First Day of Interior Paint

It's magic!  The elves came and now the walls are a different color!  They put a first coat on the living room, entry, closet and hall.  Here are some photos:

The carpenter and project manager went to Lowe's today and bought all the doors.  The interior doors are lined up in the garage with all the crown, chair rail and baseboard, and the bead board is out there too.
The closet doors were taken to the shop for spray-paint.  

The wallpaper arrived via UPS today.  Tomorrow the carpenters will start on the bead board installation.  

Things are happening - it's magic!!!  

Is it really Saturday?

It has felt like Sunday all day to us.  I guess that’s because of the 3 day weekend, and our Friday was like our Saturday. 

Well, those who weighed in on the furniture options made good choices!  We ended up ordering living room group #3 today.  72” loveseat, 92” couch and the chair.  We also ordered the plantation cove bed in queen.  It will all be delivered the first week of May unless we need to push it out further.

Yesterday, I neglected to share with you one of the weirdest things we saw in Value City Furniture.  They have a lot of knick-knacks sitting around, and when we saw this set of 3, it just struck us both as so bizarre that I had to take a photo.  I can’t tell if these are cute or creepy – I’ll let you decide what you think. They remind me of something that would be on the old Twilight Zone show!   I also don’t know who would buy them and where would they be used? 

When we went in to buy the furniture, we looked around a bit more and found a coffee table we liked (this is at Value City):

I believe there were also end tables that went with this.  This is the  Craftsman or Mission style we are going for in the house.

After we finished our purchase at VC, we went over to Ashley's to cancel the Martini Bed.   (It just so happens that both stores are in the same plaza.)  While we were there we looked around a bit at their coffee tables and also at desks.  Hubby wants a simple desk for his Man Cave.  Here are some options we saw.  This first coffee table actually opens up to make a table at the couch:  

Here is the end table that goes with this set: 

 Then there was this one:  It opens up several different ways, but may be too big, overall. 

Here is a desk Hubs is considering and there is one that is a little smaller as well:  

The only things we did at the new house today were to check the mail and check on the area where the former owner dug up a plant he wanted to take with him.  Tomorrow we may go over and do some yard work.  The other thing that needs attention is that the mini-blinds on the Porch need to be cleaned.   This weekend has really felt like an extension of Spring Break - I like it!

Changes Have Happened - The Elves are Working

At some point, I realized that I have yet to post a pic of the front of the house!  This was taken from the auditor's website, and it is from July of 2010, but it really shows the house at its best when all the plants have their best blooms on:

The biggest news I have today is that the painter-elves have been working, and we believe they’ve finished painting the garage! 

Here are some before pics:

As you can see, it wasn’t horrible, but it did need a little help.  So here are some “after” pics:

We plan to use the area on the right, under that big shelf (which is very sturdy) to store things that we are going to move over from the storage unit.  That metal shelf unit was actually screwed in to those 2 parallel boards on the wall, but the shelf unit isn't in very good shape, so we will probably replace that at some point.  

As far as the interior goes... mainly they've just taken down the ugly brown doors (one of which may become Hubby's workbench in the garage), and started patching curtain rod holes.  The painters also cut out the carpet edges so they can get right down to the floor.  Evidently, there are no vacuum-elves that follow the painter-elves around, because they left a trail of carpet boogers everywhere.

Today’s big adventure was a visit to Value City Furniture where we think we found our living room furniture, and also our bedroom furniture.  Let me give you some samples:  

Choice #1 is a sectional called the "Adrian".  There was a time when we thought we wanted a sectional.  This one is 8' each direction, and it would definitely fit in the room along the left wall and under the window.  However, the more we look at sectionals, the less we like them.   This particular sectional is not very versatile - it just comes in this configuration, and that's it.   The color of this one in real life wasn't this orange.  It is microfiber.  Anyway, here is the sectional from Value City:

Option #2 was a traditional couch, loveseat, chair grouping called the "Calypso", and we would get the red color shown here on the ottoman:  (This is also microfiber)

Option 2 also has a small recliner (on the right below), which I liked:

I think I liked this set better than Hubs did.  One thing neither of us like is the fact that both the seat and back cushions are attached, so you can’t flip them. 

