I've been internet-less for the past week and a half while visiting the in-laws in Michigan. Awesome time, but now I'm playing catch up (per uzh with vacations, I think). So here's the news in brief:
Preparing for thesis defense tomorrow. Alternating between confidence with progress and abject terror.
Still living amid boxes. In-laws nicely dropped off about 20 more filled with the hubby's paraphernalia from growing up (they are preparing to move too). Let's just say boy collected a LOT of stamps.
One of the boxes has these amazing little books that cover all kinds of topics. Thus far, the ones I can't wait to read are "Esperanto for Beginners" and "An Introduction to Philology (The Science of Language)." Other extremely promising titles: "Sex in Psychoanalysis," "Hypnotism Made Plain" and "How to Psycho-Analyze Yourself: A Confidential Analysis of Your Personality." All published around 1923-1924. Amazing.
In Michigan, we killed some time at a Big Lots, discovering $3 DVDs. Most miraculously, MANY of the movies were my kind of stylistic, esoteric films, like Adaptation, The Squid and the Whale, and Lost in Translation. God bless northern Michiganders who would rather see big blockbusters for sending these to Big Lots. I bought 15 of them.
Made a to-do list in MI (while I was avoiding thinking about doing any work). Fills a page of a legal pad.
Sat next to an 8-year-old on the flight from Chicago to Denver flying alone. Cutest damn kid ever, but a bit of a hellion. Too smart for his own good, but reminded me of how smart kids can be (you can get myopic only working with the kids we usually see as SLPs). Reading, spelling, and doing multiplication on his own and not even in second grade.
Got to visit Amish country in MI. Awesome because it's almost totally untouched by tourism. Considering the last Amish country I went to was Lancaster, PA, where I seriously had to leave it was so touristy, this was amazing. Everyone was so friendly and just living a normal life. Very awesome.
In-laws' house in MI is amazing. Right on the lake with a dock and everything. Saw wild turkey, baby fawn (with spots!), lots of birds and fish. Fished every night till dusk at 10:30. Had visions of FIL teaching our kids to fish. Also found out that the line of grandfathers and grandsons fishing together goes back to Peter's grandfather learning from HIS grandfather in Germany. So our kids def. need to learn how to fish, regardless of gender.
Considering doing some stress baking for the defense tomorrow. A dear friend is making brownies. Cookies would be a nice addition, no? Plus, I could break in our new oven. Hmm... can I find all the ingredients and tools needed? What about the cookbooks?
Finally, so grateful for all of the support I've gotten from friends for my defense. They are amazing. The end.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Kitchen Pictures
So I realized in looking over my recent posts that I have left a lot out in the kitchen update. Mostly it's because I feel like each step deserves a nice long post detailing what we did and how we did it (since it's all DIY), but frankly, that takes too long so the post goes unfinished. Since we are going to Michigan soon with the relatives and will have no internet for DAYS at a time (oh, the humanity!), I thought I would post some of the pictures I have taken of the various stages, with limited commenting interruption. If you desire any comments on any pictures, let me know and I will write about them.
Keep in mind that all of the pictures are "in progress" pictures. I will hopefully have pretty pretty post-renovation pictures after we get back.
Please see the before pictures before reading on to refresh your memory and help see the changes.
Safety is #1!
New microwave frees up counter space.
Not technically part of our kitchen, but this sweet pantry will free up a ton of cabinet space in the kitchen (which is great, since we didn't have enough in the last place, and we have even fewer here!)
So hopefully that gives a better indication of where we are now. In looking through these pictures, I realize we still don't have a very recent picture with the new fridge, sink and under cabinet lights on. Ah well, that will save some surprise for the final picture!
I can say this: doing all of this work ourselves has made me immeasurably proud (even if Peter has done pretty much all of the heavy lifting), and has allowed us to get a gorgeous kitchen for a fraction of the price of most renovations. I'll have to figure out the costs when all is said and done. Really, the only place we've gone much over what we had thought was in purchasing the various tools necessary to do the jobs, but those are reusable and MUCH cheaper than a contractor! I now actually WANT to cook and spend time in the kitchen, which Peter would probably say is worth the time and money (at least, as long as I can improve my cooking skills!).
With those pictures off my chest (and hard drive), I am off to bed so I can rise to unpack another day.
Keep in mind that all of the pictures are "in progress" pictures. I will hopefully have pretty pretty post-renovation pictures after we get back.
Please see the before pictures before reading on to refresh your memory and help see the changes.
Safety is #1!
New microwave frees up counter space.
Not technically part of our kitchen, but this sweet pantry will free up a ton of cabinet space in the kitchen (which is great, since we didn't have enough in the last place, and we have even fewer here!)
