Open the Window!

Nearly 2 years after the new, smaller kitchen window was installed, it is finally open! No more hazy, opaque plastic covering the view- leaving me to look at spiders, stink bugs and other creepy crawlies- trapped behind the plastic sheeting. 

From this...

To this...

I may not have an optimum view but I love the light coming into my kitchen. More so than before, this is my favorite spot in the kitchen.

The hubbs like to be creepy and spy on me...

The outside looked like this for 2 years!

Ignore the tape  and tape residue but here is the inventive framing for the window.

My brother-in-law  and his coworker (both who work for one of my other brother-in-law) installed this while I was at work, so there are no additional how to pictures. Bummer!  Would you believe this is a plasticized material? It is called Azek. It is a highly durable material made of  cellular PVC and is designed to look like wood. It can be be painted (using acrylic latex), doesn't require additional tools to cut, and has a 25 yr warranty. I wish all of my windows were trimmed with Azek and looked this nice! Minus the residual glue, of course

It will probably take us another 2 years, just to remove the gorilla glue tape residue, haha
One more thing checked of the list! Up next, indoor moldings and trimwork!

Projects Galore

Y'all, I have come to a realization... I am a  habitual unfinished project addict (HUPA).  I really think there needs to be a support group for this. Now just so y'all know-- I am not making light of anyone that suffers from any kind of addictions. This is me making fun of me.

It always begins innocently enough. You struggle through whatever project you are working on and in my case they tend to be in years. You finally get the burst of energy or money needed to infuse life back into the project that was dying a slow pitiful death, and take it "this close" to being completed and stop. Why is that?  Does anyone else do this?

I was taking stock of the house and the DOZENS of unfinished projects (and I am excluding all the craft/ DIY and garage type projects) ...in no particular order

1. Kitchen- Still needs paint touched up around the ceiling, baseboards installed, doorway trim work (multiple), and new door installed.

2. Living room- Baseboards installed, trim work painted, and  3 outlets updated.

3. Upstairs bathroom- Paint touch up, install the exhaust fan, finish painting the door and trim, install the last piece of window trim and paint.

4. Spare bedroom- update the outlets, touch up  wall paint, and finish painting the trim work.

5. Dressing room- finish framing the entry, paint the the trim, touch up wall paint, finish painting the interior of both cubbies and replace/ move the light fixture.

Now those are the unfinished projects for inside the house. On to the exterior unfinished projects.

1. Kitchen window siding patch--I am really tired of looking out my new window only to see plastic sheeting.

2. Living Room- 2 window screens replaced, convert unused door to a window (frame, install new window, insulate) and patch siding.

3. Upstairs Bath- Replace the screen

4. Spare bedroom- replace 1 window and replace 2 screens.

Then of course I have a litany list of NEW projects

1. Downstairs bathroom and laundry room--total gut to the studs. Separate into 2 separate and functional rooms. 

From this...

To these...

This would be the view looking in from the kitchen. The door at the end the room would be a pocket door for the half bath

Which now becomes this!

Just gotta love the visualization software!

2. Dining room-floor repair-level or platform? Finish flooring,  install trim work,  install molding, install new window, exterior door, update the outlets, move the thermostat, replace thermostat with programmable thermostat, install new light fixture, build/ install closet doors  (Don't forget--clean, organize and reconfigure the storage closet) and paint EVERYTHING. 

3. Master bedroom- where to begin.  This will be a gut job to the studs. We need to address insulation, ceiling height and ventilation issues.

4. Upstairs flooring-  hallway and dressing room. Patch/ repair sub-floor, install new floor, update several outlets, install baseboards, and paint everything!

5. Stairwell- Seal off the door at bottom of stairs (frame, insulate drywall and patch exterior siding), repair plaster walls, paint, install hand and rail, and  refinish stairs.

Sadly not much has changed since this was taken in 2009

I have this as an inspiration. The textured wallpaper would cover a multitude of  flaws. Paint it in a nice cheery color?

6. Update furnace and install return vent upstairs cha-ching! ($$$)

7. New Roof-House and Garage

8. Siding

I really like the color combination

9. Fence

My dream!

So...what are my priorities?

Finish all the unfinished projects. I hate being the adult sometimes, making all these adult decisions!  Items affecting the performance of the house (windows) will come in next, then siding repairs. I really believe the fence needs to move up the list of priorities. "Fences make good neighbors"--or at least makes the neighborhood more tolerable!  After that it is a matter of deciding on small manageable projects (which would be interior) or bite the proverbial bullet, go big and hit the most expensive projects.  Obviously, some of these projects will overlap-such as dining room/ bathroom/ laundry room due to flooring install. Master bedroom, stairwell and furnace duct work will overlap.  

I feel very overwhelmed trying to manage all this but it has helped to write everything down. This is just a brief summary, I have a notebook with very detailed notes concerning each project. So, um, maybe we might just finish all these stuff before we pay the house off?

