Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Happy Birthday to my grandson, Ethan!
Here's a picture of my beautiful grandson, Ethan Dail (pronounced Dale)... his 1st birthday was December 3rd. Ain't he somethin'!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
No hot water yet but the shower's in...
Howell King came this afternoon. Unfortunately the weather was not conducive for working outside so he wasn't able to hook up the tankless hot water heater (it's on the outside of the house behind the tub. He was able to install the shower which we'll obviously need before we can move in. This picture is not exciting but shows the shower installed. Eventually I'll cover the "Home Advantage" waterproof OSB with tile or wood or standing seam roofing?
When Howell comes back Thursday, he'll hook up the water heater if the weather permits and set the kitchen sink. In the meantime I've got to get the sheet rocking finished in the kitchen so we can paint in there before Thursday. It'll be MUCH easier to paint before the cabinets are set. Before Howell arrived this afternoon I spent the day sanding and finishing the sheet rock. I'm almost finished in the utility room and kitchen.
When Howell comes back Thursday, he'll hook up the water heater if the weather permits and set the kitchen sink. In the meantime I've got to get the sheet rocking finished in the kitchen so we can paint in there before Thursday. It'll be MUCH easier to paint before the cabinets are set. Before Howell arrived this afternoon I spent the day sanding and finishing the sheet rock. I'm almost finished in the utility room and kitchen.
To avoid finishing sheet rock (ugh!) I plumbed today...
It ALL has to be finished eventually but I look for ANY excuse to avoid finishing the sheet rock... it's just SOOOO tedious and I'm NOT good at it. Yesterday I avoided the mud bucket by doing some necessary plumbing and hanging some cabinets in the utility room (wrenching my back in the process). Here is a picture of the plumbing maize behind the bath tub... I hooked up the water to the new tub and redid the toilet supply line (oops, I forgot... I shouldn't have put the valve on before I sheet rock... oh well, it can be cut off and redone later). The shop towels under the connections are to check for leaks/drips in my newly glued joints... there were NO LEAKS!... ooh-rah!:
Here's the end result... WATER!... oh, I tested the Jacuzzi and it WORKS... that earns me 50 brownie points with Alexis... you know how women like to soak their tush!?
I also hooked up the water line for the kitchen sink (all these pipes will be inside the base cabinets):
I should have waited for some help (for my back's sake) but I wanted to surprise Alexis by hanging some cabinets in the utility room (6 wall cabinets and two base cabinets came out of a Vanderbilt Medical Center remodel... I got 'em CHEAP!... less than $200 for all 8 cabinets). These are temporarily hung with just nails. I need to screw them to the wall and remove the 2" X 4." By the end of the week I'll get the white Corian counter top cut for the top surface of the base cabinets... we'll use this area for folding clothes, etc.
In the corner to the left of the base cabinets we'll put the "new" CraigsList dryer. We'll put a lint/dryer sheet trash can in the space between them. I also had the BRILLIANT idea of putting a short clothes rod (14") between the wall cabinets on which to hang clothes during ironing or to prevent wrinkles when clothes are first coming out of the dryer.
Howell King, our plumber/electrician extraordinaire, returns this afternoon and we'll work on hooking up the shower hardware, getting the kitchen sink cut in to the counter top and firing off the propane hot water heater. Slowly but surely it's getting done.
Here's the end result... WATER!... oh, I tested the Jacuzzi and it WORKS... that earns me 50 brownie points with Alexis... you know how women like to soak their tush!?
I also hooked up the water line for the kitchen sink (all these pipes will be inside the base cabinets):
I should have waited for some help (for my back's sake) but I wanted to surprise Alexis by hanging some cabinets in the utility room (6 wall cabinets and two base cabinets came out of a Vanderbilt Medical Center remodel... I got 'em CHEAP!... less than $200 for all 8 cabinets). These are temporarily hung with just nails. I need to screw them to the wall and remove the 2" X 4." By the end of the week I'll get the white Corian counter top cut for the top surface of the base cabinets... we'll use this area for folding clothes, etc.
In the corner to the left of the base cabinets we'll put the "new" CraigsList dryer. We'll put a lint/dryer sheet trash can in the space between them. I also had the BRILLIANT idea of putting a short clothes rod (14") between the wall cabinets on which to hang clothes during ironing or to prevent wrinkles when clothes are first coming out of the dryer.Howell King, our plumber/electrician extraordinaire, returns this afternoon and we'll work on hooking up the shower hardware, getting the kitchen sink cut in to the counter top and firing off the propane hot water heater. Slowly but surely it's getting done.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Two weeks late with a report...
I apologize for the delay in getting Brigid's Wood information posted... sanding sheet rock is a whole lot like watching paint dry... NOT very exciting and even less photogenic. We have been making progress although our move in date has been changed to just before Christmas (move in = camping out).
