Chicken Dance

I finally got my Kentucky drivers license! Two years isn't too long, right?! Well, Tom's in town for an extended visit and I thought he'd enjoy nothing better than a trip to the DMV to watch me get new tags on my car. Yeah, the state trooper said, "No way, Jose!" to my window tint. What the heck?! Guess I'm keeping Okie tags for longer.

The good news? The kitchen is well underway...

The Bobcat even installed a cat flap for the feline babies this weekend. 

The butcher block countertops are scheduled to go in tomorrow. Love!

They're also making progress with the front bathroom. Grouting tomorrow.

Tom's been a trooper with the construction mess. We learned how to make microwave coffee mug omlettes that are surprisingly good. We also did and "interesting" dance to the bathroom/kitchen to clean and prep a whole chicken for a great crockpot recipe yesterday.  He held the can while walking backwards as I walked and juggled wet chicken bits over the trash bag. 

Dish doing has been fun too...

Big Wheel Keep On Turnin'

It's been a busy week! I'm sitting outside the store waiting for the Bobcat to pick me up. We bought two new bicycles and accessories. Yay! Two bikes don't fit into a Camry. Boo!  Bobcat is taking bike #1 home and (hopefully) coming back to get me.  Guess I could trek home if he doesn't show up...

The back bathroom is complete and the front bathroom will be finished as soon as the evil Tile Shop gets my order in.

The driveway was poured this week. It's 10x44 and will fit our cars nicely!

They're supposed to come back today to dig out all the brush and posts. Double yay!

We spent the morning in the laundromat. It was a filthy place that charged $2.50 for cold wash only and another 25¢ per 10 minutes of drying.  After killing our second unsavory bug, I promptly ordered a lovely set of Samsung front loading machines on my iPhone while we waited.  They're scheduled for delivery today. Whew!

The kitchen cabinets have been ordered and the flooring has been delivered too!

Tired Is as Tired Does

It was a really loooooooong weekend. After the moving debacle (the moving truck driver showed up and his helpers never did...) I haven't been able to catch my energy back.

Surprise! Nick finished the back bathroom today. I get to take a hot shower in the morning!

So, with zero energy, I served leftover chicken gyros for dinner and prepped tomorrow's chicken wild rice soup. I don't ever want to hear someone say their kitchen is too small to cook well at home!

I put up the shower curtain and towels in the bathroom but they don't quite look right. You don't get pics of that until it's perfect. :)

My plan was to hang all the artwork tonight...I went across the street to the convince store for milk stout instead. I found $.17 on the walk there. How much interest did you earn on your savings today??? Beer + cash + couch = wheeeee!

Let There Be Light

"Let there be light!" <holds hands up in dramatic, Charlton Heston fashion>

Nick and the electrician have been busy bees this week! Outlets and switches are almost all replaced and light fixtures are going in everywhere. 

Here are a few of the additions:

Back bathroom

Front bedroom

Rear porch

Front bathroom

Juan Carlos, the A/C guy, came Monday evening to install my new 2-ton Ruud unit. He stayed until almost 9:30 pm to make sure it was done in one visit, by himself. He was so kind and FAST! Unbelievable and for only $2100 for everything, I'd say it was a mega value, too.

Ugly unit, but it's hard to photographically depict cool air...

Tiling started yesterday and the back bathroom is almost done--minus the specialty marble medallions that are on back order. <disappointed face>

I'm waiting to share those pics...

I picked out cabinetry hardware last night. Thoughts?

Knobs

 

Pulls

All the cabinetry has been determined--white shaker style with some glass front uppers and a few open shelves. It'll look great with the butcher block counters!

Everything is buzzing right along! Wish I could say the same for my packing...

Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough

Friday is fast approaching! Things are getting packed up at the rental and tidied up at the new place.

