Keep Calm and Kerry On

Stair love

2011-03-14T08:06:00.000-07:00

We're also getting the new treads and risers put on the stairs in preparation for sand-and-stain-athon '11. Here's a fun fact: the treads and risers we bought for both sets of stairs (the ones you see here, and eventually the ones going down to the scary basement) cost more than the entire bunch of flooring that we bought for the whole house. Shocking, no? Don't even get me started on the stair railing that we're looking at. Man, stairs and safety and all that, they're an expensive combination.

Adventures in stain

2011-03-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

It's almost time to get our floors into shape. We toyed with the idea of just doing a clear stain on the hickory because the multiple shades in all of the pieces look pretty cool. After living with them unfinished for months now, I think we're past that idea and onto the world of stains.

The top row in the photo above is an oil-based gel stain. Very stinky, and the dry time is long. The bottom two rows are all water-based stain that are also low-VOC (nice, because we'll be living in the house while we're staining it).

I think the winner is going to be the dark walnut (bottom right above, and very bottom right on the photo at the top). It has a nice warmth to it without being orange-y.

Now to get the guts up to start sanding.

Containers

2011-03-09T08:03:00.000-08:00

I wish this were a post about groovy cool containers that sit in my kitchen or something a little prettier, but I present you with the holy trinity of mega storage: our shipping containers.

Pros: They hold just about everything. They're weather-tight. They've got big locks on them.

Cons: There's a jungle of stuff inside each one. Opening the doors to them can be a major pain. (Also, if you leave a box of Pelligrino in there that you forget to use, when it gets cold out they shatter and make a big mess.)

Behind door number one is our working/holding area, that houses our gigantic bundles of plank panelling, tile and whatever else is in there so it's out of the way until we're ready for it (like the washer and dryer).

Door number two mainly has boxes, and our kitchen table.

And door number three is where the furniture sleeps, all wrapped up and waiting for their turn to come into the house.

Little bit of spring

2011-03-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

I didn't buy many bulbs to plant last fall (I couldn't find alliums anywhere, those are some of my favourites), so I went with a paper bag full of mixed crocuses and scattered them next to the walkway. This time last year there were daffodils almost ready to pop open because it was so warm -- I'm kind of hoping it will stay colder longer just so I don't have to get back on garden duty just yet.

Ceiling in the living room

2011-03-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

We had a big push to make our deadline for the government eco energy program, and had to have all of our ceilings up before they came to re-assess the house (air tight testing nonsense, phbbbbt). One of the major rooms left was the living room (family room? I never know what to call it).

So here it is, done and done. I must admit, I thought it was going to be more terrible planking all of the ceilings in the house than what it was. It could be the fact that we started with the hardest room: the kitchen, where super long pieces had to be put up. These pieces meant that wobbly jelly arms had to stretch to hold planks like agile monkeys. It also meant a few snippy snappy remarks between certain monkeys. But, this monkey has to admit she's learned some badass nail gun skills along the way.

Enough primate talk, let's admire those planks (that still need to be painted, oh the suffering).

Just because

2011-03-02T08:38:00.000-08:00

Cupcakes!

Shocking that this isn't a post showing something being constructed in the house. This isn't a food blog, but I think it counts that these were made in the kitchen, which is something I didn't have this time last year. All hail kitchens! They make life good.

Mudroom light

2011-02-28T08:44:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite things is having new lighting installed. It's like putting sprinkles on a cake (or maybe a candle, since it gives off light...oooo relevancy!). It is also something that throws me for a bender since I'm horrible at committing to light fixtures. They need to make me happy every time I see them, but they also need to be practical (I'm looking at you, dust). And no, I'm still not decided on the entry light either, which is like slow torture.

Look up, waaaay up.

I'm really satisfied with this light, even though Trevor has a few beefs with it (pokey bit of metal, slight paint blip in the power-coated finish on the inside). I'll pass it off as character since I'm not in the mood to nitpick with it and have to return it.

I'll also fess up and let you see that the white desk chair in there is mine as well. I had to move my office inside the mudroom so that the planks on the living room ceiling could go in. So far it's the nicest place I've had my my desk in a year and a half.

Things that keep doors closed

2011-02-25T09:31:00.000-08:00

So here's a funny thing: all of our doors, with the exception of one, are stacked in a pile just around the corner from me. The only door that's been hung is this one to the basement (where all of the scary things are, it's true). It's so the cats don't wander down there and never come back.

I had been looking for the perfect door knobs for months. I wanted an old-fashioned looking set that would go with our whole modern meets farmhouse deal. Finally, I came across the the New York set from Nostalgic Warehouse that fit the bill -- but the price was better here, so don't be throwing your money away. If you're like me, you need all of your little pennies at the moment.

The barn in the winter

2011-02-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

Way back in August of 2009 we were left with a small landfill in this field after the previous owners did a hoarding blowout with all of their 'stuff' in the barn. They literally went inside of it and threw bits and pieces out of it that were in their way, or in my view, did a lot of dumping just out of spite.

This is what the barn (and surrounding area) looked like when we came to do a house inspection.

And here's what was left for us less than 2 months later.

Strange that the urge to run away from this place has never really hit me -- maybe it's denial or I have a super power?

Our next door neighbour wants us to tear the barn down, but it's simply not in the budget at the moment. Besides, it seems like it's doing a good job of self-imploding in areas, so give it five years and it will just knock itself down.

It has a few pretty areas to it, like the neat little square windows where there are horse stations (if that's what you call them, I'm not a horsey person, so I have no clue). Mainly the barn just holds a bunch of junk still, the odd raccoon family and bird nests.

What a walk to the mailbox looks like

2011-02-21T10:53:00.000-08:00

A roundtrip wander to my mailbox (we have one of those group-style boxes) is around 1 kilometer from my front door and back. Lovely when the sun is out, not so great when it's raining like mad, which is seems to do a lot here lately.

This day, it was sunny. Sometimes you need to take a photo of the sun to remind you that it exists.

Corn field! Much more exciting when it's growing, but in a few months the seeds for this year will be planted.

Horses. Always nice to visit.

Shelby, the neighbour's dog. Very friendly and never barks. She loves to try and eat the cat food we put out on the porch (sometimes she's successful, I think that's why she keeps coming back).

And speaking of cat food, here's outdoor Kitty waiting for a refill on the porch.

The treehouse

2011-02-18T10:51:00.000-08:00

No, this isn't from my yard (I wish), it's down the road from me. It's the quirkiest little treehouse that kind of looks like it was built years ago, but the tree has grown around it and just lifted it up. It comes complete with a little window (sad photo I know, I'm thinking I might look a bit dorky standing on the road with the big camera instead of the iPhone one).

The mudroom light

2011-02-16T09:15:00.000-08:00

Well, there was one light I was able to make a decision on (and Trevor managed to like it as well -- miracle!): it's the Barn Light Flush Mount Warehouse Pendant. I've liked it for a while, and that right there passes my test.*

It's going to be in black, even though most of the fixtures I've got in the works are oil-rubbed bronze. Living dangerously here. (Plus it comes in every colour under the sun other than oil-rubbed bronze.)

* It's the 3-day test. After I see something I like, if I still like it after 3 days, we're onto something.

Bringing the planks to a bedroom ceiling

2011-02-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

Here we are, back on plank duty again. This time, we're starting on the ceiling in one of the bedrooms. I'd like to say that this is my favourite of the two spare bedrooms, with it's slanted walls and dormer window -- but I'm torn. The other bedroom has a larger window that looks straight across the ravine, where you see nothing but trees galore. I like to call it my treehouse room, because that's what it feels like, plus that one will be my future office.

But this room...it has a good feel to it. Warm, friendly, inviting. It used to house two cats that peed up a storm in the closet (and other places), but those days -- and smells -- are long gone. We reworked the walls of this room so where you walk in is actually where the old closet used to be. Confused? Stop by sometime and I'll give you the guided tour.

Stairwell lighting

2011-02-10T09:58:00.000-08:00

Just in case any super-spies had noticed the odd ankle-height loops going up the stairs, I can explain: we're going to get all crazy up in here and have lights shining down on every other stair tread.

They're little LED mini lights that are hardwired in to switches, and will look groovy-doovy when it gets dark around here.

So what is this v-groove plank panelling you speak of?