I may not have made mention of the garden tub set back but last week we discovered that we had leaks in two of the four Jacuzzi jets. The Jacuzzi repairman said that it would cost about $1,000 to fix the tub (I guess you get what you pay for?... $0.00). The main problem was that even if we didn't use the whirlpool option the tub would still leak during any normal bathtub bath. Bummer! I had to drop back 15 yards and punt... errrr... actually I jumped on CraigsList and found another Jacuzzi-type tub north of Nashville. It was 6' feet long and 42" wide... additionally it had a VERY nice Delta brand facet that would have cost as much as I paid for the tub & facet together. Alexis and I jumped in the truck and went to pick it up (we love going on road trips together). Being from Texas where you can drive all day and never leave the state, Alexis continues to be amazed that we can be in another state within hours (actually 15 minutes if we drive south into Alabama). It was a long trip to Nashville and beyond - especially since Alexis had to teach school the next day - but the tub looks great and is an easier color to decorate around... white. Now we have a white ceiling, a white tub... a white toilet... and a white Corian vanity top.
Getting back to today... Howell King, our illustrious plumber/electrician, came today and we got quite a bit accomplished. We tore out the brown garden tub and hauled it outside (for photographing before being posted "for sale as is" on CraigsList although Alexis may want to keep it for catfish farming... really!). Next, we brought in the "new" tub and got it installed. There were a few problems with the installation but Howell has an incredible "can do" attitude and we (mostly him) were able to "git-er-done." Here's a picture of me in the tub getting ready to nail up the waterproof backer board:
Howell also got one of our toilets and the vanity installed in the utility room (the utility room will double as a half bath). Alexis chose "bicycle YELLOW" as the color for the utility room to honor her dear departed Aunt Gladys who LOVED yellow (it's now OFFICIALLY the Aunt Gladys Memorial Utility Room and Half Bath). The picture (below) is not a true representation of just how YELLOW bicycle YELLOW is. Actually, I'm just teasing Alexis because I like bright colors... and bicycle YELLOW is bright and happy. She plans on using a "sun flower theme" with the bicycle YELLOW. Next, we'll put up the six wall cabinets, the two 30" floor cabinets and set the dryer in place (we'll bring the washer when we move... it goes just beyond the vanity in the corner). I also hung the mirror today. Cost: toilet = $0.00 (thanks to Howell)... vanity = $0.00 (CraigsList)... mirror = $12 (CraigsList).
Howell said that he'll be back Monday and we'll hook up the shower, finish the kitchen sink and run some wiring for this new Jacuzzi tub. We're getting there... in fact, if it weren't for my SLOW sheet rock finishing, WE'D BE THERE!
I may not have made mention of the garden tub set back but last week we discovered that we had leaks in two of the four Jacuzzi jets. The Jacuzzi repairman said that it would cost about $1,000 to fix the tub (I guess you get what you pay for?... $0.00). The main problem was that even if we didn't use the whirlpool option the tub would still leak during any normal bathtub bath. Bummer! I had to drop back 15 yards and punt... errrr... actually I jumped on CraigsList and found another Jacuzzi-type tub north of Nashville. It was 6' feet long and 42" wide... additionally it had a VERY nice Delta brand facet that would have cost as much as I paid for the tub & facet together. Alexis and I jumped in the truck and went to pick it up (we love going on road trips together). Being from Texas where you can drive all day and never leave the state, Alexis continues to be amazed that we can be in another state within hours (actually 15 minutes if we drive south into Alabama). It was a long trip to Nashville and beyond - especially since Alexis had to teach school the next day - but the tub looks great and is an easier color to decorate around... white. Now we have a white ceiling, a white tub... a white toilet... and a white Corian vanity top.
Getting back to today... Howell King, our illustrious plumber/electrician, came today and we got quite a bit accomplished. We tore out the brown garden tub and hauled it outside (for photographing before being posted "for sale as is" on CraigsList although Alexis may want to keep it for catfish farming... really!). Next, we brought in the "new" tub and got it installed. There were a few problems with the installation but Howell has an incredible "can do" attitude and we (mostly him) were able to "git-er-done." Here's a picture of me in the tub getting ready to nail up the waterproof backer board:
Howell also got one of our toilets and the vanity installed in the utility room (the utility room will double as a half bath). Alexis chose "bicycle YELLOW" as the color for the utility room to honor her dear departed Aunt Gladys who LOVED yellow (it's now OFFICIALLY the Aunt Gladys Memorial Utility Room and Half Bath). The picture (below) is not a true representation of just how YELLOW bicycle YELLOW is. Actually, I'm just teasing Alexis because I like bright colors... and bicycle YELLOW is bright and happy. She plans on using a "sun flower theme" with the bicycle YELLOW. Next, we'll put up the six wall cabinets, the two 30" floor cabinets and set the dryer in place (we'll bring the washer when we move... it goes just beyond the vanity in the corner). I also hung the mirror today. Cost: toilet = $0.00 (thanks to Howell)... vanity = $0.00 (CraigsList)... mirror = $12 (CraigsList).