Knot to be undone...

 In case you didn't catch  the blurb on my blog, my house was built in 1881. That is pretty dang old for a house. Well in America. In Europe that is a tweenager of houses. Anyhoo, the floor is original. As in decrepit. The dining room floor is well quite frankly falling apart. Literally and figuratively. There is nothing left to salvage on these floors. Some of the knots have completely fallen out, so I have actual holes in my floor. You can peek into the basement/ dungeon with out opening the door. That's kind of nifty untill things like really important screws roll off the table and fall into the dark basement/ dungeon abyss. It's all funny until someone gets hurt or until you lose a critical fastener.

Perfect for storing scissors

Although having the holes in the floor is not without amusement. Especially when you tell little kids to look at them and my hubbs may or maynot be in the basement /dungeon. And then pokes his fingers up through the holes.  Hehehehe. We wouldn't be that evil? Would we?  Ok--to be fair we have pulled that prank on the dogs. They didn't like it either.

If someone forgets to turn off  the basement light, at night, the light will show through every crack, pinhole and knot. It does provide a certain ambiance, no? A 1000 points of light in my floor.

 If I weren't so technologically challenged and knew how to use the camera I would have a better picture.

Oh yeah besides, having holes in the floor, there is a major slope issue. So much so you don't need to roll the ball for the dogs. There are levelers on everything. Want a cheap buzz. Don't wast your money on booze. Spend sometime in my dining room. After walking around on the slanted floor you will feel like you have knocked a few drinks back.

On the bad days I perceive my house as this

http://www.flickr.com/photos/imrickndakota/2911498067/

Yes, yes I KNOW it's really not that bad. Sometimes the quirkiness of my house grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard. Other days I am smitten and googley eyed like a teenage girl , drawing little hearts and saying I love my house (ok not really). So fickle...

The good news is I have decided on my flooring. Given the imperfections of the floor (slope etc), we are going to level it the best we can but linoleum is the best option for us due to durability, price and the imperfections of our floor. I like it because it looks like slate, has a slight texture and will be so easy to clean.  Especially with 2 dogs. And me and the hubbs stomping in and out from the garden. We are going to have linoleum in the kitchen, first floor bathroom. laundry room and dining room. Since I have such a small house I don't want the rooms to look choppy by using to many floor patterns.

Tarkett Grande in Multi/Green

Now I just have to pull the trigger and order it. Currently Menards has it for $1.69 sf. It was originally $1.99. Not bad. Not great.  Sometimes you just have to have pay a little more to get the look you want.  As soon as the floor goes in I can have my new baseboards.  I am  thinking of installing the 4 inch cottage style base molding.

Next project on the list for ME to tackle is my stairwell. I had talked about it here. I have procrastinated long enough. I think we are actually making progress. So perhaps I will love my house a little more and will  view my house like this...

http://rcd.typepad.com/photos/travel_2007_new_orle/2007_04_29_img_3164.html

SO what is on your house project list? 

The house of 1000 unfinished projects

Okay...MAYBE I exaggerated a bit.  Maybe  it is not a 1000 unfinished projects. It just feels as if there are that many. I can say with all honesty I do NOT have 1 single room in my home that is 100% complete. What is it with the hubbs (and I hate to admit this) and  sometimes ME that will allow us to complete 90% of a project and then  just say...MEH, good enough. (Don't judge me...)

I can tell you based on our professions (he is maintenance technician) and I have been a Chemist for 20+ years. Good enough just is not our typical Operatus Morandi. It isn't shoddy work. Just incomplete. I am waaaayyyy to much type A and a control freak for any work to be shoddy or to allow unfinished projects. Yet...here they are. Mocking me. Disrupting me sleep.  I am OBSESSING over these unfinished projects.

 I wonder is it my pursuit of perfection in a VERY imperfect house that causes the hubbs, me  us to burn out before the job is complete?. Perhaps it the stress of working and dodging all the missiles life launches in a daily assault.  Have we become complacent and lazy? Did I really pick the right color/ finish/ should I have installed that???...(My brain can be a very scary place)...I become mired in the details and begin to second guess myself. This when the project begins to stall. The hubbs senses this and it is his cue to exit stage left. Or out the back door . Whatever. 

I often feel I am the only one tying up loose ends.  

Don't get the wrong ideal. The hubbs is a great guy. He works really hard. He WANTS to have a nice house. He just doesn't want to do the work and is willing pay someone. I am far to cheap for that. And did I mention control freak? Perhaps that is part of the disconnect. (What is the old adage about the great mechanic who drives a crappy car?) Same principle applies. He does great work...for everyone else. His customers are satisfied--except me. He doesn't see "us" as our own customer...siiiggghhh

I am ever so slowly (as in molasses going upward on a cold day kinda slow) tackling what feels like the never-ending list.  It is forcing me to learn new skills. Drywall, tiling, improving my painting skills, learning how to properly use a level, understanding the need for slope on plumbing drain lines. Fun times. Except I draw the line at electricity. No way Jose. If I want a perm I will get it the old fashioned way. With scalp wrenching curlers and noxious chemical fumes. 

