Soooo Close

Sometimes Facebook gets the updates first (and tend to be a little more personal) so stop on by and 'Like' A Home Revised on Facebook!  Also I plan on making 'pages' for this blog when it comes time for room decoration.  I think that will force me to complete each room before I move onto the next.  That's how projects don't finish as it's so easy to lose focus when your thoughts are on another project.

It's so close to move in time I can taste it.

I have neglected most other parts of my existence, including this blog, to finish up the interior painting to both last week ready for the plumbers and this week ready for the electrician.  We are good to go!  We've painted everything except the doors and trim, which are not installed yet, and have completed all flooring installation but the living room.

A sink!!!!  With running hot and cold water!!!! (that's not the final paint job, btw, details to follow)

We have a shower people!!!  I took the longest, hottest bath I could stand on Saturday and it was heavenly. I had no door, no heat and no light mind you, but that was fine I had a shower curtain to hold in the heat.  We've a washing machine, but we'll have to wait on the dryer for the electrician and new laundry hose.  I'll just hang things all inside the garage to dry for now, it'll do.

We've had two rather expensive hiccups.  One was the skirting all around the house being rotten and the other was the discovery of a 10 foot length of foundation that was in ruins under the front door.  That has been a gruelling task for the workmen - just a couple feet tall under there and surely didn't smell to nice with all the raccoon activity we've had.  With those two glitches we could've bought a rather nice used car and a trip to Disneyland!  That's a huge reason why you don't go into a project like this with your maxed out budget.  We would've had some serious tears if we had, right now it's just an irritation and perhaps a hold on the 70" TV and sectional.  Booooo.

 The skirting repair has been mended and belly banded, but there's still this wonky bit.

How the damaged foundation was discovered...when we were deciding if the porch was rotting from underneath.  That turned out fine, but opened up a nasty can of mean ol' worms.  Hi Olivia!

A very small area for the workers.  Today the prepared hole will be poured.  He was able to cut down on our costs by putting our order in with another's foundation pour on the same day.  THANK YOU!

This was all inspected by an engineer so it'll be built to last.

My other annoyance was the shingle staining.  My first two bundles went swimmingly using the oil based product that I could just dip the shingles into a terrific speed then hang to dry. I quickly ran out of that stain so went back for more.  When I opened it up at home I thought "this looks weird" so I called them up to query why the base number was different.  Well to my dismay with the VOC regulations in Canada changed now only water based products are available.  I do not like this product!  It went on more like paint so dipping was a time consuming task as was using a brush.  Not only that, but the colour was more opaque.  The WORST part was when I finished up my hands felt like icicles so I decided to leave the last batch to dry flat where they were.  Bad idea.  It rained the next morning washing away the top layer, leaving behind a streaky, uneven mess.  I need to sort this out but it's too cold out now to fix it.  I'll have to wait for us to move out of the garage so I can use the space to start again or fix it, then it can dry with the heater and be protected from the elements.  It's getting chilly here in Western Canada, we get little snow, but make up for it with rain.

I feel defeated and sad about this.  Very sad.  

On the bright side, this does not need to be finished for us to move in so I'll run with that thought.  

It all looks really smashing inside and we know the outside has had all issues delt with and is now safe.  That's what matters.  Another 100 years are left in this baby.

We really are renovating still...

PROMISE!!!!  New post this weekend.  We've been so super busy that I've barely a moment to spare.

Termite Update

Phew, the pest control people said it's nothing to worry about and doesn't even suggest spraying.  Most of the wood had been replaced and was likely caused by a rose bush that gets watered in the spot they were found.  Not even a charge for the call to come out so that was a nice and rare surprise.

Old Island Pest Control was the name if you need a pest control company :)

1921 with Termites

Simple, to the point, termites :/' 

During the removal of the old house's shingles they found termites had done their thing in one section...so far.  The other part uncovered looks fine, but another part will need it's wood removed then the exterminators have suggested spraying the new to prevent any damage in future.  He'll come by tomorrow am to have a look.  Another expense, but hopefully with them just being the rot wood kind vs subterranean will be a manageable cost.  We'll see what the rest of the house reveals.  

Oh and a sheet of newsprint from 1921 was in the exterior wall.  Back then you could get coal for $11.80 per ton and a corset in medium bust style, well boned and neatly trimmed for 98 cents.  As well as a news story of a "Los Angeles policeman killed and another probably fatally wounded in a pistol duel with bandits..." A few other interesting stories and prices as well.  We'll put it the attic along with a paper from now.  Fun find.

Breakthrough

Came through the front door to put down my day's purchases only to find the most awesome of sights, my living room!

It's so bright and spacious and we have sooo done the right thing in doing this renovation.  Seeing all the white drywall makes me also think white should be the wall colour in there.  Keep it bright (makes cutting in not so fussy too).

 See, there's the kitchen!

 View from the stairs.

