Just about done

Finishing up detail stuff like paint touch up, moldings and cleanup. A few things will have to wait until we return from vacation, like sealing the countertops and finishing the sink install.

Kitchen before:



Kitchen today






Bathroom before:


Bathroom today:

Tile system

Okay, I checked the name of the tile system I used. Schluter - http://www.schluter.com/4677.aspx
They have some pretty cool stuff for tiling.

I got the granite part of the backsplash up today, will do the last of the mosaic tomorrow. It looks nice!

I also put up some test curtains, and really like how those look. They match the door color almost exactly. I do need to iron them, though :)

Tomorrow I should finish up the rest of the tiling and then do little leftover projects like paint touch ups and moulding replacement.

Shovel, shovel

We got quite a bit of snow yesterday, on top of what we got Friday. So - not only do I have to shovel my own driveway, but the one at the flip house as well. Ugh!! Have had about enough of that! John was looking at electric snowblowers online today :)

Got all my lights on the first floor changed out, and they all work - so no new wiring needed there. I even got the ceiling fan replaced. That took quite awhile, and I was so sure that it wasn't going to come on when I put the power back on. There were *a lot* of wires! But, it did.
Think the neighbors probably heard me shout for joy.

The countertops are removed and I also removed the 2 cabinets which are going to be replaced by a dishwasher. There was a bit of mold behind the cabinets from the water damage, so I had to bleach that out. Luckily it's just surface mold. The kitchen looks officially torn apart now!

The granite tiles were ordered on Saturday, along with the edging system I am using. I can't wait to see how this is going to look! It will probably take at least 10 days, with the holidays in there, I am hoping it won't be too long.

Demo and evaluation

Okay, first off - it's freaking cold in that house! Someone will be out to do the furnace tomorrow - but it's hard to work when it's 30 degrees *inside*.
Here is the kitchen.


The colors are pretty drab in here, and that wall paper doesn't help. Removed the chair rail and started pulling the wallpaper down.
I am thinking I will keep the tile floor. I wasn't sure at first, but the more I look at it, the better it looks. Just needs a good cleaning. There is one broken tile - but I found a box of extras in the basement (lucky there!)

The tile is neutral, which is good. With a better color on the walls, this will definitely look better.
Once the heat is on, then the water will be turned on, then the upstairs pipes can be repaired.

Appliances arrived

Appliances came this morning. However, the stove has a dent in the side and a huge dent in the back. There was no way to see this until after it was uncrated. They put it into place just so that we could put the house on the market with a stove, and will swap it out next week.
After much finagling the dishwasher is in. We now need a couple spacers on each side, and it will look great.

Pics are a little hard to take here, since the kitchen is small.

Before:

After

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Here, the old kitchen did not have a fridge in it. The cabinets were so low to the counter that there would be no place for any appliances such as a toaster or coffee maker.

After: we put the fridge in the kitchen, and added an extra outlet along that counter wall. Not sure why this pic looks so crooked?

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Stove area, did not have a hood, or upper cabinets above the stove.
After: stove in place where it was originally, new cabinets and new hood.

Progress photos

Today was outlet changing, and starting on the shoe molding downstairs. Also, the guys came to start the junkout on the garage.
Here are some photos of various rooms as they are now, and as they were:

Kitchen stove area

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Bedroom

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Dining room

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Master bedroom

Rehab week in review

Seems like more and more little projects are winding up now.
Except the floors, which was a big project!

Finished this week:
- Kitchen counter top backsplash installation and grouting
- counter top oak trim varnished
- Cabinet hardware installed
- kitchen sink installed with dishwasher drain pipe
- all floors sanded and seal coat put down
- landscaping in the front

The house has two kinds of wood floors, downstairs is oak, and upstairs is red pine. The pine is really fragrant after sanding. Very resinous.

Will probably put one coat of poly down on the floors this weekend to get them started.
Early next week I will get the appliances ordered for delivery, and start working on replacing the shoe molding in all the rooms.

Rehab goals for this week

Okay, going to attempt the floors again this week. Third time's a charm, right? Getting the sander from a different place, though. Will be picking that up Monday morning.

So, plans are to:
- Sand the floors
- Finish installing and grouting the kitchen tile cove molding
- Varnishing the oak trim around the counter tops
- Landscaping

Again, not sure how long it will take for the floors, with the majority of the varnish gone, hopefully it will be quicker. Plus, this is a holiday week :)


** PSA - please take some time this week and donate blood, summer blood supply levels are critically low. We will be doing our part on the 2nd! ** ( http://www.givelife.org )