Big news: we're all finished with the house! I guess the slow-down in posts made it was pretty obvious that were getting to the end. Over the past few months we've done a few small projects, but nothing major. Mostly we've been just hanging out in the back yard. It's my new favorite place. Take a look.



And at night.



It has the amazing ability to make me calm down. I can race around all day, completing a million menial tasks and chores, but once I sit at the table, life seems to slow down. I can sit out there and read a book for hours. We eat dinner out there nearly every night and we've already had a half dozen bbqs and garden parties. I've been baking a ton too. Lots of breads, cakes, cookies and scones. Bad stuff. I've been through more flour and sugar than I care to admit. So if you see me and I seem to have a double chin, do be nice and don't comment on it. If you do, I won't share any of my baked goods with you.

But back to the blog. I was waiting to get the last few projects finished before I wrote a final post, and now we're done. Let's recap the last few months.

First, there was the floor project. When we bought the house, it had a vestibule entryway.



The very first thing we did was rip it out, only to find a plywood floor underneath. It was tough to tell what kind of wood was on the living room floor because it had been painted brown. Scott suspected it was oak and replaced the vestibule section. Months later, when he sanded the living room floor, he realized it was pine -- and the difference between the two woods was VERY obvious, even when stained. To compensate, we painted a fake walnut inlay around the oak with oil-based paint.



Then we polyrethaned over it.



And now, it's very though to tell that it's two different types of wood. With a mat, it makes a really nice entry detail. Definitely a success. We could use a larger mat to fill in the whole area, but I've yet to find the right one. Until then, this small brown mat will do.



Last weekend Scott painted the back door. White on the inside, cream on the outside.



He also cemented the front of the house where it meets the sidewalk, to keep water from leaking into the basement.



While he did that, I sealed the tile on the backsplash.

Around the same time, he replanted the window boxes.




Tonight we finished the very last project. For over a year I've been looking for a ceiling fan for the small bedroom. As the room is only 7 ft wide, it needed to be a small-space fan and it needed to have a light. After looking online and in every store, I gave up. There just aren't any cool small-space fans with lights. Large fans with lights sure, but nothing small. Adding a light kit to a small fan wasn't an option either because, good god light kits are ugly. Have you ever seen them? Makes me shudder in horror.

So I eventually (and with MUCH pressure from Scott) abandoned the fan idea and started looking for a light. Admittedly I only checked the easily accessible options – namely Home Depot, Lowes and Ikea, but I was met with ugly dome lights at every turn. I’m talking about the hideous monstrosities in cheap hotel hallways. The lack of variety was a bit surprising, actually.

So instead, we decided to make a light out of electrical fixtures. Scott welded the parts together after work today and we hung it after dinner.



Close up. It casts an awesome shadow on the ceiling.



It's very different. It probably need a shade, which I'll look for next time I'm out shopping.

So what now? We have a realtor coming over tomorrow to talk about selling the house. While I absolutely love living here, we really should sell and get started on another rehab. As Scott says, "No one wants an old rehab. Buyers want houses that are new and fresh." Really it's been our plan all along. To finish and to start all over again, only with more money in our pockets. We'll even sublet a studio for a few months, if necessary, until the new place is liveable. Right now though, the thought of going through demo again makes me want to hide under the sofa. But then again, the thought of framing and rebuilding makes me terribly excited, so I chose to focus on that.

Our friends and families are horrified that we want to sell already. They say that it's such a fantastic house. We're flattered by all the compliments, thank you, but we're the ones that made it a great house. And we'll do it again and again and again.

I can't sell until Labor Day weekend when I will have owned the house for two years, so we'll enjoy the fruits of our labor for a few more months, at least. It's important to own for two years before selling for tax purposes, apparently. But theoretically, people who plan to buy after Labor Day could be looking at houses right now. We'll talk about whether to list it properly right away, or whether the realtor should just bring his clients through on the sly. Scott asked me to add that we're asking $250k (absolutely non-negotiable), in case any prospective buyers are reading this.

So I guess that brings me to the end. Well, not really. I'll post when we sell. And when we start over, I'll begin a new blog and post that address here. So check back periodically. Hopefully we'll be on to a new adventure soon.

Thanks for reading.
Sue and Scott

Scott finished the backsplash project today. Well, he didn't seal the grout yet (that's next week), but he put the kitchen back together. It looks amazing.



It's not crooked. I apparently have a shaky hand. Here's a close-up.



And he added an extra shelf to the dead space by the stove. Now it looks intentional.



