Home projects

[Mrs Mitchell]

Oooh, Tea, I'm all excited for you! The taking possession, wow this is really ours part is the best!

Go easy on the demo! DH loves to demolish, not so hot on the rebuild. He's famous for it. On the day we moved here, my BF and I were painting all the rooms white as a kind of holding job so we could live in it until the serious work started. We heard an ominous bang then the sound of falling masonry. He'd decided that a particular wall just had to go. In the very middle of the house.  While the removal company were brining in our belongings. So the serious work actually started that day and we painted no more!

I dont have any digital photos of the house - took them all with our old film camera. Will see if I can scan some. Looking forward to seeing some of yours - any chance you can sneak a few on Sunday?

Jen

[tea]

We probably won't get the keys until Sunday night so I doubt if we'll get much light to take pictures. I'll try to take pics once we begin the demo.

We're taking down everything in the kitchen... counter, cabinets, floors... EVERYTHING. We (I... need to talk to the others about it first) want to take down one of the walls as well.

I hope you can scan our pics. Would love to see them!

[evilmailjeep]

Just to help with disposal, maybe posting try posting the cabinets on freecycle?

[tea]

Thanks for the tip EMJ! Do they also take unwanted furniture?

[Mrs Mitchell]

So exciting! Keep us updated. Hope you will be very happy in your new home.

Jen

[evilmailjeep]

Here is the website for freecycle http://freecycle.org/

It is a network of local websites where people can post for free anything they wish to give away...
Whoever wants it has to make arrangements with you to pick it up. No cash can be exchanged.
It actually was started as a way to lessen the amount of things in landfills....but it can be really helpful when cleaning out odd items.

Baltimore and DCs various freecycles are fun to read too.
Example: Offer house: Bought property don't like the house, you move it, you can have it.
30 mins later
Taken: House

10 mins later
Wanted: Property to put house on, will be non-profit jazz school. Will provide documents for tax purposes.
Day later
Recieved: Property.

Anything can go on freecycle, it is a lot of fun

[Michi]

EMJ - you are the greatest!     

I just posted this horrible (and extremely heavy) fountain that came with the townhouse we bought to live in while our house is being built and I've already had 4 hits! If I get rid of this, you will be my and my DH's hero!     Wish us luck!!!

[webmistress]

That is such a hoot! I was going to list a playset we have in the back yard. The kids have outgrown it. But my neighbor came over and made an offer yesterday.  That puppy is outa here and they're going to take it away! Now it's one of those nice redwood ones but it's 11 years old so it's not gorgeous right now.

[Michi]

EMJ - I so grateful to you for posting that website!  I had 8 offers for my fountain within 3 hours of my post and it's leaving my house this weekend! Yippee!!!!   

[evilmailjeep]

Wonderful wonderful! Freecycle is so much fun! I've given away and gotten lots of things on it...glad it can help you!

[tea]

YAY Michi!! So glad it worked for you! (And FAST too!!)

DH, mom and I need to go through and see what we want to get rid of and what we want to bring to the new house. Will be A LOT of work! Will probably be listing a lot of stuff too!

[tea]

We went looking at kitchen cabinets, counters, floors, paint, etc.... it's absolutely mind-boggling how many OPTIONS there are!!! 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Scary, isn't it? I suffer agonies of indecision, then change my mind at the very last possible minute.

I've attached a few pictures of my project house, as promised last week. I had no idea it looked so bad - amazing what you can get used to. Even the yard has building work. Oh, and just in case it isn't immediately obvious, the first pics are of my bathroom. The last two are the only habitable (if unlovely) rooms - the living room and my study. Actually, we've nearly finished the living room, just a few minor things (like having the chimey re-lined and the third window put in etc).

I'd love to post the 'after' shots, but not sure I'll live long enough!

Jen.
Ok, the yard is sideways, for some reason and I don't know how to fix it. Never mind. You get the general idea. Just mess, really! I could cry.