So hopefully that gives a better indication of where we are now. In looking through these pictures, I realize we still don't have a very recent picture with the new fridge, sink and under cabinet lights on. Ah well, that will save some surprise for the final picture!
I can say this: doing all of this work ourselves has made me immeasurably proud (even if Peter has done pretty much all of the heavy lifting), and has allowed us to get a gorgeous kitchen for a fraction of the price of most renovations. I'll have to figure out the costs when all is said and done. Really, the only place we've gone much over what we had thought was in purchasing the various tools necessary to do the jobs, but those are reusable and MUCH cheaper than a contractor! I now actually WANT to cook and spend time in the kitchen, which Peter would probably say is worth the time and money (at least, as long as I can improve my cooking skills!).
With those pictures off my chest (and hard drive), I am off to bed so I can rise to unpack another day.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Water: the giver of life
We have running water in the kitchen! Not only that, but a functioning dishwasher! My days as the "dish fairy" are OVER! (Well, except for pots and pans, but after doing every. single. dish. BY. HAND. for the last four years, I'm OK with that).
In addition, all of the counters are done, microwave is in and the kitchen is almost done! If only stupid Target had not been out of the only two kinds of contact paper we liked on the last visit, we could have actually put all of our dishes and things away. Perhaps Home Depot will treat us better tomorrow.
Pictures! OK! Here are some teasers:
I promise more when the kitchen is in better shape for photographing!
In addition, all of the counters are done, microwave is in and the kitchen is almost done! If only stupid Target had not been out of the only two kinds of contact paper we liked on the last visit, we could have actually put all of our dishes and things away. Perhaps Home Depot will treat us better tomorrow.
Pictures! OK! Here are some teasers:
I promise more when the kitchen is in better shape for photographing!
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Gratitude
Weather here has been CRAZY the past week: heavy rain, massive thunder and lightning, hail and actual, literal tornadoes touching down almost every afternoon. TORNADOES! This is Colorado, people, and not the Nebraska part of Colorado either. Thankfully, we haven't had any in town, just in the county. I would not know what to do if there were a tornado here. Anyway, today as I am standing under our lovely wide eaves, watching the rain pour down, cascading off the roof and filling up the drainage "pond" across the way, I realize how very, very thankful I am that I can be inside and dry and not out there and wet.
On our cross country trip, pretty much our first stop was Oregon. I was born there, we still have lots of family friends there, and it's lovely. It also rains a lot. I knew this. Our first night there, in early September, we pitch the tent and decide to leave the bulky rain fly off because it is so gorgeous and we want to be able to see the stars through the mesh roof. You see where this is going. We did not.
2 AM or so, we feel the drops, Peter gets the fly on (which is still in the car, I think), and we never sleep in the tent again on the trip (our minivan was WAY comfier anyway). We are also not dry again until almost a week later. Oregon, you see, gets a lot of rain. Well, a lot of drizzle. We were perpetually damp with no way to really get dry, since everything we owned was also wet. And in the small minivan. And the humidity was always 100%. As Nevadans, this was WAY too much wetness for us.
About a week later, after much damp camping, hiking and cooking, we arrived at the home of one of those Oregonian family friends previously mentioned. Honestly, I have never been so happy in my life to be in a SHELTER, a place that would shield me from the elements and keep me warm and dry.
I don't ever want to forget that feeling of gratitude for simple shelter. As much as I love redoing the kitchen and making our new place pretty and welcoming, I truly love the walls, the roof and the floor, which protect us and keep us safe. I am grateful we have that much when so many others out there do not.
On our cross country trip, pretty much our first stop was Oregon. I was born there, we still have lots of family friends there, and it's lovely. It also rains a lot. I knew this. Our first night there, in early September, we pitch the tent and decide to leave the bulky rain fly off because it is so gorgeous and we want to be able to see the stars through the mesh roof. You see where this is going. We did not.
2 AM or so, we feel the drops, Peter gets the fly on (which is still in the car, I think), and we never sleep in the tent again on the trip (our minivan was WAY comfier anyway). We are also not dry again until almost a week later. Oregon, you see, gets a lot of rain. Well, a lot of drizzle. We were perpetually damp with no way to really get dry, since everything we owned was also wet. And in the small minivan. And the humidity was always 100%. As Nevadans, this was WAY too much wetness for us.
About a week later, after much damp camping, hiking and cooking, we arrived at the home of one of those Oregonian family friends previously mentioned. Honestly, I have never been so happy in my life to be in a SHELTER, a place that would shield me from the elements and keep me warm and dry.