Nick called yesterday evening to tell me he went to pick up the tile we ordered for my front bathroom flooring and back bathroom shower floor. It was supposed to be in Saturday. They told him it was on back order...until the END of September. Why, you ask, didn't they tell him that when he ordered it two weeks ago?! (Oh, but they could give him five pieces to start. WTH is Nick going to do with five pieces?!?)

You might also ask why I ordered from that place, against Nick's recommendation? Because the tiles were perfect...and I couldn't find them anywhere else!

Delightfully difficult to obtain marble

See?!? Anyhow, I marched right up there to "take care of business". The tiles...all of them...will be here Thursday. Sometimes it pays to be assertive. <insert smirk>

So now I won't have a finished bathroom by Friday, but at least I'm not waiting until OCTOBER!

The hardwood floors are finished and the awesome COIT duct cleaning guys are here doing disgusting work.  They were a bargin for $265.  Where's Mike Rowe when you need him?

Back bedroom

Front bedroom

I don't know if I'm glad about the amount of rocks and drywall that they pulled out of the ducts. It clearly covered up the repulsive yuck that was there before we started renovations.
 

Disgusting vent findings

Ehem, Nick just called to say his PREFERRRED tile store also dropped the ball on tile ordering and that the remainder of what we ordered from them will also not be in until Thursday. So there! Every tile shop around is mediocre at best.

I'll be back this afternoon for A/C installation!

In Living Color...

Did I mention that the plan is to move into Beauty next week???  Sorry Nick.  (((big hugs)))  Sad for me...I haven't begun packing!  I'm starting to stress a bit, but it'll work out, right?  Right.  Packing party, anyone?

I did call all the utilities to transfer service and whatnot and for the first time in over two years, I will have television service!  Yay for cheapo AT&T U-Verse!  :)

Painting has begun!

Living room looking into dining room

Dining room looking into living room

Hallway - I just love that built in wall mirror!

Front bedroom - Spa-la-ahhhh!

Back bedroom - door glass to be frosted!

"Mint" condition back bathroom

Backer board is up in the bathrooms and they're ready for tile-tommorrow.  I love the niche that's built in the front bathroom.  It'll have three compartments with marble shelves for each.

Front bathroom

Nick also installed the door he had fabricated for me in the kitchen.  It's beautiful and adds so much light to the room!

Kitchen exit door

Kitchen exit porch

I thought we were doing a couple steps down from the door, but Nick thought it needed to be up to code and would look better with a 4x4 landing.  Rails are up next.  He's a genius! Duh.

Here's the view from the kitchen to the front door - I'm in love!

In my past experiences, I would have NEVER considered anything beyond neutral wall colors that would make a home easily marketable for a quick sale.  In this case, even if I decide to move in a month, people in the Highlands expect kitsch and vibrancy.  It's gold, Jerry!  Gold!

I bought new ceiling fans for both bedrooms and another Restore fixture for the hallway.  Think nickel finish with mercury glass...

Masterpiece in the making

Tile work starts tomorrow.  Nick is also sanding and polyurethaning the wood floors to cure over the weekend.  The A/C will be installed next Monday.  The movers come next Friday.  Zanax anyone?!  Anyone?!

Bureaucracy, Shmureaucracy!

I had to leave work early to meet Nick at the house yesterday.

The concrete guy was there tidying up the finish work to the front steps.  He quoted a mere $2,200 for redoing the sidewalk from the street to the steps and adding a 10'x40' driveway!  Having your own off-street parking in the Highlands is like having Willy Wonka's Golden Ticket--eat your heart out Veruca Salt!  (work to begin soon)

Nick rode with me downtown to the city planning offices to beg for get a building permit for the new bathroom.  We left at 1 pm, found meter parking, showed our IDs, signed in and waited...for over an hour, just to see someone.

Around 2:30 pm, we were instructed to go to cubicle #7.  There sat a man, with his feet up, talking hurriedly on his cell and barking instructions.  He glanced at us long enough to snap, "Did you ask for me by name?"  This was not a good sign.