Here's how the kitchen looks now.



Scott loves the tile. It's a good thing. It was a nightmare. He likes it so much, he wishes it covered the entire backsplash. But... he announced that he's officially done with glass tile, so that's all there will be.

This week we've been talking a lot about the backsplash. In October I bought 20 sq. feet of glass tile and, this past weekend, Scott wanted to install it. It's beautiful tile in shades of blue and grey, and it matches the kitchen perfectly because I took a paint sample, a counter sample and a cabinet door to the tile store when I picked it out. Initially we planned to cover the entire backsplash with glass tile. When we got it home though, we realized that it's very busy. So busy that it would make the kitchen seem small and cramped. Instead, we decided to just use the tile behind the stove and range hood.

But... once Scott laid it on the floor, I started to have doubts about even that. Here's the tile.



Since we bought the tile, I've been going back and forth. One day I like the glass and the next I'll want to use white subway tile for a clean, classic look. Saturday Scott bought a few subway tiles, for comparison. I tacked them on the wall and realized that, while I love subway tile, it looked very plain the scheme of our kitchen. Almost hospital like.



That's probably because Scott bought the cheapest subway tile at Lowes, instead of the more pricey tile at a specialty store. Still, it was enough to help us decide.

On Monday Scott cut the tile. Read: nightmare. I see glass tile installations on TV all the time. What they don't tell you: (1) you need a special tile blade for the wet saw (an online purchase at about $55 + shipping), (2) you need a special adhesive for glass, otherwise the tiles pop off the wall (an extra $55), and (3) it is a MAJOR pain to work with. Fortunately we had learned most of those untold factors in advance, so we were prepared. It took him most of the day to make all the cuts.



And yesterday he installed it.



He finished the sides with metal edging, to complete the look. We'll grout and seal the tile over the weekend.

Now that it's up, it looks pretty amazing. Though now the rest of the backsplash looks pretty plain. I commented that we could butt subway tile up to the metal edging to complete the look. Scott said, "Yes, if the people who want to buy this house want to do that someday..." Ok. Hint taken. No more adventures in tile. In this house, anyway.

And, for fun, here's a pic of the house during last night's snow. So pretty.



I'm about to shovel that snow now, before I leave for work. Not so pretty.

Over the past few days, Scott finished the stairs. They came out great, especially considering how badly we've treated them over the past 15 months. No more throwing debris down the stairs. Not at the house at least.



Yesterday we installed the railing. The main part is held in with just three bolts, so while it's very stable, it's also removable for moving furniture in and out.



For comparison, here's here's what the stairs looked like when I bought the house. Looking back at the pictures, it's tough to believe it's the same place. I plan to list the old railing and spindles on the free section of Craig's List. No sense in throwing them away if someone can use them.



The new railing extends to the top of the stairs. That part is removable too.



Close up of the extension.



He filled the old spindle holes with metal details.



On Thursday he also finished the molding in the living room. The front door.



The nook by the door.



Now there's just a few projects left. The tile backsplash, a few things in the yard and a few final touches inside.

Scott's done landscaping for the season, so he's been working full time on the house this week. He spent most of yesterday sanding. Everything in the house is now sufficiently covered in dust. Guess I know what I'll be doing this weekend.



Today he painted the risers white. Took four coats. Two of primer and two of semi-gloss. When he finished, he regretted the whole thing. He NOW thinks it would look better stained and polyurethaned and I tend to agree. Oh well. It's painted now. Chalk it up to experience, I guess.



For a split second, he thought the stairs and the wall were just too much white. He tried to convince me to paint that white wall grey. Instead, I suggested fitting in the railing, just to see how it looks.



It's fine in white. He agrees. Instead we simply touched up the white paint. And we can always paint it later if we change our minds. I hesitated because I'm not entirely sure I would want that wall grey. Some other color, maybe. As I type this, he's coating every other step with polyurethane and tomorrow he's going to work on the molding in the living room. Every day this house inches closer to completion.

I've found that there are two kinds of people in the world: those who like math and those who like geometry. I know that, given a choice, most people would pick neither, and a slim minority of freaks would pick both, but, when pressed most people like one over the other. Scott is a math person. Lucky for him, I'm a geometry person.

This weekend he's been fabricating a railing for the stairs. I came home from running errands yesterday to find him measuring the metal. The railing will have a three-inch post at the base, a thick handrail and a series of flat bars between the handrail and the stairs.

The post.



Meeting the ceiling.



We worked all the angles and marked necessary cuts yesterday. Today, he welded the initial pieces together.