2011-02-08T09:35:00.000-08:00

A long, long, time ago, when my brain cells were still firing and I was unaware of the fact that I could humanly lift a 237 lb. washing machine with my partner in crime, I had a mad idea that wherever you entered this house, there should be panelled walls. I think it came to me late at night, when you're laying in bed and these sort of ideas sound (and look) so great in your mind.

Not to make it sound like I'm doing this all on my own here...Trevor is master carpenter/plumber/tiler/minor electrician extraordinaire. I just seem to come up with all of the labour-intensive ideas -- like plank panelling.

To put the planks up, you have to have your ducks in a row (no, not the ones outside splashing about in the pond -- although I do have thoughts on how I can attach little harnesses to them and have them walk planks into the house). You need to think ahead with things like, do my ceiling joists run the right direction? 'Cause if they don't, you have to put supports in between each and every joist. Is there plumbing/venting/electrical behind this that I might puncture with my air nailer? If the answer is yes, you need to avoid those land mines. How are you going to cut the holes for light fixtures/switches/plugs? Get yourself to the hardware store (or the internets) and buy yourself a Fein, it will become your best friend. (Ask Trevor, he sleeps with his.) And beyond all of those, possibly the most important question -- where in the heck are you going to store all of these 16 ft. long planks? My answer: buy yourself a fugly shipping container (or three).

Once you have all of your bases covered, mentally prepare yourself for endless nailing, cutting and carrying of these planks. And then grab yourself a few gallons of Benjamin Moore's Oxford White paint, and trim the v-groove joints first, then roll until you can't roll anymore.

Then, and only then, stand back and admire all of the amazing plank-y-ness you've got going on.

Oh, and for anyone who goes out and buys the pine planks that aren't pre-primed -- don't ever invite me over to help you paint.

Now with less scaffolding

2011-02-04T08:25:00.000-08:00

I became possessed at the beginning of this week. The scaffolding was still in place, and my time reenacting monkey moves was over, I was done with this yellow THING that was always in the way. (And let me tell you, if you've really got to go to the bathroom, you can dodge, swivel, pivot and wrench your way up that thing faster than you think.)

Monday was relatively quiet (working from home has some perks), and with Trevor out of the way for 9 hours I was free to bust a move with the paint roller.

And paint I did.

Trimming the little v-grooves? Check. De-fuzzing the roller for the 1000th time and slapping oxford white all over this joint? Check. Only waiting 90 minutes between coats? Check. (What can I say? When the painting moment strikes, one must take hold of it and go go go!)

By the time Trevor was home from work, the yellow beast was taken apart and civilized stair life returned.

Options for the entryway light

2011-02-02T09:32:00.000-08:00

So I'm officially peeved at the selection of lights there are for semi-flush and flush fixtures. Either that, or I'm just not looking in the right places.

I've managed to short list a few from the hundreds (probably verging on thousands by now) of lights that I've looked at. The fixture needs to have a bit of a farmhouse feel to it...or something that could fit in with that sort of vibe. Maybe I should hold back on making up my mind until there's new spring stock available, so I don't end up settling on something now.*

*That common sense may be waived if an über sale suddenly breaks out.

Cottonwood Flush Mount Ceiling Light - Barn Light Electric
Pros: Nice detail with the screws on the side / Cons: Looks a bit 'humpy' with that glass bit hanging down

Rutherford Flushmount - Restoration Hardware
Pros: Has etched and clear glass / Cons: Looks too cylindrical (like a popcorn bucket)

Spokane Flush Mount Light - Barn Light Electric
Pros: Cool metal tabs on the top sides / Cons: Trevor thinks it looks like some sort of porthole

Sometimes, really pretty things happen around here...

2011-01-30T09:11:00.000-08:00

...and best part is, this didn't need any paint, filler or nails!

Yes, there is a laundry god

2011-01-27T09:54:00.000-08:00

With scaffolding playground still in full effect, I'm glad to have my shiny new washer and dryer sitting away happily in the mudroom to distract me. The machines we had before (wait, still have...they're sitting outside on the porch, CLASSY) used to eat buttons and twist pant legs into knots, so I feel extremely spoiled to have the Ferraris of home laundering at my disposal.

Clean underwear for everyone!

Welcome to my week

2011-01-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

On deck for this week is a push to get the planks on the walls and ceiling of the entryway and up the stairs. Oh, and we're painting them as well -- neither of us wants to reassemble the scaffolding for a second time.

The big pain with this plan is that the bathroom (the only working one in the house right now) is right up at the top, and you have to get in touch with your Cirque de Soleil side to shimmy and twist your way through the scaffolding to make it up.

Bonjour mudroom

2011-01-19T09:37:00.000-08:00

I realize that I haven't posted a photo of the floor in here yet, you'll have to forgive me on that one, it's been grouted but it's covered in sawdust, and the grey rainy day isn't making for happy photographs of it. Feast your eyes on the panelled walls instead!

We're halfway done installing the planks, and then it will be filling and painting the ceiling (also planks) and the walls. No trim in this room for a while yet, but with a little luck, the shiny new washer and dryer will be moved in soon so we can break our 17 month streak of no home laundry services.

Now with more countertop

2011-01-14T09:19:00.000-08:00

We had our countertops installed right before Christmas (not without a few screw-up's, one of the pieces that fit around the sink was cut wrong). It was quite a treat to have a level surface to work on after 2 weeks of balancing everything on the cabinet tops.

We went with soapstone because we wanted something a little different -- so different that all of the installers mentioned 'oh you'reeeee the soapstone people'. Caesarstone was on the list of finalists, but we couldn't get past the super shiny bling finish of it. (It does come in a honed finish, but with that it only comes with a 2 year warranty, and has horror stories of permanent staining.) Soapstone seemed to fit the bill as it won't stain, but it will scratch and chip here and there. You can buff out the scratches with mineral oil (also used for constipation, as we found it in the pharmacy section!) and it looks good as new. We won't talk about the pair of pliers that Trevor dropped onto the counter at ceiling height working on a light overhead...that one was a bit more than a scratch. But we'll all chalk it up to character, right?

Speaking of overhead, here are the Harmon pendants that we bought on sale at Restoration Hardware. They took forever to arrive, but well worth the wait.

I'm not posting any super-styled up photos yet...we're still in the middle of things, and it might give the impression that we have nothing else to do but decorate around here (far from it). Eventually the kitchen will be getting a tiled backsplash and trim moulding, but we're attempting to do things in some sort of order (mudroom, then onto finishing ceilings, then finishing wood floors, then trim).

More progress in the kitchen

2010-12-21T10:05:00.000-08:00

Helloooo lovely kitchen! You can see the progress, and a bit more of the grand plan with these photos after the second day of installing the cabinets.

For the past 16 months we've been using a combination of a small bar fridge that you have to get down on all fours to see what you have in it, and our old fridge which is housed outside on the porch (tucked away on one of the sides to keep it looking classy here, ha!). This might explain why I love this fridge so much; it's indoors for one, and it sure is purdy. Oh, and it has an ICE MAKER. This is big news for me, I've never had one. Living the life now...

And here's where the island sits, and it will house the cooktop, pop-up fan, microwave, and compactor.

Cabinets in the kitchen

2010-12-17T17:59:00.000-08:00

We've been planning the kitchen since August, and it's been relatively smooth getting to this point (a lot of decisions, haggling and a smidge of stress). One thing I should note is that I'm horrible at making decisions -- I want things that I love to the point that I'm jumping up and down excited about them, every time I see them. Not high expectations at all, right? You'd wonder why on earth I'd want to renovate a house when I know I'm like that.

But I digress.

With this kitchen, we wanted drawers galore, because in our last house, we had horrible corner cupboards that were so deep your hand crossed into another dimension searching for something inside of them. Another winner was the cupboard above the microwave that held all of the plastic wrap boxes that liked to tumble out at you when you opened the doors.

We've had to work with a bit of an odd shape, with the original layout just being a small galley-style kitchen (if you'd even call it that, I prefer festering rat nest that they used as a kitchen), adjoined to a family room that was long and narrow. It made no sense to us to cram a small kitchen in where it was originally, so we scooped up the family room space to make an 'L'-shaped area for cabinets and the island.

So, here's the start of the good (and pretty) stuff, hurrah!

Where the island will live.

Appliances huddling up in the future kitchen table area.

On to the mudroom

2010-12-01T09:18:00.000-08:00

Seeing as we have a washer and dryer sitting in storage, we decided to hit the mudroom next so we can stop using the in-law's laundry facilities (which we've been doing for the past 15 months). The same orange waffle material was put down on the floor, and wiring applied for this room's heat. We don't have any wall space to mount a heater, so floor heating is a good option for us here.

