exterior update

Well it completely slipped my mind to post the exterior changes.  This was something I mentioned from the beginning, I had a witness, I said day one I am taking those shutters off.  Well actually it was day two, but I forgot to post it. So the shutters have been removed and I also removed the victorian style trellis on the porch.  I snapped a quick pic tonight, its after the jump. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the page to the first post to compare images, and catch up on anything you may have missed in between.

paint

I apologize for the lack of a post yesterday, I had some inquiries on why, thanks for the concern. I was dealing with some personal stuff that was overwhelming me and wasn't feeling up to it, or down with it, or whatever the cool kids are saying now. But I'm back with something for you tonight, I don't want to lose you. Painting, does it ever end? In between all of the other things posted so far, painting is an ongoing process. I can only handle so much of it at one time, especially if you don't have anyone helping or just hanging out with you, it goes pretty slow and feels like you aren't getting anywhere.  Most of it is done, trying to finish it up. So I haven't really posted images because if it's unfinished then it can't be that interesting, right.  Well I figured I'd drop a couple images of the hallway to show that it has been painted, and the door hardware is on. Since there have been requests.

laundry and lifting

Tonight was the type of night that helps you keep things in perspective, not like I haven't already been doing that; but this was just another set of events that solidify what life is about.  I'm praying for more than a few people that had some health issues today.

This is also why I try to keep a blog post or two in my back pocket, in case something or if I'm really lucky someone comes by and I can't accomplish anything on the house. The beauty of a bare ceiling in the basement enables you to do whatever you want.  Namely make a hanger bar out of a piece of pipe for your laundry.  But, not only does this provide a place for your freshly laundered linens.  It also doubles as...

related break - update

Well, I have been getting the full court press from everyone on the TV status.  Sit down, take a deep breath. The television is broken.  At least the TV can be replaced, the important things that have broke lately could never be replaced. I honestly don't really care that it's broken, it's just a TV, they make them everyday. It is a loss, not so much material, more emotional; if the TV could talk it would tell of some great times spent by me, the one I love (in my best David Gray voice), family, and friends enjoying it. I remember an indoor picnic in front of it not too long ago that was just plain awesome! Hit the jump for the unbelievable outcome of this situation.

amped

Well this place had a pretty good electrical situation.  The panel and wiring was newer, and was actually labeled fairly correctly.  But the basement has been turned off because of the amount of wire that needed pulled back and checked.  Today a large part of the day was spent finding out what was going on with some leads for the basement and a some switches upstairs.  A great friend was kind enough to lend me his expertise and help me check and test a bunch of stuff.  Successfully we figured out why the light at the back door wasn't working!  And why the lights on the back porch weren't either! Some insane three-way switching was done for some reason.  So everything has been figured out and now I can get the lights and some outlets up in the basement. Very soon all the electrical will be done and completed. Truly a glorious outcome to that mess. Jump = Pic

heavens above

One of the hardest things to capture with a camera is the moon.  Especially with any haze or cloud cover.  The moon looked incredible tonight!  From plain vision you could see the surface.  I sat in the back yard tonight, admired and looked for some help from the heavens above, maybe tomorrow will help as well.  It was pretty clear so the moon and the stars really could be seen well.  Of course I grabbed the camera and did what I could without a tripod, I didn't label what box I put it in and I didn't feel up to uncovering any more treasures, I came across some earlier today.  Oh, look at the time, make a wish; hit the jump, for the pics.

All Saint's Eve

Well some treaters came by, not as many as I was anticipating.  But I made a few kids really smile so that was really nice, nothing like seeing a child light up with joy, it made me smile seeing their excitement. I do have quite a bit of candy left, so I will be breaking out and adding a hundred or so pounds in the short term. Or you could come over and eat some of it so I don't. There is plenty of chocolate and peanut butter! I'll reuse the wrappers to recover the sofa, you can see I might have enough. Today was a beautiful day outside, I snapped a picture out back, hit the jump to see it. I also got some more progress done on the house, put some new outlet and switch plate covers on, makes the paint job look a little more finished. Took down one of the nasty ceiling fan/light fixtures that was above the counter in the kitchen, I didn't take a before picture, but the after pictures are here. I have some fixtures that will be going up to replace all the existing ones, as soon as the ceiling gets painted. Finished up all the hardware on the doors, makes a huge difference. For the most part a good day as far as work getting done, one step closer. To what, I'm still figuring out. Jump = Pics

