......But I sure wish we were. This past month Steve textured all the walls in the living room, down the hallway and the 1/2 bath. Then he did an awesome job on the trim and there was A LOT of trim. Then we had to putty all the nail holes, caulk and sand. So time consuming. It has taken us a week to paint the living room with the primer and then paint the ceiling and trim with the hi gloss white. We still have a second coat of the white to put on. Then wait for a few days for it to cure so we can mask it all off and paint the walls a color I am still trying to decide on.
I did something to my ribs and back muscles last weekend, maybe from all the puttying, and sanding, but I could not help sand the primer or really do much of anything so I read, read and read, which I haven't done for years - but I did get the last 2 books of the Hunger Games read in one week.
Dennis has some night shifts this week, which gives him more hours during the day to get stuff done, so hopefully we will get a lot accomplished. The bad thing about doing remodeling in March is it competes with the things that need to be done outside. Early spring lawn fertilizing, tree pruning, and some of the garden can be planted in a week.
We still have to get the rest of the baseboards on in the 1/2 bath and part of the kitchen and the back side of the new wall that was once a doorway is mudded and textured, then when can do our final sanding and I CAN CLEAN, CLEAN, CLEAN. Every room in the house needs a major deep cleaning. Walls, blinds, closets, knick knacks, EVEYTHING needs to be dusted. Windows and curtains washed. Inside of drawers cleaned and washed out. That dust has settled into every nook and cranny and will take some major work to get rid of. It will really be a spring cleaning like none other.
We are getting closer to being done on the living room, but both upstairs bathrooms still need to finished. The master bathroom is still waiting for the vanity and mirror. The 1/2 bath needs finish trim and painting, which hopefully Dennis and I can get to later this week. Soon, it will all be done and all the stress will be forgotten.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
3 1/2 weeks and still going
It has been three and a half weeks and we are slowly plugging along. The bathroom is now all painted (the final coat went on earlier this evening) and we are now ready for the toilet, vanity, lights and fixtures. The walls are a beige with a slight yellow tone to it and the ceiling and trim are hi gloss white.
In between coats of paint in the bathroom we continued on with the living room. Dennis took off the face of the fireplace. We were going to just sheetrock over the entire wall, but there was nothing to screw the sheetrock to around the fireplace opening, so they had to frame it in.
While they were doing that Steve asked if I wanted the doorway by the backdoor framed in as well. I thought it might be a good thing to do, since I have been wondering how I was going to keep the grandkids from running from the kitchen through the living room and back again. That is one of their favorite things to do at my house is run around the "track". I didn't want the new carpet to get dirty, so framing in the doorway seemed like a great idea. I'm glad we covered up the fireplace and added the wall because this gave us the chance to put in insulation. This wall had NONE. Look at that cute Porter, hard at work helping grandma scrape off wallpaper.
While the men were framing, I started scraping off the wallpaper. The plan was that I was supposed to just scrape off the loose stuff, then paint the wallpaper with oil based paint, then Steve would skim coat the walls. I guess this is the way people deal with wallpaper now so you don't have to spend so much time steaming it off. Once I started scraping off the loose stuff, it just kept peeling and peeling and on and on, the only thing was, what I was pulling off was just 1/2 the wallpaper. It was the "decorative" part that peeled off, leaving a felt backing still glued to the wall. If I scraped and grabbed hold of it just right, it would peel off in huge pieces. That didn't take too long. Then Dennis took down the crown molding that someone had glued to the wall and it put big holes in the wall and pulled off chunks of paint that was underneath the felt backing. I had to start all over scraping the wall to get the loose stuff off. The only thing was, that once I started scraping, the paint and felt backing just kept coming off. It was like the paint had never really stuck to the wall and was now ready to be come off. Once I got to the end of the wall with the wallpaper on, the paint just kept peeling so I kept going and went clear around the room. It took me two days to get it all done, but now I feel like we are starting over with a clean slate for the new texture and paint to adhere to. Dennis and Steve also worked on the lighting and put in a fixture in the middle of the room and two can lights in the hallway. We have wallpaper on half the lower half of the wall in the kitchen and I wanted to take that down as well, since some