I don't ever want to forget that feeling of gratitude for simple shelter. As much as I love redoing the kitchen and making our new place pretty and welcoming, I truly love the walls, the roof and the floor, which protect us and keep us safe. I am grateful we have that much when so many others out there do not.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Writing on purloined internet
All of our belongings are now in one place, but now we have the challenge of trying to remember where everything is. Making a bagel the first morning required hunting for: a bread knife to cut the bagel (5 minutes), a plate (never found, used a paper towel), and a butter knife (used a paring knife with some success). Pretty much every activity has required a similar search for at least one necessary item.
Our first piece of the counter is in and looks gorgeous. We also now have a microwave (hooray!) so we can kind of cook some things at least. The stove will go back in once all of the counters are installed. I can't wait for all of the counters to go in! I will post some pictures once we have real internet again.
In other news, I am employed! I don't start until August or September, but I am thrilled and a little scared, but I know it will be great once I start. Hope to post more tomorrow!
Our first piece of the counter is in and looks gorgeous. We also now have a microwave (hooray!) so we can kind of cook some things at least. The stove will go back in once all of the counters are installed. I can't wait for all of the counters to go in! I will post some pictures once we have real internet again.
In other news, I am employed! I don't start until August or September, but I am thrilled and a little scared, but I know it will be great once I start. Hope to post more tomorrow!
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Stuck in between
I have a lovely post in the works with more pictures of the kitchen floor, but I was rudely interrupted by a little thing called MOVING. Yes, that time is upon us, when you open a drawer to butter your bagel and discover all of the silverware, including the knives, is at the other place. Repeat 100 times daily, and add in 50 or more trips up and down seven flights of stairs carrying heavy boxes and furniture and you have our life!
We spent our first night in our own bed at the new place last night, though we had to leave early this morning to come back to the old place for several reasons, including the fact that our kitchen is not currently functioning yet (no countertops, though we have purchased them, microwave comes today, new fridge not until next week).
In good news: we are *almost* done, though we have the most annoying loads left wit lots of large, awkward and fragile things. Fun! As mentioned, we also purchased the countertops, and I think they are going to look beautiful. However, they clash horribly with the wooden trim we were going to paint anyway, but now we really need to paint it. More sanding. Ugh.
Bad news is that we are not done moving yet and we need to be out by tomorrow. We can do it, but it will be a push to get everything out and the place cleaned in time. Other bad news is that once everything is moved, we need to actually unpack and figure out how to make the new place livable with all of our furniture and crap. I think Goodwill and dumpster divers will be very happy in the coming week, not to mention Craig's List.
Before we can even think about really unpacking, we have GOT to finish the kitchen. The stove is in the dining room, construction materials take up half the living room and there is just no space for anything.
I would upload some new pictures, but I'm pretty sure the camera cord is packed.
We spent our first night in our own bed at the new place last night, though we had to leave early this morning to come back to the old place for several reasons, including the fact that our kitchen is not currently functioning yet (no countertops, though we have purchased them, microwave comes today, new fridge not until next week).
In good news: we are *almost* done, though we have the most annoying loads left wit lots of large, awkward and fragile things. Fun! As mentioned, we also purchased the countertops, and I think they are going to look beautiful. However, they clash horribly with the wooden trim we were going to paint anyway, but now we really need to paint it. More sanding. Ugh.
Bad news is that we are not done moving yet and we need to be out by tomorrow. We can do it, but it will be a push to get everything out and the place cleaned in time. Other bad news is that once everything is moved, we need to actually unpack and figure out how to make the new place livable with all of our furniture and crap. I think Goodwill and dumpster divers will be very happy in the coming week, not to mention Craig's List.
Before we can even think about really unpacking, we have GOT to finish the kitchen. The stove is in the dining room, construction materials take up half the living room and there is just no space for anything.
I would upload some new pictures, but I'm pretty sure the camera cord is packed.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Post and run
Quick post, gotta finish the thesis draft, but I'm too excited not to show pics. We got the floor done last night and all of the cabinet frames painted! Only doors left to do.
Far away pic of finished cabinets:
Sneak peek in bad lighting of AWESOME new floor. More details on the how-to with better pictures hopefully soon.
Far away pic of finished cabinets:
Sneak peek in bad lighting of AWESOME new floor. More details on the how-to with better pictures hopefully soon.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
My Mama
I have the bestest mommy in all the land. Through various twists of fate, she had a week off after my brother's graduation and plans to come to Boulder BEFORE we had even bought our new place, let alone knew we needed to finish our major renovation of the kitchen, packing our stuffed apartment, moving and finishing my thesis, all the very same week. Thank GOD for moms.
