Success and Failure in a Matter of Hours

So, I thought I would give Maria a break from writing the blog for this latest installment.  This decision was partially made because I am currently trapped in the guest bedroom with Hera and Marley with nothing else to do while Maria is running errands.

The good news is that we finally have basic cable.  The bad news is that we still don't have any furniture to enjoy some good old fashion TV watching.

Hardwoods aren't comfortable :(

We also found great pleasure in watching "Money Pit" with Tom Hanks.  Watch it all the way through as there were a few times that Maria did the crazy Tom Hanks laugh at the end!!

Sleep has been a privilege lately so we were really looking forward to sleeping past 8am on Saturday.  We almost made it.  We heard a knock on the door at exactly 8am, but we knew it was the guys coming to work on the house all day so I practically ran to the door to let them in.  It has been chaos (in a good way) ever since.  We have 7 different workers in the house right now and you would think we won the lottery we're so happy! 

We originally thought that we had to keep a load bearing post in the middle of the great room and we were not very happy about it because we wanted the room to be completely open.  What the hell do you do with a random post in the middle of the room?  I thought about having Maria dance around it, but that is all I came up with.  

We decided to ask Jim to get some pricing on replacing the post with a beam that would run the length of the great room and two decorative columns on either end to support the beam's weight.  We were extremely surprised and happy when he told us it was only going to cost an extra $400.  When you're as over budget as we are on this project an extra $400 is a drop in the bucket.  It's going to make the room look 100 times better and it will be great for resale value so it was worth it.  

The beams were delivered the day before and waiting for the guys when they got here on today.  They immediately went to work.





24 beams to create great room!





Taking down old support structure

They also started working on the white marble tile for the shower in our master bath.  So far, it looks great!  Maria is very happy with our choice to go with the white marble brick pattern which makes me happy.  The quality of work is much better than the tile in the guest bathroom too.  Rumor has it we will be able to take a shower in our master by Monday!  Holla!

So, everything seems like it is going great, right?  Well, not so fast.  I haven't mentioned the hardwoods.  We had them refinished.  What do you think?

Yeah, they look like shit!  This is just an example from one small area.  We had the hardwood guy come back to ask what happened and he told us it was just the way the wood took the stain.  Apparently, in his world this is what happens with darker stain.  Maria wasn't accepting that as an answer and had 3 other recommended companies come and look at the job and they all agreed that it looked terrible.  We hired the man with the best quote and best online reviews. 


The beam and posts should be up by the end of the weekend and the new hardwood guy should be here by the end of next week to redo the floors.  Luckily, the floors in the two upstairs bedrooms look good so we don't have to have them redone.  It took some smooth talking to convince Maria of this but I have a way with her ;-)


Finally, the guest bathroom is almost complete!  We now have a sink and some shelving to keep all of our toiletries and such organized so we no longer have to step over and around them like the obstacle course in 5th grade.  We also passed inspection on the first floor so we can now close in the floor and walls in that bathroom!  Life is slowly getting back to normal.  SLOWLY :-)

Modern sink in guest bathroom

Not perfect or the way Maria wants it to look but better than everything on the floor!

The kitchen cabinet installation was pushed back to accommodate the new beam and refinishing of the hardwood floors.  It initially was a major disappointment as we can't wait to see our cabinets but we also know we need the hardwoods done right.  Hopefully by our next post, the kitchen cabinets and appliances will be installed!



Living with the Squirrels

If I hear the Inspector is delayed another time, I might just pull my hair out.  All work has halted until the Inspector comes as we can't finish the kitchen or master bathroom until all of the plumbing and electrical has been inspected.  It's really a waiting game and with no patience or time at this point, we are the losing party. 

Our one bedroom and partially finished bathroom is no longer an "adventure" but has become a nuisance.  We are so lucky to have great friends like Josh and Teri who let us use their couch for the past 3 nights.  With the computer as our TV source, we had to get our football fix in and they helped greatly!


Also, having my office in our one bedroom with two animals is not so cozy.  The thought of my big desk with shelves and organization (as if I know what that word means anymore) is circling my head daily.  Luckily these two have been getting along.


