Reminiscing II

As I mentioned in the last post, we really did not know what we were getting into with our first home. I had always dreamed of owning an old house, and Jeff was willing to learn some manual labor skills, but neither of us had ANY experience working on houses or decorating. I had never even painted anything! We had no tools and a very small budget. But we were eager and innocent (and much younger, as you can see in the photos)!

Reminiscing

Several conversations and events lately have me reminiscing about our very first house. We started our journey as homeowners and DIYers almost exactly ten years ago. In hindsight, we really had no clue what we were doing! But we had been house hunting for over a year, looking for a historic, affordable little first home that we could put our stamp on. We found our fixer-upper in a quiet, central location with a large yard and beautiful (though overgrown) landscaping.

After the home inspection, we almost didn't buy that first house! But the seller lowered the price to accommodate some big repair expenses, and we jumped right in. It needed a new roof (decking and shingles), a new water heater and new venting due to dangerous carbon monoxide issues, significant kitchen and bath updates, and a very thorough cosmetic overhaul.

We bought the house in December and had to immediately get the roof replaced before it got too cold. I don't think I even have exterior photos before the new roof went on because it was already dark on the evening we closed on the purchase, and the roofing crew arrived first thing the next morning!

Lots of potential, and lots of peeling paint

The mess of old shingles covered up the mess that was the old steps and porch

Front entrance and living room

Dining room

Blue, blue kitchen; and more dated ceiling fans!

Looking past the patched walls into the study

Dirty bathroom

Peeling paint and filthy carpet

What's with the mint green fascination? Our current house was covered in it, too!

Little country ducks border and heart stencils everywhere

Blank Slate

After all our bathroom remodeling woes over the past few days, we are thankfully down to a blank slate. We got the self-leveling concrete underlayment poured this weekend to take out the worst of the floor dip (more than inch drop from the edge of the floor to the middle, and that's only a distance of about three feet)! The patch looks a bit awkward right now, but it will all be covered by new flooring, so appearance hardly matters. We'll just be glad not to get dizzy and off balance on the walk to the commode anymore!



While picking up the deep soaker tub at Home Depot Sunday, I started chatting with a very friendly lady who was contemplating a bathroom remodel herself. After discussing the merits of different tubs and surrounds, she insisted on checking us out with her military ID so she could gift us with her service member discount. Since I used credit card points for a store gift card, our tub worked out to be free. I even have a few dollars left on the card! It's nice to save a little money here and there, since budget creep always happens during these projects.

Living Dangerously

What does one do with sharp, prickly, potentially dangerous small objects that have outlived their usefulness? Why, drop them into the nearest available wall cavity, of course!

Innocent hole in the wall, right?

This is what I found after removing the old recessed medicine cabinet in the downstairs bathroom. A large pile of rusty old razor blades, bent sewing pins, and broken needles!

There were probably more that went down between the bricks!

I think I was aware of the little slot in the back of a medicine cabinet being used for that purpose many years ago, but I guess I wasn't prepared to find decades worth of old sharps in my bathroom wall!

But that was only the first brush with danger. As Jeff was tearing out the tub surround later the same evening, he happened upon an electrical outlet in the wall. A live outlet with plugs in it buried right behind the flimsy fiberglass surround, just under all the plumbing. You don't have to be an experienced remodeler to know that water and electricity DO NOT mix! We still have no idea what it goes to, or which breaker it's on, so we have been gingerly working around it for the time being.

See that orange outline around the electrical box? This is exactly where Jeff found the outlet, just inches from the tub spout and all that insulation!

So, you would think that would be our excitement for the week. But no. When you start messing with an old house, that's when problems pop up. In order for us to tear out the old wall-mounted sink (on which the shut off valve had broken), the plumbers came out and capped off the old galvanized pipes in the basement that run to the bathroom. All was well for about 24 hours, until I noticed a strange noise suddenly. It turns out that the cap on the cold water line split and water was pouring out in the basement. This was just as we were sitting down to dinner, so Jeff had to get in the car and drive down to the corner where our water main is located (on the cross street about 500-600 feet as the crow flies, but he wasn't about to walk the bumpy pasture in the dark) and shut off our water. The plumber can't make it until the morning, so I filled a few jugs and pails in the time it took Jeff to get the water off. Sponge bath it is tonight, then!