The tile we're using is a flattened pebble type of thing, I wanted something kind of different, and something that could withstand a lot of dirt without looking dirty right away. This floor needs to work with us, not against us.*

*Well, installing it was a different story. That's a whole other post.

First taste of winter

2010-11-29T13:09:00.000-08:00

Around the neighhhhbourhood

2010-11-26T09:13:00.000-08:00

It's around a half-kilometer walk to our mailbox, and sometimes there are a few critters I run into (last notable one being a frog that hopped across the road -- like real life Frogger!).

This time, it was a little bigger than a frog. Isn't he/she cute? It came right up to me as I was walking by, and if a big ditch wasn't there, I would've given that soft head a pat.

The Kitchen Floor: Part 2

2010-11-24T10:50:00.000-08:00

With the orange waffles and wires in place, we moved on to mortar, lots of mortar -- 18 bags to be exact. Each bag required 5 minutes of mixing, 10 minutes of rest, then another 3 minutes of mixing. I know this by heart now because I was on timer duty for each bag. I'd like to say I never want to see another bag of mortar, but we need another 8 bags for the mudroom and main bathroom. I guess we'll be pro mixers by then.

After mixing, it was on to laying down the tile. We used 12" x 24" Takla tile, in a brickwork pattern. Originally I had considered a herringbone pattern, but I think that would have been way more labour-intensive and difficult to align.

We mortared over three days, and after that we were set for grouting. That was tackled in the evenings and took three nights -- much easier than the mortar, it was only 4 bags of charcoal grout.

Now we're all set for the appliances to be delivered, and the kitchen to be installed!

Character: Rough-skinned Newt

2010-11-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

Characteristics: Grey with a groovy orange belly, so slow moving you think it's dead, can breathe underwater, may or may not sell Geico products.

I ran into this critter the other week while moving a few things out in the yard. Usually when I'm lifting things (tarps, wood, outdoor things) I expect to see bugs, slugs, worms...and the odd snake. This time, I came across a rough-skinned newt. Good thing I didn't decide to pick it up (I wondered if it was alive -- it hardly moved!) because it's highly toxic. So toxic that one thirtieth of the toxin present in the skin of this newt can kill a person!* You have to eat it, but I've read that just touching the skin can cause irritation. So it's a no-go on cuddling with it.

*Thanks for that tidbit, Wikipedia.

Fall colour

2010-11-20T11:12:00.000-08:00

The Kitchen Floor: Part 1

2010-11-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

There were a two options with our kitchen floor: mix up a ton of levelling compound and pour it on the floor, then wait for it for it to cure; or try out this Flextherm product -- the orange waffle squares -- that would cut down on mess and time. The waffle squares were a big win because the wire for heating the floor clicks right into the little grooves, and holds them in place for tile over top.

There were over 1100 screws put into the floor to hold the waffles in place, and two rolls of wire were artfully applied (it was also a big puzzle getting it to fit). 30 days from now we'll be able to turn on the wires on and have warm floors.

Kitchen issue

2010-11-16T09:22:00.000-08:00

While measuring for tile and heated floor wiring placement we used our kitchen plans to work around where cabinets would be installed -- and that's where we discovered a small 'blip' in the measurements and size of the base cabinet on the wall where the fridge will live. Luckily we caught it (and it wasn't our fault!), but it meant either having those cabinets that were built scrapped to fit the actual wall space and move our installation date, or bumping the wall out an additional six inches. We weren't willing to move our install date, so out the wall went. Fingers crossed this is the only major thing that goes wrong.

Seen while picking up bathroom tile

2010-11-13T10:45:00.000-08:00

Starting on the ceiling

2010-11-12T09:32:00.000-08:00

It's deadline time around here at the moment because our kitchen is slated to be installed November 24th. After living almost a year and three months without a kitchen (and a sink) it feels like Christmas will be coming early for me.

We decided long ago that we wanted to have a v-groove ceiling throughout the house, and after a lot of searching we found primed MDF planks that would work nicely. The installation wasn't too bad -- Trevor had to add supports in the joists that ran in a horizontal direction, and then it was a lot of time with arms above our heads tapping and nailing the planks into each other.

There will be an island and sink here soon!

One Sunflower

2010-11-10T09:28:00.000-08:00

I planted fifty sunflower seeds in the spring, and thanks to the healthy weeds in the yard they choked out forty-nine of the seedlings.

Flooring: The hardwood

2010-11-08T12:36:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, the start of our hickory floors! We went with a tavern-grade (or 'rustic') floor -- which means that these are all of the off-cuts and damaged pieces. Most of the pile is full of shorts, around 12" in length, but there's the odd long piece that we've come across as well.

We decided on hickory since I'm a little challenged in the 'no damage' department. It's inevitable that a plate will be dropped or a scratch to appear, thanks to me. Hickory is one of the hardest hardwoods out there, so it should stand up nicely to the abuse I can inflict. And, as a bonus, since we want a floor to look rustic and worn-in, all of my future accidents should add to the character of the floor.

The pile (one of many)

Around one of the windows in our bedroom

The scene

Sanding and staining are next up on the to-do list...I had ideas of using a dark stain, but now that we're seeing all of variety of pieces we're thinking of something a little less drastic.

Character: The slug

2010-11-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

We have quite the cast of critters around here that make looking out the windows and wandering around pretty entertaining. In today's inaugural edition, I'm featuring friend and foe: the slug.

Characteristics: Slow moving, plentiful, slimy, eats pretty things, found in high traffic areas (walkways, driveways, almost like it's asking to be squished).

There was a vegetable garden this year

2010-11-02T09:21:00.000-07:00

I think I was a little overzealous thinking that I could dedicate enough time to caring for a veggie patch properly while in full reno mode and having huge projects to do at work over the summer. While sweetpeas, carrots and zucchini grew nicely, tomatoes, corn, sunflowers and pumpkins suffered. Ah well, there's always next year.

Zucchini

Overgrown grapevines that have a mind of their own.

Drywall in the kitchen

2010-10-29T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is one of my favourite spaces at the moment, because it's one area that's going to be semi-finished soon (semi as in no moulding, but floors, ceilings and cabinets!). You'll notice there's no drywall on the ceiling -- that's being finished with v-groove MDF planks, which goes with our whole 'modern farmhouse' look.

Looking towards the front of the house, where a table will eventually be.

That wall will house cabinets and the fridge.

Scaffolding

2010-10-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Give Trevor a hammer, nails, and a ladder and he can be quite industrious. All of this scaffolding is for new siding -- safety first!

Front door, mudroom door

2010-10-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

What a difference a new front door makes, and here's the reminder:

Before

After
(The colour looks a little neon here, but it was just the sun hitting it.)

(And here's the mudroom door.)

Both doors were finished with Benjamin Moore's Aura paint, in Rosemary Green.

Now, where were we?

2010-10-24T11:42:00.000-07:00

I had to look through the last few pages of posts to see where I should start from -- a lot has changed around here since I last posted. I think I was bogged down with some of the boring tasks, like framing, that's really uninspiring to post about. Now that I've mentioned framing, here's some photos of what the house looked like at the beginning of July (taken early in the morning before the insulators arrived, but after the plumbing exploded the night before when we were testing it):

Looking through the family room to the kitchen.

Entryway (ooo, mystery door!)

Upstairs, with the ugly handrail left so no one takes a header down the stairwell.

Master, complete with bathtub waiting to be installed.

Looking up, way up, to where the chimney used to be. (Notice the silly diagonal they put it on, ugh.)

One of the dormers, and into the attic.

From the master, through the hallway to the bedrooms.

Master again, part of the bathroom, into a bedroom.

In the kitchen, looking towards where the sink will be.

Yup, pretty boring stuff -- but exciting for those who have imagination!

Babies on the Move

2010-06-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Mama duck's brood is down to five now (originally there were six little ducklings), but it looks like everyone is thriving and getting bigger!

Everything's Just Ducky

2010-06-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

So let me start off by saying how excited I was to hear the 'peep peep' of BABIES!!!! yesterday while checking on the veggie garden. I stopped near the zucchini (which is one of the best growers in the garden so far) and peered into the pond to see the BABIES!!!! swimming with their mama. Today, mama has taken her brood of little fluffy balls on land, and I managed to snap that shot above.