Patio door is in, but alas there was a mishap installing the doorknob so a repair or replace is in order tomorrow.

Epic Painting

We ended last week with a dry walled upper floor and a delivery of the remaining Hardie Siding and trim pieces.  Our endlessly dry summer is to end Monday so we hope to have much of it painted this weekend.   Really, we only NEED to pre-paint what will be on the higher parts, but it sure would be nice to have it installed with only caulking needing to be painted at the end.  We'll see how we do.  

So next week is the taper coming to work upstairs while the others continue on down then after that it's over to us to paint inside.  Can't wait!  While the taper is working (and they're done the drywall) they'll start work on replacing the rotten wood bits around the old house. 

 Boys' closet

 Master - spot where the bed will go

Upstairs bath

 Master - TV wall

 Staircase.  We really think we should've installed a fireman's pole from the boys closet to below...DARN IT!

Last weekend's painting (those are stacks of Hardie on the left, not just a few.

 

Our next lot :/ Hardie on the left, trim work and belly bands on the right.

 

Insulated

We end this week with an insulated house, new skylight, all windows installed (except kitchen replacement), temporary stairs in, shower/tubs in.  Oh, and the outside wrapping done.  

Today we'll continue painting the Hardie Siding so we don't need to venture up on tall ladders too much.  Such a nice day out so we must take advantage while we can.  Dry, dry summer.  

Downstairs bath on the left, living room tv area on the right.

 Purchased via brochure - a little nerve racking in case it wasn't deep enough, but they're fine.  Only $602!

 Boards in the way from the skylight install to get upstairs, but this is a view of the kids room with ours to the left.

 Skylight

 Shhh, secret room under the stairs for the kiddos.

 Recessed lighting

 From the front it doesn't look any different really

 but...from the side, HUGE!

I *think I like the garage door colour, still another coat to go.  I mixed it myself with the sill and house colour.

BLOMUS

I am so hugely stoked by our day.  Savings were all around and it's making me think all that luck should send me out to buy a lottery ticket.

Firstly, my sourcing of the ethanol fireplace via a used website played out so well.  When we decided against a wood stove due to the cost we decided ethanol would be a cool alternate.  I used to work in a store that sold them so checked there first - my favourite one was discontinued so I went on the hunt on the internet.  Found it at four other places - all sold out.  RATS!  It hit me - check a local used site.  Wa-hoo, the exact one I wanted for $500.  Keep in mind these particular fireplaces originally priced at $2000, now around $1500 for their discontinued prices so this was a steal.  Not only that, but it was being sold by a business that was re-doing their showroom so it had never been fired and came with 16 litres of ethanol.  

Our other score for the day was finding two one-piece shower/tubs for $602 each.  I was expecting to pay over $1500 for each but I was hugely surprised what we ended up spending.  It was bought via catalogue so here's hoping they look good in person.

Also found most of the remaining light fixtures and all bought using our military discount the store offers.  

Time for a beer and put my feet up after all that shopping!

BLOMUS

'Chimo, Wave'

Our new beauty, can't wait to hang it!

2 Months In (house)

Yay, the temporary stairs went in today giving me the chance to finally see the upstairs.  I'm very pleased with all that's been done.  Until now I've been relying on my husband and kids to go up the ladder and report on progress up there.  Very frustrating as you can well imagine, a four year old doesn't quite my design direction!

Pretty big glitch today, the first two feet of the original house is rotting away to powdery dust.  We knew it might be the case with such an old house, but you hope for the best.  Our two options for dealing with the issue are a).  To install the Hardie Siding over top of the rotten wood in which case our contractor would not put his name to it as it would fall off within a year or b).  Remove all the rotten bits and replace with pressure treated wood and do it properly.  Option B is clearly the only choice but comes at a price.  Don't know the price to the dollar just yet but it's looking in the couple of thousand mark.  Bummer, but this is why we didn't budget the project with our top dollar.  Plan for a house you'll be happy in at a conservative budget and have a reserve for the unexpected.  We'll still be fine with our budget so it is what it is. 

Our stairs have taken some fine tuning as well.  We gained another 7" when the project started moving ahead thus making the stairwell one step taller, thus making it one step further into the hall and into the support beam.  They've solved this by making the entry into the hall a foot narrower and creating a landing between the kitchen into hall steps and the stairs bottom step.  Hard to describe, I'll take a picture.

Our only other change, made while camping, is that we'll be nixing the wood stove in the living room for now.  Our Contractor called up to say that the installation of all the parts, minus the stove itself would be about $3100.  Then add to that another $2000-$3000 for the stove itself!  No thanks, we don't want to spend $6000 on a stove when we already have one.  If we didn't then we would've gone through with it.  The solution is an ethanol burning wall mounted "fireplace".  They are very slick looking, attractive, give off a pleasing flame and require no special installation or clearance.  It's on par with burning candles.  They don't give off much heat, like a candle, but do warm the area close by enough to take the edge off.

