House Projects
Since we moved in we have made changes to the house just about everyday. I figured it would be cool to start keeping track of some of them here. Some of these are just pictures of the end result, some are before/after and the big ones capture the whole process. I included the start date of each project, for some it is also the end date but other may have taken weeks to complete. The projects seem to go on year round so keep watch for new ones!
6.17.2010 - Replacement Roof:
When we bought this house we knew that the cedar shake roof only had a few more years of life left in it and we have made it to the end of those years. Since we were already having the addition built and the cost of construction is way down due to the bad economy we figured it was a perfect time to get it out of the way. We are paying close to half of what some of our neighbors paid just a few years ago and the company comes highly recommended. It took about 4 days of work to remove the old shakes, put down plywood (shake roofing doesn't normally have plywood under it) and get the shingles up. With the old shakes looking so bad it really cleans up the look of the house to get rid of them. Now we have a 50 year rated roof, no more worrying about water sneaking in through the 19 year old shakes! DONE!
6.1.2010 - Addition and Dog Run:
Now that we have both Stella and Mabel and our work schedules have become so crazy it would be helpful if we had a room that the dogs could stay in during the day and be able to get outside to take care of business if they have to but not be forced to stay out there in the weather. Some of our friends with multiple dogs have rooms with tile floors and dog doors that lead out to a fenced in dog run, it seems to make their lives so much easier. We've been working on the planning stages of putting such an addition on our house for a few months now, we are finally ready to start construction. All of our permits and approvals are in, they broke ground this week. I'll be sure to post pictures of the progress as we go. IN PROGRESS!
6.1.2009 - Replacement Front Fence:
The fences that face the street in our front yard have been rotten since we moved in but we've put off replacing them until now. They are also painted white and we would rather have them a
more natural color. Beyond all that the part that opens to get access to the back yard is completely falling apart and usually gets pushed open by the wind. Now that we have Stella it
is very important that we keep the yard closed up tight so it's time to get this fixed. There is a cedar fence up the road that we really like so the plan is to copy that and stain it close
to the color of the deck. Keep watch for some pictures, we hope to get it done during the first few days of June. DONE!
4.25.2009 - Office Organization:
The office was one of the first rooms we set up because we didn't have to paint it first. We picked out some office furniture and a bookcase and got it all set up. It needed some work
to be as organized as we would like but that was low on the priority list. We recently picked up a couple more book cases and some other things to make it more useable. It doesn't seem
like a big deal but it really makes the room look better and now everything in there has a home, not a pile. DONE!
7.4.2008 - Front Yard Landscaping:
Our front yard has looked reasonably nice since we moved in but it's at the point that it needs an overhaul. We needed to plant some flowers in the pots on the front porch and extend the sprinkler
system to include misters for them. I moved the front garden hose fitting from the house near the door and put it on the other side of the garage doors, out of sight. I moved a few small
shrubs and deleted a couple as well to make room for a small stone water feature beside the sidewalk. It isn't much but really changes the look of the front yard. We also edged all the planting
beds and spread out a fresh load of bark mulch to hold in some moisture for the new shrubs we planted around the water feature. Keep watch for more pictures! DONE!
5.17.2008 - Garage Storage & Organization:
We have discussed doing something about the lack of storage in this place since the day we first looked at it but it never made it to the top of the priority list. Now that the shed is finished
and all the yard type stuff has been moved out of the garage it makes more sense to figure out some sort of reasonable solution to organize and expand the small amount of storage we actually have.
First on the list was to build a retractable access ladder to the rafter space, there was a bunch of useable space up there but no access to it. Once the ladder was done I installed some lights and
an outlet and using Gregg's framing nailer we nailed down a dozen or so sheets of plywood. The attic cleared a bunch of space in the garage so I was able to install a utility sink in the corner for
cleaning mops, paint brushes, bike parts and any other stuff that I don't want in the kitchen sink. Getting into the wall and accessing the plumbing from the laundry room was a challenge but I was
able to pull it off without too much trouble. After a year the clutter has built up again so we picked up some storage bins like in the shed and got everything sorted out. As a bonus I
tracked down some kitchen cabinets on the cheap and got those mounted to store tools and whatever else. DONE!
3.7.2008 - Back Lawn Expansion:
When the summer ended we talked about expanding the back yard lawn in a few areas. We added quite a bit to the side of the house when we removed all the sod from the site the deck ended
being built over but we planned to finish that side at a later date. The puppy will be coming home in a few weeks so we wanted to get as much lawn in for her to play on as possible.
