Artsy Fartsy

This past week has been a blur of activities!  There's lots going on at the house but it's a little here, a little there--maybe not as thrilling as it should be to earn a blog post...however, people are grumbling to me, at me, about me and my bloggy absence.

The absentee concrete guy finally showed up to rip out the remaining stumps and posts with a bobcat that we weren't able to manhandle on our own.  By absentee, I mean I wrote him a check THREE weeks ago on the day he was supposed to show up.  So this past week he did tear out some things and hauled one load away.  He ended up leaving two of the largest stumps (that touch the house) and a huge pile of debris in my postage stamp back yard, but that's okay because he was coming back the next day to chainsaw down the stumps and haul everything away...

I should be grateful this much was done

That was Tuesday.  He should stick to concrete and not demo.  On the plus side, I never gave him the check for the extended delay, half-work he's done.

Tom and I had artsy fartsy day when the yard was being demoed.  Remember the ugly exterior door that went to the dilapidated-porch-turned-fab-bath?

Old kitchen exit door

I decided I needed to save every bit of the old house that I could and that a sliding pantry door would be a perfect purpose for this gorgeous, dust and grime covered piece of history. We Tom took an hour or so to scrub it down.

Eww--the outside was cleaner than the inside

The door is white...those aren't shadows

Next I slapped on contact paper and free handed a Louisville staple, fleur de lis.  It took another hour or so to cut away the design.


I heart X-acto blades!

 Then we sprayed it down with frosted glass paint.


Not too shabby

Nick and his helper, Cameron, installed the finished product over my newly finished pantry and chalkboard wall in the kitchen.


The hardware was epoxied in place and there's tape covering it here.

Lots more happened last week, but I'll leave you with the thought that the countertops have been installed and they're being stained and finished today!



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!

Oh. My. Gawd. Becky...

Moving day is fast approaching!  I'm not even a tiny bit prepared at the rental house.

I spent last night touching up the sconces for the living room and the thrifted fixtures for the dining room and hallway.

I had to try something with these monsters.  Lime green seemed appropriate.

These sconces were a disaster.  They were two-tone faux bronze and the century of living in that house was not kind to them.  At least with a funky paint job they can have a kitschy story to tell of their history.  Right?

I scrubbed them with TSP solution and sanded a few rough spots before I sprayed them with Rust-Oleum Key Lime in gloss.  They still turned out sorta sketch, but I don't hate them.  Just don't examine them too closely.

This nod to mercury glass is pretty tame compared to my other light .

I bought this guy for $8 at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  This got the same scrub down as the sconces and two coats of nickel semi-gloss with a final coat of Looking Glass paint.  It's supposed to look like mercury glass...I'm interested to see how this looks in the hallway when it gets wired.  Thoughts?

1 TSP scrub + 4 coats Mambo Pink + 2 coats high gloss poylurethane = Barbie Fixture

Remember the 1980's special?  Who can resist polished brass swoops with yellowed lampshades?!  I must have search five different stores looking for a good coral color spray paint.  Everything was too red or an orange-y puke mess.  Finally, at store number 782 six, Hobby Lobby, there were still no good coral contenders.  The Bobcat suggested...Mambo Pink???  Sure!  Who doesn't want a Barbie chandelier?

Nick text today to show me the finished back steps:

Way more substanial  than I thought they'd be.  Nick is da man!

Then he sent this.

No.  

Wait for it.  

It's a HOLY MACKEREL moment.

You're not very patient.

It's worth the wait.

Promise...

Hence: Oh. My. Gawd. Becky...

It's the Little Things

Do you take the time to show gratitude in your life for the little things?  I know I certainly find other distractions from appreciating small wins--more often, I focus on the fails or bumps along the way.

From the coworker who takes on one of your daunting tasks when they see you overwhelmed to the barista that gives you a bonus espresso shot on a busy morning--good things are all over the place.

My trip to the city offices Friday was an inconvenience.  I was there with the contractor for the better part of the afternoon and I managed to leave my title work and loan paperwork portfolio on the worker's desk. #fail

Even with all the chaos, Harold, from the permit office, quizzed and verified that Nick was, indeed, a sharp tack AND I got to know lots about Nick!  We were able to chat about the house he's building for his wife, toddler and baby-to-be.  I also learned that Nick's a young hippie at heart.  He eats organic produce and grass fed meat and also makes his own kombucha and kefir.  Who knew?!

Remember the oil cistern debacle?  Removing the tank and connecting pipe left several holes in the clapboard siding.  Nick used recycled pieces from the porch demo to do this for me, just because:



Look ma!  No holes!

The Bobcat and I spent this weekend removing tape that the old homeowner used as "insulation/caulk" around ALL the millwork--thirty years ago.

Masking tape > caulk?