It fits great. Incredibly well for his first ever railing try. Probably because he measured about 50 times before cutting. We then had to figure out spacing for the bottom bars, keeping building code regulations in mind. The bars will turn at the smaller post, like this.



Right now he's taking final measurements and will weld in the bars tomorrow. Then he'll have to sand and refinish the stairs before the final railing installation. It looks amazing and, the best part? It's basically free. He's using metal that was leftover from other projects. Awesome.

And speaking of welding, he finished the garden gate on Friday. Ignore all the crap behind the gate.



It's a piece of metal trellis that he expanded to fit the opening, then added hinges and a lock. He's getting better at welding all the time. And he likes it too. So if anyone has any welding projects in mind... let me know. Last week he welded this basement window grate for our neighbor. She's thrilled.

Progress has been slow over the past few weeks. Mostly because there's not much left to do. Just the backsplash and the stairs, really. In the meantime though, I've been getting creative.

First, we reworked the metal shelf above the toaster. Here it was before.



Cluttered, poorly planned and ugly. We replaced it with more white shelves and jars for dry goods storage. I also moved the cookbooks into the cabinet. Oh, and a new toaster too.



Much cleaner looking. Here's a close-up.



It now matches the glass storage by the window. And speaking of the window, I wanted to install a spice rack on the wall between the window and the fridge. Until now, the spices had been haphazardly shoved into a cabinet. But Scott thought exposed spices was too cluttered. So we compromised. I got a 4-foot metal photo ledge from West Elm.



Cut into pieces, it makes the perfect cabinet door spice rack.



Everything's organized and easy to find now. Brilliant. Even though he won't admit it.

A few weeks ago Scott finally put outlet and light switch covers on the first floor. They give a really finished look. Personally, I can't believe how many people noticed and commented that the covers were missing.



This past week, I asked him to weld a custom wine rack for the top of the tall cabinet. It rained on Thursday, so he had time to weld.



Before you ask: Yes. I do know how lucky I am.

For the past few weeks we've been storing a friend's patio furniture in our backyard. She moved into her new house Saturday and took the furniture with her. Good thing too because later that day, I happened to drive by Carson's in Manayunk, the furniture store where we ordered our outdoor table and chairs, and noticed that the store is going out of business. I called yesterday to ask about our pending order and was told that we had two choices (1) We could take the floor model or (2) we could have a refund. As we still wanted the table set, we dropped everything and headed over to load the floor model into the truck. Scott was a little weary of this because the floor model table was already assembled. We ordered our table unassembled because he worried that a complete table wouldn't fit through our front and back doors. After much bickering and cursing, I insisted that the table would JUST fit if we took the doors off their hinges, which it did. There's still a bunch of work and reorganizing to be done back there, but the table's in and it looks great. Scott insisted on eating his dinner out there last night. He lasted for about 15 seconds out in the cold before he was back in the house.

We've done small amounts of work in the kitchen over the past two Sundays. Mostly trim work really.

There's a gap between the cabinets and the stove. It's a necessary gap that allows for the dishwasher door to open. At first we were going to install a filler panel, but then I realized it could be usable space. So we installed a small lip to hold cookie sheets.



Yesterday we installed the kick panel below the cabinets, or plinth as IKEA calls it. See it in the photo above and in this photo. It gives a finished look, hides the ugly legs and will keep dust from accumulating under the cabinets. Well, I suppose dust can still accumulate. But this way we won't see it -- and that way we can ignore it.



Here's a bit more. Also note the baseboard molding that Scott added last week. It on the right side of the cabinet and boy was it tricky. Guess that's why he put it off for so long.



We also leveled the appliances, so no more crooked fridge and the dishwasher won't fall forward when open any more. It's funny how the little stuff can make such a difference. Though I'm not sure if I'm more happy that the plinth is installed or that it's no longer leaning against the brick wall. I guess it's the same thing, really. Next up: tile for the backsplash. He's hesitant on that, so we'll get to it in 2010.

Yesterday we went to Carson's in Manayunk and checked out the sales on teak outdoor furniture. Prices were great (about 50% off) and we ordered a table and 4 chairs. We won't get it until March, which is good -- one less winter to wear on it -- and bad -- we want it right now. Yes it's teak, so it's pricey, but we'll literally have it forever. I don't count it as part of renovation costs because we'll take it when we move, eventually.

It's a 5-ft oval table.



That expands to 7 feet.



The chairs.