Drainage

2010-05-23T08:33:00.000-07:00

We've come to expect unplanned projects around here (so far there's been an outbuilding demo, drywall demo, wiring upgrade, siding replacement...), so adding fixing the drainage around the house to the list was no surprise. Strangely enough, we don't freak out about these sorts of things -- it's all just part of the deal.

(Although talk to me if any more unplanned projects come up and I might have a different attitude.)

The original underground pipe that took the water away from the house had been crushed in the fall, and Trevor had done a panic dig to open up an area to let the water flow down to the ravine (I should also note here that he did his panic dig during heavy rain. Very dramatic.) Now that the weather is a little more on our side, it's a perfect time for things like this:

Trevor's in the orange digger...*ahem* excavator down there. (This is also the same excavator that a week ago dug a poorly placed hole over in the field and accidentally ripped up both the power to the well pump and the well line. Sorry Trevor, had to add that in!)

Just before we filled it in, here's the reference photo for the future, so no poorly placed holes find their way around here. Also, it's your first look at the back of the house in a while -- that crappy deck is coming off soon.

The Escapee

2010-05-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

The people next to us keep chickens (you may remember seeing the party they had at the coop in a previous post). This smart little clucker figured out a way to pop through a hole in the fence and roam through a field to come visit us...twice so far.

The Next Door Neighbours

2010-03-12T20:49:00.000-08:00

We've discovered a large fence that runs between one side of our property and our neighbour's. It's not completely apparent because there are a ton of trees planted in front of it. It's no ordinary fence -- it was constructed due to some quarrelling between the people who used to live here and neighbours on the other side who have moved away (I'm placing blame on the people who used to live here, they were straight up bonkers).

The best part though, was discovering a piece of the fence missing...

...and finding CHICKENS!!! (Not that we haven't heard them, but we've never seen them.)

I cranked my head around to spy on some escapees:

The funniest part is that they looked to be having a party!

Springtime

2010-03-04T08:46:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few shots of what things look like outside around here lately. It's been a warm winter -- I don't remember spring arriving this early in the past (but I'll take it!). It's a huge surprise watching what's popping up around here as it's our first spring. I'll be taking notes so I can try and figure out what everything is.

Buds on a plum tree.

A ton of daffodils.

Trailer Living

2010-02-01T09:51:00.000-08:00

I rarely post any photos taken in the trailer, and for good reason too. It's a place I can't wait to get rid of! The beginning of February marks our sixth month being trapped in 320 sq. ft. with no bathroom and a pathetic excuse for a kitchen. So far, we've made it. (There are days -- that are starting to happen more frequently -- where I think I might lose it though.)

The house is nowhere near inhabitable yet. Trevor's still working on small bits of framing (small things, like around where the fridge is going, and the arch in the bathroom), and plumbing and electrical are starting to take shape.

The grand move-in date has been moved to June (originally was Christmas, then March). Who knows how realistic that is.

The Last of the Horsey Wallpaper

2010-01-29T10:26:00.000-08:00

Neigh! This is the final reminder of some bad wallpaper boarder choices (and the paint colour, 'Pepto Chic', isn't too far behind.)

Winter

2010-01-27T09:25:00.000-08:00

The View From a Bedroom Window

2010-01-26T10:43:00.000-08:00

Here's what it looks like with the new window in place in the bedroom that faces the ravine. It makes me feel like I'm in a treehouse!

The 'After' Floorplans

2010-01-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

It took a few drafts and sketches (and standing in the house with our hands on our hips) to come up with the new floorplans for the main and second floor of the house.

Main floor:

The big difference in this new plan is the kitchen -- it's being made larger (the old, tiny galley kitchen before was pretty sad). The original family room had a horrible flow and wasn't really working for us. Placing a long and large kitchen island in that area makes much more sense, and we'll have seating at the island so you can take in the view out the new set of glass doors.

Second floor:

This floor had the most changes with shifting both the bedroom closets and the linen closet to their new home. The main bath was extended, and the original walk-in closet made smaller (I'd rather have a bigger bathroom than closet!). One thing you can't see in this plan is a small area of extra storage leading from the master bedroom in between the two dormer windows -- a nice bonus for unused space.

We also replaced the windows in the bathroom and bedroom next to it with larger ones, and boarded over the walk-in closet window (who needs a window in there?). And the master now has two windows instead of one -- and the new one faces out to the duck pond.*

*Minor note here: Apparently it's the start of mating season, so it's a bit of an R-rated view out that window right now. Dirty ducks.

The 'Before' Floorplans

2010-01-22T10:10:00.000-08:00

It seems that I've missed filling all of you in on the actual layout of the house...a must when you're envisioning what it's like (and not slogging through it every day like us).

Here's the main floor:

This floor is home to a poorly laid out kitchen area, with an odd family room placement at the end. There's a glass sliding door that leads out to the rotting deck, but you can overlook it by staring out at the ravine view instead. (The yellow window I highlighted is actually a bay window shape, and not straight as shown above.)

The second floor:

Three bedrooms are up on the second floor. The walk-in closet off the master was originally home to a teetering wall of dog crates (smelly!). The closet situation in the two smaller bedrooms are not so great -- too long and a mishmash of shelves were inside.

Tomorrow I'll post our new plans, so you can see our grand ideas!

An Arch in the Bathroom

2010-01-20T11:04:00.000-08:00

I saw this photo:

And there's going to be an arch in our main bathroom! I think it's going to add a bit of interest to the room. (There's also going to be a recessed light in the middle of the curve for a little extra BAM! while you shower.)

The Giant Spoon

2010-01-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

(This lovely find will eventually have a home in the kitchen.)

The Banned Building

2010-01-18T10:25:00.000-08:00

See that hulking bunch of timber and shingles in the mist? Well it's been red-flagged by the city we live in because the previous owners built it without a permit.

It's built of odds and ends (including tree stumps holding up one side). No wonder it's been marked as a big no-no with the city.

We have until the end of May to take it down and dispose of it. There are a few options available to us for the removal, and I'm rooting for the one that costs us the least money and time.

Everywhere a Duck Duck

2010-01-14T13:17:00.000-08:00

Two Options for the Main Bathroom

2010-01-12T21:03:00.000-08:00

I've been playing around with some tile choices for the main bathroom for a while, and I've finally put together a couple of sample boards to see if my picks work. I'm stuck between two floor tile choices -- but still open to ideas.

(Bonus points go to those who can choose the option with the tile that Trevor doesn't like!)

Our Big Decision

2010-01-05T20:45:00.000-08:00

Stairs to the basement in scarier times.

We took some time recently to evaluate our budget (aka - the gaping black hole) and have made the decision to prioritize what needs to be finished in the house. It looks a little something like this:

• We're not finishing the basement (at least not right away). This was a bit of a sock to the gut because basement reno's can be quite disturbing to the rest of a finished house -- exhibit A:

(From our old house.)

We're going to take a few lessons we learned from that and order things like flooring and doors so that when we do have room in the budget and time to complete it, things won't look inconsistent with the rest of the house.

Hopefully this gives us a bit more wiggle room in the budget to get more important rooms completed in the other two levels of the house. *fingers crossed*

The Year in Review

2009-12-30T11:45:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again, and for my own reasons I feel the need to make a list (new year's organizational tendencies kicking in) of things worthy of being in our 'Year in Review':

1. We decided to sell our house, bucking the trend of our usual claim of 'we might sell the house'. And we sold it in a week.

2. We worked like crazy people to finish our house so we could sell it: tiling an entranceway; renovating the master bathroom and powder room; and painting every single door, window and piece of moulding.

3. We bought a dining room table that we both love (and now it's in storage).

4. We went to Seattle for my birthday, and did the same for Trevor's birthday.

5. I started my letterform collection.

6. I sewed my first quilt (wonky, but who's counting?).

7. We bought a house, and inherited a huge mess.

I'm not one for making resolutions, but I have big hopes and dreams this year of moving out of our cramped trailer and into our house. We've got 365 days to make it happen!

(Image snagged from here.)

Merry, Merry

2009-12-24T08:38:00.000-08:00

This is as festive as we're getting this year, throwing some mini lights and the odd ornament around the reno shelf. Here's hoping next year will be different!

Frosty Sunrise

2009-12-13T15:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas Lights

2009-12-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

Christmas lights were a challenge this year. In past years, I've channelled my inner exterior illumination demon (usually takes the form of Martha Stewart with an extra shot of OCD holding a light pole) to put up Christmas lights. Not so this year.