So today she selflessly went to the apartment to finish the painting of the cabinets so we could install the floors tonight, while I stayed at home and made major progress on my thesis. Just in time too because I had a dream last night that one of my teeth broke out of my mouth and that is never a good sign. Not to mention that I wake up early when I am stressed and I woke up before 6 this morning (6:30 is normal level of stress lately, 8 AM is no stress).
I will definitely post pictures of the "after" when I get there, but I know that even yesterday, when we got the final coat on most of one of the cabinets, the difference was amazing. The difference between primer, first, and second coats is like a revelation with each coat. I can't wait to get the doors done and hung! It's going to be SUCH an improvement!
So now we are on a dinner break, we'll all go back to the condo and start putting in the floor! With any luck, we should be able to get it mostly, if not all, done tonight, which would be beyond wonderful. I still have some holes to fill in before I can say I have finished my thesis (unfortunately, not to the final draft yet, but close!), so I hope we have some time tonight so I can turn this puppy over to my adviser! And none of it would have been possible without my amazing mama!
Pictures tomorrow!
So today she selflessly went to the apartment to finish the painting of the cabinets so we could install the floors tonight, while I stayed at home and made major progress on my thesis. Just in time too because I had a dream last night that one of my teeth broke out of my mouth and that is never a good sign. Not to mention that I wake up early when I am stressed and I woke up before 6 this morning (6:30 is normal level of stress lately, 8 AM is no stress).
I will definitely post pictures of the "after" when I get there, but I know that even yesterday, when we got the final coat on most of one of the cabinets, the difference was amazing. The difference between primer, first, and second coats is like a revelation with each coat. I can't wait to get the doors done and hung! It's going to be SUCH an improvement!
So now we are on a dinner break, we'll all go back to the condo and start putting in the floor! With any luck, we should be able to get it mostly, if not all, done tonight, which would be beyond wonderful. I still have some holes to fill in before I can say I have finished my thesis (unfortunately, not to the final draft yet, but close!), so I hope we have some time tonight so I can turn this puppy over to my adviser! And none of it would have been possible without my amazing mama!
Pictures tomorrow!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Priming and Painting (with Pictures!)
I promised you pictures, and now I shall deliver. Sadly, they are not the stunning "after" pictures. Not yet. Next week I'd better be able to deliver, since we need to move in!
First we have the sanded, but unprimed cabinets on the right. The cabinet in the middle will soon be replaced by a shiny new microwave/hood, to save on our precious counter space. It is now sitting on the floor, after being ripped off of the wall by my manly husband.
Next we have the primed and partly-painted left cabinets! The faces and the part of the inside of the far left cabinet have their first coat of the white we are using. It's True Value "Charming Smile," I think. Let me just say that this line of paints (one of the few oil-based we could get in eco-friendly Boulder) has the WORST names ever. Other brands have names like "Sandy Beaches" or "Porcelain." These ones are named things like: "Family Dinner," "Chicken Wire," and I wish I was making this up, "Irony." Who the hell wants to paint their dining room in irony?
Honestly, I just went to their website, because I could only remember Irony, and when I got to the part I was looking for, I didn't even realize I was looking at the paint color names at first they were so bad AND I ALREADY KNEW THEY WOULD BE AWFUL. Here's some more from the page, for sheer entertainment value: Sideshow, Continuous, Close Knit, Significant Journey, Audition, Fragile Heart, Aristocracy, etc. ad infinitum! I think they just picked words out of a hat. OK, rant over. I'm just bitter I have to say my cabinets are "Charming Smile," even though some of the other contenders were WAY worse.
Finally, the primed cabinet doors. These now also have their first coat, so they do look better, though I think because of the cheapo wood used on the panels, they *might* need a third coat. We'll see how they look after the second. I am posting these so other people attempting to paint their cabinets know what to expect after the primer coat.
I am super grateful for our decent-sized porch. It would have been much messier to do the power sanding and the painting inside, so it's very nice to have. Plus, we get to look at this while we paint:
Yup, we lucked out.
First we have the sanded, but unprimed cabinets on the right. The cabinet in the middle will soon be replaced by a shiny new microwave/hood, to save on our precious counter space. It is now sitting on the floor, after being ripped off of the wall by my manly husband.