paint trays

Well more got done, thankfully.  After family came through once again progress continues.  I can't stress enough how much family and friends really come through in times of need, I am blessed with some awesome people around me that don't have to care, but they do. And its not even what gets done, its just having people around who care to share some time together and make you feel a whole lot better.  Some more things got painted upstairs and the floor I think might be finished downstairs. The rolling machine knocked that out fast!  A future post will show how that turned out.  Paint trays were filled and then emptied again and again. The main living level is looking better and better. The mantle was painted by some awesome painters and a built-in cabinet in the dining area got a coat.  No pics yet, finishing touches need to be applied. Some leaves got raked and even the candy got put into bowls for tomorrows onslaught of neighborhood kiddies. I can't go a day without a post, even if it isn't a mind boggling change, it wouldn't be fair to those who want an update. So I shot some "artsy fartsy designer" pic as my snow covered friend would put it, for your viewing pleasure.

pumpkin carving finished

Well pumpkin carving has happened. (insert suspense)  I have a ton of respect for those people out there that can really make great carvings.  It's time consuming and tedious if you are trying to get creative.  I've been thinking about what to carve, I didn't want to do the crazy mean pumpkins, this time of year doesn't have to be evil stuff.  I wanted to do something that was creative, but was also meaningful, nice, and people could relate to. I did my second idea first, cause I thought it might take two nights, but I knocked it out.  Just this summer I was blessed to go to NYC for the first time in my life.  It was an absolutely incredible weekend!  Walked everywhere, got caught in the rain like a movie, Bryant Park, Central Park, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Times Square, Dylan's Candy Bar, and saw Jamie Cullum at Carnegie Hall!  And that's not even why the trip was so incredible!  So somehow when I was thinking of what to do, the trip and this idea just jumped into my mind, and sums up a lot. Hit the jump for the finished product. (more suspense)

discovery

When you are looking for something you need after moving you inevitably come across things that stop you right in your tracks. I think everyone has been there during some move. You totally forget about that... what was it... oh yeah, the knife you wanted so bad to carve pumpkins and what you came across takes you to the place, the time, the sight, the sound, the smell, the feeling, etc, etc, etc... Many times a laugh is shared over its discovery, or a smile, a kiss, or maybe some tears, and you take that discovery and hang it up or put it on the shelf as a constant reminder, its part of making a new place familiar.  Rarely though, between moving and rediscovering these treasures, something has drastically changed in a way you never wanted or imagined.  So the question is... What do you do when you find it in every container, in every room of the house, and on all that you posses?

doorknobs

The quickest way to spruce up an interior is with some new hardware.  After some fresh painting on the doors, they shed their brass knobbed glory and picked up some new brushed silver lever handles. I would have liked to got some sleeker ones, but for now the budget conscious ones will have to do. Besides, these doors may not exist some day, or I'll be moved on before I get to that point. Some matching hinges were also applied to complete the hardware transformation on the interior doors. This gives the old a little flavor of the modern.  Finally!  Uncle Jonathan's corn cob pipe!  Hit the jump for more!

unrelated break

Well I must admit I have been slacking on the house work for sure.  But I had good reason to tonight.  I was blessed with the opportunity to go to the Cavaliers home opener!  You might have been watching it on TNT.  You might have saw me, I know I was on camera twice. Once walking in, they were filming people coming through the turnstiles, and of course I walk right past the camera, head shot.  Then during the game I was in the background of one of the shots when they were interviewing a fan for a contest, you could see it on the jumbo screen.  Pretty funny.  But anyway, I was really blessed with getting to take it all in from a suite with a great view and great food!  Thanks to my boss for giving me the chance to go, and thanks to the outside company that gave the invite!  I took some pics with the phone for posterity.  The Cavs should be pretty awesome this year, they jumped way ahead early but ended up losing, no worries, plenty of games left, you can't win them all. Totally unbelievable seeing Shaq in a Cavs uniform. What an awesome time!  Being in a suite is a blast, I remember an awesome night there for a Coldplay concert a couple years ago.

