Friday, September 3, 2010

An Extremely Overdue Update

We are almost, kinda, close to being "finished". I say it that way because I have come to realize that we are probably going to be working on this house for years to get it all exactly how we want it, between the landscaping and the basement overhaul, the porches re-done, the garage re-build, and the new decks. Anyways, we are almost done what we are considering the big reno, and the rest will just be icing on the cake! So, we have the trim, the stairs, and the shower to do inside, as well as the window coverings (undecided as of yet). Outside we have the back awning and siding. That is it!! Here are some pics of our progress.







So, as you can see, we ended up sticking with the ceiling fan in the diningroom....it actually turned out looking okay....less like a helicopter than before!!

Now we need to decide on the siding colour. Here are some photoshop pics of the house with each of our 3 finalists. Please let us know what you think looks best.
Until next time
Tan






The car in the driveway? A little dream of Ben's!!!

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Here it is!

We have been working super hard and I think it is kinda fair to say we are kinda almost done.....the inside....kinda! I am posting pics but instead of rhyming off a list of what we have done, I will detail what we still have to do (shorter list!!) We have to put the doors on the cabinets, add a shelf to the kitchen pantry, lay the floors, add the trim, hang all the doors, build the closet organizers, and figure out what we are going to do about the stairs and do it. There is a sewage dig that needs to happen on the front lawn, then a complete front deck build, the roof needs to be finished, siding up, and landscaping including the fence build.......that's it....besides moving all of our stuff in and renovating both porches. That is still a long list, but this stuff is so much funner (yes that is a word, only extreme renovators use it) to do. Here are some shots, please let us know what you think so far. And, please note, the fan in the dining room (the one that resembles a helicopter) is not staying...it is going to live somewhere else!
Until next time :)







I can't show you a pic of Liv's room cause she is sleeping in there without any jammies!!

Ciao!

Friday, May 7, 2010

update

i took this week off from work and besides tuesday night and tonight, have seen midnight or more everynight with a tapers knife or sandblock in my hand. the intent is to have the house fully painted by Sunday night (May 8) so the electrician can finally hook us up. pictures to follow soon.

ben

Monday, March 29, 2010

Up the creek....

Alright, lots has been happening around here! I finally have some pictures to post! There have been a few inspections....plumbing passed, insulation passed, framing passed, electrical passed....we are on to bigger and better things! We are almost completely done the drywall....next is the taping and sanding. We have hit a few hurtles along the way, one of them being news we got last week. I went to the basement last Wednesday to find it full of sewage! I called in the authorities and we have been told there is a problem with the pipes leaving the house heading to the town sewage system....they need to be dug up and replaced! Horray! I need to call around for some quotes, but word on the street is we are looking at about 3-5K to fix this shitty problem. Not to mention, the entire front yard and basement floor need to be dug up and the front steps need to be removed....I guess I will be getting that little front deck I wanted sooner than later! On the bright side, we are lucky to find this out before we did the landscaping out front.....that would have made me cry.







Hopefully by the time you see pics again, the sanding will be done and my lungs will have held on long enough for me to post. We are definately on the home stretch here. The bathroom floor needs to be leveled again, then the tub and sink can be hooked up.....hopefully this weekend. The shower is just a couple hours away from being ready to be tiled....no more showering at Max's! We left there in February and I am sure she would like us to get our towels out of there already! Then, we will be onto painting.....we bought all the paint a couple weeks ago....Rona had a sale.....I do love a sale! We are being encouraged to throw a paint party when the time comes, so we may just do that.
The kitchen is a big job that hasn't really taken priority yet. We got our cabinets for super super cheap beings that they were in rough shape and needed quite a bit of tlc. I have finished taking all the doors and hardware off, and they are all primed ready to be painted. The actual frames need to be reinforced yet, and mounted to the wall. I will be working on this little project this week.




Liv turned 6 on the weekend so we hosted our first little party here on Sunday. It went over well considering we have no running water, furniture really, or much in the way of electricity....goes to show you, it's the company that makes the party!




Until next time!
Tan

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Happy New........Toilet?

Happy New Year Everyone! We had a great couple days off renovating for the holidays but we are certainly back in full swing now. Here is where we are right now. The plumbing is done, awaiting final inspection. The HVAC is done, awaiting final inspection. The electrical has been started, will finish when the framing inspection is completed. Framing is done....almost....awaiting inspection. The furnace guy came last week and fired up the furnace! There is heat in the house! We have the main floor and the bathroom closed off with plastic to retain the heat. They are both toasty, while the rest of the upstairs is still really cold. The bathroom is sectioned off and heated because we have turned on the water!! The fixtures are up there, ready to be hooked up, and the toilet is up and running! This is a very big deal to us. It means Liv and I dont have to leave to Tim Hortons everytime we have to go to the bathroom, and Ben can stop peeing in the laundry sink in the basement....win win I would say! Liv was so excited to get the toilet, and the one with the choice of half or full flush at that, that she wanted us to take a family picture around the toilet!! (We did not) I am not going to say when we plan to move in because we havent met a deadline yet, but we are definately getting closer. The floors have been leveled in the office and living room on the main floor, and there is just a little left to do in that regard on the second floor. The floors need to be leveled before the electrician can finish as well. The plugs are all placed a certain distance from the floor, and so if it is unlevel, when it is finished the plugs will all be uneven.....cant have that!
Now, a lot has been happening in way of the kitchen. In an effort to be as green as possible in this renovation, and to save some money, I have been looking for used kitchen cabinets. I am willing to paint them, or even replace doors if need be. I found a bunch of sets on Kijiji that I liked so I sent the sellers messages. Someone got back to me who has solid Maple cabinets, look like new $1100. We talk, I get him to agree to $800! I am happier than can be! That same day, I am in the Maytag store and come across the stove we want (flat top, no back peice sticking up because it is going to be sitting infront of the window). The stove is regular $1800 but, because there is some damage to the frame part on the upper left corner...$499! I am thrilled and bring that baby home! It is beautiful....convection oven, or regular, whatever you feel for. 5 burners plus a warming station, and it cleans itself....love that. Okay, so, thus far I have cabinets for $800 and this new pretty stove for $500....doing good I think. Then, someone else replies to me from kijiji. She has a set of mahogony cabinets, and a countertop stove, and seperate oven that goes under.....$200! Yikes! The cabinets need painted for sure, maybe even new doors, and the stove is old...retro actually, very cool. Crap! So, after Ben and I talk, I call the $800 maple cabinet guy and say thanks but no thanks and start planning to get this next kitchen. I booked a truck and was going to get them in Burlington. Ben I guess is telling a guy he works with that we are going to get this kitchen, blah blah blah, and the guy says "shit Ben, we are re-doing our solid oak kitchen to cherry and you are welcome to our oak cabinets if you like"....for free!! That happens to be my favorite price! Needless to say, I call the Burlington cabinet girl, say thanks but no thanks, and the same for the rental truck dudes, and we are set to get a free set of solid oak cabinets! I can hardly wait!! Kept these cabinets out of the landfill and got a hell of a deal....sweet! I will post pictures when I get them.
Here are some shots of some of the progress...and Liv! I am heading to the house this morning to do some major cleaning of the main floor so Ben can finish up laying the subfloor.
Will post again soon
Ciao





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