Friday, August 29, 2014

How to Observe the Building of a Chain-Link Fence

Ok, I have to admit that this is the first thing on the house that I didn't really help with. Jeremy and my step-dad David built a chain link fence last weekend so that the beagle could freely roam and harass the neighbor dogs.

Day One - we had to rent an auger to dig the holes for the posts. They then poured cement into the holes and let them dry.


Day Two - it was super hot and Jeremy's mom and sister came over to see the house. We watched the boys stretch the fencing to the poles and attach them with brackets.


The finished product was basically chain-link fencing where the neighbors' fences stopped so that we had a nicely enclosed yard with two gates.


The beagle was very happy indeed and made sure that he made laps around the entire perimeter just to show that he could.

Kind of a boring project to show all of you, but these are some of the important smaller things that we need to get done before we start blowing holes in the side of the house.

We are now planning the patio door and deck building. We need a ton of permits and stuff from the city so we are taking things one at a time and just focusing on the door first. More to come as we chip away at some more details. Bye!

Saturday, August 23, 2014

The Little Things

Now that we are all moved in, I am noticing that the little things make a big difference. Filling up the refrigerator with food, hanging a picture, buying a kitchen rug. These things are starting to really make this place feel like home. I have to say, I was a little concerned that Jeremy and I may butt heads a bit when it comes to decorating but I have been pleasantly surprised how well we have settled in and put our own mark on this house already.

I can't help but think about all of the rugs, furniture and accessories that we still need and want to buy. We are even turning the office into an office/jam room/Sammy getaway. Sounds conflicting, but it is working out nicely. I will post photos when it is done.

Here are a few items that I have started to scrounge together:



I am finally starting to accumulate some rugs for Sammy to sit on. He didn't waste any time.


One of my favorite ideas for the house is the "Wall of Travel." Jeremy and I have been lucky enough to travel to some really cool places like Peru, Costa Rica, Macedonia, Greece, Cambodia, etc. and I wanted to find a  way to reflect our experiences from abroad. We are printing out photos that we took from all around the world and adding it to the wall. It is the focal point in the living room above the couch. I love the constant reminder that we have been to some amazing places and met some phenomenal people. It is a work in progress and I plan on adding more images as we visit new places (like Thailand in January).


On the list this weekend is putting up the fence in the backyard and power washing the brick on the front of the house. We have had some visitors and house guests already so stop on by anytime!

Adios,

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Home Sweet Home

After a long ten days of scrapping, mudding, sanding and TONS of painting, we are all moved in! We are really excited to say that we are now officially residents of SLP. We are cracking away at the unpacking and we still have our work cut out for us, but here is a peek of some of the stuff we have done.

The bathroom needed some pizazz, so we painted it a light blue color. We still have to replace the shower doors and vanity and re-tile the floor.


The master we painted a light cucumber green and got our bed set up along with some temporary window treatments. 


Our dining table actually fit in the corner of our kitchen! Small miracles. This is the window that we will eventually knock out and add a glass door leading out to a backyard deck. I predict that I will be lounging out in my PJs shouting at the dog in no time! Lucky neighbors.


The living room still needs some serious decorating but at least we have a place for me to watch Real Housewives and drink my wine (duh). Excuse the box in the corner. It is not decor, it is just laziness.


Notice that the rehab-ed coffee table looks awesome. The TV stand is one of my future furniture projects. I love that vintage buffet style. I am going to paint it and add some new hardware. 

Just last night I mentioned to Jeremy that I wanted to tear out the nasty stained carpet on the stairway to the master. Well, that is all it took before he started tearing away. After we (mostly Jer) pulled staples out for about two hours we were impressed that the wood beneath is in pretty decent shape!

Before:

After:

They need to be sanded and refinished or painted somehow, but this is something that we will chip away at. 

Last, here is Sammy enjoying the backyard. We have already busted out the charcoal Weber grill (my dad would be so proud) and hung out in some lawn chairs like the classy folks that we are. By the way, if anyone is getting rid of some patio furniture, holler at ya girl! 