The blue arrow is pointing to the broken cap on the end of a very rusty galvanized pipe. You don't need an arrow to point out the growing pool of water underneath!

Going Bare

A friend's recent blog post about stripping paint reminded me I could use a heat gun on my chippy old mantel. This is the third mantel we're planning to add to the house, making a total of four fireplaces (some fully functional, some more decorative).

Stripping paint is such a relaxing, meditative task. At least, it is for me. I'm a bit of a "picker"; you know, someone who always has to pick that scab or squeeze that pimple or pull that hangnail. So carefully peeling and scrapping away bubbly, gooey layers of paint feeds right into that obsession. I didn't quite get it all done in one afternoon, and it was so hard to stop and lay down the heat gun. I kept needing to get just one more spot!

Jeff checked in and documented my progress from time to time. There is a weird reddish "stain" impregnating the raw wood, but since I'm planning to repaint, it won't matter.

Going...

Going...

Almost gone!

New Acquisition

As is Evans, Inc. style, we never wait to finish a project before beginning (or at least planning) another! So while I wait for the plumbers to get to us and our small bath reno, I'm strategizing about the future master bedroom.

You might remember this room:



I shan't even apologize for the mess. This is a big step up from what it looked like when we bought the house!



It was a big, scary, uncomfortable, unfinished attic space (remind me to tell the freaky "Chucky-esque" story sometime). Now at least it's comfy-cozy temperature wise, thanks to the foam insulation. Very expensive, but very necessary if we were actually going to live upstairs. But it consumed a decent (or perhaps indecent) chunk of our budget, so finishing the room has had to wait.

We are finally ready to continue work up there, and since I'm a bit stymied by some difficult framing and electrical decisions at the moment, it's much more fun to think about decor. So I needed a jumping off point, something to inspire the whole room. And I think I've found it in this vintage Turkish rug we just purchased:



It's rather different from my usual style, but I'm thinking of something warm and colorful and eclectic, along these lines:



It will likely be several months before I get to the fun part, but for now I have the rug laid out in the attic and I open the door every now and then and mull over my options. Who knows? We may change our minds by then, but it's fun to plan. Jeff calls it my "Fantasy Decorating" game!

Ugly Duckling

Did you all have that awkward adolescent stage? You know, the one that involved white blobs of pimple cream on your blemishes? Well, I think my craft room is going through that acne scene right now.

I'm finally getting around to painting all that orange pine, but it's taking a lot of prep first. All the knots have to be primed with an oil based sealer, or they will bleed right through the finish coat. After hitting the worst spots, my poor room looks like a gangly teenager. It's definitely looking worse before it looks better. But I have confidence my ugly duckling will be a little swan one day soon.

Pretty baubles

Finally! After almost two years, the guest room chandelier is up!

Up, but not quite completed. This is the project that keeps on giving.

It was never really a priority, but the chandelier was getting dustier and dirtier languishing out in the shop. Jeff hesitated about replacing the existing ceiling fan, figuring that any male guests would prefer a breeze over a beautiful fixture. But since it's cool weather now, he agreed to give the chandelier a trial run. Who knew it would be such a pain to hang?

I bought this vintage, very heavy, very quality chandelier used. And I thought I got all the parts with it. But it turns out the mounting strap was missing. No problem, we have extra around. Except the threaded nipple for the chandelier is a big, heavy duty one, not the standard dimension for our mounting strap. So we decided to switch the nonstandard nipple out for a regular one we had on hand. But then we couldn't get the extra thick wiring through the new, narrower one. So Jeff had to remove some little plastic ends and try again. Success! Only then, we had to change the canopy cover because the nipple wasn't long enough for the original canopy. Okay, I have some extra canopies around, too. Just spray paint to match and go.