Two weekends ago I rented a concrete saw and cut 4' off of the end of the mysterious concrete pad on the east side of the house. After the cut I broke it all up with a trusty sledgehammer
and hauled it to the recycling place down the street, total of about 1500 pounds worth. I prepared the ground underneath and rolled out some new sod. I also removed a landscaped mound
of soil near the dining room window and replaced it with new sod as well. Hopefully it will all be rooted in by the time she gets big enough to do any damage to it. After the shed is
complete we'll finish up around it and call this on done! LATE 2009!
3.6.2008 - Replacement Shed Construction:
The house came with a rusty old $200 steel shed. We ripped it down, hauled it to the scrap yard, and removed the concrete pad it sat on. It would have been nice to use it for
stuff like the lawn mower, weed trimmer, edger, brush cutter, spreader, wheel barrow, shovels, rakes, brooms, fertilizer, gas cans and all the other stuff we need to keep the lawn as nice
as all the neighbors keep their's. The project was delayed a few months because I bought a new mountain bike in the fall, financial said that it was one or the other and the end result
was that I had a bunch of lawn equipment in the garage all winter, small price to pay. Recently Gregg convinced me not to buy the shed kit we wanted but to build one similar to one from
scratch. What all that smart talking did is get himself a free ticket to fly out here and help me build it. It went on the East side of the house and is 8' x 8' but unlike
the kit it was uilt exactly how we want it.nbsp; The best part is that Gregg got to come out again for another adventure. We used the whole arsenal of air tools and most of the tools we
bought when building the deck last year.nbsp; I need to paint it to match the house and wire the electric. Keep watch for more pictures as I finish the details. DONE!
12.11.2007 - Spare Bedroom Paint:
The third bedroom is quite small and has been piled with stuff that didn't have a home anywhere else in the house. Not having a basement after being used to having one like back East is
tough to get used to, it's amazing how much stuff you have to find space for when there is no basement to put it in. Now that all other rooms in the house have been painted but two of the
bathrooms the fact that this one still had the original wood trim, old blinds, and white walls it kind of stood out. It got a bunch of drywall holes fixed, the trim painted, new
blinds and new closet doors too. It's small so it wasn't be too big of a deal, we knocked it out in a few days. DONE!
11.21.2007 - Dining Room Renovation:
Just in time for Thanksgiving we'll have a functional dining room. We found a table and six chairs and and picked up a painting that Lisa has loved since she saw it a year ago. The room
isn't that large so their isn't much room for furniture other than the table. The walls needed a few repairs and got a coat of fresh paint to get rid of that stark/dirty white! DONE!
11.18.2007 - Living Room Renovation:
The big living room is really part of the dining room so technically it's really all one big project but we tackled both at the same time before the furniture we had ordered arrived.
Mostly we just repaired a few drywall problems and painted the walls but that is a lot bigger than it sounds. The ceilings are about 18' high so it was a challenge to say the least.
We filled it with furniture so it's no longer our "landing pad" for anything that get's brought into the house. I've installed the wiring for the speakers we put on the end tables.
Next year we will be getting a gas fireplace installed and a large cultured stone mantel built around it. The room is quite large and has great windows, it just needs something more and
we think the fireplace will take care of it. DONE!
10.20.2007 - Half Bath Renovation:
The summer is over so it's time to get back to the house projects again. We discussed renovating the half bath last year so it matches the rest of the changes we've made
to the rooms around it but decided to wait. I ripped out the old toilet, vanity and mirror and was left with a bit of a mess. The plumbing and electric was installed with
no regard for what anyone might want to do in the future, basically the easiest way possible for the guy doing it. There was also a lot of damage to the drywall so it took moving
some plumbing, a lot of joint compound/sanding and some paint to get it ready to go. The hardwood was replaced with stone tile, the built in vanity with a freestanding one and
the old water stained toilet with a shiny new one. Check out the pictures! DONE!
7.13.2007 - Deck Drip Irrigation:
I recently killed all the flowers that we planted in the flower boxes on the deck. I always thought I had a bit of a green thumb but this time it
would appear not. We picked out some new ones and I decided to look into getting some help this time. Small scale drip irrigation systems that run off of
a garden hose connection are quite inexpensive so I picked up a small kit. I installed it with a timer that will water the flower box and two hanging baskets once or twice
a day if needed. It will probably take some tweaking to get running perfectly but so far it seems to work great! DONE!