Next we have the primed and partly-painted left cabinets! The faces and the part of the inside of the far left cabinet have their first coat of the white we are using. It's True Value "Charming Smile," I think. Let me just say that this line of paints (one of the few oil-based we could get in eco-friendly Boulder) has the WORST names ever. Other brands have names like "Sandy Beaches" or "Porcelain." These ones are named things like: "Family Dinner," "Chicken Wire," and I wish I was making this up, "Irony." Who the hell wants to paint their dining room in irony?Honestly, I just went to their website, because I could only remember Irony, and when I got to the part I was looking for, I didn't even realize I was looking at the paint color names at first they were so bad AND I ALREADY KNEW THEY WOULD BE AWFUL. Here's some more from the page, for sheer entertainment value: Sideshow, Continuous, Close Knit, Significant Journey, Audition, Fragile Heart, Aristocracy, etc. ad infinitum! I think they just picked words out of a hat. OK, rant over. I'm just bitter I have to say my cabinets are "Charming Smile," even though some of the other contenders were WAY worse.
Finally, the primed cabinet doors. These now also have their first coat, so they do look better, though I think because of the cheapo wood used on the panels, they *might* need a third coat. We'll see how they look after the second. I am posting these so other people attempting to paint their cabinets know what to expect after the primer coat.
I am super grateful for our decent-sized porch. It would have been much messier to do the power sanding and the painting inside, so it's very nice to have. Plus, we get to look at this while we paint:
Yup, we lucked out.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Balancing Act
Yesterday was priming day. Today was thesis/job interview day. Wednesday and Thursday will be lather, rinse, repeat.
How did the priming go? I'm glad you asked (and sorry to say, still no pictures! I was too busy working to take them). I think it went pretty well. I hope. I'll let you know after tomorrow, when the first coat goes on. After some stirring issues (you need to stir oil-based primer a LOT), I got it to where it needed to be and it was very enjoyable and relatively quick after that. I finished all the doors that were sanded (a few need some touch ups), all of the floor cabinet faces and all of the wall-mounted cabinets on the left. Tomorrow I will finish priming the insides of the left cabinets and do all of the right cabinets, plus get the first coat of paint onto what was primed yesterday. Fun!
I also picked up a light fixture for the kitchen I scored on Craig's List ($20). Luckily it fits perfectly into our little cubby.
Today I switched gears and did more professional stuff: thesis writing and my first job interview. It went really, really well and there should be an offer as soon as I send in my transcripts (yay!). I also have three more interviews this week and next, so I won't be rushing off to accept the first position that comes my way. I am very, very grateful to be in this position, but I have also worked my ass off and spent the past four years in grad school to be here. But still, so lucky and happy to be in a profession that is still in demand.
Tomorrow: finish as much painting as possible!
How did the priming go? I'm glad you asked (and sorry to say, still no pictures! I was too busy working to take them). I think it went pretty well. I hope. I'll let you know after tomorrow, when the first coat goes on. After some stirring issues (you need to stir oil-based primer a LOT), I got it to where it needed to be and it was very enjoyable and relatively quick after that. I finished all the doors that were sanded (a few need some touch ups), all of the floor cabinet faces and all of the wall-mounted cabinets on the left. Tomorrow I will finish priming the insides of the left cabinets and do all of the right cabinets, plus get the first coat of paint onto what was primed yesterday. Fun!
I also picked up a light fixture for the kitchen I scored on Craig's List ($20). Luckily it fits perfectly into our little cubby.
Today I switched gears and did more professional stuff: thesis writing and my first job interview. It went really, really well and there should be an offer as soon as I send in my transcripts (yay!). I also have three more interviews this week and next, so I won't be rushing off to accept the first position that comes my way. I am very, very grateful to be in this position, but I have also worked my ass off and spent the past four years in grad school to be here. But still, so lucky and happy to be in a profession that is still in demand.
Tomorrow: finish as much painting as possible!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Weekend Renovations
Ahh, our first weekend filled to the brim with home improvement. Or: How I learned to avoid Home Depot on a Saturday afternoon at all costs.
I was just kidding about the floors being the next thing. We realized that we should paint the overhead cabinets before we put in the floors, just in case. Ergo, Saturday and Sunday were spent sanding, sanding and sanding all of the cabinets. Peter got to buy not one, not two, but THREE new orbital sanders for the job. (SO worth the $60, BTW, if you plan on repainting many things that have flat surfaces).
Why three sanders, you ask? The first was the one we planned on getting. He did the research and it was decently priced (local hardware store, not the depot of homes or Lowe's). Then two different store workers mentioned this other "finishing" sander they had in their semi-annual tent sale outside. Regularly $70 for $30! So of course he had to get one. Turns out, it worked better than the original one, so he got another one on sale so multiple people could sand at once, with the idea of selling it or giving it to a friend afterward. Sweet!
