So much for the kitchen faucet with water. It had to come out while they put in the new kitchen window. Oops. Could have predicted that, but I didn't.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Artichoke Gratin
We went for dinner at my college roommate's house down in Mountain View. Got to meet her husband and 6-month-old daughter for the first time, saw another college dorm-mate and her husband, and sat around chatting and making Vietnamese spring rolls which turned out quite well. Vegan German chocolate cake for dessert. The door prizes? Artichokes from their backyard! The next night Daniel made an Artichoke Gratin from Richard Olney's "Simple French Food." This is all that was left by the time I managed to stop eating and get out my camera to take a picture.
Pedestal Start
It turns out installing a pedestal sink is more effort than one might think, and is beyond the abilities of my nuclear family at this point in our skills set, so the contractor will be doing this one.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
It Flows!
There is water hooked up to the kitchen sink, but the dishwasher plumbing isn't hooked up yet (no dishwasher yet), so we can't really turn the water on full force. Still, it's exciting.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Fridge
I have one. It's hooked up. Except for the fact that we need to put the brakes on it so it doesn't roll out when you try to open it, all is well.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Missed a few spots
The problem with trying to paint over a high-gloss white ceiling with regular ceiling white on a gray, rainy day is that when you come back on a sunshine-y day you realize you missed spots. Then, as you run around taping them so that you'll know where to touch up, you realize that maybe you should just paint the whole darn thing one more time.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Unmasking
Bathroom is painted, and has been unmasked. The light paint (Adobe White, sort of a hint of the tile color) makes a massive difference. Now we just need to get the shower working, and install the sink.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Kitchen-like
It's starting to look like a kitchen. The sink is in and has cured, the faucet is partially on (still needs some parts installed), the plumbing is mostly done. Yippee!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Night off with Pizza
Stopped working early yesterday, and took the night off. Daniel made pizza with caramelized onions and goat cheese, but we forgot to check the date on the yeast so the first batch of dough had...some issues. Luckily the local Italian restaurant has a wonderful owner who felt our pain and gave us (wouldn't take any money) not one, but two pizzas worth of dough. If you need a very friendly Italian place with yummy pizza dough (I hear the rest of their food's pretty good too) check out Villa Romano on Irving & 9th.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Happy Mother's Day!
OK, I did bring her flowers and a card, and promised to make her brunch once my kitchen is functional, but today Mom masked the bathroom so we could prime it and paint the ceiling. The rain made the humidity too high to get any more paint on the walls in the bathroom, but we did also prime the living room and paint the living room ceiling. Quote of the day, heard while painting the ceiling: "Go about 90 degrees over, or 180 degrees, one of those." I'm not saying who said it to whom, but I think that despite the low-VOC paints they had inhaled too many fumes. Another statement overheard was "No, XXXX, that's NOT ceiling paint on your roller!" Response was not suitable for publishing, but the paint was quickly removed with a wet rag.
Saturday, May 08, 2010
Caulking
All of the baseboards, door, and window trim need to be caulked after they go in. This involves not only spackling the nail holes, but also running painters' caulk along all of the seams. In this case, the corners, between the baseboard and the wall, and between the baseboard and the baseshoe (that bottom ridge part). Then we'll go back with touch up paint and go over any spackle or caulk that needs to be covered. Then we'll be done. Some time in the next decade or so. At least that's how it feels after you do one baseboard. Thanks, Seth, for coming over and spackling with me.
Friday, May 07, 2010
Colors!
I love the series of colors as you look from one bedroom (orange), through the hall (yellow/cream), into the other bedroom (blue). And I love that there is door trim up in the bedroom so it's starting to look finished.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
Windows & Baseboards
The windows arrived a day early, and they have started putting them in. In the beginning they are just "roughed" in, but as they go they will put them in properly and then start sealing things up and fixing the stucco outside, adding trim, etc. It's very exciting, as this is the last big part of the project that has to be done by the contractor. The baseboards and door trim are being put in by loving hands at home, as Dad likes to say. Those have started as well.
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Plastic Kitchen
Second coat of yellow in the kitchen & dining area went on today. The hall is now eggnog (creamy, slightly yellow, lighter tint of kitchen & living room) instead of grey-blue-green. Did I mention that my parents are amazing? They've done a huge portion of all of this. I'm just the night shift.
