I’m back!! It was been a busy couple of weeks…not just with the house, but also my personal and professional lives. Last week, the Section, within the Department of Emergency Medicine, I will be managing/directing (we haven’t decided on my title quite yet) was announced. My close family friends (and neighbors) got married. My goddaughter turned 6. I ran a 5K for breast cancer. Made my first mortgage payment! I am probably missing more important life events…thank goodness I have my calendar on my phone or else I would not know where I need to be. On top of all of this, we have made A LOT of progress on the house! Project 1: The Full Bathroom This project is moving right along and is looking good! Since the last post, all the drywall was put up. Drywall mud was applied by my dad and fixed by our plaster guys (They said they have seen worse). The tub was installed. Tile for the walls and floor was bought as well as the cabinet. I am really pleased with this the archway for the shower. My dad placed wood where the plaster was removed and our plaster guys were able to come in and smooth it all out. It looks AMAZING!!! Project 2: The Basement My house is not jacked up anymore!!!! It was a great day when all the support walls were completed. We (I mean my dad and his best friend Tony) placed a metal support on the pier where the wood was rotting underground and cemented it in place. The house is so much more level now. It is crazy to think the house was raised about 3 inches in this one area. While the men were handling the manly things, I got to work cleaning the dryer and washing machine. For the washing machine, I cleaned it by:
Project 3: Scraping the Basement Walls Brick foundations are very strong; however, when water and brick mix, you can have efflorescence develop on the brick’s surface. It is really important to scrape this off and repair it. I used a steel wool scraper to remove the efflorescence. When we do the wood floors upstairs, I will be in the basement cleaning the walls with Trisodium Phosphate (TSP) and painting them. Project 4: First Wall Down I helped my dad take down a wall. And let me tell you, open concepts are the way to go. The wall we took down was between the stairs in front of the side door and kitchen. The kitchen already looks bigger and brighter.
Project 6: Fixing Plaster/Drywall Mudding You have probably noticed that there were many cracks in the walls…especially from jacking up the house! Well my dad and I tried to fix some on the minor cracks with drywall mud. I have fixed holes in the wall from nails before, but not for cracks. So my dad attempted to show me how to do it…and this is our conversation: Me: I want to learn how to do this. My Dad: Try this steam. (He hands me the tools and mud…I give it a try…I notice my dad getting antsy/annoyed) Me: Is something wrong? Am I doing this right? My Dad: Well I could have done this whole room in the time it took you to this one seam. (He then took the tools back and I went back to my wallpaper.) My drywall; mudding career lasted like 10 minutes before I was kicked out. Project 7: Picking Paint Colors Now this is the fun part! My mom and I went to Sherwin Williams and picked out paint. One thing about my family is that when we go shopping we know what we want and do not spend time looking around. We have an idea, and we go with it. I had the main floor paint color picked out within 10 minutes. I was between two colors. I went with the lighter of the two, knowing that I can adjust the color to the darker one if I change my mind. One of the bedrooms is a nice gray and the full bathroom will be a light blue. We have already started painting the bedroom and all the ceilings are done. It is looking nice. I am grateful of our family friend Mark coming out to paint because painting is not my dad’s specialty. He rushes through it and it gets messy (Yes, Dad, I am calling you out!). Project 8: Backyard We have not just been working on the inside. We have been moving dirt to get the grade to move away from the house. First, my mom moved about 800 pavers from the backyard to the dumpster. I dug out an old cement slab that was under a layer of dirt. Then, my mom and I moved the dirt from a flowerbed that was on the driveway (why this was on a driveway is beyond me). This flowerbed was about 8ft x 2.5ft x 1ft. It was not small, and it took a full afternoon to move. I’m not quite sure how the girls got stuck with this task while my dad was in the air-conditioned house just mudding. Learning the Area: In between projects, I have started learning about my new community. I moved to this specific area because of the community. People are always outside riding bikes, walking dogs, and going for a run. I like the little downtown areas.
4 Comments
Jean
6/8/2016 02:01:04 pm
Looks great! love the colors.... It will be so fun to look back on these blogs when it's done!
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Bethany
6/10/2016 08:51:12 pm
The paint colors are turning out great...my dad's painting not so much.
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Tom
6/10/2016 07:13:37 am
Just remember the first messy paint job is on Mark and me. You don't like the colors, you get to do the the second paint job :)
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Tammy
6/24/2016 08:14:58 am
I have heard so much about this project Bethany, I'm glad I finally got a chance to read your blog. Your mom has told me lots of funny stories along the way. It looks great so far and I know that it will be fabulous when it's all finished. You have some great advisers/helpers which is a priceless blessing! Enjoy!
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AuthorA twenty something about to embark on one of the biggest adventures of my life…buying a fixer upper. Archives
September 2016
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