So Peter and our friend, KyKy (hereby dubbed such in the bloggle), manned (literally) the power sanders on Sunday while my friends and I hand sanded all the little molding parts that the power stuff can't get to. We tried other methods, but hand sanding worked the best. Unfortunately for us.
So now it is Sunday night and all the cabinets are sanded, cleaned and ready to be primed tomorrow. Which I get to do by myself because Peter has this "job" thing he has to do. Lame.
I should have taken pictures, but it really wasn't that exciting. Just imagine us in face masks and everything pretty much covered in wood dust, and there you have it. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow of my progress (should any be made).
I was just kidding about the floors being the next thing. We realized that we should paint the overhead cabinets before we put in the floors, just in case. Ergo, Saturday and Sunday were spent sanding, sanding and sanding all of the cabinets. Peter got to buy not one, not two, but THREE new orbital sanders for the job. (SO worth the $60, BTW, if you plan on repainting many things that have flat surfaces).
Why three sanders, you ask? The first was the one we planned on getting. He did the research and it was decently priced (local hardware store, not the depot of homes or Lowe's). Then two different store workers mentioned this other "finishing" sander they had in their semi-annual tent sale outside. Regularly $70 for $30! So of course he had to get one. Turns out, it worked better than the original one, so he got another one on sale so multiple people could sand at once, with the idea of selling it or giving it to a friend afterward. Sweet!
So Peter and our friend, KyKy (hereby dubbed such in the bloggle), manned (literally) the power sanders on Sunday while my friends and I hand sanded all the little molding parts that the power stuff can't get to. We tried other methods, but hand sanding worked the best. Unfortunately for us.
So now it is Sunday night and all the cabinets are sanded, cleaned and ready to be primed tomorrow. Which I get to do by myself because Peter has this "job" thing he has to do. Lame.
I should have taken pictures, but it really wasn't that exciting. Just imagine us in face masks and everything pretty much covered in wood dust, and there you have it. I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow of my progress (should any be made).
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
New chandelier and destruction of the kitchen
Sorry for that tease! I hit publish accidentally, and then didn't have the time to actually write the post at that moment (life!).
So here it is for realsies:
I will be documenting our renovation progress here, for the benefit of any who might care (and for our own memories down the road!). As mentioned in the last post, we made some good progress over the weekend.
Here is what the kitchen looked like "before" (with the seller's staging stuff):
And here is the destructive "during." My brother and Peter had a good time taking out all of the appliances and cabinets from the kitchen:
And then put them all in the living room:
Good thing we aren't living here yet! Our sole goal is to get this kitchen done before we have to move in (June 4th is when we need to be out of our current apartment).
We are redoing the floors by putting plank vinyl in that looks like wood, and so needed everything out. I am very happy we did so because we found that the builder (30 years ago!) didn't put the vinyl all the way under the cabinets, which led to some water damage near the sink. Luckily, it wasn't that bad and we just had to replace a patch of drywall . Our hope is that the new flooring extending all the way across the floor will help protect against any possible damage to the floor.
We are thrilled about the plank vinyl because: 1) it's very cheap, but looks decent, which is great for this place as we plan on making it a rental in a couple years; and 2) it is one of the easiest types of flooring to put in yourself. It cost us a little over $100 to replace that god-awful '70s floor (which we found had some pretty damaged spots)!
OK, next exciting thing. The dining "room" (nook?) had an awful, awful chandelier. To wit:
This weekend, Brother and Peter made my heart sing by switching it out for this:
And in context with the framed poster we will hang on the wall in the dining nook (along with construction crap):
SO much better! You may notice a strong theme in our renovations: inexpensive updates. This place is not and will never be a luxury condominium. The people who rent here are largely students and we are mostly hoping to make this place more inviting while we live here, as well as hoping to attract a slightly better renter by having more updated things.
Stay tuned for he next project! Installing the floors! How will the missing vinyl pieces affect our timeline and our budget? Is the plank vinyl as easy as they say? Will it look better than the '70s trip to Mexico vinyl?
So here it is for realsies:
I will be documenting our renovation progress here, for the benefit of any who might care (and for our own memories down the road!). As mentioned in the last post, we made some good progress over the weekend.
Here is what the kitchen looked like "before" (with the seller's staging stuff):
And here is the destructive "during." My brother and Peter had a good time taking out all of the appliances and cabinets from the kitchen:
And then put them all in the living room:
Good thing we aren't living here yet! Our sole goal is to get this kitchen done before we have to move in (June 4th is when we need to be out of our current apartment).We are redoing the floors by putting plank vinyl in that looks like wood, and so needed everything out. I am very happy we did so because we found that the builder (30 years ago!) didn't put the vinyl all the way under the cabinets, which led to some water damage near the sink. Luckily, it wasn't that bad and we just had to replace a patch of drywall . Our hope is that the new flooring extending all the way across the floor will help protect against any possible damage to the floor.
