Merry Christmas

Laundry Room

One of the things that sold us on our house was the large utility room. The house lacked storage overall, but the utility room was the largest room in the house. And the one in need of the most serious facelift.

We converted the once utility room into 3 separate spaces; 2nd bathroom, pantry/storage, and laundry room. While we have been using the bathroom for months, and have the pantry stocked with food, we had not completed the laundry room.

Part of the hold up was the horrible plumbing job by American Plumbing Services. They came highly recommended and had great reviews on Angie's List. No matter ... they messed up our project. Lesson learned: Although a company may have overall good reviews, find out about the individual assigned to your job, and their personal performance history.


C, an Electrician Apprentice NOT Plumbing Apprentice, set off to redo much of the work we paid good money for. The problems stemmed from the fact the water supply was not recessed into the wall, the shut off valves stuck out from the wall 8 inches, the drain pipe was secured only by the fitting at it's base, and the exhaust pipe was 2 inches off the wall. All of this prevented us for being able to push the washer and dryer to the wall. Rather, we had to float them into the room about 10 inches; precious real estate to say the least. Another issue was the mounting of cabinets with the exhaust pipe running the height of the room.


Another problem we had with the plumbers was the drilling of holes in the top of our new utility sink. We had assembled a temporary stand, and in an effort to "help" us they drilled four screws, one in each corner, right through the top surface. The owner of American Plumbing Services promised to reimburse us for new sink. We have yet to see the results of that promise.

C cut into the wall, re-plumbed everything to include placing the water supply and drain in a tidy little laundry hook-up box. He then patched the wall and installed cabinets.

We shopped around for the cabinets and decided upon the self-assembly required Ikea cabinets. With a kitchen remodel in our future, we considered this an experiment to help us determine if we wanted to use a similar product for the kitchen. The assembly was simple enough for one person, and the initial install was also completed solo. The final tweaking did required two sets of hands. One thing we learned about the Ikea product was that while most items are in stock, cabinet doors are custom order. We were able to take the cabinets home on the day of purchase, and the doors were delivered a couple of weeks later. The hinges for the doors are pretty amazing, and we were able to snap the doors into place without take the cabinets off the wall.

My dream laundry room includes a shiny red, front-loading washer and dryer. My budget does not include those items. In order to achieve a colorful element in the room, we painted the wall beneath the cabinets and above the washer/dryer red. While the pictures don't show off the color, I feel like I have my red and didn't blow the budget to get it. Win-win!

Follow Up - New Windows

It has been a month, and we still love the new windows. Although we live on a dead end, we still experienced a fair amount of street noise from the gravel road. That has been greatly dimminished. But, most exciting is the cost savings on our heating bill.

Last week I recieved the gas bill and set out to do a comparison. If you look at the same period in the prior year, we saved $80 with the new windows. When I average the last 3 years bills for the same period, there is an average savings of $50. Of course, there was an investment in the new windows, but it is nice to see a cost savings in addition to the aethstic improvement.

Our windows were custom order insulated glass, installed by Classic Sash and Door.

The windows are in!

Back in August, we ordered windows to replace the last remaining single pane glass in the house. Today they were installed!

The before picture shows the storm windows circa 1970 with their unsightly aluminum frame. The center window was busted and missing when we bought the house. We never dared remove the others for fear of breaking them too. We may not have liked the look, but it was better than the draft created without them.

The after picture shows the new double pane, insulated/gas filled glass. To keep as much of the original look as possible, each window was custom made to fit the opening (12 in whole, the window wraps around to the left with 3 more panes). The installers cute small strips of wood which the primed and set into the frame to hold the glass in place. You can still see some spots of former paint, but with a fresh coat on the trim these babies are going to look awesome!

In other news, we have made good progress on the laundry room. We made a trip to Ikea last night to buy the wall cabinets. We only needed 3, thought it would be a piece of cake. Well, we were wrong! Turns out most of their doors are customer ordered. We came home with the cabinets but won't have the doors for about 3-4 weeks.

