New floors

Plan A: To have the floors refinished. The house has original oak strip flooring and having them refinished would be the least expensive option. Unfortunately, the oak flooring was pretty thin in areas and wouldn't stand up to another sanding and refinishing. Plus, some areas were pretty badly stained (dog pee?) and other areas were badly patched. On to Plan B.

Plan B: To do nothing for now. With the cost of the renovations adding up, we thought maybe we'd just live with the floor as is for now and have them replaced at a later date. However, the more repairs we did, the sadder the floors looked in comparison. Also, if we do the floors later, we'd have to re-pack everything and clear the rooms. We've been living out of boxes for six months now and the thought of packing and unpacking again in the near future made us cringe. On to Plan C.

Plan C: Bite the bullet and just do it. So we did. We chose a nice cinnamon ash to replace the oak strip. Similar colour and grain but we're told ash is much harder than oak and the floor place was having a sale on cinnamon ash. We're sold!

Here are the before photos...

Stained floor in the den

R's dusty work shoes

Fresh air return in the bedroom

 ...and the in-progress photos.

The new floor is a pleasure to walk on and looks lovely. We'll be posting more photos after the baseboards and trim are done.

While Kevin was away...

...our job was to paint, paint and paint. Nothing spruces up a place like a fresh coat of paint. The living room was originally a light yellow colour which R didn't care for (I didn't mind it as much but I'm still happy to have it gone) and the dining room was a dark green colour which we both wanted gone. Before K left for another job, he removed the French doors that separated the living and dining rooms. It really made a difference and opened up the space.

Here's the before photo. I think this was our second official visit to the house and the day we decided to put in an offer. That's our wonderful realtor, Amanda, sitting at the dining table. She was extremely patient and helpful, even when we were driving her crazy with endless questions and concerns. We can't say enough good things about her.

Here are the in-progress photos. The French doors are gone and the dining room is primed. We decided to paint both rooms and the hallway with the same gray mist that we used in the kitchen. The warm, neutral gray will be a great back drop for hanging artwork, mostly Randy's cool abstract photos.

 

After the living and dining rooms, we moved on to my office/den. The rest of the house gets to neutral but for my office, I wanted a punch of colour. My thought was something green. I had a sickly green bedroom as a kid. My parents weren't much into decorating and we lived in a housing project in one of the roughest neighbourhoods. So basically, when the city decided it was time to paint the units, we had limited choice in colour. I ended up with green (my parents' choice). For a long time, green was not my favourite colour but lately, I've been thinking green is good, especially a nice, fresh green. I did my research and picked Benjamin Moore Pear Green. At first, I thought, wow, that's really bright but after it dried, it was wonderful. I love it! It's bright, fresh, colourful and will look absolutely fabulous with the dark bookcases and white desk. We'll be posting more photos of the finished room soon but here's a sneak peak at the colour for now.

Next came the bedroom and hallway. The hallway continues with the gray mist and the bedroom will be cloud white. We patched, sanded and the day we were set to paint, R had a pile of work to do. That left me painting solo for most of the day which was fine. I haven't been getting to the gym lately so I welcomed the workout. I also planned the have Marianne over on the same day to help me get rid of the poison ivy in the front yard (did I mention we have our very own patch of poison ivy?). That didn't happen. The weather, which started out a little overcast, worsened over the course of the morning. At one point, when I was painting the ceiling in the bedroom, there was a flash of light outside the window, followed seconds later by a loud, and I mean LOUD, crack of thunder. I froze in place. Hmmm, probably not a good idea to be holding a long aluminum pole in front of a window during a thunderstorm. Probably not a good idea to be clearing poison ivy while standing under a big tree during a thunderstorm either. I dropped the painting pole and called Marianne to cancel. I didn't have the good sense to stop painting the ceiling, however. I figured there were more attractive things in the neighbourhood for the lightning to hit.

After R was done with work, he came up to finish the ceiling while I put a second coat on the bedroom. Painting done, R washed up the rollers and brushes (my least favourite part of painting) and we admired the newly painted rooms. It's feeling more and more like our home every day. We love our house!

The master bedroom

Taking a banana break

Second time's a charm

Our counter top is in and it looks beautiful. Yay! I had several calls back and forth with Mark (the guy overseeing our counter installation) about our counter and the issues we had with it. We didn't like the seaming job they did (the seam was very dark and not a uniform width) and there was an issue with the counter being very dull on one side of the seam. Mark was very helpful in correcting these problems. He had a Caesarstone rep look at our counter and the rep agreed that there was a defect in the slab we bought so Caesarstone gave us another slab. I have to say, I'm impressed with Caesarstone and their customer service.

The second installation didn't go as smoothly as we had hoped. When the crew showed up to install, the counter pieces had the same problem as before (one piece was thicker in profile than the other). After the first go around, we thought for sure they would have checked the product before bringing it out but I guess not. Anyway, they took it back to the shop asap, had the pieces redone to the right thickness and brought it back. The installation went smoothly from there and it looks fabulous!