We are thrilled about the plank vinyl because: 1) it's very cheap, but looks decent, which is great for this place as we plan on making it a rental in a couple years; and 2) it is one of the easiest types of flooring to put in yourself. It cost us a little over $100 to replace that god-awful '70s floor (which we found had some pretty damaged spots)!
OK, next exciting thing. The dining "room" (nook?) had an awful, awful chandelier. To wit:
This weekend, Brother and Peter made my heart sing by switching it out for this:
And in context with the framed poster we will hang on the wall in the dining nook (along with construction crap):
SO much better! You may notice a strong theme in our renovations: inexpensive updates. This place is not and will never be a luxury condominium. The people who rent here are largely students and we are mostly hoping to make this place more inviting while we live here, as well as hoping to attract a slightly better renter by having more updated things.
Stay tuned for he next project! Installing the floors! How will the missing vinyl pieces affect our timeline and our budget? Is the plank vinyl as easy as they say? Will it look better than the '70s trip to Mexico vinyl?
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Awesome Days
The past three days have been great. My last day of my internship, Thursday, was really great, with a field trip and lots of sweet cards made by my kids. Then Thursday night, we surprised my parents, who had flown in earlier that day, with my brother, who we flew in as a Mother's Day surprise.
Friday was graduation, which was wonderful because I got to see all of my classmates, most of whom I haven't seen since December when we all went out on internships. We were a pretty close class, or at least as close as you can be with almost 30 students. Every single person in the class was amazing in their own way and brought so much to our department. It was a little sad seeing everyone too, since we probably won't all ever be together again. I also got a very honoring and humbling award, particularly so because my class was so great that so many others were just as deserving.
Saturday, we had a great picnic hosted by several of my friends in our graduating class. It was a perfect Colorado party: hanging out at Chautauqua with great friends under a perfect Colorado sunny sky, great beer, great food and cornhole. What more do you need? Then after the picnic, we found this incredible place that is kind of like an organized junk yard with home improvement/construction stuff (think salvaged doors, cabinets, faucets, and other we went to our new place and again I wished that my family lived closer. After exploring there, we went back to the new place, where my brother and Peter replaced the hideous brass chandelier with a much nicer nickel one, thereby making my day.
Sunday was the day of demolition. After a lovely Mother's Day brunch, the boys got everything out of the kitchen, including the low cabinets and all appliances, so that we are now almost ready to put the flooring in. We still need to figure out what we are doing with the sink cabinet, that won't require shutting off the water to the entire building, but we should be able to cross that bridge by tomorrow.
My parents left today, but the brother remains. It was so very nice to have everyone in town and it was really fun to have everyone helping out with the renovations in the new place. I feel much more optimistic about our chances of getting everything done before we have to move in at the end of the month, but only if we keep plugging along!
Friday was graduation, which was wonderful because I got to see all of my classmates, most of whom I haven't seen since December when we all went out on internships. We were a pretty close class, or at least as close as you can be with almost 30 students. Every single person in the class was amazing in their own way and brought so much to our department. It was a little sad seeing everyone too, since we probably won't all ever be together again. I also got a very honoring and humbling award, particularly so because my class was so great that so many others were just as deserving.
Saturday, we had a great picnic hosted by several of my friends in our graduating class. It was a perfect Colorado party: hanging out at Chautauqua with great friends under a perfect Colorado sunny sky, great beer, great food and cornhole. What more do you need? Then after the picnic, we found this incredible place that is kind of like an organized junk yard with home improvement/construction stuff (think salvaged doors, cabinets, faucets, and other we went to our new place and again I wished that my family lived closer. After exploring there, we went back to the new place, where my brother and Peter replaced the hideous brass chandelier with a much nicer nickel one, thereby making my day.
Sunday was the day of demolition. After a lovely Mother's Day brunch, the boys got everything out of the kitchen, including the low cabinets and all appliances, so that we are now almost ready to put the flooring in. We still need to figure out what we are doing with the sink cabinet, that won't require shutting off the water to the entire building, but we should be able to cross that bridge by tomorrow.
My parents left today, but the brother remains. It was so very nice to have everyone in town and it was really fun to have everyone helping out with the renovations in the new place. I feel much more optimistic about our chances of getting everything done before we have to move in at the end of the month, but only if we keep plugging along!