However, once we found set #3 (the "Palmer") we both decided this is our top choice as of now.  There is a 72" loveseat and then 2 couches - a 2-cushion one that is 82" and a 3-cushion one that is 92".  There is also a small chair in contrasting fabric.  We liked the style, the fabric and the color better on this set than anything else we've found.  We would probably get the 92" for the left wall, and the 72" for under the window and then put the chair under the half-wall.  These separate pieces give us more flexibility than a sectional does.  We also like the fact that this is not microfiber and the cushions can be flipped.  The size of these 3 pieces also fit us both very well - they aren't so deep that we get lost.  

Ok – now, about the bed…  We already have a bed on order from Ashley Furniture, but we saw one today at Value City that we like better, so we are seriously considering cancelling the Ashley bed.   Here is a pic of the Ashley bed called "Martini" (we are getting a Queen):

The Value City bed is called “Plantation Cove” – it is also a Queen, but as you can see, the style is very different:  

It is hard to see the detail on the head and footboard, but it is the same shutter design that is on this dresser:  We both think this fits our style better than the Martini.   The plan is to make curtains for the bed with curtain rods inside the X detail at the top.

All of you faithful readers are welcome to give your opinions on these furniture choices yet.  We’ve still got a month before we can move anything in anyway.  Let us know what YOU think!

Adventures in Lighting Land

Tuesday evening was another marathon adventure to Lowe's.  This time I must say their customer service gets very mixed reviews.

A week or so ago, we found a ceiling fixture that we liked for the hallway.  It is a Craftsman/Mission style, and it is not what is commonly called a "boob” or “nipple” light (those ceiling fixtures that have a finial or a screw right at the TIP).  Anyway… these were out of stock at our Lowe’s.  The employee checked and said there were 2 on order and they should be in next week.  At that time, we opted to wait for them to come in.

Well, last night we decided to do what we needed to do to get the fixture ordered so we would be sure to get what we wanted.  I worked with Andy this time, and for the record Andy was EXCELLENT to work with.  He looked up the light in the computer, and set it up as a special order which we would pay for at the register – then we were to be called when it came in.  However, after looking at it more, he found that they were being discontinued at some stores, and suggested that perhaps it would be hard to get.  I asked him if I could just buy the display model.  He said that was fine if I wanted it.   I told him that as long as the light was in good shape, I’d take it. 

Andy got a ladder and got the fixture down.  It was dirty, but at first it just seemed to be dusty with finger prints.  After he took it all apart, he handed me the glass globe to examine, and I saw that it had what looked like a pen mark right in the center (almost making it a boob light!)  He got a rag out from under the counter and tried to wipe it off – that didn’t help.  He said the only cleaner he had at that counter was sort of a Goo Gone type stuff, and he was afraid that might damage the finish on the glass (it is frosted).   So, we walked over to Paint to get some cleaner from them.  Theirs had been taken by someone else, so they had none.  Next we walked to the Service Desk and asked for cleaner.  All they had was what they use to clean their counter – we tried it – it did nothing.  At that point we both decided that we might as well try the Goo Gone because I wasn’t going to buy it as it was, and if it marred the surface, I wouldn’t buy it anyway, so it really didn’t matter. 

Andy used his cleaner (I think it was actually called Goof Off), and it seemed to work!  He got the pen mark off.  Then we needed to get the Goof Off stuff off to make sure the surface was ok…  We needed soap and water.  I said I’d take it to the restroom and wash it.  Well… first of all, the sink in the women’s restroom was not made for washing light fixtures.  It didn’t have normal sinks; it had what I would call group-trough sinks where you get a little squirt of water in a very shallow space.  It was impossible to get the globe under the water spray, so I had to sort of scoop the water in.  Of course, quite predictably, there were no paper towels in the dispenser, so I had to use my hands to rub the soap around and try to rinse it off.   Since there were no towels, I also had no way to dry the globe… except under the hand-dryer!  So there I stood as other customers came and went, drying my light globe under the hand-dryer!  I felt like I was on an episode of Candid Camera! 