6.23.2007 - Sprinkler System Repairs:
When we looked at the house originally we noticed that their was a sprinkler system controller in the garage but their wasn't any mention of it in the listing
or by the selling agent. The neighbors eventually told us that the old owners had used it once in the 10 years they owned the house. We had someone
get it running and evaluate its condition before we built the deck. They said that the two zones on the front left of the house were good and just needed a few heads replaced.
The valve for zone 1 wasn't working and because it could cause water damage where it was in the garage and had to be moved to an outdoor in ground box like the
others. The deck was going to cover a few heads and some pipes were broken so they just suggested we shut off the back zones and have them replaced when
we finish the landscaping back there next year. Parts are very cheap so I spent a few bucks and a few hours and now we have a pretty sweet sprinkler
system. I even added a rain sensor so the system won't run if it's raining! UPDATED!
6.2.2007 - Bamboo Grove:
When we first moved in we had hoped to be able to plant some bamboo somewhere in the yard to increase the back yard's privacy. Our neighbor's house didn't have windows
facing us so we were going to wait until next year. Well, that changed. Their new addition has 2 huge ones facing right onto the new deck. We hoped that could
change our schedule as we already moved out the old swingset, ripped down and hauled away the old rusty shed but it just isn't going to be in the budget for this year. We
could probably do an ok job on it but we want to create a very private, relaxing grove and we can't pull that off this year. We did remove the concrete pad that the shed sat
on though. CHECK BACK SUMMER 2009!
4.14.2007 - Shed Destruction:
When I rented the jackhammer to remove the concrete step at the back door and was able to keep it for the whole weekend. I figured we could knock down
the old shed and break up the concrete pad under it too. After spending an hour or so on the step in the rain and tearing down the shed I decided to hold off
on the concrete pad until later in the summer. We won't be tackling the landscaping in that corner of the yard until next year but at least this eye sore has been
taken care of. DONE!
4.13.2007 - Backyard Deck:
We were happy with where the tub was sitting and had most of the other projects out of the way so we decided to tackle the deck a little earlier than
originally planned. We first did some measuring of the yard and of deck furniture and were able to figure out how big we wanted to build it.
After that I spent a lot of hours online reasearching what we would choose for the material, all the extras we would want like electric and even what type of
fasteners to use on the decking. Things like how to best apply the flashing for the ledger board and how to deal with the plumbing that was directly in the
way were figured out on day one of the build. We spent a few weekends getting the site ready for the deck, replacing the sod with gravel, pouring the concrete
piers and removing the old steps. Gregg flew out to help us with the build and after 5 days of work from sunrise to beyond sunset we were 90% finished!
I finished up the rest of the decking and the trim details the week after. We used a Brazilian hardwood called IPE which is over 3 times harder than red oak,
has the same fire rating as concrete, doesn't float, lasts 60+ years and looks like it should be used to build fine furniture not something that gets walked on.
We're always adding details to make it more comfortable and useable so keep watching! DONE!
4.11.2007 - Front Porch Decorations:
The weather broke for a few days and everything turned bright green, I mean the brightest green you have ever seen. We got a bad case of Spring
fever so we decided it was time to make the porch look a little more friendly. We picked up a bench, some pots, and planted some flowers that
made it through the bunch of frosts we had before the warm weather arrived. 7.14.2007 - UPDATE: The front entrance area was looking a little
overgrown so I trimmed a couple of the trees and we added some flowers to brighten it up. DONE!
4.5.2007 - Guest Room Paint:
We didn't have an immediate need for a useable guest room but with summer coming we decided to get it out of the way. The walls were
pink so we needed to prime them first. The person that painted the room wasn't very good at it so there was a lot of
pink paint on the ceiling, it needed to be painted too. There were also another set of bifold closet doors to replace and a lot of
window trim to make white. Hopefully soon we'll have house guests to enjoy it. DONE!
3.25.2007 - Replacement Skywall:
As you probably already know, the "skywall" in the kitchen got broken during the big windstorm in early December 2006 and it was
replaced with a new, more modern style one. It was quite a challenge as the company that made the one we have no longer exists.
Certainteed makes a replacement but there were some size issues that needed to be resolved so there were lots of delays. The
new one eventually arrived and after removing the broken one they realized it was too small for the opening. They ordered a new one
and after waiting another month they came back and installed the correct size window for the opening. We did get in a bit of brawl with the
owner of the company though. There was some name calling and other childish nonsense, it was quite rediculous actually. The moral
of the story is that we will never spend another dime with them and will tell everyone we know not to as well. After over 3 monthswe are finally
done with them, hopefully forever! DONE!