of it can be seen from the front door. So one night I guess I hadn't had enough scraping and started scraping off the kitchen wallpaper. It did not come off as easy as the living room had. The top layer scraped off from the felt paper, but would not tear off in nice large sheets. It took quite a bit more scraping. Then Dennis and I decided that we did not want to have to paint and skim coat the kitchen like we would have done in the living room as we had just done the kitchen about 7 years ago with all new sheetrock and texture. We talked about going to Timp Rental and renting a steamer that takes off wallpaper. I remember renting it years ago to take off the wallpaper in the small bathroom and it was a very laborious job. I was not looking forward to that at all. Then Dennis had a brilliant idea. What if we boiled water and put it in a squirt bottle and sprayed it onto the paper and let it sit for a few minutes? We figured it was worth a try.....and it WORKED! It really was brilliant, and much easier, and FREE. Yes, at this point, we are liking free quite a bit. Today, I didn't get enough of the scraping, so I started in on the half bath (the same bath we steamed the wallpaper off of 7 years ago). When we redid the kitchen and half bath back then, I had this grand idea of sponging paint on the lower half of the wall. I don't remember what the technical name for it was, but it was all the rage. Anyway, it turned out HIDEOUS!!! So I ran to the store and found some wallpaper to cover it up. Now the wallpaper has been curling up along the edges and looking really ratty, so off it came today. It really was fun, scraping off the top layer, then squirting boiling hot water onto the felt paper and watching it bubble, then scraping it off like butter. Way cool. Now we are waiting on Steve to come and tape and texture the drywall. Then we can start painting. We are also waiting on Steve to get the vanity built. Waiting, waiting, waiting. This winter has been hard on him and his family with almost no paying jobs, so that is why we decided to start our remodel so we could keep him busy. Well, he has gotten two "paying jobs" this past week and has been asked to bid on a few others. That is really good for him and his family, they need to be able to pay for their bills. So we will be patient and wait for him to fit us in. Hopefully that won't take TOO long.
Here's Amanda 7 months pregnant, helping me scrape off the felt backing. To the left you can see what the wallpaper looked like.
The sheetrock up and ready for taping and texturing.
In between coats of paint in the bathroom we continued on with the living room. Dennis took off the face of the fireplace. We were going to just sheetrock over the entire wall, but there was nothing to screw the sheetrock to around the fireplace opening, so they had to frame it in.
While they were doing that Steve asked if I wanted the doorway by the backdoor framed in as well. I thought it might be a good thing to do, since I have been wondering how I was going to keep the grandkids from running from the kitchen through the living room and back again. That is one of their favorite things to do at my house is run around the "track". I didn't want the new carpet to get dirty, so framing in the doorway seemed like a great idea. I'm glad we covered up the fireplace and added the wall because this gave us the chance to put in insulation. This wall had NONE. Look at that cute Porter, hard at work helping grandma scrape off wallpaper.
While the men were framing, I started scraping off the wallpaper. The plan was that I was supposed to just scrape off the loose stuff, then paint the wallpaper with oil based paint, then Steve would skim coat the walls. I guess this is the way people deal with wallpaper now so you don't have to spend so much time steaming it off. Once I started scraping off the loose stuff, it just kept peeling and peeling and on and on, the only thing was, what I was pulling off was just 1/2 the wallpaper. It was the "decorative" part that peeled off, leaving a felt backing still glued to the wall. If I scraped and grabbed hold of it just right, it would peel off in huge pieces. That didn't take too long. Then Dennis took down the crown molding that someone had glued to the wall and it put big holes in the wall and pulled off chunks of paint that was underneath the felt backing. I had to start all over scraping the wall to get the loose stuff off. The only thing was, that once I started scraping, the paint and felt backing just kept coming off. It was like the paint had never really stuck to the wall and was now ready to be come off. Once I got to the end of the wall with the wallpaper on, the paint just kept peeling so I kept going and went clear around the room. It took me two days to get it all done, but now I feel like we are starting over with a clean slate for the new texture and paint to adhere to. Dennis and Steve also worked on the lighting and put in a fixture in the middle of the room and two can lights in the hallway. We have wallpaper on half the lower half of the wall in the kitchen and I wanted