Of course, Nick answered in his quiet voice, "No.  We're just looking to get a building permit."

I left once during this exchange to feed the meter for another hour and a half, but it turns out this guy had hundreds of blood clots and needed surgery and was waiting for someone to come drive him to Cleveland for this special procedure.  Why was he at work???

He explained that he had over two years of plans and reports he hadn't filed because he just didn't have the time and others there didn't do their job right.  Looking at this pile, I guess we lucked out with cubicle #7:

This image doesn't do justice to the amount of papers...everywhere.

Nick shared the drawing of the proposal "I" was making.  Apparently, if its contractor requested, it has to be architectural renderings.  If it's home owner requested, you can draw it in crayon on a napkin and you're cool.

Nick mathed his pants here.  This is why I'm not a contractor.

In the end, Harold, the permits office angel, was really nice and thorough.  He quizzed Nick on code and tried to trip him up on R ratings and pitches and spacing and stuff.  Harold was really impressed with Nick's knowledge and told me several times how fortunate I was to have him.  Duh, tell me something I don't know!

Harold was really happy I was fixing this house up and keeping it in the style it was intended to be.  He even said, "This sounds weird, but God's gonna bless you for this."  Yeah, that was unexpected, but not weird--maybe coming from a city worker about a house...

Harold, the City Angel

Three hours after arrival, we left the city offices.  We also now had Harold's business card and cell phone number and we're instructed to call him anytime we have questions or need help.

I wanted Nick to take a pic with me and my new permit, but he just scoffed at me and walked to the car.  <disappointed face>

To the Windows...To the Walls...

Fun stuff this week, peeps!  The plumbing was inspected and approved Monday without incident.  Perf!

Hella-sweet pipe, sir!

New argon-filled, double-hung, vinyl windows were installed Wednesday.

Trim...coming soon!

Nick worked his beautiful magic today doing the exterior siding work.  They stopped making this 3 inch clapboard siding decades ago.  He found a way to modify 4 or 5 inch cedar planks to look like this:

New bathroom exterior

Perfect match!

I found a snafu today with this though:

Whachu talkin' bout, Willis?

Apparently, Nick and the city building inspector need to chat...we are all under the impression that building permits weren't needed since we added the bathroom under the existing roof line.  The electrical inspector thought he'd have building inspector come anyhow.  <angry face>  Nick seems to believe it'll just be a phone call fix.  <fingers crossed>

Insulation will be installed and drywall will be delivered tomorrow.  They'll start hanging drywall on Monday.

Attacking the Basement

Nick asked when I was cleaning the basement up. Wha?!? That's not YOUR job??? Ugh. 

This place is a wreck (but not near as bad as that fridge)!

So we started our day off at Java Brewing Company, followed by a stop at the farmer's market...quinoa stuffed heirloom tomatoes and fresh cayenne peppers are going to be so delish!

Then, off to The Beauty! We scraped and shoveled and swept all morning with great success. 

Wheee! We're done! Off to Emser's Tile, per Nick's request...

I picked out wall and floor tile for the new bathroom (different from the first, cuz Nick's a turd). 

The Carrara marble floor tile is the biggest they have: 12x24".  Nick cannot possibly complain about that, right? The wall tile is still technically a subway, though it's 16x4"...the sterling grout ties the two together. I'll still do the shower floor to match the hall bath floor:

This is the best compromise. Really. It's a nod to the 1920's bungalow style in a modern interpretation. Right? Right! I knew you'd agree! :)

Back to the basement where the Bobcat decided he wanted to attack a crack with hydraulic cement--he's obsessed, but highly successful. 

Look at that determination! Don't worry. I walked across the street for cat litter, to soak up the fuel spots, and beer, so I could watch him work, like a real supervisor. 

The plumbing inspector comes Monday and the windows (and maybe the kitchen door) will be in Wednesday. 

We also made a run to the ReStore for this $17.50, to-be-repurposed, treasure:

Stay tuned for more!