Tuesday, May 04, 2010
Painting Closets
Hall closets with shelves that can not be removed (OK, they could if we REALLY wanted to, but that would create more problems than we already have) are difficult to paint. As I demonstrate in this lovely photo, taken while I paint the inside of the top part of the closet.
Monday, May 03, 2010
Blue Bedroom
It's blue! Second coat of orange on the other bedroom. Tile is sealed (we did that yesterday, after the move). There are patches. There is primer. The washer & dryer are in. There's a big chip in the kitchen sink, so it's being returned/exchanged. I, literally, have the kitchen sink in my car.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
Welcome Home
Much like the temporary mailbox we put up to keep the mail off the floors while they were being refinished, I am in a state of flux. My stuff is in the garage, in piles in a few rooms, and I am living out of a suitcase at Daniel's (thank you, Daniel). It was decided that cats and an active remodel don't mix. Not to mention the shower isn't working yet. Nor is there hot water. Picky, picky, picky. That's me.
Saturday, May 01, 2010
Primer & Paint & Grout
There's orange in the bedroom. Ceilings in both bedrooms are done. Other bedroom is primed. Kitchen counter is grouted. Moving stuff into the garage tomorrow.
Friday, April 30, 2010
The Helpful Hardware Place
You know the tagline for Ace Hardware, right? Ace, the Helpful Hardware Place. It's true. Today I went to Pastimes Ace Hardware in El Cerrito to have my paint mixed. I'd met this lovely woman, Chelsea, there about a week ago and she told me what I needed to do to get the paint mixed there. They don't computer-match, but if you let them know the type of paint they can get the proper formula and mix it with the old fashioned tint machine (all these big tubes on a wheel that measures out the tint). I called ahead and Chelsea had all the formulas ready to go when I got there. I got to watch her put the tint in, and we mixed up all of the paint for the house. While we did this we chatted about paint, and a few other things. She mentioned how much she liked to paint. I told her where the house was & told her if she wanted to see the colors up on the walls to come on by any time (she's particularly fond of the orange for the second bedroom). She showed up. And painted. For almost two hours after she got off work. On a Friday. How cool is that?
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Patience
They tell you that remodeling takes longer than you think. That you will spend more time, more money, and more effort than you thought. Anyone who knows me knows how I like to plan, organize, be prepared, have a list, check things off. But how do you check off the v-cap that is backordered from Japan for an unspecified amount of time? That they didn't tell you was backordered until after you'd ordered the rest of the tile? Sigh. I have patience. But I don't have my v-caps.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Finding Studs
The cabinets went back in the kitchen today. Dad and Peter started in on the tiling of the counters. This involves mudding cement backer board onto the plywood that's on top of the cabinets. Before the mud can set, the backer board is screwed into the plywood. Backer board for the backsplash is then screwed into the studs in the wall, as demonstrated by Dad & Peter. I helped with the tail end of things. It was too cold and wet for the cement on the wallboard to completely dry from yesterday. Maybe tomorrow.
Monday, April 26, 2010
Paint!
I took today "off" (do furlough days really count as days off?) to work on the house. I picked out baseboards and door casings at Rafael Lumber (ask for Allen...he knows his stuff!) then met Dad & Uncle Peter at the house. Today I/we managed to get a second coat of mud on the new drywall, prime the kitchen (mostly), paint the kitchen (mostly), patch several holes with drywall, prime one bedroom on the walls & ceiling that weren't drywalled, sand & wash out one bedroom closet, figure out where the kitchen cabinets need to go back in, accept a washer/dryer delivery, figure out that the stacking unit for said w/d is included in the purchase and is inside the darn dryer (no wonder it wasn't on the order), figure out which bathroom sink/pedestal/faucet I'm going to get, and explain to my credit card company that no one has run wild with my account except me.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
New Skill #17,325
I've learned many, many new things since buying my house (and I've only owned it 3 weeks!). This weekend was my favorite so far. After discovering some unfortunate spores (i.e., mold in the walls) under multiple never-ending peels of paint in the the outer walls of the bedrooms we decided to rip out the drywall and replace it. As this fun activity was not in the original budget it seemed prudent to do it ourselves. The fact that my cousin Tony has done a fair amount of drywalling, and was willing and able to come help out made the decision that much easier. So, for 1/10th the cost of having professionals do it, we took out the sheetrock on four walls (2 exterior walls in each room), put in insulation, put up new drywall, and are now in the process of mudding it, which takes about three days because of drying time between mud applications. A nice combination of deconstruction and construction, very task oriented, and you really feel like you've accomplished something at the end of the day. Thanks, Tony et al. You rock. Sheetrock, to be exact. Oh...that was bad...must have been all the dust I inhaled.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Aioli
Friday night I took the night off and went to Daniel's for dinner. He'd made a full aioli, which means not just the mayonnaise-cum-garlic sauce, but the blanched vegetables, poached fish, boiled eggs, bread, olives, and rose wine (OK, he didn't have boiled snails, which technically do go with it, but I wasn't too critical...). It was marvelous. Way too marvelous. We decided once a year is our max, since we both couldn't stop eating the sauce (or the rest of it).