But wait; the extra heavy duty chain links are really difficult to open. No problem; we can use one of the 1/8" quick links from our miscellaneous fasteners box as a substitute. Another spray paint job and we're ready. Uh oh; the 1/8" link doesn't open wide enough to fit onto the heavy duty chandelier links! A trip to the orange big box store results in a 3/8" quick link that is big enough. But it needs a coat of spray paint, too. No problem; quick spray, fan assisted drying, and we're back in business. Not so fast! Now the canopy cover can't fit down over the chain links to give Jeff enough room to complete the wiring.

At this point, I'm ready to call it quits! It's been two weeks with a ladder and electrical and lighting parts scattered over the guest room. I'm starting to think the old ceiling fan was meant to be. But ever patient Jeff persists and manages to wire the fixture up with just a few inches of room to work. Surely we're home free! But after screwing in the bulbs, several of the lights flicker ominously. So Jeff takes the sockets apart and discovers that an important rivet is too loose to make a good connection. None of the big box stores carry the replacement candelabra socket size we need, so now we're waiting on special order ones to arrive.

In the meantime, Jeff let me leave a few bulbs in the sound sockets and I step in and flick on the switch every now and then for a little chandelier goodness. It's enough to see me through to the end of the project!

Weekend Work

I know it's been months since I mentioned the downstairs bathroom renovation (you remember, this post?). I haven't posted more about it because...nothing's happened! Well, I've been getting quotes, making measurements, gathering more materials, etc. But only in the last few days have we committed ourselves.

That commitment came in the form of destruction. Once you start tearing something out, you really have to keep moving forward! We wanted to do this in the most tidy and methodical way, so it's slow going. We're using a Dremel tool with small drywall bit to cut out the shower surround and tub. Thankfully, it's a two piece model, so it shouldn't cause too much damage to the existing walls to get it out. Our plumber is tied up with a few other jobs before ours, so that buys us some time. We decided to go all in and have the toilet moved over (which involves breaking up the concrete) and vanity re-plumbed also, not just the shower. So the work involved is a little more extensive (and expensive ;-), but it should be worth it!

Bit by bit! We went through five or six bits just to cut all the way around the tub and surround

The Right Tools

As particular as I am about using the right tools in home improvement, I'm learning the right tools for every job are worth it.

I usually neglect getting my hair cut until it's too long and heavy for a basic claw clip. Then I make a trip to my trusted (but underutilized) stylist and ask her to work her considerable skill on my messy mane. This time, I mentioned that I'm long overdue for a new hairbrush and blowdryer, so she offered her expert opinion. She was able to give me quite a few pointers on size, bristles, wattage, attachments, everything I needed to know. She even demonstrated the best techniques, too. Not that I can put them into practice as well as she can, but it's worth a shot.

Her styling left my hair looking great for three days! I usually can't even get out of the bathroom before my roots are going flat, curl is falling out, kinks are working their way in, etc. She barely used any product, my hair smelled great, never got greasy, and didn't needed a brush or comb in the morning. Even Jeff kept commenting on how nice my hair looked. I guess going with pro advice, quality products, and topnotch equipment applies to hair renovation as much as home renovation!

It may not look like much, but this is the end of day two and my hair is still curled under! I was certainly pleased.

Cat Chat

What is in that tummy? Jeff and I know Schrodinger has been killing a lot of rodents lately. Mostly mice, as we have seen him toying with them in the backyard (or "the killing fields", as Jeff calls them now ;-). I hate the method, but it's a necessity with a barn, shop, animal feed, and pet bedding around. Mice and rats are just part of country life. Dinger did get a baby chipmunk the other day, which we rescued twice, but eventually the cat prevailed.

I wondered what was becoming of all the carcasses, but we finally learned their fate today. We were doing some gardening and saw Dinger catch, kill, and consume a large field mouse from start to finish. It was horrible, but that is the present nature of animals. I was just amazed that he really ate the entire thing, with the exception of what appears to be the stomach. He has left those on our door mat two or three times already. It's either the best part he's gifting to us, or, being a cat, likely the worst part he doesn't want to eat!

Photos Finally!