3.6.2007 - Upstairs Hallway Doors & Paint:
After a few week break we decided to tackle the rest of the doors and the hallway on the second floor. There wasn't all that much wall to
paint but there were 5 doors and casings to paint and a set of bifold closet doors as well. This entirely changed the look of the second
floor, all those brown doors and brown trim made it look like a dungeon up there. DONE!
2.27.2007 - Concrete Patio & Driveway Repair:
After a few weeks of having the tub on top of it the patio seemed to start sinking. I did some research and found a company that specializes
in repairing such things, who knew? They call themselves Slabjacker and are located
in the next town over from us. They came out to do an estimate and were back within a week to do the work. Basically they drill a bunch
of holes in the concrete and inject a special mixture of portland cement, clay and water with a hydraulic concrete pump and it actually lifts
the slab. While they were there we also had them fix the driveway, it had sunk about an inch on the top side near the garage.
Everything came out great and the tub is nice and level now. DONE!
2.11.2007 - Hot Tub:
When we were looking at houses one of the things on our list was a backyard that would allow enough privacy for a hot tub.
This house has a great spot for one and we were be able to build a deck around it that would fit in well with the yard. We
decided that we would get it soon so we could be sure we liked it and were happy with its location before we built the deck.
I did some research and found a great deal on a CalSpas Avalon from a
dealer just south of where I work that was moving their shop and wanted to sell a few more tubs first. Here are some pictures in the shop
and in the yard. DONE!
2.10.2007 - Master Suite Paint:
Painting never ends, we painted all the trim and replaced the doors here as well, it really changes the look to get rid of the dark wood.
I know the color seems crazy but the contrast between burnt orange and the dark wood furniture looks really sharp. The double doors were a bit of a challenge but we got
through it. DONE!
2.9.2007 - Laundry Room Floor & Paint:
The laundry room is off the hallway and can be seen from the living room when the door is open so naturally it was the next room to get its quick
makeover. It is also the entrance to the garage so the floor was in pretty sad shape. We replaced it with one that looks more natural
and matches the color theme we seem to be sticking to. The door to the hallway was replaced already and the door to the garage had an old cat door
in it. I patched it up with a couple of hardwood plates and some Great Stuff foam, it isn't perfect but because that door needs to be fireproof it will
likely get replaced in the future. The washer and dryer were on their way out so we replaced them with some front loaders and painted the cabinets to match
the trim while we were at it! UPDATED!
1.29.2007 - Master Suite Entertainment:
So a few weeks ago we picked up a flat screen TV for the bedroom and a bracket to wall mount it. Lisa's dresser hadn't come in yet so mounting it
was much easier without the furniture in the way. I was able to install an electrical and cable outlet in the closet behind the TV to hide all the cables
for a clean install. Just before we painted the room I built and installed a small cabinet inside the wall beside the TV to house the DVD player and maybe
a cable box. Cutting a hole that big and removing a piece of wall stud is a little frightening but in the end I think it came out great and is very functional. DONE!
1.20.2007 - Hallway Doors & Paint:
We are getting close to finished on the first floor so we went for the hallway next. It doesn't have a lot of wall surface but it
does have four doors/casings to replace/paint, a few light switches to replace, and a bunch of holes to patch. The doors went in quite
easily and the wall color goes well with the living room. The trim was a pain as always but it so changes the look of the hall and all
the rooms connected to it. Unfortunately we don't have any "Before" pictures, I get too excited to start and forget to take them first!
DONE!
1.18.2007 - Family Room Renovation:
On to the next room, once again we painted the trim and replaced the doors with the six panel versions. This is a warm
room with the fireplace so we went for a warm feeling color. The mantle eventually got painted to match the trim and the room was wired for surround sound speakers.
We also wired the rest of the house to this room for speakers so we have music in the living room, garage, deck and soon upstairs. The blind finally came in and it really
finishes everything off, and provides some privacy too. DONE!
1.11.2007 - Kitchen Paint:
The house was built in 1991 and many of the rooms still have the original white paint, we decided to paint the less than
attractive wood trim a white and to give the room some color by using a pale green on the walls. We also replaced the flat brown
pantry door with a white six panel door. It looks like a completely different room now. DONE!
1.1.2007 - Kitchen Sink:
We've done a bunch of small projects but the first big one was a new sink and faucet for the kitchen, the old one was in bad shape
and didn't match anything. DONE!