More pics after the jump, including Shaq's first tipoff at home!  (I just figured out how to make the jump so I thought I would test it out)

basement teaser

From walking around the house and looking at my posts I think I've contracted ADD. Anyway, so I changed my mind on the order of the basement.  Logic would approach from the top down, kind of like a two minute shower. I wouldn't put a garbage disposal in so I could wash my vegetables at the same time. But I digress, the basement floor was dusty and dirty, so after cleaning the best I could, I decided to go ahead and start painting it. This works well cause now I can stage some other stuff down there and also stop tracking dust and dirt up and down the stairs.  This is a little teaser of it, you can see the fresh grey paint sheen. The finished product will be up soon hopefully.  I guess I'll have to wait until it dries to get that paint can.  Don't worry, I didn't get painted into the corner, I was able to get out to post it. Don't be afraid to click on the pics I take, they open into a larger version so you can see them better, I like taking the photos, so I extend to you some higher res enjoyment!

preparations

So when you own a house in a kid friendly neighborhood trick or treat time brings all the kids out.  I heard from one of the neighbors that there usually is a lot of traffic, so I thought I better get prepared.  Hopefully there is enough candy.  Pumpkin carving will have to commence as soon as possible, check back for the glowing results.  And yes, those are eco orange bulbs, leave it to me to find those.  Come by for plenty of chocolate and peanut butter!

unrelated / related break

So if this blog were a book my first post would be what is called foreshadowing.  If you haven't seen or read the first post, scroll to the bottom and do so immediately.  Because what are the odds after posting that, a few weeks later, I would be taking in an Elvis impersonator show. You couldn't script it any better.

related break

Tip of the Day.  Be very, very, very careful when moving LCD flat panel televisions.

Apparently between having the panel hooked up while sitting in the box and placing on the stand the next day, something went wrong. Broken wrong.  So apparently I did something wrong, bumped, hit, twisted, I don't really know, but anyway, the television is jacked up.  So its on the bottom of my prayer list under something that isn't replaceable.  Needless to say it was pretty frustrating when you turn something like that on and its haywire.  Especially when you kind of want to take a break and just chill.  Oh well, apparently the big guy upstairs wanted me to get some work done instead of watching The Real Housewives of New Jersey.  Just kidding, I would be probably be laughing to Flipping Out or Top Gear over and over again, if you don't know what it is, you need to know.

kitchen floor

Well I really couldn't take it.  The kitchen floor was pretty disgusting so it got ripped up. This sheet vinyl, or whatever material it is was in really poor shape and couldn't be cleaned, so its gone. As you can see from the pieces it broke into, it was in brittle shape. Not really sure what to put down or what to do with the plywood that is underneath, that will be for another day. The grand idea is totally reconfiguring everything, but the brakes are applied. Would like to know if the hardwood is under this plywood, but if I go that far there is no turning back.  So until the many factors involved in that decision are aligned, a temporary fix might just have to be in order.

update

No pic today, sorry to my followers.  I spent tonight trying to do little things here and there.  Like getting a garage door opener that functions with the garage door; success.  Now I can get in and out of the garage while inside the vehicle, a blessing of convenience.  I painted more, trying to tie some loose ends up on some of that, which has been an ongoing process. I messed around with some stuff in the basement that will be detailed further in a future post. I probably did something else as well...

Tonight was a night to forget; but if I had the ability to forget to remember, I wouldn't need to forget.

related jealousy

A friend from work and her great family are moving into a new home just down the road from me. I'm lucky to have some more good people so close.  They have a gem inside that totally blew my mind.  When I saw it, I immediately wanted to cut it from the walls and transplant it.  Words cannot describe, and this picture does not do it justice, I snapped it with my mobile device.  I thought about going back and getting a better quality image, but I couldn't wait to post this. Like I said before, to each their own. I am in the process of getting a petition going to cease and desist the destruction of this.