This will be known as the year where I got owned by our new yard.

The light pole (for stringing lights into trees) snapped in the autumn, so this explains why none of our lights make it over the 6 foot mark. Also challenging is our power situation (being drawn off our trailer, which is known for shorting out if you run the microwave and toaster at the same time).

And this explains why it looks like a crazy person ran in circles weaving through trees, fencing, and the odd birdbath.*

(*and it took me a week to convince myself to live with it and not to go out there and fix it. I think the freezing temperatures might have had a hand in this.)

At one point I just threw it over a branch and ran towards the fence.

If you stop and cover your eyes just the right way, it does look pretty. I think. Maybe.

9 Christmas Gift Ideas for DIYers

2009-12-09T13:42:00.000-08:00

We've been renovating for a while (years) and over that time I've found that there are certain tools that get used over and over, or just make a job easier. So I figured I'd sprinkle a little glitter over these items and suggest them as gift ideas for DIYers:Rigid Wet/Dry Vac

We have this vacuum and it rocks my world. It has lots of power (a must for me, I don't want to mess around) and a large diameter hose. So far I've used it to suck up gravel, dog kibble (from the ceiling), small chunks of blown-in insulation (complete with rat poop, YUCK), drywall dust and all sorts of other goodies.

Fuller Switch a Bit II

This is Trevor's go-to tool. He's got a ton of screwdrivers, but this allows him to just carry one tool instead of running back and forth and searching for the right screwdriver.

Purdy Paintbrushes

Crappy paintbrushes just make for more work. I'm a fan of the Purdy brushes because they keep their shape and don't get those bristles that decide they no longer want to be part of the group and fly off to the left or right. They make painting trim slightly more enjoyable.

Porter Cable Brad Nailer Kit

I get a bit intimidated with air tools, but a little brad nailer is a piece of cake to use, and fairly lightweight (compared to a framing nailer, which I won't touch because I get the shaky jello arms).

Hitachi Cordless Drill

A DIY staple, and I particularly enjoy the green (!) with this Hitachi model.

Kuny's Tradesman Work Gloves

I have these exact gloves and they're great for protecting your hands. I used to use the bulky leather gloves and I'd rather set fire to them than use them again.

Husky Gel Knee Pads

So handy for cushioning your knees, and the straps are thick enough so you don't feel like you're being sliced with knives behind your knees (my cheaper ones did this, even through pants).

Bennett Tools Pro Skeleton Caulking Gun

Stop buying the cheapy-cheap caulking guns! (This one is around $5, so not bad.) We have a cheapy-cheap model and I can't stand using it -- the trigger sticks and it's uncomfortable to hold -- which increases caulking rage.

Kuny's Carpenter Belt

Trevor's handier than me with tools, but I'm his assistant. One of the pains of being an assistant is always hunting down tools and passing them to your handier partner. With a tool belt I get hassled less and tools don't go missing (as much).

Exterior planning

2009-12-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

So far we've had the fascia boards replaced, new roof put on and gutters installed (hurrah!). Windows have arrived and are waiting to be installed. Here's the grand plan for each side of the house.

The south side of the house, also home to the kitchen and two bedrooms upstairs:

The north side of the house, with the family room below (the window seat will be under the large window at the bottom). The green door (of course) is where the mud room will be. We're adding a window upstairs in the master bedroom, which will have a nice view looking out to the pond (ps - check out our awesome appliance storage!):

I'm not a huge fan of the back of the house, it reminds me of a tall, stacked building -- really boxy and boring (and so different from the cottage look of the front). I want to do something different with the deck on the back (eventually), it's fairly shallow and I'd like to see it made a little more interesting (which always means more money). The bottom level on the left hand side with the double doors will be my studio, on the main level is the kitchen and mud room window, and on the top floor (left to right) a bedroom, the main bathroom and we're removing the window from the master bedroom to make way for the walk-in closet that will be there:

The night the tent blew away

2009-12-04T14:42:00.000-08:00

The one that made it.

With all the crazy storms that have come rolling in lately, (and the fact that we don't have any good places to store things) we had a few casualties. The major one besides power/water/heat loss was our poor storage tent. We have two, one that made it, and the other that didn't.

It up and left during the night, and coincidentally, Trevor had a dream that night that it had blown away so he got up to look out the window, and lo and behold it had taken flight. It wasn't like we just sat the tent on the grass, Trevor had pounded rebar into the ground to hold it down -- but Mother Nature just laughed at that and flung them out like bent toothpicks.

The tent managed to drift/tumble/gracefully take flight to this location, and not the ravine further back:

Boo tent! Boo Mother Nature!!

Here's the really sad part, because of all the rain, we haven't been able to get back out to resurrect it to it's former glory (and pound in double the rebar, and then say 'screw you' Mother Nature). Luckily we weren't actually storing anything in it yet (another issue altogether).

Because everyone could use a little duck bum in their day

2009-12-02T08:39:00.000-08:00

The mud room

2009-11-30T09:13:00.000-08:00

This is where we're currently at with the mud room. Thanks to the well-placed wood stove we had to re-frame (okay, Trevor did the framing, I'm moral support) the corner of the wall that went on a lovely diagonal.

We also had to replace all of the subfloor in this room because the dirty old owners kept three washers and two dryers in it -- and they leaked like mad. Oh, the was also a rat superhighway behind those machines as well between that floor and the basement.

Let's relive that moment when we first moved in and had this visual spectacle of laundry-o-rama:
Ew.

But look on the bright side, at least the brass boob light is gone (boob lights...they follow me everywhere):

For your viewing pleasure, the new (clean and smelling like wood, not anything else) subfloors:

And look! A CORNER! (Clouds open up, beam of light shines down.)

Goodbye chimney!

2009-11-27T10:20:00.000-08:00

The badly placed chimney that ran it's way on a angle through the old laundry room and family room (and really was in a hallway, you know, somewhere where everyone can comfortably snuggle up around it), went straight down into the basement, and straight up through the master bedroom. It's gone for good, and all we have to remember it by is the hole.

Rainy days

2009-11-26T10:48:00.000-08:00

It's been raining like crazy lately, and things around here are waterlogged and muddy (from taking that photo above until now, the wheelbarrow is overflowing). Puddles are everywhere, and places that dip down and turn flat are small lakes. The duck pond has risen a ton -- all of the plants I put in at the end of the summer are gone (hopefully they come back!). Wellies are a must around here! Even with all of that, there are still a few pretty areas that I've managed to find:

Mushrooms, of the flat mushroom-y kind. (I know nothing about mushrooms.)

More mushrooms.

A piece of the fence in the pond, with all the leaves that blew in (which, by the way, I haven't touched a rake this year thanks to the wind).

Making window decisions

2009-11-20T10:51:00.000-08:00

I originally wanted black windows (and still do) but the reality of black windows means taking a $3000 hit to our budget, and you can do a lot elsewhere in the house with that chunk of money.

We went with Jeld-wen Premium Vinyl single-hung windows, as they provide an even sight line (Trevor was highly particular about that). An even sight line means that the windows are symmetrical -- one side doesn't have a thicker frame than the other.

I've also adjusted the door style in the little mock-up above (still green, of course!). I like the idea of the vee-groove style on the front as we're considering interior doors that use the same vee-groove detail. Not trying to be matchy-matchy, but I don't want to do the typical craftsman door that you see used in new builds all over the place lately.

Underground electrical

2009-11-13T10:22:00.000-08:00

Another surprise was finding out that the pole the power line runs on to the house is illegal -- it's not the proper treated wood, and even has fake marks on it to mimic a proper pole. We wanted to run the power underground anyways as the way the line was running into the house was pulling off the fascia boards. We've also upped the power to the house to a 200 amp service (originally we had toyed with an electric on-demand water heater, which is a power hog, but we've scrapped that idea). This extra cost early on will hopefully pay off when we get around to adding on a garage and large master suite -- all ideas for the future.

But, getting back to the nitty gritty:

There was a lot of digging to be done (not by hand, thankfully!). Check out the horrible wiener dog sign on the pole, it still needs to come down.

Dig, dig, dig! (And you can see the bad pole to the left of the trench.)

The mega spool of wire.

We also ran wire and cables to the end of the driveway in preparation for a gate to be built one day. You have no idea how glad I'll be when we have one -- just this week someone curious showed up unannounced and opened the door to the trailer (no knocking or anything!) when I was here. I think I'll go invest in a big stick in the meantime.