Lazy kids



Office/Hera's Crate/Kitchen

We unfortunately also woke up to another surprise this morning.  I suppose the squirrels in our backyard, which I usually admire, have decided they would like a warm place to live and have made their way into our attic. 

Cute, right?  Not when they move in with you!

I suppose they really wanted luxury because I heard something in our living room and tip-toed out there to find one of the little guys in the middle of our kitchen (well what is supposed to be the kitchen).  He immediately ran back up the way he came in which (shocker) was through our unfinished kitchen space!



The squirrels way into our house





So amongst my many animals, both wanted and unwanted, I'm trying to find the positive side.  I do have a nice shower head in the guest bathroom and I like the tiling color we picked for the shower walls... 

Trying to enjoy the small victories

Now if we only had a vanity so we could stop brushing our teeth in the tub!

On an extremely positive note, Hera is improving daily and she is passing training with flying colors!  She is such a sweetheart and you can see she just wants to please us. 

Practicing Stay with Todd



Our lovely girl





Being good on our walk



I spoke with my Nona this week and she reminded me that "most all days of your life you will consider ordinary so find the small things that make you laugh during those times"  It's interesting how the most common ideas are sometimes so hard to follow but Todd and I are trying our best to take Nona's advice.

Are We There Yet?

With one more day to go before we move into our place, we are regretting not renewing our basement apartment lease! 

The house is still a wreck and not ready for us.  What was supposed to be a two bedroom, two bathroom, and kitchen living situation has turned into a one bedroom, partial bathroom, and no kitchen living environment.  With no kitchen and barely a bathroom, we are considering moving in with a very nice and tolerant friend of ours for a few weeks! 

The good news is that the floors have been finished (but not stained) and the guest hall bathroom is coming together...



Repaired hardwoods in kitchen. Used to be vinyl- YUCK!




Just took this picture yesterday and we are supposed to use it tomorrow!


We also received our kitchen cabinets and appliances; however, they still reside in the living room...

Cabinets in the living room- NOT where they should be!

With all of the progress, we unfortunately came back from the Holiday to find out that the basement had to be dug up as the drainage system was constructed in the wrong direction!  I think we are immune to these hiccups at this point.


Our moat




Hera likes the holes!


Many of the holds up are based around the Inspector not coming before the Holiday as planned.  Our contractor is working hard to get them in there as soon as possible but we are at their mercy.  Until the Inspector comes, they can't finish the master bathroom or kitchen. 

We have high hopes the Inspector will come by the first week of January and the remaining renovations will progress at a swifter rate!

Little Changes, Big Results

With the displacement of our lives and a new puppy testing our patience, Todd and I have been trying to enjoy the small things in life.  We went to see Jim Breuer at the DC Improv and had an amazing time with great friends!  We also translated this into the progress of the house.  Although we don't have several room changes to report, the master bathroom has changed significantly!  However, we are still trying to hang on to any hope that our house will be livable by December 30th. 

Many of you have asked what exact living conditions we are "roughing" while living in a basement apartment.  We actually aren't unhappy and I like that it's easy to clean even though it's cramped.  However, I have also given you more of an idea with pictures below.



 

 



Small bed, TV, desk area I created, and couch





Quaint but comfortable



 Luckily the apartment was fully furnished so we "stuffed our stuff" into one unfinished room of the house....

Now to show you the changes to the master bathroom.

Our shower!  The picture doesn't do it justice. Bigger than expected!



Toilet area straight ahead, shower and closet to the right



Vanity area to the left and toilet area to the right

 We are very excited to see more progress throughout the next few weeks.  The crews have been working hard.  Also, the kitchen cabinets come on December 14th and the new windows will be installed on December 22nd; therefore, we will have some major changes to report soon!

With Christmas fast approaching my next update might not be until 2011.  We wish you all Happy Holidays and a Great New Year!!



What Goes Down, Must Be Built Back Up!

We are getting close to Thanksgiving, must leave our condo on 11/29, and still can't move in to our new place.  Although it is coming together, it is in no shape for us to live.  We are now wishing we wouldn't have got so lucky with our condo renting so quickly.