Crap be gone! (and look at those stains on the wall...gross me out)

We also pulled down all the switch/outlet covers and light fixtures.  I started the paint job on the salvaged chandelier...

Mambo Coral--a work in progress

Harold called me at 7 am to let me know I'd left the file on his desk and if I'd come downtown he'd be happy to bring it out to me so I wouldn't have to pay for parking.  An angel, I tell you! 

Oh, and Nick called to update.  Don't worry Uncle Guy...the project passed City of Louisville building inspection with flying colors this morning!  He also informed me that HE had gone down and picked up my missing folder.  A saint!

I am so very thankful for the little things!

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.

Two Become One

I got is weird image text from Nick yesterday

 Me: ??? 

Nick: That is your new kitchen window

Me: What?

Nick: Really

My thought:  You ordered used windows for my house?  That doesn't look like the argon-filled, interior mullion, vinyl, double-hung, white lovelies we discussed...WTH, Nick???

Nick: We closed in the one window that was next to it

(Did I mention that Nick doesn't use punctuation in his texts?  Is he too busy?  Who's too busy for grammar?!  Oh, wait...he's building my house.  Big picture, Chrissy.  Big picture.)

Ahhhhhh!  Now I get it!  He's a genius!  He used siding from where the bathroom was framed up and matched it to a T.  That window looked like this yesterday morning:

Stinkin' awesome!  You can't even tell that isn't original construction.  There'll be a single hung French door to the left of the now-just-one-window.  It's gonna be great!

The electricians and plumbers were there yesterday too.  The electrician geeked out with me about lighting in the kitchen and suggested three more recessed can lights.  I talked him down to two.  He also LOVES outlets--they're all over the kitchen.  <happy face>  He's great!

View in the kitchen into the new bathroom
Who knew water supply lines are color coded now?!

The drywall should start August 4.  Wheeee!  My project for this weekend is to restore these bad boys:

One of two original wall scones in the living room

I bought new switches yesterday evening and I'll probably change out the bulbs to Edison bulbs.  Stay tuned for that!

Decisions, decisions, decisions...

The new bathroom is now framed up and ready to go.  The plumber and electrician should be back out today to do whatever magic it is that they do.

Now Nick is pestering me to make tile, flooring and fixture decisions.  Gaw, Nick!  I thought I wanted a white subway tile shower surround and the marble flooring we're you're putting in the other bathroom???

He thinks it too matchy, matchy.  I think it's historical-like consistency in a small space.

Classic, no-fuss shower surround

This is similar to the carrara marble I picked

My thoughts are clean, white hard surfaces with pops of color in the paint selection and linens.  I'll have a white pedestal sink with an oval recessed medicine chest mirror and flanking sconces.

This is where you come into play:  Help decide what the best approach is here!  Am I being retentive or consistent?  Is there a better idea?

She's a Brick House...

Are you singing with me yet?

There's so much work going on at the house this week! 

They demoed all the plumbing and roughed it in throughout the house, including adding the new bathroom plumbing and moving all the kitchen jazz for the new configuration.

The new tub's installed and toilet plumbing was moved over for concentration elbow room. 

They dug out and blocked up the footer for the new bathroom.  

They also excavated and blocked up the BFH (big freakin' hole)!

New steps are formed and poured, too. 

I'll have a driveway and new sidewalk when the interior is closer to being finished. 

Monday, Nick will frame up the bathroom!

Christmas in July!

Nick called yesterday to tell me he'd received everything I ordered for the bathroom and kitchen (minus cabinetry)!  Wheeee!

Next, he said there's no room for the wall sconces I picked to flank the oval medicine chest.  I'd have to get the three light bar instead.  Boo!

He also said the pendant I picked for above the kitchen sink was too large.  I didn't look at measurements; I just did a search for MINI pendants.  Mini pendants can apparently include something 13 1/2" wide.  Oops!

Oh well.  On to other things.  The chimney guy came today to tuck point it.  I ran over to the house to meet him after work.  He was no where to be found so I commenced to opening ALL treasures Nick had left for me!  CHRISTMAS!!!

Stuff!

Cast iron tub (poo free)

Mirror..mirror on the wall

Lights!

More stuff!

He had put together the pedestal sink so I pretended I was washing my hands using the faucet.  Then I primped in front of the mirror and admired the can lights he already installed in the bathroom and kitchen.  I tried to pretend I was installing the giant pendant in the hallway but the nine foot ceilings impede that without a ladder.  Double boo!

From no where, I hear the clink of what I imagined as reindeer feet and the tinkling of none other than--dubstep--coming from above.  Santa???  You're so hipster!

Nah, it's the chimney guy.  He was really sweet and quiet.  Not who I expected to be a Skrillex lovin', chain smoker.

Here's his work:

 

 

Note:  I do not have a fireplace.  The chimney is to vent the furnace heat.

 

Up next: The footers and other concrete work should start this week, along with plumbing!