Howell said that he'll be back Monday and we'll hook up the shower, finish the kitchen sink and run some wiring for this new Jacuzzi tub. We're getting there... in fact, if it weren't for my SLOW sheet rock finishing, WE'D BE THERE!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Ceiling FINISHED and cabinets temporarily in place...
Well, day before yesterday Aaron and I finished the final stapling/screwing of the ceiling. What a relief to have that done.
Yesterday he and I moved the utility room cabinets and the kitchen cabinets from the storage building into the living room so we could access other stuff in the storage building that we'll need to be able to move in in two weeks.
Regarding the kitchen cabinets: I had NO idea what I had? When we bought them (almost 2 years ago) they had already been torn out and were sitting under a carport as multiple units. I knew the size of the kitchen they had been in but I didn't know how these custom units would fit into our kitchen. Last night when Alexis got home from school, the chiropractor and visiting with her Mom, we set most everything in place to see what we had. That was easier than trying to do the layout on graph paper. Happily, we were able to find a place for almost every unit and could get an idea for how the kitchen was going to feel. This picture was taken from the living room looking towards the kitchen window. You can see the rooster and cow that were painted on the ends of floor-to-ceiling end cabinets. Both of these tall cabinets have a little white picket fence that attaches on the floor below the artwork. You can also see some of the other animals that are painted on the faces of the cabinet doors (chickens, geese, baby chicks, rabbits, etc.). It would have cost more to pay an artist to paint the murals than we paid for all the cabinets. We're having to improvise with what we have but it appears that the kitchen is going to be spacious and have lots of cabinet/counter space. The wall opposite the window will have the propane stove and the refrigerator. Counter tops will wrap around the entire kitchen in a "U" shape.
We have too many of the Vanderbilt medical center cabinets for the utility room but that's a good problem to have. We have LOTS of overhead wall cabinets, one deep base cabinet which will have a Corian counter top for folding laundry, etc. and one floor-to-ceiling cabinet that will fit in the SE corner of the utility room.
Howell King, our plumber/electrician came yesterday and worked on installing the garden tub but he ran out of parts and left before I returned from taking Aaron home and buying some things for the bathroom at Home Depot. Howell and I will set the garden tub tomorrow afternoon and hook up the shower. Hopefully, we'll also get the water pipes/drain run from the plumbing wall between the kitchen/utility room to where the sink is going to sit under the window. Next we'll set a toilet and we'll be able to move in and camp out in our new house.
Of note: Today is my grandson Ethan's 1st birthday... Happy Birthday, Baby Boy... I love you!
Yesterday he and I moved the utility room cabinets and the kitchen cabinets from the storage building into the living room so we could access other stuff in the storage building that we'll need to be able to move in in two weeks.
Regarding the kitchen cabinets: I had NO idea what I had? When we bought them (almost 2 years ago) they had already been torn out and were sitting under a carport as multiple units. I knew the size of the kitchen they had been in but I didn't know how these custom units would fit into our kitchen. Last night when Alexis got home from school, the chiropractor and visiting with her Mom, we set most everything in place to see what we had. That was easier than trying to do the layout on graph paper. Happily, we were able to find a place for almost every unit and could get an idea for how the kitchen was going to feel. This picture was taken from the living room looking towards the kitchen window. You can see the rooster and cow that were painted on the ends of floor-to-ceiling end cabinets. Both of these tall cabinets have a little white picket fence that attaches on the floor below the artwork. You can also see some of the other animals that are painted on the faces of the cabinet doors (chickens, geese, baby chicks, rabbits, etc.). It would have cost more to pay an artist to paint the murals than we paid for all the cabinets. We're having to improvise with what we have but it appears that the kitchen is going to be spacious and have lots of cabinet/counter space. The wall opposite the window will have the propane stove and the refrigerator. Counter tops will wrap around the entire kitchen in a "U" shape.
We have too many of the Vanderbilt medical center cabinets for the utility room but that's a good problem to have. We have LOTS of overhead wall cabinets, one deep base cabinet which will have a Corian counter top for folding laundry, etc. and one floor-to-ceiling cabinet that will fit in the SE corner of the utility room.Howell King, our plumber/electrician came yesterday and worked on installing the garden tub but he ran out of parts and left before I returned from taking Aaron home and buying some things for the bathroom at Home Depot. Howell and I will set the garden tub tomorrow afternoon and hook up the shower. Hopefully, we'll also get the water pipes/drain run from the plumbing wall between the kitchen/utility room to where the sink is going to sit under the window. Next we'll set a toilet and we'll be able to move in and camp out in our new house.
Of note: Today is my grandson Ethan's 1st birthday... Happy Birthday, Baby Boy... I love you!
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