to take that down as well, since some of it can be seen from the front door. So one night I guess I hadn't had enough scraping and started scraping off the kitchen wallpaper. It did not come off as easy as the living room had. The top layer scraped off from the felt paper, but would not tear off in nice large sheets. It took quite a bit more scraping. Then Dennis and I decided that we did not want to have to paint and skim coat the kitchen like we would have done in the living room as we had just done the kitchen about 7 years ago with all new sheetrock and texture. We talked about going to Timp Rental and renting a steamer that takes off wallpaper. I remember renting it years ago to take off the wallpaper in the small bathroom and it was a very laborious job. I was not looking forward to that at all. Then Dennis had a brilliant idea. What if we boiled water and put it in a squirt bottle and sprayed it onto the paper and let it sit for a few minutes? We figured it was worth a try.....and it WORKED! It really was brilliant, and much easier, and FREE. Yes, at this point, we are liking free quite a bit. Today, I didn't get enough of the scraping, so I started in on the half bath (the same bath we steamed the wallpaper off of 7 years ago). When we redid the kitchen and half bath back then, I had this grand idea of sponging paint on the lower half of the wall. I don't remember what the technical name for it was, but it was all the rage. Anyway, it turned out HIDEOUS!!! So I ran to the store and found some wallpaper to cover it up. Now the wallpaper has been curling up along the edges and looking really ratty, so off it came today. It really was fun, scraping off the top layer, then squirting boiling hot water onto the felt paper and watching it bubble, then scraping it off like butter. Way cool. Now we are waiting on Steve to come and tape and texture the drywall. Then we can start painting. We are also waiting on Steve to get the vanity built. Waiting, waiting, waiting. This winter has been hard on him and his family with almost no paying jobs, so that is why we decided to start our remodel so we could keep him busy. Well, he has gotten two "paying jobs" this past week and has been asked to bid on a few others. That is really good for him and his family, they need to be able to pay for their bills. So we will be patient and wait for him to fit us in. Hopefully that won't take TOO long.
Here's Amanda 7 months pregnant, helping me scrape off the felt backing. To the left you can see what the wallpaper looked like.
The sheetrock up and ready for taping and texturing. Thursday, February 3, 2011
Slow going
There are pro's and con's to doing your own remodeling work. On the pro side is the money saved and that is a big deal. On the con side is the time it takes working around jobs and everyday life which can be a hassle, and means life is interrupted for a longer period of time. When it is all said and done most of the troubles are forgotten and all the time and hard work is worth the hassle.
Yesterday we painted the primer on. While it dried we went into the living and started demolition there. I was amazed how much we got done with what little time we had. With Dennis working so much at his job, we only have a few hours each day to get anything done.
The above picture is our hallway leading from the living room to the bedrooms and bathroom. There were so many holes in the walls from years of picture hanging, and these were not just small pin holes. When you put a nail into plaster it chips and leaves golf ball sized holes.
You might think we are crazy for doing demolition with furniture still in the room, but I don't have the strength in my right arm right now to help Dennis carry furniture downstairs. So, instead of waiting until help comes to move the furniture we have forged ahead. Mostly it has been taking off wallpaper, ripping off molding of which was no easy task because the crown molding was glued tight to the wall, and taking the brick off the fireplace and removing the hearth, mantle and "gasp" paneling. Yes, our house is a mixture of the 60's and 70's and is in dire needs of an upgrade. Next its time for the "gorgeous" curtains" to bite the dust. We have just saved them for last since we have wanted the privacy they provide. Do you see the lovely brass torchiere (spelling?) lamp, it is the major source of light in this large room. Thank goodness the plans call for a new light fixture in the middle of the room so we don't have to have a room full of lamps.
The picture below is our kitchen. Where else do you think we are going to store paint and stuff so it doesn't freeze. It has to stay in a warm temperature, so the garage and basement are out. I refuse to have that kind of stuff on carpet so the bedrooms are out. So the kitchen it is. There is only two rooms in the whole house not affected by the remodeling and that is the bathroom we have to use downstairs and the food storage room. I am trying really hard to be patient, stay calm and live with the disruptions for "the time being". It shouldn't be more than a month....I hope!!!!