Not only is our counter top finally in, but we've been able to unpack a ton of boxes and organize the kitchen. Even though we have way more storage space than we did before, we have doubles of everything (two sets of dishes, glasses, pots & pans, bakeware, etc), so there's going to be some more de-cluttering to come. For now, we're just happy to not have to root through a dozen boxes to find something.

We had a counter...briefly

Our lovely organic white Caesarstone counter was installed last week Friday...and uninstalled on Wednesday.

To start, the installers showed up late due to another job running overtime. Instead of 12pm or so, they showed up closer to 3:30pm. Looking at the profile, the two pieces of counter that needed to be seamed together were not the same thickness. I pointed this out to one of the installers who said that he had noticed it and would have brought it to my attention. He said that if they had been able to show up at 12pm as planned, he would have taken the thicker piece back to the shop and had it sized correctly. As it was, it was easier to install and glue the two pieces then have someone come to grind down the thicker piece in place, or so he said. I wished I'd listened to my inner voice that said this was not a good idea. The installers were incredible nice and friendly and took a lot of care leveling the counter before gluing it in place, which we appreciated. The part we weren't happy about was the dark colour of the seam. It was darker than the counter and not very well done, to our eyes at least. That was just the start of our problems.

Another team was sent to fix the thickness problem and that's when we learned that we should have sent the pieces back to shop instead of going ahead with the installation. Their solution was to just grind down the edge and smooth it. This meant one part of the counter would be one thickness, then slope down to the other thickness. We told them this was unacceptable, not only because it looked bad but that the thicker counter rubbed against the drawers because the edge was sitting lower. We were told that there wasn't any way to grind it down along the length of the counter evenly. At the end of it all, they had to come back to take the counter out, which meant cutting the seam and prying the pieces loose. They left quite a mess behind when they removed it and put a couple small scratches in our cabinets. I don't think the scratches will show once the counter is put back, though. The second installation attempt will be tomorrow. We're crossing our fingers and hoping for the best...

Bathroom's almost done too

At this point, it's a draw as to whether the bathroom or the kitchen will be finished first. The kitchen counter is installed but no pictures yet since we're not completely happy with the installation and need the installers to come back and fix some problems.The kitchen window will be installed by the end of the week then we wait for K to come back finish trimming it out. The pantry doors are still out of stock (any one surprised?) and we've decided that the stainless steel-look plinths from Ikea are really cheap and crappy. It's basically particleboard cover with a piece of foil that will scratch easily so we've decided not to use it. Instead, K says he can get actual sheets of stainless steel cut to size and installed. It'll be more durable and look much better, plus it's not wildly expensive. We're sold on the idea.

The bathroom is almost done. The tub/shower tile is up. The original tile was a glossy white subway tile which we liked so we stuck with it. The only change we made here was to install it in a vertical subway pattern instead of the usual horizontal. It looks fabulous! It heightens the room by drawing your eye upwards. Plus it picks up and carries the pattern from the floor, giving and nice, cohesive look, I think.

Still needs grout but looking good!

Tiles with grout and the bold look of Kohler

While the guys have been concentrating on the main floor, I've been picking away at getting the laundry area finished off. We put in a little storage are with a counter for folding clothes and I love it. It's nice to have a high, flat surface to fold on. I was using the bed for fold but it's a pretty low bed so my back was getting sore from bending over. We'll be posting some pictures of the laundry area as soon as it's completed (it's still missing some hardware) but for now, here's a photo of me assembling a door with a drawer attachment.

The ugly corner gets a makeover

The ugly corner isn't so ugly anymore. K & B have framed it out and covered it with some spare cover panels that match our cabinets. It's a big improvement over what was there before. After the kitchen's done, we'll be posting the before and after photos. I'm so used to seeing what it's like now that sometimes I forget what was there before. I mentioned to R that we should take some of the before photos that he's taken, print them up as gritty black and whites, and hang them in the kitchen for art. I think it would be really cool to have the old decorating the new.

 

 

In the other parts of the house, K & B have been steadily patching and prepping the walls for painting. As they move from room to room, we've been shifting boxes to make way for them. Now, most of the boxes are in the basement. Who needs a gym when you can get your exercise by endlessly shifting large, heavy boxes?

Our basement full of boxes

Someday, we hope to have everything unpacked and put away, but not today.

We have a kitchen...almost

Renovating a kitchen has taught us a number of things, one being that endless trips to Ikea to exchange and/or return cabinets are a necessary evil. For me, Ikea used to be a rare treat since I didn't get to go very often (as a non-driver, I depended on tagging along with friends who were going so trips were few and far between). In the last month, we've been to Ikea so many times that the mere mention of the name causes R to whimper and quiver in fear. I've resorted to bribing him with a frozen yogurt cone (or 10) to get him to go. This worked until one day, he went to get yogurt while I waited to return some items. R returned, irritated and empty-handed. What happened? The frozen yogurt machine was broken. Uh oh. Sorry, honey.