C did assemble and install the cabinets today, and was happy with the process. We have long considered using Ikea cabinets when we get around to doing out kitchen. This was a test run of sorts, to see if assembling the cabinets was worth the cost savings. So far so good. Check with me again when I've been eating out of a microwave for months and I may have something different to say.

Tying up loose projects... Take II

Back in January, I wrote an entry about all the loose ends we needed to tie up around the house. The projects that were 90% complete, but that last 10% seemed so out of reach. Well folks, it may have taken me a couple of years, but I FINALLY got the office ceiling painted. You may recall, we (read: C) moved the closet back in Nov. '06.

This weekend also saw touch-up paint in the new bathroom, re-hanging of curtains I took down to wash a year ago, hanging of new curtains purchased a year and a half ago, adjustments to surround sound installation, installing of the register covers in the new bath/utility rooms, and prep for the hanging of cabinets in the utility room.

Remaining untouched is the trim from the floor install. We have a call in to someone more talented than us to hire out the job. That doesn't seem to be moving too fast though. (Leave it to me to wait 2 years to work on something, then not want to wait a week for a quote). Anyone know a finish carpenter or flooring guy/gal who is both available and good??

We've taken a little break from working on the house, which has been amazing! We've been rediscovering how we spent our time prior to being home owners. So, since my last post ...

C turned 35. We celebrated with a round of golf at Edgefield, followed by a BBQ back at the house. It was a great time, which finally wrapped around the fire pit in the wee hours of the morning.


We traveled to Las Vegas to see our friends Katie & Eric get hitched. While I've been to Vegas many a time, this was my first time staying in a hotel. We were at the lovely Mandalay Bay, and were upgraded to a 60th floor suite upon check-in. While C will tell you this was because "they know class when they see it" I will tell you the truth, which is that they gave our room to someone else. Oh well! Worked fine for me!
















Once we arrived home from Vegas, we met up with my Aunt Ann & Cousin Melissa who flew in from the East Coast for a week in Portland. We set off for a few days at Cannon Beach, where we really, truly wore Rocko out for the first time ever. It only took one run on the beach, followed by two walks, followed by a hike, and the little guy was done.














Back in Portland, we had a birthday party for my Aunt at Plainfield's Mayur. Our friend David B. joined us. We originally met David through my mom, and they did a cross-country bike trip together back in 1982. It was great to have him join us, and to re-introduce him to Plainfield's. It was a perfect night: the weather, the food, the company.




















Melissa headed back to NYC, while Ann stayed for a few more days. We got to be tourist in our own town, taking time to go to a different coffe shop each day. Dine in a favorite resturant each night. Visit Cupcake Jones, and First Thursday, wonder Powell's and leave with a pile of books.

We wrapped all this adventure up with a few days at home, enjoying the yard, and not touching a thing. It was so great that we did it again last weekend. Actually, last weekend was so hot we spent the day trying not to melt.

All of this brings me to the point, that there is very little new to report on the house. BUT, we are moving forward with the window replacement. The contractor was back today to give us another option, which we are happier with that the one first proposed. Now it is just a matter of getting the windows made, delivered, and installed. Can't wait to have new pictures for you!

Windows

This is a picture taken when we bought our house, four years ago. Most of the picture has changed since then, but not the front windows.

I have a love/hate relationship with these windows. They are one of the only original features of the house. While many houses around us once had similar windows the majority have been switched out for something lacking period style. All other windows in our house have been replaced. They open, they close, they have screens on them ... all things I value after living in one too many houses with window painted shut.

But, these windows are single pane with bad aluminum storm windows on three of the four columns (the fourth wraps around the left side). The missing storm window usually results in plastic covering the offending column in winter months.

I've made an appointment to have Classic Sash and Door come give us a quote on replacing these windows while maintaining the character of the design. It will be somewhat of a challenge, as the interior of the house has a solid wooden grid which the windows are tacked to from the outside. Each window will have to be custom made, along with strips to hold them into place. New windows will be thicker than the current single pane, adding to the insallation challenge.

Bathroom is done ...

and, has been done. I've just failed to post any pictures.