It's really nice stuff. So nice that I keep asking Scott when we got so posh. And who do we think we're kidding? Scott likes the look of fresh teak and says he'll seal it every year. I think he's kidding himself on that one too.

I was away for the weekend and came home today to find Scott planting the trees in the back yard.



He also got the up-lighting working.



It's incredible. It really looks like a piece of city park, or a restaurant. Next weekend we're going to look for a table and chair set at end-of-season sales. We'll also hang those black architectural panels on the walls.

Scott and I were on vacation this week. Things accomplished include:

- Yet another flea market table where I unloaded almost all of my crap

- A fruitless trip to the furniture auction

- A similarly fruitless visit from the Sears repairman because the fridge refused to make the clicking noise while he was at the house (note that it's clicking as I type this, stupid fridge)

- The counter top installation

- A trip to IKEA for a storage cabinet in the small bedroom; I put it together today. No photos yet as it needs to be bolted to the wall first; it falls forward when I put the doors on; yikes!

Mostly though, we worked on the back yard. I just accidentally deleted all of the photos I took as we broke up and removed the existing concrete from the back yard. Yeah, I'm bummed too. To recap: On Monday Scott cut out the crappy door at the back of the yard and spent A LOT of time repairing the cinder block walls. Then he used a car jack to hold up an edge of the concrete while I whacked at it with a 20-lb sledge hammer. I know, I know, you're dying to see photos of that. Me too. Sorry. Just believe me, I am the queen of the sledge hammer. No really. It's true.

After the concrete was thoroughly broken up, we loaded it in the truck and Scott took it to a recycling center in Camden. My old concrete will now be part of a road system in New Jersey.

Monday night he graded the soil and got it ready for the brick. Tuesday we picked up a TON of bricks from a friend's house (thanks Lynn!) and we speculated that it would be enough for our entire job (it was). Score!

Ok, and now we're to the part of the story where I do have photos.

Tuesday afternoon, we started by laying landscape fabric over the soil. As we set the brick in sand, the landscape fabric will keep the sand from disappearing into the soil and knocking the brick loose. Then he started to grade the sand, being carefully to dip ever so slightly toward the drain in the yard.



And then we laid brick.



Brick.



And more brick.



The finished product.



Note the cutouts in the back. He plans to plant trees in the cutouts, for privacy.

Yesterday afternoon we painted the cinder block walls a tan/green color. Note the iron trellis in the back. He's going to use that to make a door for the breezeway.



A better look at the tree cutouts (with up-lighting).



The side wall. He had to add the cinder blocks at the bottom because the old ones eroded.



A view of the house. We left a good amount of concrete against ours and the neighbor's house because we were worried about drainage issues. The last thing we need is a watery basement (either in our house or our neighbor's house).



Next Scott plans to install metal accents and weld the breezeway door. He had to work today, so he'll probably do that tomorrow.

Ladies and Gentleman, the apocalypse has occurred: I have a counter top. It was installed Wednesday and it's awesome. Take a look.



Ooohhhh solid surface. Note the cutting board in the next photo. It's made from the same material and came with the counter. It's meant to discourage me from cutting on the counter (which can scratch). I cut a few things on the cutting board and made massive scratches right away. Message received. Do not cut on a Corian counter (but really, who cuts directly on a counter top anyway?).



When I look at the counter, it sometimes looks like concrete. Sometimes it looks like slate. And sometimes it looks like laminate (I look away when it does that). No matter what though, I get positively giddy every time I walk by it. Here's the section with the microwave.




I do have to say, there's a bit of a learning curve with Corian. At least with a darker color. If it gets wet, I have to dry it rather quickly to avoid blotches, for example. Not such a big deal. I'm sure I'll get used to it.

Yesterday we ordered tile for the back splash. Should come in next week. It was rather spendy (read: $300) and at first I balked at the price, but then realized that I see/use the kitchen every day. And if I cheap out on a kitchen element, I will definitely regret it -- every single day until we sell the house. So I went with the spendy tile. I'm sure it's worth every penny. Hopefully we'll get to it by the end of the month. It's a glass tile. I can't find an exact picture online, but it's a lot like this, except in a blue family.




It's going to be a real stunner.

The counter top company just called to say that my order is ready. Super! I scheduled installation for next Wednesday (tons of pictures to come).

We're taking off next week to work on the back yard. We plan to rip out all the concrete and lay a brick patio, repair and paint the cinder block walls, install trees and decorations, build some sort of shade structure and build a new breezeway door. No way we'll get it all done. The shade structure will definitely wait until spring. We'll start with the patio.