The basement, and other horrible things.

2009-11-12T11:29:00.000-08:00

When we first put an offer in on the house, we weren't allowed to see the basement. It was so full of hoarded items that you physically couldn't enter it. On inspection day, the sellers were nice enough to push enough items out of the basement (and dump it out in the back yard...until we moved in) so we could see it. At least we were pleasantly surprised to find it in great shape -- no cracks or leaks...but the SMELL, oh the smell. (Urine has a way of insulting your nose and making your eyes water; it's like a form of torture.)

With around 75% of the basement's contents rotting in the yard, we were still left with the leftovers, which had to be dealt with in order to tackle the basement and put a hex on the pee-pee smell.

Of course, I had to document some of the entertaining finds:

Wiener dog door knocker anyone?

Dog food found gathered in the ceiling. The work of squirrels or an industrious pooch?

An entire box of gummy bears. Surprisingly these hadn't been pillaged by the rats and mice.

The freezer. Scary, and one of the last things to go. We filled 5 bin liner bags full of bread (in the form of buns, pizza shells, tortillas, and loaves of every shape and size), the odd headless fish, bacon-wrapped scallops, chicken, homemade borscht and a metal tray of raspberries.

A small bunch of things worth salvaging: an antique door, metal calliper set and a box of brass knobs.

This, however, was NOT worth salvaging (and kind of scares the crap out of me).

All of the heavy cobwebs just added to the decor and overall creepy feeling of the basement.

Where things are at

2009-11-10T13:06:00.000-08:00

Things have been a little jumbled lately and my lack of blog posts stems mostly from a busy October with days stretching into weekends with my regular studio work. Trevor had more than a few lonely weekends working on the house with me stuck in front of a computer meeting deadlines. I think I needed a break from the regular blog posts as it meant I would be sitting in front of computer (again!). Here's hoping I'm back to some regularly scheduled programming!

Welcome to some photos of the inside of the house:

This is the view from the front door heading upstairs (oh, and that lovely blue tarp is the entrance to our only working bathroom). Insulation is the enemy here, especially blown-in attic insulation that has been plagued by a rat/mouse city development. Nothing gives me the heebie-jeebies more than thinking we have uninvited guests skipping above us using our insulation as their personal toilet. And nothing was worse than having to take it down and clean it up. (There was a point where I wondered if we'd ever reclaim the house -- the rodent poop outnumbered us 100000 to 1.)

The view into the kitchen. There's still some insulation in the walls to be taken out.

This will eventually be where the kitchen island will sit, and beyond that a closed-in mudroom. The chimney is being taken down as well.

Looking into the family room.

And lastly, looking up to the master bedroom. You can see how ridiculous it was to design a chimney to come up through the house, chopping room away from the mudroom storage and the bedroom.

The day the dump truck came

2009-10-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

Did anyone see the holy beam of light shine down in this area not too long ago? Well, it brought forth a miracle in the form of a dump truck and digger-thingie (technical machine terms are not my strong point). And boy did they go! Most of the junk behind the house left (there's some paint and solvents we need to sort through) and a bunch more from around the scary barn. We had enough junk to fill 5 dump truck loads (and then some).

Cooking in the trailer

2009-10-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

I haven't been able to cook normally for two months now, and the meals in a box get a little old. When I had a little time (and patience) to cook in the makeshift kitchen one evening I decided to make some spaghetti bolognese from scratch. You know, the type with the veggies that cook down for hours and turn into a lovely tomato-y sauce? (And said sauce requires at least an onion...or two.) Here's the lesson I learned:

Cooking onions...

...in a small trailer with bad ventilation, equals unbearable teary onion eyes:

Putting a roof on it

2009-10-02T14:14:00.000-07:00

What a difference a month can make. This week the new fascia boards and roof were completed. Just in case anyone out there needs the specifics, we went with a combed finish on the fascias (supposed to resist the paint from peeling off in the future), and a 30-year architectural finish asphalt roof with high-profile ridge caps, a ridge vent in the top of the roof (instead of those ugly black box vents) and zinc strips up the ying-yang to stop the mold from clinging on.

Whew.

Next up, we're painting the siding, trim and soffits, and trying to take advantage of the sunny early fall days. (That's a nice way of saying we're neglecting work on the inside of the house right now.)

More found items

2009-09-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

These beauties come courtesy of the musty basement:

(These were vinegar, and were hidden in the rafters.)

The goal for the exterior

2009-09-22T17:52:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful thing, isn't it?

We've had to re-evaluate the cost for fixing up the house exterior, so instead of adding stone and building up the columns right away, we're going to focus on painting the wood siding, trim work, windows and a new craftsman/shaker style front door*.

We're still deciding on a window style -- whether to use cottage details or not (might be too cutesy?), but I know we're going with black (not sure if they should be black on the inside as well). With the white trim I think they're going to be be-au-ti-ful.

The grey paint is going to be hard to get right. I don't want a grey that's too warm (yellow-y undertones that won't go with the door colour) or too cool (purple-y, ack!).

*AND IT'S GREEN!!!

Junk pile details

2009-09-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

These are a few close-ups of the junk pile in the back of the house -- also known as the pile that's been there since inspection day. Initially, when we first viewed the house, we couldn't get into the basement because the enormous piles of crap blocked every way in. (And we still wrote up an offer on it, were we crazy or what?)

They had to clear the basement for inspection, so they just dragged all of that junk out to the back...and left it there.

A bucket with photos, and the mega pack of children's Motrin.

A box of crackers that the mice feasted on.

A little heavy on the mayo

2009-09-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here's proof of our bonus-with-house-purchase: three boxes of mayonnaise (at least).

Washing machines in the mist

2009-09-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

Sounds poetic, doesn't it? Well it sure doesn't look it. This is the view from one (of three) windows in the TEMPORARY trailer. Trevor had enough of the three washing machines left behind (one came filled with dark water and a sock floating in it, lucky for us it wasn't broken and we were able to drain it) so he just opened the side door of the mudroom and tossed them out.

In a normal house I would have a problem with this...

...but seeing as there's larger problems that dwarf that, I'm not overly concerned.

Sometimes it's not bad/smelly/scary/strange...

2009-09-17T20:24:00.000-07:00

See? Every now and then we have fun around here. One of the best things we've found left behind by the old owners was a large cement container that we've now turned into our awesome fire pit*. (Don't ask to hear the story about how we had to move it to our chosen location -- lots of swearing and general bad behaviour, the usual when Trevor and I have to move something large and heavy.)

*We're not going to run out of anything to burn anytime soon. In fact, we should have that pit going 24 hours a day -- and after 2 years we might have the junk piles gone.

Now there's the money shot.

Minor (major?) baked potato incident. Not enough tin foil + in the fire too long = something that looks like a charbroiled brain.

Here's proof of our bounty around here-- freshly picked grapes and apples. We'd better get used to living off the land because once our bank account is bled dry by this house it's all we'll be eating.

Good things don't come in small packages

2009-09-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I came across this package in the basement:

It was small, and unopened. I saw the dog and cat illustration and then had the word CREMATORY yelling at me from the label.

And then I put it all together. RIP Sno-Flake.

Being morbidly curious, I donned the sharp-y, stab-y tool.

BAM! Unmarked blue tin, that, when shaken, sounds like it has a bunch of very small pebbles in it. Sno-Flake in granulated form.

It was a tin that was identical to a pint of paint.

Now here comes the interesting part: I just happened to find a very similar unmarked can in the basement, that made the same shaky noise inside. I guess Sno-Flake has a cousin, and I now have a total of 3 dead animals here*.

* Well, if you're counting pets only -- 1 dead horse (buried -- illegally, incidentally -- but don't go looking for it as they stay 'juicy' for a long time, we're told) and two others (dogs? cats?). Trevor also came across 5 petrified and smoked bats in the chimney.

Augh, PANTIES!!

2009-09-11T22:32:00.000-07:00

Found, as is, when we had possession.

(Bonus points to you keeners who can spot the fly getting it's 15 seconds of fame.)

Evidence that we really are crazy

2009-09-09T20:40:00.000-07:00

This was day one in the TEMPORARY trailer. Things have settled into place a little more since then (that photo was taken last Wednesday -- which means it's our one week anniversary, aww...).

Everyone should massively upheave their lives from cozy homes and downsize to 320 square feet. It builds character, and might grow hair on your chest (we'll see how cold this box gets further into the fall).