Yesterday we painted the primer on. While it dried we went into the living and started demolition there. I was amazed how much we got done with what little time we had. With Dennis working so much at his job, we only have a few hours each day to get anything done.
The above picture is our hallway leading from the living room to the bedrooms and bathroom. There were so many holes in the walls from years of picture hanging, and these were not just small pin holes. When you put a nail into plaster it chips and leaves golf ball sized holes.
You might think we are crazy for doing demolition with furniture still in the room, but I don't have the strength in my right arm right now to help Dennis carry furniture downstairs. So, instead of waiting until help comes to move the furniture we have forged ahead. Mostly it has been taking off wallpaper, ripping off molding of which was no easy task because the crown molding was glued tight to the wall, and taking the brick off the fireplace and removing the hearth, mantle and "gasp" paneling. Yes, our house is a mixture of the 60's and 70's and is in dire needs of an upgrade. Next its time for the "gorgeous" curtains" to bite the dust. We have just saved them for last since we have wanted the privacy they provide. Do you see the lovely brass torchiere (spelling?) lamp, it is the major source of light in this large room. Thank goodness the plans call for a new light fixture in the middle of the room so we don't have to have a room full of lamps.
The picture below is our kitchen. Where else do you think we are going to store paint and stuff so it doesn't freeze. It has to stay in a warm temperature, so the garage and basement are out. I refuse to have that kind of stuff on carpet so the bedrooms are out. So the kitchen it is. There is only two rooms in the whole house not affected by the remodeling and that is the bathroom we have to use downstairs and the food storage room. I am trying really hard to be patient, stay calm and live with the disruptions for "the time being". It shouldn't be more than a month....I hope!!!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
All Work and No Play makes Jack A Dull Boy
.....or so the saying goes. My sister and her husband invited us to go snowmobiling last Saturday up to their cabin. It was so nice to get away from the daily grind (and all the remodeling work) and do something different for a change. It was great to get out of the dirty, smoggy air and up where the sun shone so bright and beautiful. It was a lovely, warm winter day. Even though you see us all dressed up warm, that was for the ride on the snowmobiles. We did some snowshoeing, hiking, and visiting and just had a wonderful time. Thanks Nancy and Calvin for inviting us to go with you.
Even though one of the snowmobiles decided to break down on the way up to the cabin (which was a source of frustration for Nancy and Calvin), it gave Dennis and I the opportunity to hike out in the fresh mountain air, take advantage of the beautiful scenery around us, and get lots of exercise. Dennis and I LOVED it. We wouldn't have gotten to experience those things if had not been for the unfortunate snowmobile.
Even though one of the snowmobiles decided to break down on the way up to the cabin (which was a source of frustration for Nancy and Calvin), it gave Dennis and I the opportunity to hike out in the fresh mountain air, take advantage of the beautiful scenery around us, and get lots of exercise. Dennis and I LOVED it. We wouldn't have gotten to experience those things if had not been for the unfortunate snowmobile.
Bathroom Remodel - Update
The bathroom is coming along nicely.
Backer board is now up on the shower wall and behind the toilet area.
The drywall is up and taped (although you can't really see it in this picture. The 2 rows of tile to be laid in the tub/shower.
Steve is hard at work laying the tile. If you need a tile man, Steve is the guy for you. He does a great job.
Dennis grouted all the tile today and it looks great. The walls are textured and ready to have a light sanding to smooth out the rough edges and then we start painting. I love to just stand and look at it. I can't wait to have it all done and decorated with fun colors. Stay tune, more to come.
Backer board is now up on the shower wall and behind the toilet area.
The drywall is up and taped (although you can't really see it in this picture. The 2 rows of tile to be laid in the tub/shower.
Steve is hard at work laying the tile. If you need a tile man, Steve is the guy for you. He does a great job.
Dennis grouted all the tile today and it looks great. The walls are textured and ready to have a light sanding to smooth out the rough edges and then we start painting. I love to just stand and look at it. I can't wait to have it all done and decorated with fun colors. Stay tune, more to come.Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Bathroom Remodel 2
It sure takes a lot of work before progress is really seen. I had no idea it would take so long to do all new plumbing, of course in my mind I was just thinking more cosmetic when it came to remodeling. Dennis was smart in thinking beyond that and wanting all new plumbing. I will be grateful for that in the years ahead. And...redoing the plumbing wasn't just confined to the bathroom. It included the half bath and laundry on the other side of the the wall, and the utility room directly underneath in the basement.