Over the past few weeks, we've been kicking around various ideas for the back yard and we finally decided on a brick patio. Then he told me that bricks could cost in the neighborhood of $1000. Yikes! That's $1000 on top of the cost of paint, sand, trees and the rest of the materials we'll need. I've been dreaming of a nice yard for years. One where I can sit in a shady spot with a coffee or glass of wine and read a book -- or have friends over for dominoes or Scrabble or whatever -- but I definitely can not afford to throw down $1000 for some brick. I almost canceled the project.

And then fate stepped in, once again.

Last week a friend shared pictures of her in-progress house renovation and I noticed that she had a new patio installed in her back yard. I commented on it (looks great) and then mentioned that we plan to lay bricks in our yard. She said her landscaper ripped red bricks out of her old patio and was, at that very second, loading them in his truck to dispose of them. She offered them to me, for free and I jumped at the opportunity. Her landscaper is holding them for me until we're ready for them at some point next week. Lucky right? Right. I don't think there's quite enough brick to cover our whole (tiny) yard, so I'd like to supplement with a contrasting border. Scott HATES that idea. There's a compromise in the future, I know it.

In the meantime though, we're having a flea market table this weekend to purge a ton of old stuff. It's like a sickness. Scott and I can not walk by the growing pile of crap without contributing. It started out as a way to get rid of some junk and now half the house is in the pile. I occasionally catch myself thinking things like, "We don't need the butter dish, do we?" Then I have to slowly back away from the lunacy. Seriously. There's so much stuff piled in the living room right now, it looks like we just moved in. On the upside, the basement looks fabulous. So there's that.

Counter guy came yesterday and made the template. Took him about an hour. Management at work was very generous and let me work from home yesterday instead of taking a day off. And yes, I actually got a ton of work done. All Web-based research. Counter should be ready for installation in early October -- when Scott and I are on vacation. But like The Reverend Horton Heat says, "I want it now, right now, right now, right now. I want it now, right now, right now, right now."

I ordered the counter top in early October (and yes, Home Depot, I'll take a credit card and an extra 10% off thank you). I was thrilled and excited and elated and everything else, until I realized that something was wrong. Why? Because a week passed and no one called about coming out to make a template. I called HD on Friday and was told that they lost my order. Or more, that they "couldn't find" my file. I've never been much of a problem solver via telephone, so Scott and I went there on Saturday instead and cleared up the mess (in a very pleasant, non-confrontational kind of way). The nice man assured me that he would submit the order first thing Monday morning and ask them to expedite the process. True to his word, the templaters called this morning and we scheduled an appointment for Wednesday. So now I'll have an unexpected day off from work (yay) and the template completed. Scott and I are taking a week off in October to work on the back yard. Hopefully the counter will be ready for installation that week too. I. Can't. Wait.

Corian is on sale at Home Depot, starting today, just like the nice man said it would be. I'm taking tomorrow off from work (just because I can), so you KNOW I'll make a beeline right for the store. Can't wait!

Yesterday was one year since we started work on the house. Or, as I said to my neighbor, one year since we became her worst nightmare. Scott celebrated by painting the molding on the back of the house (not exciting so no picture) and by tearing out the brush that had overtaken the back yard and breezeway behind the yard (also not exciting). What is exciting though, is Scott's reaction to the now barren back yard. He feels it's concrete jungle and an affront to his skills as a landscaper. He spent most of last night staring out the back window, offended by the bare yard. Looks like that'll be next on his list. And I've got to say, I'm really, really excited to spend some time in the yard.

In the meantime, the one piece of original plumbing left in the house started to leak yesterday. Yay. He fixed it, but we couldn't use the water all day while the silicon was drying. Late in the day we decided to grill steaks because, well it was Labor Day. Man, you haven't lived until you've hosed off meat in the back yard. Fortunately I didn't have to do that. So I guess I haven't lived.

Tomorrow will mark one full year since I bought the house, which means Monday is the first anniversary of when we officially started work on the place. So the question is: it's been a year, how do I feel? Well, I'm caught somewhere between "Wow we've gotten so far" and "I can't believe this friggin place isn't done yet." We initially planned to make the counter tops over the long weekend, but now that's not happening. So instead we'll celebrate this milestone by working on the back of the house. Scott installed a lot of molding on the back of the house when we moved in and it's only been primed so far. So there's painting ahead, for the molding and the back door. If I'm feeling ambitious, I might buy a screen door too. We'll see. Happy anniversary, house.