Photobucket and our old, slow, glitchy computer have conspired to make life difficult, so it has taken me forever to get our Ireland photos uploaded. Better late than never! Here are some highlights:

Emerald Isle

I've been out of the blogosphere for a while, but we're back from Ireland and ready to post pictures! Well, almost, that is. "Almost" applying to the picture posts, I mean. We're definitely back, and not even too jet lagged. But between the unpacking, laundry, grocery shopping, make-up class work, and bill paying, I haven't gotten the photos off the camera just yet.

I don't think I mentioned it in previous posts, but Jeff and I were in Ireland for almost two weeks. We toured the island from sea to shining sea; at least, east to west. We went from Dublin to Enfield (in County Meath), and from there toured down to Kildare and over to Galway and the Cliffs of Moher. We saw the Hill of Tara, Loughcrew, Irish National Stud (complete with an $80 million dollar racehorse!) Trim Castle (where parts of Braveheart were filmed), and more sheep than I can count. I'll have more details and the promised pics in the next post, but I'm off to catch up on chores now!

Driving in Style

Meet Jeff's new love:



This is Cooper, the desire of Jeff's heart. You have to understand that Jeff really loves driving. I only see it as a means to an end, but driving is relaxing and enjoyable for Jeff.  He has never been one to lust after any material possession, but given his pleasure in driving, it's understandable that Jeff really likes convertibles.

So when his old commuter car started having major mechanical problems last year, we talked about replacing it with a convertible. It was a luxury, not a necessity, but since he took his old, bare bones 2000 Dodge Neon from cradle to grave (bought it new and put all 230,000+ miles on it), we felt it wasn't unreasonable.

We spent quite a lot of time this summer researching and test driving used convertibles, trying to find one that was reliable, gas efficient, and at the right price point. The Miata was too small, the Sebring too big, the BMW too expensive, the Honda hard to find, the Bug too "girly", the Mustang too much a gas-guzzler.  We drove hours each way to little used auto dealers to look and talk and haggle and ultimately walk away for one reason or another.

College started back, and Jeff had basically given up and decided to limp the old car through when he checked the local used auto websites again and saw this Mini Cooper! It was our "Goldilocks" moment. It's adorable, but still sporty and retro enough to be manly; has good gas mileage, but the 6 speed transmission and supercharger make it fun to drive; roomy enough for the nieces or other small guests to ride in the back seat on occasion; relatively spacious with the fold-down backseats and exterior luggage compartment; and packed with upgrades like electric seat warmers that will make those chilly days that much more comfortable when Jeff still wants the top down ;-).

Plus it's blue, which really brings out Jeff's eyes (okay, that last part factored not a bit, but it's still a bonus)!

Personal Question

Jeff and I (okay, mostly just me) were chatting up the friendly female owner of the local small business establishment we were patronizing. As she rang us up, she stated, more matter-of-fact than question, "So, no kids yet?". Jeff replied no, while I was struck with curiosity with how she knew that. In spite of talking for ten or more minutes, that had never come up. In fact, neither of us was even wearing our wedding bands at the moment. So I asked in amazement how she knew we didn't have kids. She laughed and said we were too relaxed and affectionate and that couples with kids always looked a bit more harried.

Then she sweetly asked how long we had been married, and I knew what was coming. Jeff told her it had been twelve years, and she exclaimed "Twelve years and no kids yet?!". I explained we hadn't been able to have children, though I hated to since it always leaves people feeling awkward. I suppose they just never know what to say to that.

But I guess I'm always a bit surprised at how surprised people are. After all, statistics show that 10-15% of couples suffer from infertility. That's a lot of men and women! Surely these strangers we meet must know at least ten or fifteen acquaintances, making it very likely someone in their circle of friends also can't have children. But maybe we look too young or too healthy or too carefree to be dealing with such a serious burden. And with the rise of DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids) by choice, maybe they think we're some selfish yuppie couple who doesn't want children. Which hurts more than their knowing we're incapable of pregnancy and childbearing, so I usually tell them the truth (unless they are particularly obnoxious and I don't care to reward their digging with such a personal nugget).

But I guess the good news to come from all of this is that we look like a young, newly married, very much in love couple who isn't expected to be procreating yet. And that's not such a bad image at all. Let's just hope we can carry it off as well in our forties, and our fifties, and our sixties, ...!