Sunday, November 29, 2009
Off To A Good Start
Friday, November 27, 2009
Show Them The Door
Since we were replacing the door, we decided to move it forward to match the front of the house. After ripping up the parquet flooring and removing the door we were ready to start tearing off the siding. The temperature was only 40 degrees and the house was getting cold fast so we started a fire and burned the old siding. It made for a comfortable working temperature and will also save us dump fees.And here is the new, significantly-less-drafty foyer.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Main Bathroom Mini Make-Over
You may remember that this summer we gutted our main bathroom and rebuilt it. And though I am pleased with the results there were a few little things that were just not quite right. First and foremost was the problem with the medicine cabinet. I found this on clearance at Lowes last year for $15.
The other aspect of the bathroom that just did not work for me was the red shower curtain and rug. Don't get me wrong, I still love them but they are just too much for a small room.
For any other information on maintaining your whirlpool bathtub just leave a comment and I will get back to you.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Unphotogenic Progress
It’s been a while since I lasted posted. Truth be told we have actually been making progress, but nothing that is photogenic. Since Labor Day we have been focusing our attention on the landscaping. You may have seen pictures of our spare parking area turned rock garden. I mistakenly thought that after all the river rock was cleaned and moved that the rest of the work would be easily and quickly accomplished with the use of heavy machinery.
The first task was to till up the yard. This whole area was once an orchard so the yard should be soft, easily tillable soil right? After four years of this you think I would know better. Under 1” of soft dirt was alluvial soil hard-packed by sixty years of mistreatment. The yard was also full of hidden surprises: buried chucks on concrete from when the slab was first poured, a waterline that does not exist on any utility map, and old green poly lines that might have once been part of a primitive irrigation system. Originally we planned to take turns using the rototiller but it threw Luke around so much that we decided I was just to small to operate it without the day ending in tragedy.
I was given the prestigious job of removing the old planter and filling low spots in the yard. On a happier note we think we located the original water shutoff in the planter. It’s unusable but at least we know where it is.
With the yard finally tilled we rented a trencher. Of course it had been raining all week so we had to fight the mud all day but Luke was able to get the whole yard cut for the sprinkler system with only a minor disaster. While cutting close to the house he nicked the sewer line, which was buried at 20” instead of 3’-5’. Fortunately the bathroom at the other end of the house has a separate line, allowing us to have a functioning bathroom overnight. Since then we have been frantically running sprinkler lines and backfilling, but progress has been hampered by rain, injury, and the Vikings-Packers game. In just a few weeks the ground will freeze and we better have the sprinklers finished and the lawn seeded by then.
Hopefully all this effort will pay off and we will have a lawn next year. Only time will tell.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Rock Garden Finished
When we first moved in, before I took a hatchet to the giant weeds.
Another Find
I think it turned out well.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Shoveling River Rock or The Slow And Painful Demise Of My Shoulders

Sunday, September 06, 2009
The Garage Is Finished
Monday, August 31, 2009
Garage Progress - Exterior Finished
August 2008. Our lovely carport the day we moved in. We learned from the neighbors that the previous owner had the carport built to cover some of the junk in the back yard. The city had received multiple complaints about his yard and ordered him to get rid of the junk or cover it. And so the carport was built. Judging from the design it was never intended to be converted into finished space.
September 2008
October 2008
March 2009
May 2009
Now
The accent colors look very purple in this light. It's actually burgundy.
Compared to the freshly painted garage the house looks shabbier than ever. New siding and paint to match the garage won't be happening until next spring. Until then the condition of the house will continue to serve as a theft-deterrent. Really, who would break into a house that looks like the owners are too poor to buy paint?
I think having a lawn would dress up the garage even more. In fact, landscaping is our next project.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Guest Bedroom - Before & After
The paint had all been while at some point, but the walls, trim, ceiling and doors were all discoloring into various shades of dirty yellow.
Though this is a poor quality photo, it highlights the problems we found all over the room. There were bubbles in the wallpaper, seams that overlapped as much as 1" and the walls were cracked around the windows and doors.
And here is how it looks as of July 14th.at Monday, July 13, 2009 0 comments
Labels: Bedroom