I think they were serving A322 when we showed up

Despite it all, the kitchen is coming together nicely. The cabinets are up, the appliances are in, and now we're just waiting for the counter top to be installed. After that, hook up the drain and faucet, get the dishwasher installed and we're cooking!

Lots of storage space

I must have had B adjust the height of these at least three times

Checking out the new cabinets

Marking the panels sides that we want to face out

Making more notes for K & B

Admiring the new pantry. Oooooo!

We have light!

And more light!

The new range and microwave

Kitchen update

The kitchen is moving along. K & B have updated the wiring and added some outlets for the new range location. Moving the range meant having to run a new dedicated line from the circuit box, located in the basement, under the front kitchen window. Unfortunately, the joists run crosswise, meaning more work.

The wall to the left has been insulated. Since it's an old bungalow, none of the walls are insulated and we find this wall to be very cold when the wind blows. K & B also built it out a few inches, meaning we lose a few inches of width in the kitchen. As we've been discovering, the walls in this house (and pretty much all old houses) aren't straight. The corner of the kitchen, where the head space for the stairs is located, isn't square. A big problem if your corner cabinet has to be located here so to square it up, we give up an inch or two of floor space. That's fine; it's a fairly wide kitchen.

The walls were a dark mustard yellow colour which really made the space seem small and dark. I'm happy to say the yellow is now gone and white primer is in its place. Already, it seems more roomy. Our final colour choice was a warm gray from Benjamin Moore, called Gray Mist. It'll pick up the subtle gray bits in the counter top we've chosen and contrast nicely with the cabinets.

K suggested cutting a tall, narrow window in the wall between the kitchen and the entry area. I'm amazed at how such a little thing has given this area a much more open feel.

Last but not least, the tile floor is in! Yay! It still needs to be grouted and we're short some tiles for the entry area (our fault; we're still learning how to use a tape measure) but we're happy with the results so far. The extra tile should be here next week and we'll post more pictures of the final product then.

Miscellaneous bits

Back tracking a bit, here's a photo of R's temporary office while the basement was being done. The smaller iMac is mine since this is my temporary office (the study is being used for catch-all storage room). The larger iMac is R's. Looks like we're ready for a game of Battleship.

R has since moved back down to the basement so I have my temp office to myself again, minus Kevin and Bryan when they're here working on the house.

Here's a picture of our new travel mascot. He has yet to be named. We've been wanting something that's small and light to take on our trips with us, and this little guy fits perfectly. We're planning to photograph him in different locales and put together a travel blog. I found him at the One of a Kind Craft Show and my friend Lynda bought him as a birthday present for me. He's really adorable and I love his wide-eyed surprised look. If you have a name suggestion for him, let us know.

Finally, here's the baby blanket I've been working on since last summer. It's a gift for R's co-worker who's currently on maternity leave. The baby was born last October and I just finished it a few days ago. It would have been done sooner but selling the condos and moving got in the way. I'm really happy with the results. I may need to make one for myself, in a larger size.

Almost there

The main bath is almost done. The light fixture is in and the new vanity is up minus the drawers since the plumbing still has to be connected. After that, the new window gets installed (we have to wait until next week for that) and the tile can go in the tub area. We're sticking with a simple white subway tile there for a nice, clean look.

It's gone!

Renovating an old house is a little like excavating an archeological site. You never know what you're going to find, how layers there will be and how far down it goes. The kitchen demolition went off without a hitch. I wanted to be home to take part but there was too much going on at work. R was home, though, and got to swing a hammer and destroy some stuff. Very satisfying for him.

Before the kitchen was gutted, we noticed that we had a regular mouse visitor in our sink cabinet. How do we know? There were chew marks on the garbage bag and little bits of chewed plastic around the garbage bin. One morning, I went to open the bin to throw out some garbage and came eye to eye with a cute little brown mouse sitting on top of the garbage. It was a toss up as to who was more surprised. We admired him, even as we evicted him from the house (he was really cute!). I don't think he understood he was being evicted, though, since he was back a couple nights later. Now that the kitchen is gone, our running joke is that he poked his head up, looking for the garbage bin and thought "What the...! Where's my garbage?"

Bryan demolishing our kitchen

Off to the dump!

So what did we learn from gutting the kitchen? Kevin found a few layers of door framing around the two doorways into the kitchen. There was the original door frame that was put in when the house was built and then a couple more nailed on top of it. He was able to reclaim a few inches of doorway. There was, again, some questionable wiring in the walls and ceiling but the real bonus was the discovery of asbestos vinyl floor tiles. Lucky for us (or should I say Kevin and Bryan?), the vinyl tiles were glued to a plywood sub floor that was very loose so they pulled it up and disposed of it. No more asbestos!

The asbestos vinyl floor tiles

Day 1

Day 2