in the wrong lane on the QEW and missed the last turn off before crossing the Peace Bridge into the USA, she gave us a ‘panic’ call as she was crossing into Buffalo. After she arrived, the 5 of us had a terrific evening.

The next day after saying goodbye to Anne and with 8 very capable hands, we start assembling the kitchen cabinet bases. After we paint, we have to have the kitchen counter company in to measure up so we can order the counter top. So Dick & I carted the bases in from the garage/workshop/storage space and the 4 of us start the assembly. Once you get through one, the rest seem fairly easy to understand and complete – there has to be something wrong with this picture, there were no ‘spare’ parts left over when a cabinet was done! Anyway, by mid afternoon we are done and decided that we need to install the door and window trim before we paint – all the trim is going to be painted out with the walls to help make the place look bigger. So, off to the store to buy buy buy.

 

On Tuesday, Dick & I measured, cut and fit the trim while Karla and Barb nailed and filled nail holes. By the end of the day, we had all the trim up, nail holes filled and could be ready for paint after some sanding. It was a busy couple of days with our Minnesota buddies and we all had fun being together, building, yakking and enjoying the company. Thanks guys, we hope to see you again soon.  May you have safe travels on your journey south.

 

On Wednesday, Barb & I started the task of final inspections and corrections before we break out the paint brushes and rollers. As we were getting ready to paint, Larry, my next older brother walked in the back door – what a surprise for us. After the ‘cooks’ tour, we sat about chatting and catching up. He left early afternoon for his drive back to Whitevale. Barb & I got a couple of ceilings painted before we ran out of light.

 

On Thursday, Barb continued working on the trim and I got the lighting installed in the front room. At the end of the day, we drove into Ikea to return a damaged cabinet and exchange a wall cabinet for a bigger unit for over the fridge. Another long day but we see progress and it’s exciting to see the kitchen cabinets.

 

 

Friday was more of the same, painting, lighting and priming trim. Terri arrived later to help with the paining over the weekend. So on Saturday, it was the three of us, rollers whirring, brushes slapping and even I helped out a little!

 

That’s it for our week, we hope all is good where you are….