Today we put protective paper all through the house to keep the shiny floors beautiful while we sheetrock & paint. We didn't finish until well after dark, and there are still no lights in the house except the one clip-on construction light we had to work by, so I didn't take any pics. I'll get some in the morning before the sheetrocking starts.
Today we put protective paper all through the house to keep the shiny floors beautiful while we sheetrock & paint. We didn't finish until well after dark, and there are still no lights in the house except the one clip-on construction light we had to work by, so I didn't take any pics. I'll get some in the morning before the sheetrocking starts.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Shiny floors
Floors are progressing. And the varnish is quite volatile & aromatic. Whew. Two minutes in the kitchen and I had to leave. Wallboard in the kitchen is all patched & mudded. Ready to be sanded & painted this weekend.
Fishes
We're in limbo (sort of) waiting for the floors to be done & to dry. So today I bring you a mock up of the tile mural that's going to be behind the stove. Eventually.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Floor Sanding
They started sanding the floors today...I'm not sure what all the different colors mean at this point. I am going for a water-based stain, which should keep the floors light, but will also show some of the differences in stains that have been applied over the lifetime of the floors. Hopefully not this much difference though. Hmmmm.
Honu
Nothing happened Monday at the house, primarily because we are waiting for permits/inspections today. But a friend of mine is stranded in the UK, and she's using this as one of her diversions. She knows who she is, and she knows why this picture (taken January when I visited my brother & nephew in Hawaii) is just for her. I hear that they are starting to fly again over there...hope you get home soon & safely, Honu!
Sunday, April 18, 2010
12? Really?
It is not at all necessary to put 12 nails into 6 feet of door trim. Nor is it necessary to use 2+ inch nails to do so. Really. 4 or 5 would do. 1-1/4 or maybe 1-1/2 if you want to go really crazy. But 12 is overboard, 2+ inch nails is just overkill, and 7-8 coats of paint without ever taping or sanding is just too much. Which is why all of the baseboards & door trim came off this weekend, to be replaced. And why I have several bloody, bruised knuckles. Stupid nails.
The Unexpected
Paint can peel in very large sheets, particularly if it was never applied properly. Grout sealer can give you a contact high. Dishwashers ordered in mid-April can take until June 3 to arrive. But if you need appliances, go see Cassandra at the Orchard Supply Hardware in El Cerrito. She's awesome. If there was ANY way to get that dishwasher here earlier, she would have figured it out.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Evidence
One might think that this is simply another hole in the ceiling at the new house. Thankfully, one would have misinterpreted the evidence. This is in my apartment. Where they continue to attempt to determine the source of the leaks that I've lived with the last two years. The most interesting thing...when I got home there was not only a big hole in the ceiling, but there was also bird poop everywhere. Someone had gotten into the living room & left evidence of their presence all over the back of the couch and on the table and on a notebook and...and...and. This morning while admiring the hole in the ceiling, another bird came in. After some scrambling to contain the cat and get the windows open, we managed to get the bird out. For now.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Ceiling, with holes
Did you know that re-wiring involves lots of holes in the walls? Did you know it involves holes in the ceiling? Did you know that it makes you feel like you've really made the right decision when your electrician tells you that not only were there no appropriate junction boxes in the incredibly under-wired house, a fair amount of the wiring in the ceiling was taped together and was "a fire waiting to happen"? Well, now you know. And perhaps, just perhaps, the next time we plug in a hair dryer to try to dry primer in really wet weather, the lights won't dim...