I was able to clean the globe sufficiently to believe that it was quite usable.  I will wash it again before we put it up, but the surface was fine.  When I took it back to the Light dept, Andy said he would give me a discount.  The light was originally about $50, so I figured he might take $5 or $10 off.  He gave me the light for $15!  I was stunned – and thrilled! 

Now while all this was happening in Lighting, Hubby was sitting at the Wall Paper counter waiting for service.  He pushed the button once, and someone came.  That someone said he knew nothing about wall paper, and we should wait for the clerk to come back from break in 10-15 min.  Hubby waited.  After about 20 min, still no one had come.  Another clerk happened by and informed him that the clerk had another half hour to go.  (I don’t know why she was taking that sort of a break at 8:30 pm – I’m thinking she was gone.)  So this clerk went in search of a manager.  The manager came back and helped Hubby with our wall paper order in about 5 minutes.  He ordered 4 rolls, we paid for them when we checked out, and they should be in in about 15 days or so. 

By the way, we decided to go with a textured wallpaper in the entry hall instead of textured paint. 

And so, we had a good experience with service in one department, and not so good in another.  That is very typical of Lowe’s.  Their staffing is very inconsistent.  If you happen to be there when the right person is working, it’s fine, but the odds of that happening are slim. 

In addition to buying the light and ordering wallpaper, we also got the tile we need for both the bathroom and the entry way, and we picked up a grab bar that will be put in one shower.  We think we finally have all the supplies that we can get.  The workers are going to pick up doors and bead board that won’t fit in our car.  I think they will be doing that this week.

This afternoon, the painter came again to get a key and our color choices.  He will be starting tomorrow at 9 am in the garage.  Tonight we took down all the curtains and rods.  A friend of mine took some of them and the rest will go to Good Will. 

The next time I see the house, changes will have been made by someone else!  I will keep you updated with before and after pics, so stay tuned!!!

Sunday's Adventures

We learned today that early on Sunday morning is a good time to go to Lowe’s!   Today we got the bathroom vanity and faucet.  We also finally found the cold-tolerant light fixture that we need for the garage, and we got all the door knobs for the new interior doors.  Also picked up the exterior light for outside the garage door. 

The owner of Columbus Handyman sent us a revised contract, and we talked on the phone with him about a few details.  He will meet us at the house tomorrow for signatures and the first payment.  They will start working this week! 

On a very different note, we also saw bluebirds checking out the new bluebird house that we put out last week.  We saw a male/female pair on it and around it.  We didn’t see them go inside, but they seemed to be checking out the neighborhood, which is a very good sign. 

Back to school tomorrow – it’s been a very busy but productive week.  We feel very good about where the process stands right now.  April will be one change after another!

Saturday, Here in the Park...

Today was Shopping-At-Home-Depot Day.  We spent 3 hours on our feet walking the store (thank you Vicodin!!).  Hubby actually pooped out before me today, which is VERY unusual. 

We got the light fixtures for outside the garage people door and the Porch.  We got the exhaust fan for the bathroom.  We got hinges for the 6 new interior doors (pooped out in the door-knob aisle).  We got frosted window film for the garage door windows.  We got a throw rug for the kitchen in front of the sink.  AND we got more SHELF LINER!!!!  Ha – you thought I was done didn’t you?  Well, so did I – until I opened one of the cabinets and found out that one of the types we had used curled up on us!  We will have NONE of that!  Turns out it was the cheap stuff. So I got more GOOD stuff.  I’m becoming an expert on shelf liner – if you need any advice, I’m the person to ask!