Switch plate envy

2009-09-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

After a small moving hiatus, I feel it's necessary to come back with a highly entertaining (or horrific if you're one of the two people who have bought this house) blog post. I'd like to introduce you to...drumrolllll please...our lovely switch plate covers -- or, more affectionately known as the worst craft ideas known to mankind:*

This one is double trouble. Doberman topper with a leopard-print and orange bow strangled mutt, with a screw for a nose.

I almost didn't manage to get this shot as the switch plate cover galloped off into the sunset shortly after. (No, not really. Just a dramatic effect.)

Wiener *shudder* dogs.

I know this one intimately as it's currently keeping post in our only useable bathroom. It makes the whole room feel mystical.

A triad of horses. I imagine them having a conversation about the giant screw head growth coming out of the center horse's face.

And this beauty. It's like an eye-spy game: 'I spy...something creepy in the woods'.

Oh! There's creepy winter Pocahontas! Or maybe it's bigfoot! Whatever it is, I feel like I need to go and rent 'Harry and the Hendersons' now.

*Okay, the Barbie doll toilet roll holder is right up there too.

Welcome to my (our) hell.

2009-09-01T22:05:00.001-07:00

Yup, confirmed. Looks like hell to me!

Moving should really be a four-letter word. I've used enough of them in one day to fill up a swear jar to fund a four year ivy league education. If you don't want to hear about the drama, turn back now -- but if you're like me and you can't miss out on watching a train wreck happen, plod on.

Our problem is we're people who feed off of each other's enthusiasm and dreamy ideas. Sure, we say, let's just take this dump of a house and we'll magically turn it into the cozy modern farmhouse/cottage/loft-feel (I'm still deciding on what to call it) house that will shelter us for many years.

REALITY CHECK:

Actually looking at how we're going to live out these next few weeks/months/years (PLEASE SAY IT'S NOT YEARS) and then living through them is going to be where I wonder if our cheese has truly slid off our collective crackers.

I mean, come on, we're living in a TEMPORARY trailer. (Side note: you'll notice I say TEMPORARY a lot because it makes me feel better. Give me some shred of hope.) It has no plumbing and is a box with three windows and a door -- oh, but it has air conditioning, because we be livin' the life here.

It was a struggle just getting the damn TEMPORARY trailer this week. Our supplier *cough*Britco*cough* are stubborn bastards who don't really understand the idea of customer service and returning phone calls. Although we do have the TEMPORARY trailer now, it was hit and miss for a while (great for your mental well-being), so I will begrudgingly give them some kudos for having it eventually show up. BUT. When it comes to our containers to house all of our worldly goods in, it's been a big, fat, gigantic FAIL for them. (Must go and add another $550 to the swear jar.) Those containers were supposed to arrive today, so we could move all of our worldly goods into them tomorrow, and not the stinky dump house. FAIL Britco, FAIL!!!

I'll spare you all the nitty gritty details, but it involved many, MANY phone calls, trips to the house, money being disbursed and then MANY more phone calls of a threatening manner...and these containers are to appear via winged unicorn chariot tomorrow morning. (Okay, do I have to explain that one? It's my version of telling a story without you actually seeing my arms flail.)

Combine that in with plastic wrapping every piece of furniture you want to see survive the containers, packing boxes, and trying to work at the same time...well you'll get a nice cocktail of crazy. So that will explain why I feel like a deflated balloon with an Advil in it.

(Oh, and did I mention that I dropped an entire six-pack of glass beer bottles on the kitchen floor today too? Yes, our house now smells like a brewery. Welcome to your new home new person!)

Meet 'The Power of Jordan'

2009-08-30T22:02:00.000-07:00

This is what we affectionately call this oil portrait that was found in the house. Painted by the artist in 1976, this piece has a sort of spooky effect with 'The Power of Jordan' eyeballs shifting his gaze on you wherever you are. (Just like the Mona Lisa -- except, the Mona Lisa is in the Louvre with security guards, and 'The Power of Jordan' is sitting on our porch outside, with the critters to guard him.)

If my Mom is reading this right now -- wait, she'll have turned the computer off, 'The Power of Jordan' freaks her out, so much so that she had to turn it around when she and my Dad came to visit last week. (Sorry Mom!) She'll probably have the heeby-jeebies for days now and have to cleanse her screen.

'The Power of Jordan' cannot be denied! All of that feathered 70's mullet-ish hair and brooding expression draws you in, and if that doesn't do it, the v-neck sweater that looks like it's been sewn from a bear hide will. It's kind of like a 'Q-Ray' bracelet -- it will enhance your feelings of well-being and help you get more out of life (maybe).

Warm up your printers and make a copy of the painting and tuck it into your wallet, you never know what 'The Power of Jordan' will do for you!

Kitchen of horrors

2009-08-29T20:37:00.000-07:00

Remember the last shot of the kitchen? Yes, lets hope you haven't eaten anything within 30 minutes of seeing this picture again:

You're lucky this photo isn't scratch-n-sniff. Take it from me, I've been there, and it's bad -- in a dry heave-y way.

Onwards and upwards, right?

Another beauty shot of the kitchen showing off it's fly tape and impeccable organization. Everything a modern family could possibly want. HA.

We decided to put on our big boy and big girl pants and bring the kitchen down (note to self: buy bigger big pants):

There was a noticeable decrease in the number of winged friends buzzing in drunken dirty kitchen swarms once we started to take the cupboards down.

(Small pause here: The two older guys who were frolicking through our yard-o-crap took these cupboards. I hope they took them far, far away. Crazy old guys nonetheless.)

Once the cast iron sink was taken out (and our spines readjusted) we discovered the mouse hotel under the lower cabinets and up into the wall.

EVICTION NOTICE! Well, not quite as dramatic as that, but we were glad to see that no one was home at the time. The mouse hotel was engineered using insulation and plastic bread bags.

Excuse me for a moment while I get a little sidetracked:

THESE PEOPLE CLEARLY WERE NEVER ON THE ATKINS DIET. The sheer volume of bread, tortillas, wraps, pitas, buns, flatbread that we're discovering must have cost a small fortune. We have 3 FULL SIZE freezers left behind, and every single one of them is full of bread. Two of them are outside, and one is down in the basement. When you wander around the yard you stumble across plastic bread bags and those plastic ties used to close them. I mowed the lawn (whole other story there, if I go off on another tangent this post will never end) and mowed up 3 bread bags hidden in tall grass and weeds. It makes the mower sound like a category 3 hurricane.

Sidetracking over (for now, you're lucky).

To add to the mouse hotel, we noticed an ant inn (trying to make a theme work here):

And I now know where the inspiration for Edvard Munch's 'The Scream' came from. The resemblance is uncanny:

I think my face did the exact same thing at that moment.

Then we noticed the shoddy electrical work:

Yup, that's duck tape. Doubt THAT meets code. Good thing we had already decided to bring down all of the drywall in the house anyways.

So that leaves us with a parting shot of the scene we're uncovering. Another ant party was found in the far corner, but we couldn't find any ant inns around there. That might mean there's another problem on the second level. Hopefully not, but if there is, we'll deal with it -- and I'm going to buy a 36-ton pack of caulk and cover the exterior of the house in it.

More hoarding in the barn loft

2009-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here's photographic evidence more 'stuff' crammed into the loft in the barn:

I spy an exercise bike, can you?

Sinks, sinks, and more sinks. And above that my Dad discovered super cheapie toilet paper -- the kind that comes out in small squares.

Formica repair kits anyone? We've got lots!

There's really no words for this scene, but we're keeping the hemlock moulding for when we eventually decide to fix up the barn (in the year 2030...).

Conquering the giant vine

2009-08-25T20:38:00.001-07:00

One of the fine specimens of our garden was growing up the side of the house. Sure, it hides a lot of the ugly, but it's really not good to have little tendrils working their way into the siding, and then possibly tapping you on the shoulder while you sleep -- or worse, waking up covered in creepy vines. (Sorry, that's my worst-case overactive imagination talking there.)

I couldn't take looking at it any longer, so I decided to tackle it with whatever tools I could find laying around (and there's many). I came across a broom initially and smacked the living daylights out of it with some success, knocking most of it from the house. (I was like a horticultural gladiator...in my mind.)

Take a look at my handiwork, and notice the fact that windows exist under all of that:

A-mazing.