Dennis got some tile from his mom and dad when we were visiting them right after Thanksgiving. He got just enough for the floor and we have been trying to find something to go with it for the shower. We found one tile that sorta went, but the only thing that made it doable was the decorative squares and for just 20 pieces that would have cost over $140.00 and that did not include the so-so tile. He really wanted the tile he got from his dad, but realized it wasn't going to work unless he took a drive to Arizona. So today we looked at other choices and found something that we both liked.
We still have yet to settle on a wood floor for the hallway. Apparently it is not so important now as it was last week to know the depth of the wood floor. I don't understand all of it. Hopefully Steve knows what he is doing.
Can't wait to see what fun things they will work on today. From here on out I will actually see the "cosmetic" changes.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Bathroom Remodel
We have finally started remodeling our main bathroom. It has needed it for many years. It was time for the pink tub and pink flowered, peeling, wallpaper to disappear. We took it down to the studs, which was no easy chore because our house, being made in the 1960's has plaster over sheet rock with chicken wire at all the seams. Dennis did such a good job demoing it with some help from Steve and I. I wanted to help more, but I got sick that day.
Now Steve has been replacing all the old water and drain pipes with all new plastic lines. We got a bonus out of the deal. The utility room is directly underneath and in order to get to the pipes we had to take out all the junk that has been in there since we moved in. We also took down the make shift "sheet rock" some previous owner put up. Steve has moved the water heater and salt water tank to make the room much more functional. We have gained a whole new utility room with a lot of storage space.
Before too much more can be done we have to buy the shower fixtures and decide on what wood floor we want to go in the hallway. At first I thought deciding on what particular wood floor I wanted in the hallway was premature, but when they explained to me that in order for the tile floor in the bathroom to match up with the wood floor in the hallway, they have to know the depth of the wood floor. It has been impossible for Dennis and I to get together and decide on what we both like with our very different and busy schedules. I think tomorrow is the day to make many of these decisions. Now if we can find something we both agree on. Dennis seems to gravitate to the most expensive items, and our budget doesn't allow for that.
I am so glad we were able to redo the bathroom downstairs 2 1/2 years ago so we would be ready when it came time to do the upstairs bath. It takes some pre-thought to make sure I have everything I need to get ready for the day, but at least we have another bathroom.
I am so excited for it to be done and look gorgeous. Then we move on to the living room and hallway. The 80's look has had it's day and it is time for a re-do. I just hope I can stay sane with all the dirt and dust, clutter and upheavel that comes with remodeling.
Now Steve has been replacing all the old water and drain pipes with all new plastic lines. We got a bonus out of the deal. The utility room is directly underneath and in order to get to the pipes we had to take out all the junk that has been in there since we moved in. We also took down the make shift "sheet rock" some previous owner put up. Steve has moved the water heater and salt water tank to make the room much more functional. We have gained a whole new utility room with a lot of storage space.
Before too much more can be done we have to buy the shower fixtures and decide on what wood floor we want to go in the hallway. At first I thought deciding on what particular wood floor I wanted in the hallway was premature, but when they explained to me that in order for the tile floor in the bathroom to match up with the wood floor in the hallway, they have to know the depth of the wood floor. It has been impossible for Dennis and I to get together and decide on what we both like with our very different and busy schedules. I think tomorrow is the day to make many of these decisions. Now if we can find something we both agree on. Dennis seems to gravitate to the most expensive items, and our budget doesn't allow for that.
I am so glad we were able to redo the bathroom downstairs 2 1/2 years ago so we would be ready when it came time to do the upstairs bath. It takes some pre-thought to make sure I have everything I need to get ready for the day, but at least we have another bathroom.
I am so excited for it to be done and look gorgeous. Then we move on to the living room and hallway. The 80's look has had it's day and it is time for a re-do. I just hope I can stay sane with all the dirt and dust, clutter and upheavel that comes with remodeling.
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