We also looked at rope lighting for the porch.  I’m a little concerned about the cord for the sets I’ve seen – it is big thick, heavy white cord which is going to be hanging down my brick wall to the outlet – it’s not going to be very easy to hide even if we run it down the corner.  I think I can come close to the length I need for the actual light-string, but I’m going to have to think about the whole cord thing.  I also think the cord part may not be long enough to make it to the outlet without an extension cord….  I may just have to go with Christmas lights instead of the fancy rope lighting.

We spent a lot of time in the lighting department.  Our Handyman guy said we need to be sure to get a light fixture for the garage that is rated for cold temps.  Hmmm…. Most fixtures say nothing about cold temps.  The clerk at HD said it has more to do with the type of florescent tubes than with the fixture itself.  We still need to do more research on this question. 

We looked at light fixtures for outside the big garage door.  The design of the fixture we like only has 1 bulb and we want 2.  The units with 2 bulbs are kind of boring and common.  So… no purchase of that yet. 

We also spent quite a bit of time looking at window film.  Who knew there were so many different types?!  We just tried it on 1 window, but so far we like it, so we’ll probably do the rest of the window tomorrow. 

Bathroom vanities.  HD doesn’t have the style I want in the size I need.  Lowe’s does.  It is the

ESTATE by RSI 25" White Boardwalk Bath Vanity with Top.    I’m going to get a medicine cabinet to match as well.  This comes with brushed nickel knobs which is what we are already going with on door hinges and knobs, so the faucet will be that as well. 

Doors.  We found the 6 panel replacement doors we need, but I need to find out if we should get the ones with pre-drilled door knob holes, or not.  

The other big event today was the hour-long phone conversation with the owner of Columbus Handyman.  He went over the details of the contract with us, and we discussed a few changes.  He will be sending us a final copy for another look-over tomorrow.  Once everything is approved, they can start working.  His 2 carpenter guys will need about 2 weeks in the house before the painter.  We will also have a "project manager" who will be on site at times.  After the painter is done, then we'll have the carpet installed.  So, we are probably looking at the month of April for all the work.  The plan was to be done with all the remodeling by May 1, and he seems to think this is doable.  

Sorry - no photos today.  I'll try to come up with some photos for you tomorrow!  Good night!

1 Week Anniversary

We celebrated our one week anniversary in the new house by not doing much.  We did unbox the new microwave and new coffee maker.  Hubby installed a new showerhead in the master bath.  He also did some weeding in the back yard.  I put shelf paper in the vanity in the master bath as well.  (I think I’m going to be doing shelf paper UNTIL I DIE!!!)  I also celebrated by taking a nap – my first nap on the new Porch furniture.

I’ve got photos to share today.  Let me warn you – between the cushions, the carpet and the curtains, we have 3 shades of green going in the room now, but can anyone really have too much green? 

As I mentioned yesterday, the furniture came in pieces.  Each piece was padded at the corners and at each point where there was either a built in bolt, or built in hole to bolt to.  Each of those pads had to be cut off.  The bolts had little protectors (dare I call them bolt condoms) that had to be unscrewed.   Here is a chair back for example:

One thing I did today was rearrange the furniture several different ways.  We started off with the loveseat “cornered” between the brick wall and the windows.  That made it difficult to get to the window. 

 Then I tried this arrangement:

The main problem with this arrangement was that the chair at the right totally blocked the view of the back yard and creek for the person sitting in the chair at the left… and the view is something we need to maximize.  So, I next came up with this:

Yes, the loveseat sticks out into the room, but this really maximizes the view from 3 of the 4 seats, and provides easy access to all blinds and windows for easy use.    I have a lamp that is made out of a birdhouse that I want to put on one of the tables – have to work on the other table.   I sort of expected Hubby not to like this arrangement, but he does like it!  YAY!  We may need to adjust the loveseat when we get the table and chairs, but that's not happening until May.  