No really, they shouldn't have -- housewarming gifts from the previous owners

2009-08-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Usually, we like receiving gifts, but in this circumstance we don't have a choice. We're just starting to scratch the surface of the 'gifts' that have been left behind for us. For example:

• Blueberry jam (preserves?) and cans of dog food in a box. This was left on the porch for us.

• A plate o' half eaten ribs found in the garden. I guess it was just too difficult to bring inside and clean up. (I think this sums up the habits of the people who lived there nicely.)

• Surprise cars! We call them this because we haven't taken the tarps off yet, but we think Jaguars lurk underneath.

• More preserves and dulche de leche sauce. This was left just sitting on a cement ledge. The orange one is kind of pretty looking with the sunlight streaming against it. (I guess that's what you call 'making the best out of a bad situation'.)

• And these little beauties are scattered throughout the house. Each light switch has a different dog. Words can't describe how happy I'll be when these get replaced.

And on the first day, there was junk.

2009-08-22T22:06:00.001-07:00

We finally had possession of the new house on Thursday afternoon (a day late thanks to legal issues that arose on the seller's end). With all of that behind us, we were finally able to set foot -- legally! -- on the property and take a look at what's now ours.

And let me tell you, it's far worse in person than it is in photos. This is a certifiable dump we're dealing with.

Close to the barn, it looks like a garbage dump.

Initially, we didn't set foot in the house; there were far more distracting issues that we were blinded by. Junk was (is!) piled everywhere. It looks like a small village was attacked, and the people dumped their belongings and high-tailed it out of there. Wait, that might not be so far from the truth. Here's a little background on our sellers that we've learned:

• There were two people living here, a man and a woman (married, we believe). The woman ran a dog breeding operation, and the man spent his time going to auctions and buying things (we think this was his job, but we're not certain).

• They have an absolute plethora* of baggage -- both in the physical sense and the life sense.

• They both have serious cleanliness issues, whether this is just pure laziness or a result of some mental issues, we can't tell. Maybe it's both. All I know is that no human being should ever live in the unsanitary conditions they've created.

• All of their neighbours are glad to see them go.

We walked around the property to survey the jaw-dropping scene of garbage/junk/who-the-hell-knows items. After half an hour I was numb (and my face hurt from making that 'oh my god' expression). Trevor seemed to take it in stride a little more, but maybe he's just better at hiding it. Wait, I know he's better at hiding it.

How we found the kitchen. These people are unreal.

We finally made it to the house, and my instinct to be cautious about it proved correct: it was horrible. Fly tape was strung from the ceiling (an effort to clean up?), the kitchen was a mess, floors were dirty, personal items and furniture were left behind, and the smell...oh the smell. Eau de dog funk? I can't sum it up in words, but it's a bouquet my nose won't forget anytime soon. Some horrible things we discovered later on:

• A washing machine full of black water (luckily today we discovered it can turn on and drain, it also contained a pair of socks and jeans).

• Cupboards full of old food (scraped up chunky peanut butter containers, ew), a freezer full of bread, and a fridge with milk in it.

• Old mattresses.

• And, quite possibly the most disgusting thing I've ever seen: an unflushed toilet (I won't go into detail, but it had been there a while).

This isn't the offending toilet from above, it's the one that made me dry-heave. The lovely toilet seat has a new home in the dumpster now.

While we were in the house, we saw some men in trucks pull up, and they explained to us that they were working with the old seller to take junk away and help him out. We had no problem with them carrying on with what they were doing previously (and hey, they have trucks, that's like gold to us at this point!). They have proven to be very handy over the past few days, taking away things that are trash to us, but treasure to them. We also found out from them what happened in the days leading up to our possession of the house, with one standout being that one of their horses (there were two) had to be put down as it was in ill health...and it's buried in our yard now. Let the horse poltergeist jokes start now (or horsegeist?)...

So, with two full days behind us, we've managed to clear out most of the main floor of the house, and almost filled a large dumpster out front. I took two hours and attempted to clean the small powder room bathroom on the main floor so it can be used (I've never been someone who's been overly queasy, but scrubbing that toilet almost had me dry-heaving over it). Cans of Lysol are like currency around here; every knob and light switch has had it's turn, along with walls, windowsills...anything that smells, or could smell.

Junk piled behind the house from the basement. This was also left for us.

The days ahead will be spent doing more the same, clearing piles of garbage and junk out of the house, and preparing it for demolition (not the knock it down kind, but taking it down to stud).

* That's the most dramatic word I could think of.

And, moving on...

2009-08-17T19:49:00.000-07:00

Things are going to get a little more interesting around here soon. We close on the new house tomorrow, and have possession this Wednesday at 2pm. Sounds simple enough, right. ...right?

At the moment we're crossing our fingers and toes that our seller will be out of the house come Wednesday. Apparently they're having issues (read: their own crappy bad timing) with getting all of their stuff out by 2pm. More details to come!

P is for packing

2009-08-05T14:39:00.000-07:00

Goodbye lovely stainless steel letter P, I don't know when we'll see each other again. The same goes to the rest of my stuff.

I'm attempting to focus on the reality of living in a 10 foot by 32 foot metal shoebox soon. I measured our house last night to give me a visual and some sort of clue on the size -- this way I can say 'Yes! I knew what we were getting into!' (note: I will also be saying this while rocking myself back and forth in a padded nuthouse room in the future).

Two weeks now until we can officially get this party started, woop woop.

Last long weekend with no reno's

2009-08-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

We're just starting to get accustomed to life without renovations. It was very strange at first to not have an endless list of things that needed creating/fixing/improving/finishing in the house, but we've adjusted to it (a bit). Now we spend our time packing, cleaning and planning for the new house now -- oh, and we also have a bit more of a life. I think I can count on one hand the number of times we've been to Home Depot in the past month and a half (but we still know the layout by heart!).

This weekend marks the last long weekend we'll have before we move into the next house and have our lives chewed, swallowed and spit out by it. And that's putting it nicely. To take the edge off of that I'm posting photos of a fun day out to the Othello Tunnels where we hiked, relaxed and were otherwise oblivious to our future reno lives, so I can look back at it wistfully one day and say, 'oh look, we were normal back then!'.

Some of the tunnels are quite dark.

View down from one of the trestle bridges.

When they were constructing the tunnels (back in the day) they would light the charge and then scurry up the ladders away from it. Yikes.

In 20 days it's all ours...

2009-07-31T13:15:00.000-07:00

Welcome...home?

I can't help but feel like this is a bit of a joke, but we're actually moving into this. Okay, maybe I should clarify -- we're buying this, but we're not going to live in it for a while. Our grand plan is to take the last two weeks of August to do as many big jobs on the house as we can, meanwhile we'll have a 10 by 32 foot 'temporary' box dropped off for us to live in as of September...with no definite date* of living in this:

Don't get me started on this room, but those with a keen eye will spot the brilliant placement of a wood stove only 3 feet away from a hallway wall. Oh, and the fact that the stove touches the brick is a major no-no. So is the fact that some brilliant person put it on a diagonal. We'll be smashing this out.

Ah yes, the gourmet kitchen! What, you don't agree? Little do you know that ill-fitted dishwashers, old trash compactors, leaky faucets and deconstructed cabinets are en vogue for fall of 2009.

Pepto-coloured walls...antacid chic? I'm going to need something stronger than that to use this bathroom. Let's not even go there with that wooden toilet seat, I bet if we set it on fire it would burn for 3 days. (And the funky toilet schmears are from the well water, it's high in iron. A water softener is on the list to install.)

Oh! Hello, welcome to the barn! I think it has a most welcoming feel, with the chainsaw just sliding off the shelf to entice you inside. It's like a 'Where's Waldo' photo: car jack, check; WD-40, check; Ferrari, check! (Yes, that's a Ferrari. Whether or not it's left for us is a mystery at this point.)

After a hard day at work, I like to head back home on my motorcycle. I'm far to picky about leaving it outside, so I park it in the basement. Vroom vroom!

If you've made it this far in the photos, here's hoping that you can see the potential in it that we can. It's scary, smelly, dirty, in need of major repair...but, the positives are that it's only 21 years old (I know, I wouldn't believe it either -- but we've got the city engineering plans stamped to prove it), the foundation is sound, and it's got one hell of a knockout view behind the house.

*Pretty please, I'd like it to be before Christmas...of 2009.

White kitchens

2009-07-19T20:33:00.000-07:00

I'm drawn more and more to a white kitchen, with panelling and detailed tile work.

via House Beautiful