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Washer Hookup
Some of that shiny plumbing that was in a pile on the floor is now installed. A lovely new water hookup for the washing machine. Sort of beautiful in an industrial, functional way.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Shiny Plumbing
Getting ready to put in the new connection for the washing machine. More electricity stuff (the electrician did that, not us). More spackle. More holes patched. More holes made (see electricity note). More paint samples picked up.
Monday, April 12, 2010
The Outside
There was finally enough sunshine (for a few minutes) for an outdoor picture. Which allows you to see the big patch o' dirt that is the front yard. And the old sink hanging out in said patch. Today was primarily washing out the nasty cabinets in the kitchen, removing the broken medicine cabinet & corroding vanity, and some scraping. Lots of little things, but productive.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Bedroom paint samples
Yesterday we took the day off to help Kath celebrate her 40th. Today I learned how to grout tile. Went fairly quickly, and looks fantastic. Also put paint samples up in all of the rooms, and settled on colors for everything but the bathroom. Even that got closer to decision-making. Thanks to Laurel & Daniel for coming over to help, and of course to Mom, Dad & Uncle PP for keeping up the steady stream of work.
Friday, April 09, 2010
Kitchen floor is tiled!
Dad & Uncle PP laid the tile in the kitchen floor today. I made it back from an overnight work-trip to LA just in time to help finish & clean up. Last tile laid at 9:45pm (give or take). Already makes the kitchen approximately 1000 times better.
Wednesday, April 07, 2010
It Begins
Day one, and the sewer lateral is done (complete with a digger that Cy would have been proud of), the kitchen floors, counters, and cabinets removed (saved the cabinets to reinstall) and my tile crew (Dad & Uncle PP) are ready to go.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Oh my, what have I done?
I went and bought a house. A little (807 square feet) one, on a great block, with a lot of projects contained within. Starting with the fact that it was stripped of everything...appliances, kitchen faucet, light fixtures, shower head...but it's mine. I have the keys. And the blood salami floor tiles with puce green paint in the kitchen. Painters, carpenters, and tile experts welcome.
Friday, March 12, 2010
Friday, January 22, 2010
Cy - Age 2
We (me, Mom & Dad) went to Hawaii to celebrate Cy's 2nd Birthday. He's a little boy now, running around, talking up a storm, obsessed with heavy road equipment (especially diggers). He's a wonderful little nephew.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Gecko for Cy
Present for the birthday boy. Goes well with the geckos that hang out all over their house.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Cy Boogie Boarding
From his birthday last month (Mom took the pic when they visited them in Hawaii). Can't walk yet (but he's close!), but he can boogie board. He definitely takes after his father!
Friday, February 20, 2009
Charles Addams-esque
From our Christmas photo session last November. Amanda does love her Uncle Chris. Really, she does.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Socktopus
Cy turned one last week, and in honor of his first birthday I made him a friend. Cy's developed an even more deep love of water now that they're living in Hawaii, he's even started "swimming" and "boogie boarding." He does know how to hold his breath underwater, and loves the ocean. If only he wasn't so far away!
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Eh?
I was trying to figure out some of the many settings on my camera. I must have been making strange noises or swearing or something because this is the look I was getting.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Lake of Ice
On our drive back from Oregon, this is what we drove by, a frozen Klamath Lake. It was beautiful, and huge. I can see why people are tempted to go out on lakes even if they aren't sure that they're completely frozen.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Snow in Berkeley
I didn't have my camera the first day, but this is snow in Tilden the day after it snowed. The first day there was so much snow, it was like driving through Tahoe in the middle of ski season. I wish I'd had my camera on me...
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Christmas Train
A slightly fuzzy picture of the cake that Amanda & Peter made to start off the holiday season. The ensemble covered their entire coffee table (and I'm told it tasted pretty good after the fact, too!).
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Cy with a Cold
Cy's teething, and he has a cold. It's the only time I've ever seen him grumpy for longer than a few minutes. Poor little guy. But he's still cute.
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