Once I get my sewing room up and running, I will probably make some new throw pillows, and decorating certainly will help.  We had discussed a coffee table, but that might just clutter things up too much.  This set also comes with a footstool which we can order later if we decide we want one.  This is "Martha Stewart Living" by the way.  Of course there is a name label on each piece!  

So, that's it for today.  Happy Anniversary to US !!!

Day 7 - A Different Kind of Work

Today’s big activity involved the arrival of the wicker Porch furniture from Home Depot.  When we got up this morning, we checked the UPS tracking website, and it said the delivery was scheduled for today between 9 am and 7 pm - no more specific time than that.   So we sort of hurried up and went over to the new house earlier than we’d planned.  We took a bunch of stuff to do thinking it might be late afternoon before the UPS truck came. 

Well, much to our delight and surprise, the truck pulled up about 11:40.  The other part of the surprise was that all 5 items were in boxes and had to be assembled.  WHAT?  I thought it would come off the truck and go into the room and we’d cut off a few tags and be done!    Hubs and I then spent the next 3.5 hours assembling… and that doesn’t include all the time it took him to cut up all the boxes for recycling.  Loveseat, 2 chairs and 2 end tables. 

As it turns out, all of the the photos I took of the assembly process include Hubs, so I will try to get some furniture-only shots to post tomorrow.

I can, however, post our new forsythia plant that Hubs planted in the back today.  We actually got one for each yard and planted both today, so we’ll see which does better.

Tonight’s big shopping trip to Meijer included the purchase of a microwave and coffee maker.  We’re getting there!   We have not yet received the estimate from Columbus Handyman, so we have not finalized the carpet order yet.  I’m hoping that will come tomorrow or we will have to wait until next week.  As of now, no plans for the next 3 days.

Day 6 - Really even LESS House Work

Today’s activity at the new house involved having the Porch carpet professionally cleaned and de-spotted.  That took all of about 15 minutes, but I also got some very good free advice from the cleaner-man. 

We had an interesting conversation about the carpet samples that were out on the table.  He assured me that the Stainmaster carpet I was considering was very good carpet.  He strongly advised getting a very good pad because that extends the life of carpet.  He also confirmed my understanding that the darker (and more mottled) the carpet is, the less it shows wear.  Based on that conversation, I actually ended up choosing a darker shade on the sample board.  I went to the bottom row and picked the 2^nd from the right.  It’s called Day Dream. 

Our afternoon’s activity involved going to Lowe’s, meeting with Jerome, and actually getting the carpet ordered.  It turns out we need 1116 sq ft.  We are getting the best grade of carpet (Barefoot Manor) and the half-inch padding.  The total actually ended up being less than we expected, so we are totally ok with the carpet order.  The only thing that is up in the air is whether we are going to do that tear-out of the old, or whether we are going to pay them (about $300) to do the tear-out/take-away.   That decision will depend largely on when Columbus Handyman wants the old carpet out – before or after they construct and paint.  Jerome made the point that tearing out carpet can be very dusty, and if it is done after painting, then that dust sticks to freshly painted walls.  Jerome assures us that tear-out is very easy.  However, if our trash hauler insists it be cut into 3’ strips, that adds a new wrinkle to the process.  I don’t know that we want to be doing all that cutting.  I also don’t know that we want to be inhaling all that dust.  (Yes, I know there are masks.)  So, stay tuned for that decision.

We have not yet received the estimate from CH.  We hope to receive that tomorrow.  Also, we are told that our wicker furniture that is coming for the Porch is IN Columbus (shipped from Missouri).  We hope it will be delivered tomorrow!  When it arrives, you will get photos!

For the record, we got EXCELLENT customer service from Jerome.  When this is all over, I may write a letter to his boss praising him for restoring our faith in Lowe’s customer service. 

As of now, we have NO appointments for tomorrow, so we are going to take advantage of that to sleep in and do things at our own pace for the first time since this process started.

Day 5 - Closer on color choices

Today was much less “busy” than the last few have been, but we got a lot done.  Hubby finished dealing with the new mailbox, and we finally got done with shelf paper in the kitchen.  It’s a small kitchen – you wouldn’t think a simple thing like lining shelves and drawers would take so long, but it does!