energy star

Well the hot water tank worked correctly during the inspection.  After, not so much.  Oh well, probably better stop working now than when it would have been more inconvenient to replace.  Since the basement is empty now it made things easy to do. The old tank basically was almost hot sometimes, and luke warm at best at other times. So in keeping with staying as "green" as possible within a budget, a new energy star hot water tank has been installed. I would have preferred to gone to a tankless system, but at this point I couldn't justify the cost.  So picking an efficient tank had to do. I'm blessed I have some nice hot water now, makes a shower after all this hard work much more enjoyable.

where the party shower ends

No its not a previously unknown work by Shel Silverstein.  This is literally where the party shower ends.  After demolishing the walls the plumbing Christmas tree (as my plumber so eloquently put it) was hanging freely.  So the three shower head monstrosity was taken down and lines capped.. So technically the party shower could be reincarnated. I should probably put a voting app on the blog to see what the readers think. But I digress, this, along with some other plumbing and gas lines were cleaned up and simplified. This should make things a little bit safer by removing the excess gas piping, connections, and bad valves that had been put in over the years.

basement waste - again

This really makes me sick but theres not much I can do about it, its what was here already. Thats right, this is the second dumpster full of basement stuff.  So if you were counting thats almost 30 cubic yards of stuff that was crammed in the basement, not including the stuff I saved for reuse. Happily no more dumpster in the driveway, makes it look a little less like a foreclosure or construction site.  Hopefully this stuff makes some nice wood chips and other items once its sorted and recycled.  That's the bar top by the way, popular with all that have seen.

oops

Tip of the day:  always remember where you set the paint can lid; preferably place above floor level.

I thought to myself, why is the floor so slippery? Then hopped my way to find the camera laughing the whole time. Well, then hopped back to get the pic as if I caught it right after it happened. That's what they call Hollywood magic. I could do nothing but laugh after this, too funny.  Brought some laughter into the day.

paint and puppies

So this is what happens when you have a puppy cruising around while you are painting. Hmmm, what's outside, lets get up on the window sill and look. Oops, white paws.  Nice paw print though, I think CSI won't even have to come in and use their high-tech super duper X5000 ultra infrared, ultraviolet, subsonic print device to catch this criminal.  CSI is on again this season by the way, right now its looking like this year won't be nearly as good as the last few years, but maybe I will be proved wrong.

doggy fence

Well the doggy fence had to go, I'll probably take it to Habitat. It was a bit unsightly in its inner city playground style, well I guess it wasn't that bad I'm exaggerating, its kinda fancy with the green vinyl on the chain link. It just doesn't work for me, to each his own right?

But think about that poor dog, fenced in there, staring at a backyard playground of almost an acre. Talk about torture. I remember discussing this during the first walkthrough, let the dog have a little more real estate to play with. I just noticed how the sun isn't shining in the first photo with the fence and it is shining on the second photo, hmmmm maybe a sign from above that it was the right move to remove.  I'm rhyming like Bill Shakespeare, look out.

empty

Could it be? No? Already? They said it couldn't be done. It should have taken longer.  Yes it should have, actually it could have been done quicker.  Thanks to those who helped, you know who you are. The basement is virtually empty! Thank God! There is some final selective demolition to be done, like the cement board glued to the wall (that party shower deserved what it got), and some plumbing and electrical that needs cleaned up.  But for the most part the basement is demolished, onto cleaning and painting.

bonfires cause memories

Well the neighbors were nice enough to invite me over for a bonfire that they had going. I am pretty blessed to have some good neighbors and a neighborhood you can have a nice bonfire. Reminded me of some fantastic nights in the country with friends, family, and loved ones... Wish those memories were still getting repeated over and over...

party shower?