Wednesday, May 06, 2009
My head is going to explode
My head hurts. Has hurt all day, ever since I started to count up the things I need to do in the very near slash immediate future. My family flies in tomorrow for my graduation, our apartment is a wreck (per usual, lately), moving boxes are piled in the little open space we do have, I am finishing my internship tomorrow, I need to write about 30 pages of my thesis (read: finish a complete draft) by next week, remodel the kitchen, pick paint for every room of the new place, pack, apply for multiple jobs, etc.etc.etc. My head hurts again.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
We are homeowners!
We did it! We closed today, got the keys and even moved in our very first box! We are filled with ideas for things to do to make the place our own and to update some of the original items. We were at Home Depot until they closed tonight, just wandering the aisles and dreaming. Very fun. We think we can probably give the kitchen a pretty nice face-lift for relatively little.
Off to dream of countertops, sinks and hardware!
Pictures to come.
Off to dream of countertops, sinks and hardware!
Pictures to come.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
In threes
I've often hear people say good and bad things happen in threes. I've even posted about it before. So when I got a phone call from Peter with not-excellent-news-but-could-certainly-have-been-worse-news about his job (he still has it, hooray!), and simultaneously got a text from a dear friend with not good news about their house search, I was waiting for the other (third?) shoe to drop. Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long. I got some frustrating news from a staff person at school who seems to have made a career out of messing up my life. Not on purpose, I know, but the errors, omissions and mistakes she has repeatedly made on my behalf have cost me a lot of frustration now even a few tears. I emailed her back, but of course it is after hours and she is OUT of there at the crack of five, so I will be lucky to get an answer tomorrow. Ugh. She really pisses me off sometimes. As long as this is the worst of it, I'll survive!
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Lots of stress
You know how they say even good things can be stressful? I'm getting that in spades. Within the next month, we will be closing on our first home, moving into a new place, I will be finishing my internship (but it just started!), and looming above it all, I will need to finish my thesis. I want to vomit just thinking about it all.
Every time I get excited about decorating or moving, the specter of my unfinished thesis immediately rises up to remind me of more important things I should be doing (like, instead of blogging, I should be writing). In order to have a nice place with nice things and prepare for a nice life, I need to have a job. To have a job, I need to graduate. To graduate, I need to finish a thesis. To finish this fricking thesis, I need to work every waking hour, and then stay awake for some hours I would rather sleep through. Ugh.
Wish me luck!
Every time I get excited about decorating or moving, the specter of my unfinished thesis immediately rises up to remind me of more important things I should be doing (like, instead of blogging, I should be writing). In order to have a nice place with nice things and prepare for a nice life, I need to have a job. To have a job, I need to graduate. To graduate, I need to finish a thesis. To finish this fricking thesis, I need to work every waking hour, and then stay awake for some hours I would rather sleep through. Ugh.
Wish me luck!
Monday, April 06, 2009
Is it safe to post now?
I haven't given any updates on the dwelling-purchasing front, as I didn't want to jinx anything. However, things are looking good, so I will cautiously post an update. You probably won't get it all until we close and I can safely blog within our own new home (condo, but who's counting?).
So. Offer countered, counter accepted. Loan applied for, almost denied on basis of rental rate of building, rental exception approved. Loan almost denied due to change in income, alternative loan situation approved, with massive conditions. Conditions met, now loan in process. Inspection done, pretty good, request to sellers to fix a few minor things. Will hear by tomorrow with any counters to inspection requests.
I think we are all caught up now! Thrilling, no? Trust me, you really didn't want to have to go through all of those ups and downs and waiting periods in real time with us. Recap is much better (now apparently talking like Rorschach).
Currently daydreaming of painting cabinets, furniture placement and purging current possessions to make room for the lovely flat I have envisioned. However, my packrat tendencies may win out. We shall see.
So. Offer countered, counter accepted. Loan applied for, almost denied on basis of rental rate of building, rental exception approved. Loan almost denied due to change in income, alternative loan situation approved, with massive conditions. Conditions met, now loan in process. Inspection done, pretty good, request to sellers to fix a few minor things. Will hear by tomorrow with any counters to inspection requests.
I think we are all caught up now! Thrilling, no? Trust me, you really didn't want to have to go through all of those ups and downs and waiting periods in real time with us. Recap is much better (now apparently talking like Rorschach).
Currently daydreaming of painting cabinets, furniture placement and purging current possessions to make room for the lovely flat I have envisioned. However, my packrat tendencies may win out. We shall see.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Success? (!)
Well, so far so good! They countered our offer, and we accepted their counter. I know there is still a long way to go before this really happens, but this is the most important first step! I'm really excited about this place and think it will be great. Fingers crossed everything else goes well!
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