I appreciate you following our progress, there is much more to come. We are grateful for all of the well wishes! 

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Hampshire House: Where everybody knows your name!

By everybody, I mean Jeremy and I know your name. I mean, hopefully I would know the people in our house.

My friend Keegan is in Boston and sent me this photo which I thought was totally awesome. It is a sign, all residences on Hampshire kick ass.


Ok, so here is the update on this week. We are scrambling to get things done as we are now 6 days away from moving in. We have most of the ceilings painted and a lot of the patching, mudding and sanding done. No need to post photos of this because all of the above totally SUCK!

Alright, here is one photo. This is literally what I looked like after painting the upstairs ceiling all afternoon.


I am pretty sure if you look at my hair right now, I may still have a few flecks of paint in it.

The good news is, after doing all the crappy stuff we actually started painting some rooms and started to see them come together. I will post some photos soon. We are trying to get some flooring work done so we are working around that and finishing up the office and guest bedroom in the meantime.

Overall, it has been a crazy week and we still have a lot of work to do.

Oh well, "Cheers!" (Get it?)

Sunday, August 10, 2014

We Closed! Let the Work Commence

We own a house. Thursday, August 7th we closed and I started working on the house that evening. We have exactly 10 days until we move and we wanted to get as much done as possible. Thursday night we got all of our supplies unloaded and came up with a game plan.

First up, the kitchen. New appliances were being delivered right away Friday morning so I needed to make sure that the kitchen was painted before they got there. Cue the long night of taping and painting.

Here is the kitchen before:


Notice the toupe-y green color and the absolutely ancient appliances. Because this was a bank-owned property we were not surprised to learn that they had actually taken the existing stove out of the house and replaced it with the oldest thing I have ever seen. I am surprised it even worked.

I wanted to lighten the color up a bit while matching the counter tops and the tile that we bought for the back splash. I went with something called "Safari Vest." Here is the result:




That is my parent's dog Roger. He provided tremendous moral support as I slaved away edging around all of those dang cabinets. Also, notice the brand new stainless steel appliances! I have always wanted stainless steel appliances. I know that they are so "last year" and all, and the new thing is to buy black appliances or solar powered or something but I don't care. I love the mix of industrial looking with the white cabinets and woodwork. They really pop! I may have given the new fridge a hug and welcomed it to the family. Don't judge.

The kitchen still needs a bit of work. We are adding a back splash and knocking out the window to the backyard to add a door leading out to a deck (all of which we have yet to start). However, I feel good about the progress so far. It is nice to have one room looking more done than the others.

Until next time!

Monday, August 4, 2014

Mission: Coffee Table

I am obsessed with Craigslist. I am often looking for great deals on cheap or free items that I can fix up and use. It really is one of the best ways to rehab furniture and home decor.When I knew that I would be moving, I decided that I wanted some new furniture to be excited about. First things first, I needed a coffee table. I found this coffee table for 10 bucks on Craigslist.


The first thing that I did was to strip down the top to see if the wood was quality. It is easiest to begin with an electric palm sander and then follow up with some sandpaper, especially for the edges. Make sure to wipe it down with a clean cloth. I was shocked to find out how beautiful the wood was under all that varnish!


The second thing that I did was to rough up the bottom of the table with some medium grade sand paper and then prime it with an oil based primer. After the primer is dry, make sure to sand it with fine grain sand paper and wipe it again with a cloth. Yes, more sanding. That is definitely my least favorite part of the process. I chose a really nice warm creamy-yellow for the paint (which is latex). 


The last step was to stain the top of the table. I decided to go darker to better contrast the paint and make it look less 'country.' After several layers of stain and even more layers of poly, I had my table. 


I am really happy with the finished product and can't wait to see it in my new living room. 

I love old school, vintage looking furniture so when I found this old phone table (also from Craigslist) for 30 bucks, I had to get it! I decided in order to make the look cohesive, I would put it through the same treatment as the coffee table. Even though the wood is slightly different I was able to tie them together with the paint color and I can't wait to see them in the same room together.


I have a couple of other furniture projects that I will be working on post move so stay tuned!