Big shopping day tomorrow with a friend.  Here's my list...

2 x Shower/Tub
2 x Shower taps
1 x Toilet
2 x Sink/vanity
Fireplace (found a huge score on a used website, I'll post if the deal pans out)
12 x Door and closet knobs

8 x Various light fixtures

Phew!

Better go clear out the trunk for all those lights I'll hopefully smoothly find.

 See, the last step is very close to that beam.

 Hard to believe that was a rubble pile a month ago.

 Doodles of ideas for the stair solution.

 My closet (hubby I suppose can use the small one on the right if he must)  with bathroom beyond (insert Angelic singing here).

 Blerg

 Call me crazy, but I'm really digging the white on the original house.  Hubby would have my head since we've already painted the garage the 'seaweed'.  Oh well, I've lots of white happening inside to keep me happy.

 After all that stink about which Goose Neck Light to buy, they were sold out of the one in our price point and the electrician needed to know where to put the connection.  I ran out yesterday with my youngest in tow and burned through 4 light stores to end up with this one.  Not my dream fixture but I do like it's simplicity, size and price ($89).  With all that savings of over $100 not buying the Goose Neck it afforded the prints I bought online yesterday.  Win, win!

Artwork!

I am so pleased with the 4 pieces of art we've purchased for the new house.  Beyond happy with all of them and am busting for the day when they can be hung.  Today I purchased 3 prints online that I found via someone's 'pin' on Pinterest that led me to someone's blog that featured the artist's work.  Pinterest is a wonderful thing!

House build update coming your way soon!  It's busy with electricians right now.

My (our) treasures...

'Round the Bend' 

original art by:

Anne Bowen

www.annebowen.ca

'Tinkerbelle' 

Print by:

Janet Hill Studio

http://janethillstudio.com/

 'This Is The Place She Had Been Heading All Her Life'

Print by:

Janet Hill Studio

'Starlight' 

Print by:

Janet Hill Studio

Halo

Halo it is!  We've finally settled on a theme for the boys' room.  I'm not generally a theme type person for kids rooms, but I think Halo will make the exception.  I too am a Halo nerd along with my husband and both kids.  My oldest started playing when he was 2 - good parenting?  I think so.  I have a fictional crush on Master Chief I do believe.

First thought was Bowser for my eldest side and Bumble Bee (Transformer) for my youngest but I just couldn't sink my teeth into the idea.  It hit me yesterday while watching them play with their Master Chief action figures, why not Halo!?!

Paint colour bought today is 'Canada Goose' by General Paint - sorry I can't get an image of the colour but it's basically gray.

 I just love this image and can have it customised to life-sized for 19 pounds each as well as many colour choices.  Found via Ebay

This is also a contender and I love the bright colours.

Have purchased this green puzzle light already and think it's a perfect choice for having not knowing the theme at the time.

Exciting!  I may spend more time in their room than mine!

Roof Trusses

You know things are moving along when the roof trusses come in.  Not a job I would envy doing - climbing around a roof, perching on the edge of things, yikes.


Trusses were completed yesterday so today they are sheathing.  

I think I've made my husband look at plans for too long!

Nah, just a Halloween necessity from Costco that were sitting right along side the Christmas decorations.  It's still summer people!

Second Floor and Patio

What a difference a week can make.  Second floor is mostly up and will have the roof trusses up next week.  The kids are having a great time poking around up there with Dad but I'm too chicken to climb up the ladder to have a peek.  

Sealed the patio today.  Right as I finished a wind picked up from no where and scattered sawdust all about so I'm hoping it had dried enough before that happened so it doesn't stick in it forever.  *sigh

 Ooh wee, look how big it is now!

Top left is the boys' bedroom, top right is master with a vertical window on each side of room (that little opening just hasn't been cut out yet).  Bottom left is two windows flanking french door and right are triple windows in the TV area.

Getting start after brushing powder to the depth we wanted and then using the leaf blower to remove any dust and debris.

 Before

After 

- just a light sheen that can be made shinier with extra coats (we won't be).

Patio Light

Hmmm, I'm once again torn about light fixtures.  I've narrowed it down to two reasonably priced options.  I am WAY too frugal to spend any more than $200(ish) on a light - not when there are many options at all price levels.  With a little effort the "look for less" can be achieved and that's exactly what I'm aiming for.

Here are the finalists from www.barnlightelectric.com - a great site for vintage style fixtures mixed with new.  I think my contractor was a little surprised by my choice as he thinks of these as warehouse front lights.  I think they're a pretty cool and unexpected choice, I'll convert  him.

I personally prefer the second option, but my husband prefers the first. Thoughts (and yes, I know the second is almost $70 more)?

All Weather Gooseneck Farm Light Wall Mount

on sale for $119

The Original Warehouse Gooseneck Light

$188