Did someone say party shower?  I think the sledgehammer did.  It's gone, I'm sorry to all of you that may have been a devoted fan. After weighing the options it was demolished.  Now that it isnt there, it is much, much better. There was some consideration of using the space for a bathroom, but another spot is a better option if that happens. Its lack of existence makes a huge difference as you will see...

paintbrushes and pizza oven

Outside the showers bounce and trickle down the windows, the sound of the autumn breezes rustling the leaves. Inside the bristles strike the walls, the paint brings life to a neglected place. The sound is quiet, almost inaudible, but yet is thunderous and echoes through the rooms.

basement trouble II

After some awesome friends and family chipped in their demolition skills, carrying muscle, and cleaning ability, a lot has been accomplished.  You can see now actually where the bones of this old house are. You can see more walls came down.  Also plenty of electrical wiring, speaker wire, and enough coax cable to start a television studio has been cleaned up. The party shower is still there, after some debate I think its totally coming out, it's in an awkward location for potential future development. I can't figure out what it might have been originally, one theory is where the coal was kept.

fuzziness

The good thing about this whole basement demo is all the insulation that was tucked away in every part of the ceiling, walls, and crevices. Apparently the party room needed to be soundproofed.

This will be [re]used in the attic space for more thermal value. Bonus!

God's Creatures

This happened the other day..  Walking out the back door and see two does passing through the yard.  Had to snap a quick pic so the mobile device had to do. Of course I know people that want me to get a bow so I don't have to leave home to hunt.  Pretty amazing to see, I won't hurt them.  If it would have been a buck and a doe I probably would've started gathering the wood from the garage.   Genesis 6:19

unrelated break

Well a break was needed from the house. So I went to the Mat Kearney concert at the House of Blues, was looking forward to it for awhile. I must say it was a pretty awesome show, check out his music if you have never heard.  Diane Birch opened up, she was great as well. Attached is a very low quality pic from the mobile device. Mat Kearney is in the left third of the frame, white shirt, black fedora, bad pic, I know. Check out his website, you can tell its him.

basement waste

The unfortunate part of demolition is waste. Less is more, the famous quote by Mies. That's what I'll be doing after the basement is cleaned up. But til then this 15 cubic yard dumpster is packed tight, with more to be taken away. A lesson for everyone, if you don't need it and can do something just as well without more stuff, make it happen. The first step is reduce. The good thing about this waste is that it will be separated and recycled. I saved what I could for future use, but so much was riddled with excessive nails that it would have taken weeks to remove all of them. So for now this is taken away and move onto more removal. More to come...

basement trouble I

Well here it is.  The trouble, I didn't take some totally before pics because I got to carried away with demo, so during will have to do. Sorry for the quality of the first couple, the mobile device was used, the camera was offsite. The basement was completely finished, top to bottom, drywall ceiling, furred out walls with drywall, carpet and padding on the floor, insulation in everything. It was stained and smelled less than pleasing. All trimmed out with mouldings, baseboard, etc.  There was a large bar built by the basement stairs with a bar sink and shelving.   And to top it off a party shower was in progress!  This apparently was the party room. Well since then demolition has ensued. The insulation in the furred out walls was fiberglass batt, directly on the block walls. For those that don't know that is a problem, moisture coming through the block walls will eventually get into the fiberglass batt and make it moldy.  So the insulation needed to be removed, some of that had already started in places where moisture was prevalent.  These pics are after phase I demo.  More to come in phase II.

 

the beginning...

the breakers go out and the shop light turns on...

House and Home

This is the first post, on this blog, important one I guess, better make it good so people keep checking in. The image is my new house/project. Its a big project. The final product is undetermined, this is a work in progress, one step at a time. There are plenty of ideas as always, what ideas get done will be based on life, ambition, time, and of unfortunately budget. But sometimes the best things come cheap (or free), so we will see what happens. This is a two bedroom, one bath, ranch bungalow on an almost acre lot in a great neighborhood. I know the neighborhood is great from the nice neighbors that have already stopped by and welcomed me. The house needs work inside and out which you will see over time, but that makes things interesting. So here it goes, we'll see what happens.

I'll do what i can to put my vision on this place for myself, but also with the thinking that someday someone else will be blessed with a roof like this over their head. Maybe they will like what I've done, maybe they will look at it and see something they have never experienced before. But we'll see if that day comes and what comes of it. "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:34    Right now i have trouble in the basement, you will see soon.

Home is where the heart is. Its an old saying, everyone has heard it. lots of people understand it, many don't. I know what it is to me, and I have for a long time. The Elvis song describes it pretty well, check it out if you've never heard it. This house isn't my home right now, this is where I'm at right now, and I will make the best I can of it.

my Home is somewhere else.