We've been awaiting the installation of the floor tile, which we are hiring a contractor for. This pause in house work has given us time to well, do other house work. We spent much of the weekend in the yard. In between fits of weed pulling and flower planting, Rocko and I took a nap in the newly hung hammock which C surprised me with last week. Hurray for summer in Portland!

Sasquatch

I spent Memorial Day weekend with my oldest and dearest friend at the Sasquatch Festival. No, we were not celebrating the rumored beast, but rather enjoying 3 days of live music in the Gorge Amphitheater in George, Washington. It was an amazing few days! We experienced a full range on weather, one moment huddled under a tarp, and the next smearing on sun block.


The shows we enjoyed were as follows:
Saturday - Fleet Foxes, Beirut, Ozomatli, The New Pornographers, Crudo, M.I.A., Modest Mouse, The Breeders, R.E.M
Sunday - 65DaysOfStatic, Blue Scholars, Cold War Kids, Tegan & Sara, The Presidents, Mates of State, Michael Franti & Spearhead, Death Cab for Cutie, and The Cure
Monday - Matt Costa, The Hives, Built to Spill

I was completely blown away by Blue Scholars and Crudo. Generally, I'm not a hip hop fan, but both of these groups put on an amazing show! Tegan & Sara, The Presidents, and The Hives, who I knew a little of each, made me love them all. Great energy!! R.E.M., my all time favorite band, and the sound of my youth, played through the nastiest rain, managing to pull of a terrific show despite the conditions. And, the Cure, who I've mostly ignored since 1993, played songs dating back to 1978, completely confusing all of the teeny boppers.

It was a good thing that the music was so amazing, 'cause the conditions were not. We were camping on-site, which we were well equipped for. However, the advertised showers were hardly sufficient for the thousands of campers. After waiting in line for two hours, we decided that we'd shampoo in the sink and sponge bath our way through the weekend. While I know I took a shower Saturday morning, and one Monday night, I still felt like I had three days without bathing.

Which brings me to the update on the house. The second shower is done, done, done!!! It is fully functioning and lovely. I just installed the shampoo/soap rank thing-a-ma-bobber.

In tile news, C has indeed been pushed over the edge. He interviewed contractors, and found a guy to install the floor. And, I don't know if I've mentioned it on here, we are putting in radiant heat!

We are getting closer to being truly done, but we aren't there yet.

Shower Tile - DONE!

I lost count of how many days it took. I think nine to lay the tile, and two to grout it, but the shower tile is done! The fixture is not in yet, nor are the shower doors hung, but we are one step closer nonetheless. Upon completion, C told me he wants to hire out the tiling of the floor.

Tile - Day 5

A few pictures to get you current on the state of the tile. C has spent 5 days tiling, I believe. One wall down, one and a third to go. And, no, we don't have polka dotted tile ... those are the spacers.




















A closer look at the accent tile.















The medicine cabinet is in, as are the sconces.

Tiling the Shower

Day 1



















Day 2


C is a trooper, but I think this may be too tedious for him!

Meanwhile, I finished priming the hallway. I have only 2 coats of paint, and cutting of trim to return it to the state it was in only 5 days ago. I know I really wanted to have the walls skim coated but now I don't know what I was thinking!!

Gardening, Beth's Tree & Sheetrock Prep

C & I spent much of the weekend enjoying the outdoors, granted it was by working on our yard. We made a trip out to Recycled Gardens on Saturday where we bought two mature plants (one Laurel and one Camillia) for a steal of a deal. We also made visited Portland Nursery, where we found exactly what we were looking for, and spent the money we save by getting used plants earlier in the day. While we were out, a dump truck delivered bark mulch.


The new plants are in the ground, and a third of the mulch is spread. We also did some repair work to the lawn where the plumbers had ripped it up during the install of the sewer line.




Perhaps the most meaningful yard project was the planting of a Dogwood in memory of my Mom. When my Mom was growning up in Virginia, her father planted three Dogwoods, one for his wife and for each of his two daughters. When C & I desgined the front yard we included a Dogwood as a center piece, when was planted the week of our wedding ... a ceremony of sorts. Upon my Mom's passing, her sister suggested that we add a second Dogwood to our yard. Today was the day we made it happen. Complete with the use of some of her ashes, Beth's tree has been planted. It sits outside of our front windows, framing the view.