There are some positive changes though and I'm excited about the progress.  I'm not sure there are much updates and I suppose that is a good thing.  We haven't *knock on wood* ran into anymore unexpected expenses.

I won't bore you with words.  The pictures below should speak for themselves!

Addition/Office Before

Addition/Office During Work

Addition/Office Almost Completely Dry Walled.
Need to wait on floor to ceiling windows for the wall pictured here

Bathroom Before

Bathroom Half Way Done- New Dry Wall and Window

Wall Between Two Bedrooms

No More Wall!  Our Master Bath is Being Framed Tonight!

Downstairs Guest Bath

Downstairs Guest Bath and Maze of Pipes We Found!

No More Wall of Pipes!!

Closets That Made Todd's Mancave Feel Small

No More Closets!  (Just Sherri)

Small Entry and Bulkhead Above Fireplace Before

Entry Widened and Bulk Head is Gone!

Closed in Kitchen

Nice Open Kitchen!

Dark and "Avocado" Living Room

Much Lighter and Airy Living Room

If you thought buying a house and completely gutting it was a stupid idea, we also would like everyone to know we have a new addition to the family....

Meet Hera!

 We've been looking to adopt a dog for almost a year now and have been very smart about our choice; however, it just so happens that the right dog came into our life at the wrong time.  We didn't let that stop us.  We highly suggest adopting a dog when you are ready and if you live near Arlington, VA you can visit their shelter at http://www.awla.org/

We hope to have many more updates within the coming weeks!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

The "In-Between" Period

Many big decisions have been made and are being made this week but actual changes to the house have been minimal since our last post.  Marcello, our electrician, came in and told us what a mess we had with the entire house.  Since most all of the walls are down, he is working diligently to repair all of the wiring.  We were also told this is a great time to bring in the cable company so they can put all of the wires behind the walls too.

We finally settled on the kitchen.  When I say the kitchen, I mean everything- appliances, wall cabinets/countertops, island cabinets/countertops, floors, backsplash, and all of the little pieces!  It was a great project to complete but now we have to wait 5 weeks for all of the materials to arrive.  However, we are getting hand-made, wood cabinets from Hagerstown, MD.  It was great that we could use a local vendor that makes everything by hand.

We also finalized on our hall, guest bathroom for the upstairs and our master bathroom.  The guest bathroom will be a blend between ceramic and glass mosaic tiles while the master bathroom is white marble throughout.  One thing I have learned from all of this is that tiles are not cheap, especially the glass tiles!  We were trying to keep floor and shower materials/tiles between $3 to $4 a square foot since this really is an investment property.  We come to find out quickly the tiles we were immediately drawn to were $15 to $30 a square foot!  We had to really get creative and start finding places that sell on the cheap.  Home Depot was a great alternative to the expensive stores; however, we also used the clearance items from the upscale stores.

On the note of bathrooms, I picked out vanities for two of the bathrooms which I'm very excited about!



For our Master Bathroom- great storage for a floating cabinet




For the downstairs guest bathroom


We now need to finalize on flooring for all of downstairs and my upstairs office.  I love using Build Direct and Simply Floors.  They have some great prices and you can order samples!  I'm waiting on a few samples before I make any final decisions on the remainder of the house.  I'm also going to use Ikea kitchen countertops to create a built-in desk.  I think this is a great way to save space and money! 




Stained darker this will make a great desk and size is customizable!

 Last post, we found out we had to completely remove old piping from the downstairs bathroom.  It was completely clogged and non-functioning.  However, this $4,000 unexpected expense has allowed us to redesign the layout of the bathroom which is a blessing in disguise!  I keep telling myself to always try to see the bright side of the unexpected expenses.  It doesn't always work. 

So now that many of the flooring and bathroom materials are chosen, I decided to move on to a new project- furnishings!  I started exploring our options and put together some of the "working" ideas for the main living area below...

There is still  so much work to do but we are hoping to have everything finished by the Super Bowl so we can throw everyone a big party in our new place!!