If you have read any of the posts on my blog there is a litany list of  incomplete projects, so I won't bore you with all the tedious details. Unless you are into that kind of thing. No judgement here...haha  well, maybe a little.

Christmas Mouse or NOT!

Twas  two weeks before Christmas and all through the house and not a creature was stirring EXCEPT for a mouse!

Ye gads there is a mouse in my house!!!!

This isn't the first time we have had mice (or other unwelcome critters) in our home. My house is 120 yrs old, it is recently cold outside and there is a rather large field near my house. It was just waiting to happen.

My cat, Sam-Sam was acting all weird in the kitchen (kept staring under the stove). Next thing I know all hell breaks loose (yowling, hissing and a loud clatter of everything hitting the floor). He catches it. It is SQUEAKING and tries to run upstairs with it, drops it while running through the dining room room because I am shrieking like a fool (and damn near convulsing from shuddering). Now I don't know where it is.

Heaven help me I hope it is only 1! Although at this point there is probably a tiny bustling metropolis of Mouse City. In--My--House!! Eeeek!

I have already gone through my cabinets everything that isn't canned has been put in a glass or plastic containers. There is no evidence of little mouse "presents"...bleh. My husband put bait and traps in the basement. My cat Sam-Sam is sureveiling the kitchen

Sorry for the poor quality. I didn't want to startle him.

Don't get me wrong. I love animals. I love nature. But I appreciate it more when it is OUTSIDE!! When we first moved into our home in 2000, we had a mice problem for almost 2 years. The house had been empty for at least a year and there was a 65 acre farm behind our property. So our house was pretty much the mouse motel. Definitely do NOT want to repeat that experience.

And while mice are portrayed to cute in all the cartoons and books this is the only mouse I expect to see in my house.

The only Christmas mouse permitted in my house.

Home Sweet Home

Cute ideal!  Using Ceramic tiles for house number placard.

I suppose I should offer up a little more information about my house. As you know my house was built in 1881. The architecture is pretty much none existent at this time due to a remodel remuddle in the 1960's by the former long term owner.  Here's a bit of history on the house...

The prior owners lived in this house for 51 years. When we purchased our home in 2000 we were the first "outsiders" to live in this home for 85 years. Prior to that the home was strictly generational. When the house was originally constructed the home was 1 of 3 tenant farmers residence, all which belonged to the gentleman farmer (whose very large Queen Anne Victorian, which sits atop a hill overlooking my property). The original owner actually owned over 2000 acres.  Can you imagine?

The three tenant farm homes were very modest in construction--clapboard siding and wood shingled roofs. The original layout consisted of pseudo great room and a loft. The great room was divided  by fireplace into a modest kitchen (of sorts) and a sitting parlor.  The loft was accessed by a ladder.

There was a a common cookhouse used by the tenant families in the summertime. A summer cookhouse was used for multiple reasons. 1) It could serve great number of people at once 2) Due to the elevated temperatures in the summer and 3) The biggest concern was fire since the houses are of timber construction. I am told there was an outhouse but I am still not sure where on the property it was located.

Indoor plumbing and electric was installed some time 1910-1920. I still have tube and knob wiring for 3 rooms of my house (which scares the bejeezus outta me!) but we haven't been able to (afford) rewire the house yet. We are hoping next year! Our housed passed inspection when we purchased it. The electrician said the wiring is still tightly wrapped and doesn't show any signs of oxidation--which is good. It apparently was a quality job.

Street side view

Over the years the rooms were divided and rooms added on. The former lean-to porch is now the kitchen. A partial second story was added in the 1950's, which resulted in a bathroom and bedroom addition. A carport and garage were constructed in the 1970's.  The well was slabbed over and a block shed was installed over the slab in the 1940's-1950's. The patio which is located between the back of the house and front of the garage sits  over what was once the cistern.

We have a dungeon cellar and stone foundation.  This was HAND dug by the prior owner in the 1950's and all of the dirt and debris was carried up in buckets via a ladder  because no stairs were installed.  He then poured his own concrete slabs by mixing in a wheelbarrow and transferred via buckets to the cellar.  Such amazing stories!

The largest of the rooms is no more than 12x12 and the smallest  is the spare room closet (aka my craft room) which measures a diminutive 3 x 6 feet. When our daughter was living at home that bedroom was the master which means that was the master closet AND the only true closet in the entire house! We had to shimmy in sideways because it was a "walk-in". Good times, not!