Finally, we prepped the new bathroom & utility room space for the sheetrock to be installed tomorrow. In addition to finishing those rooms, we will also skim coat the main hallway to repair bad seaming and patch the wholes from the installation of the attic stairs. I'm so excited to come home tomorrow and see the progress!

Mystery Date

Last month, C sent me an invitation to join him on a "Mystery Date." I knew nothing but the day on which it would occur. Yesterday was the day I'd been waiting for.

After a nice breakfast, C told me that we would need to clean our guest room as we had a dog sitter coming and that I should pack an overnight bag. The bag was the easier of the two tasks. After a couple of questions to determine formal or casual, indoor or out, I was all set. Then came the guest room.

Since September we have been piling parts and pieces for the new bathroom in there. Not to mention scraps from Chrismas, overnight bags from weekend trips, and the pile of dry cleaning I'd yet to deal with. I think the preasure of knowing someone was coming so soon was exactly what we needed to sort through all of the stuff.

House in order and bags packed we headed off. A quick stop at the cleaners and Goodwill, and then on to I-84 east bound. Skamnia Lodge? Maryhill Vineyard? My mind was wondering where we could be heading. C pulled off the road at Multnomah Falls. It was lovely, as usual. Before we could get out of the car he turned it around and headed back to town. Where were we going???

Just off I-84 in Corbett sits the View Point Inn (www.theviewpointinn.com). He had arranged for us to stay in the suite, and made dinner reservations. The view from our room was spectactular! There was an amazing sunset, glowing red, over the Columbia River. We had a roaring fire in the fireplace, sipped wine, and completely relaxed. This morning we enjoyed brunch, again taking in the view of the Gorge, before made the 15 minute drive home.

It was a fantastic suprise, and a place I'm sure we will go to again. To all my Portland friends, check this place out! Great for Mother's Day brunch, watching 4th of July fireworks, or for a surprise date with your special someone.

Tying up loose projects...

Our sheet rocker (Alternative Drywall, 503-504-8968) was out last weekend to take a look at our project. While they aren't available until March, we agree that a good contractor is worth the wait.

Rather than sit idle between now and the completion of the sheet rock I started thinking about what projects we have around the house sitting untouched. I'm realizing that my/our follow through has been somewhat lacking. Case in point, our floors. They were finished November '06, and we've yet to complete the trim. It drives us both crazy, and yet we've seemed to have lived with it this long. But, no more! We will get it done.

Then there is the ceiling in the office. It has a big spot which remains unpainted from when C moved the closet. Again, this has been sitting since Nov. '06. Twice I have taken time off of work to complete this project, yet the primer remains.

I don't usually consider myself a slacker, but I can't come up with any reason as to why I haven't completed these projects. We've got at least four weeks until we can move on to the next phase in the bathroom/utility room. I hope that in that time I can get some stuff done.

Bring in the sheetrock!

It is official, we are ready for the sheetrock! The bathroom/utility room project looks pretty much the same. Regardless, we've hit a major milestone ... we're ready for sheetrock. This also means that our tools have been put away, and we've cleaned up the space.

I took the liberty of doing a couple of quick floorplans to give you an idea of the transformation.

Before:


After:


I'll have new pictures as soon as we have walls. Here's hoping it is soon!!

Destractions

I've been a slack of a blogger lately. It has been nearly a month since I've posted anything dispite the best of intensions. While I've not made time to write, I have captured 35 stars in Super Mario Galaxy, each getting me one step closer to saving Princess Peach.

By way of catching you up to date:

We had a wonderful gathering of ugly sweaters


New Years included the best hat of all time!


We just spent a lovely weekend in Eugene, catching up with many friends and leaving Rocko to wear himself out on a 2-day play date.


The bathroom/utility room project is progressing. It doesn't look much different, dispite the numerous hours spent in there. The HVAC has been re-routed, the electrical is finished, and all the walls are framed. We are getting closer to calling in the sheetrockers, which is when the change will really start to show.