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[Mrs Mitchell]

And just to complete the picture of loveliness (not!) here's the current view from the kitchen.

If a room has 4 windows, you'd think its because someone wanted to capture a beautiful view, wouldn't you? Not so:



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[jewellk]

You really do have your work cut out for you! Hang in there Jen!! It'll be better before you know it! I'm guessing the house was built long before that oil rig!!! I bet the view was much nicer back then!!

[Mrs Mitchell]

I'm guessing the house was built long before that oil rig!!! I bet the view was much nicer back then!!

Ha ha, good point! The view used to be of unspoiled coastline, with the occasional steam train puffing gently by.

If you pull the blinds and get into a sort of hypnotic state, you can almost blot out the horror inside and out!


Jen

[tea]

Thanks for posting the pics Jen! Whoa! That's a lot of work ahead. We just got the keys to our place last night and we went in there earlier today to get some measurements, etc. After I finished measuring, we found the original architect blue prints just lying on one of the garage shelves like it was gargabe.
Our place does not look like it needs that much work YET since we have not ripped anything out yet. We've only taken down the window dressings (disgusting!) and other things off the walls. We have not ripped out the linoleom or the carpeting yet.... or demo'ed the kitchen and bathrooms yet.

The water is nice and maybe you can do something to block out the oil rig and just get the water.

[Mrs Mitchell]

Maybe I could ask them to move it slightly to the left? Lol. It wasn't there when I bought the house!

It's amazing that you found the original architect's drawings. That will save you a lot of time and money if you need to do serious work or if you decide to remodel or extend later. Also just fascinating to have. Get them framed? (We have loads of architectural drawings famed around the place. I love the artistry of some of them.) Our house was built by a Victorian railway company and all the drawings were held in their archives. We managed to get copies of one, but it turns out that the company contracted with local builders who all had very much their own ideas of how things should be done, so the plans weren't exactly followed to the letter!
There were meant to be six identical stations along the line, but it didn't turn out that way.

Jen

[Mrs Mitchell]

Wooo! I do believe we're making progress at last. I came home today to find an actual bath in my bathroom. 

Now all we need is a toilet, basin, shower etc...


How are everyone else's projects going?
Jen

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[tea]

Congrats on the progress Jen! It's always nice to see forward movement. Well, I haven't been online much since we've been doing a lot of demo on the house. We took out all the built-ins (in almost every room!) and they bolted them to the exterior brick on the house with GIGANTIC nails!
We've patched up most of the holes, taken everything down off the walls. We've taken out all the appliances in the kitchen and all the upper cabinets. Today's focus (hubby is getting impatient wanting to get started on the work so hurrying me right now) is to take out the lower cabinets. We were hoping to be able to freecycle the cabinets but they are custom built for that space and we just could not salvage it 
I was ACHING the first couple of days but now, I think my body is getting more used to the hard labor.

[Mrs Mitchell]

Tea, how's it going now? I have been off line for weeks, after a contractor dug up my cable, so I've missed about a million posts! Back online today and wondering how your new home is looking?

I have (almost) finished a room,m which after 4 years is a major achievement. Just needs curtains and a shelf, then we're done!
Before and after:

[acebruin]

wow it's looking great!   

[Mrs Mitchell]

Thanks Ace! 1 room down, 9 to go. Next time, I will buy a brand new house that needs nothing (and I mean nothing) done to it!

Jen

[Mrs Mitchell]

AZ,
I say that every time we move, but this time I insist, we either stay put and actually finish it, or buy a new house! Victorian charm wearing a little thin round about now. Also, we went 150% over budget on this one tiny room. That's bad even by my standards and it hurt the diamond fund.

Have you dot a lot of work still to do? You have my sympathy. Hope you're not too fed up with it

Jen

[diamondjunkie]

Over budget or not, your bathroom looks wonderful Jen!  Congrats on a job well done!