The final dimensions are Living Room (12x12), Dining Room (8x10), kitchen (12X10), 1st floor 1/2 bath (4X6), laundry room (5x6),  up 10 stairs for the 2nd floor which consists of  the Master bedroom (12x12), dressing room  (6x14),  full bathroom (6x7) and the L shaped spare bedroom room (10x13, 8x6). If you count all of my hallways and unusual nooks, I have a grand total of ~ 985 square feet of living space!  Rather small by today's standards.

Former side porch is now the main entrance.

Our house has standing seam metal roof -with the exception of the "addition" and that has normal shingles. Most metal roofs (if maintained) will last upwards of 100 years! Based on inspection we were informed ours is now pushing 90-95 yrs.  An interesting fact--visible in the attic is the ORIGINAL wood shingles under the metal roof. Pretty cool, huh?

My house actually has 4 doors. This picture was once used as a side porch but  is now our main entrance.  We have a 2nd door from our kitchen to the carport, the 3rd is located smack dab in the middle of my living room facing street-side-(we don't use it and have plans to convert it a window) and the 4th and final door is located at the bottom of my stairs from the carport. That is weird because it appears to float several feet from the ground. Unfortunately if you want to get any furniture to the second story that is the only way to move stuff upstairs.

And speaking of stairs, while mine aren't so creaky since they are relatively new (installed in the 1950's) since the addition was put on. They are incredibly steep and narrow! More than 1 person has in this house has rode the stairs on their bum. OUCH!

View of the garage and house from back field.

The original clapboard has long been covered with aluminum siding. You can hear it contract and expand as the weather changes (it makes a popping noise). We don't have any plans yet to remove it, however we have located several contractors who will paint it.

As for the property, we have about 0.65 acre. The lot is narrow (~65 ft.) but long (365 ft).  Can you say football field?  It is great for running my dogs though! We have a creek that runs the back edge of our property which is great until the torrential rains happen. It changes from a sleepy trickle to a roaring river. It is especially scary when it floods, although (knock on wood) my house hasn't flooded in over a hundred years.

Well that is pretty much all I can tell you on the history of the house. With one exception. When were house hunting I saw the pictures of this house (and they looked horrible), so I refused to come look at it. The realtor showed us 12 other houses which had great pictures--but were horrible in reality. Finally in desperation we agreed to come view this house.

Immediately upon pulling in the driveway, I was struck by the resemblance to my Nanny and Pawpaw's house. Yup it was sooooo totally a grandma and grandpa house. We walked in and it felt warm and inviting (just like someone had hugged you). Never mind the dated ugly stuff--it just felt right. The hubbs and I grinned at each other. This was the ONE! It was home.

That is the great thing about older homes. They have a soul. So many people have passed though those doors. Loved and lived their lives. You can not but feel that energy! So despite all of the quirks and inconveniences of this old house- and that it is a bit dated and worn- we are very happy with our home.

"Home, the spot of earth supremely blest, A dearer, sweeter spot than all the rest"  Robert Montgomery

Frugalistic with a muffled thud....

I haven't posted much lately between the demands of my job and ongoing house remodel.  After 11 looooonnng years we have finally reached the point where we could begin the house remodel.  We began by doing some insulation work and installing carpet in the living room and both bedrooms.  I can't begin to tell you nice it is to have this carpet in a drafty old house...in the winter.

The house isn't being remodeled in the manner I had first envisioned.  Due to unforseen circumstances (impending job loss and re-evaluating our finances) the projects have been scaled back to frugalistic (frugal+realistic).    Cue the "wah-wah-wah" sound here.  Nothing like have your dreams hitting the ground with a muffled thud.

After feeling sorry for myself (and drowning my sorrow in booze food),  I decided everything will be ok. Instead of running to a big box store everytime I need something for a project , I am going to put on my creative thinking cap and find a less pricey alternative.  Anytime you can re-use, reduce, recycle, and repurpose is a good day for your pocketbook and mother earth. This is also an opportunity to see exactly how creative I can be. (No pressure!)

Drawing inspiration for the color pallette from my favorite piece of art and focal point of the living room.



I had hoped to gut the room to the studs but reality reared it's ugly head.  So we worked with what we have. Painting the panelling a creamy, dreamy pale yellow (like cool glass of buttermilk, mmm) and added crisp white crown molding has done wonders to amp up the the charm factor.  Splashes of color in the pillows, artwork and the quilts covering the couch keep the room from feeling bland.  Bamboo shades bring texture and much needed privacy.  The living room is approximately 90% complete.  I still need to install the new chunky 4 inch cottage style baseboards also painted a crisp white to match the mouldings.



The "someday" dream would be coffered ceiling and non-panelled walls but for now I will enjoy the plushy carpet and seek cozy refuge from the chaos elsewhere in the house.  So come on in sit for a spell and let's get acquainted....