Hubby cleaned the oven, and we decided to get new drip pans for the stove.  We are not thrilled with the stove as we would prefer a glass top, but we are going to live with this for awhile, especially since we really don’t plan on doing much cooking over there for quite some time.  We do plan to get a microwave tho. 

I did more cleaning on the porch – I vacuumed all around the bottoms of the walls.  The boards are rough and sort of catch little webbies, and then Hubby vacuumed up higher where I couldn’t reach.  So that room is ready for the carpet cleaners tomorrow.  There are some unidentifiable brown spots on the carpet (Maggie?  Did you do that?), so hopefully those will come off, but mainly I’m getting it cleaned because of dog dander.  We’ve ordered wicker furniture from Home Depot, and that should be delivered later this week. 

Today’s visitor was the paint guy from Columbus Handyman.  He estimates the paint job for them, and then they add it to what yesterday’s guy provides.  We are still waiting for the total estimate which we should get tomorrow.  Hubs and I have made our guesses; we’ll see who comes closest. 

We had been seriously considering a textured paint with sand in it for the entry way.  Today’s paint guy really discouraged that.  He said it is very hard to make it look right around the edges.  He also said that it is virtually impossible to ever change it.  It doesn’t come off, and you can’t really paint over it enough to get rid of the sandy feel.  He also said it is like sandpaper and if you rub against it, it hurts!  He recommended a textured effect that comes from using dry-wall mud.  He called it a “knock-down” effect.  I guess it is what we’ve seen in Tuscan restaurants.  We will go with that – just need to pick the color now. 

Today, for your viewing pleasure, we have carpet and paint samples.  I have no idea what these colors will look like on your computer, so if you don't like them, please blame the computer or the camera and not us!

Our first pic tonight is of the carpet samples that we got from Lowe's.  (Yes, I know - let's not go there.)  We will be working with a man named Jerome who has PROMISED me that he will give us his undivided attention tomorrow and that we will be very happy with his customer service!  ( I think I terrorized him!)  Anyway, here's the sample card:

I laid it in a sun-beam just for you! Do you like that???    Anyway, we are looking at the middle row, and are sort of going back and forth between the 2 middle ones:  Tranquility and Admiring.  (Where do they get these names?)  The thing I like best about Tranquility is you can see more of the color variations in it.  However, Admiring is darker and so will not show the wear pattern in the high traffic areas quite as quickly or as much.  The more I think about it, the  more I lean towards Admiring.  Hubby says he likes both and doesn’t really care. 

Next, let's talk wall color.  Here are our choices for the living room and hallway:  

Here we have Sherwin Williams colors: Dromedary Camel and Crème.  The lighter will go on the bead board wainscoting and chair rail, and all the trim (baseboard, crown, doors, door frames) and the Camel will go on the non-bead board walls.  We will also use the Crème for trim and highlights in the bedrooms.  

Bedroom colors:

Classic Yellow is for my craft room – 2 walls will be bead board wainscoting.  Red Bay is for Hub’s Man Cave – 3 walls will be bead board wainscoting.  And Blue Cruise will be an accent wall in the master.  We don’t know yet if we will go with Crème in there or just keep the white since it is in such good shape and goes into the master bath as well. 

For the entry way, we have picked out Sedona Slate Porcelain tile:  

But we have not selected the tile for the bathrooms yet.  It will be something simple, I think.  

We have not really talked window-treatments too much yet.  We are sort of waiting to see how the paint turns out before we worry about that.  The drapes in the living room might actually go with the carpet and walls.  They are probably not what I would have chosen, but they are ok - we'll just have to see what they look like when the rest of the room is done.  The curtains for all 3 bedrooms will need to be replaced, so that is a job for later.  

I have one final picture to share tonight.  It is a pic of a "neighbor".  We are thrilled to have him living nearby and look forward to lots of visits by him: