Though we have been living in our not-so-ugly house for almost a month, we hadn't really done much unpacking. We've been able to get away with it since all the boxes have been in our "storage" (an addition that we are going to demo) and not cluttering our house. Most of what hadn't been unpacked… Continue reading Days 47-51: Kitchen, paint and unpacking.
Category: Renovations
Days 40-46: Kitchening and paint projects.
I am aware Kitchening isn't a word, but it sounds like the perfect verb to describe what's been going on around here. Trent has been steady tearing through cardboard boxes with strange names on them, and creating masterpieces out of their contents! I think he may have a side job with Ikea that he forgot… Continue reading Days 40-46: Kitchening and paint projects.
Days 35-39: Kitchen progress!
So we were out of town some of these days, but since we've been back lots has been accomplished. During our drive home from Dallas on Sunday, we discussed taking turns push mowing our huge front yard since we don't own a riding lawn mower yet. We had not done anything with the grass since… Continue reading Days 35-39: Kitchen progress!
Days 27-31: Construction zone gone house.
Last week started on a rough note, hence the lack of updates. We were overworked and sleep deprived which made for two grumpy, inefficient renovators. One night I vacuumed up all of the sanding dust throughout the house with our trusty Oreck vacuum. After I had nearly completed my vacuuming, I saw clouds of dust… Continue reading Days 27-31: Construction zone gone house.
Day 26: Floor prep in common areas.
Last night Trent and I had a very late night at the house. We started the evening by renting a floor sander from Home Depot. For a few hours Trent sanded, and sanded, and re-sanded the living room, dining room and kitchen. I followed behind him and swept up the mess. He offered to let… Continue reading Day 26: Floor prep in common areas.
Days 23-25: Floors!
We have floors, people! Not dusty concrete floors; wood floors. And they are pretty! Dusty, but pretty! Trent, a helpful carpenter named Ramon and my dad all had a hand in the flooring installation this weekend. From what I am told, this is NOT a single man job. We chose to install engineered hardwoods throughout… Continue reading Days 23-25: Floors!
Days 20-22: Paint is done! Well, almost…
Oil based paint fumes are thick in the air of Ugly House, which means trim has been painted, which means walls have been painted, which means I am HAPPY! They FINALLY completed all painting in the house with the exception of the baseboards in the common areas, the crown molding in the dining room and… Continue reading Days 20-22: Paint is done! Well, almost…
Days 18 & 19: Move is done and we are homeless.
We concluded our move Sunday evening and said our final fair wells to Pretty House. Though I will miss that house, seeing it empty was a beautiful sight. It's safe to say that we were a little optimistic about how long moving takes. In our defense, it has been over 4 years since we have… Continue reading Days 18 & 19: Move is done and we are homeless.
Days 15-17: Paint and moving.
Today we moved most of our stuff from Pretty House to Ugly House. In the pouring rain. I suppose people that live in Seattle are fully prepared to move a house full of stuff during a down pour, but over here in Austin, that's just not how we roll. Since it was coming down pretty… Continue reading Days 15-17: Paint and moving.
Day 14: What a difference 2 weeks makes.
Everything is coming together. And whew, what a relief. I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a few mental freak outs when I saw the shape Ugly House was in after we gutted it's insides. It was a hot mess. And don't get me wrong, it still is. This renovation has definitely taught… Continue reading Day 14: What a difference 2 weeks makes.