And then after a long day of house renovating and wandering about Home Depot (who has nothing on Lowe's btw) we ate. (I know to the reader it may seem very soon after lunch, but it was like 8:30 by the time we ate dinner.)
Monday, February 22, 2010
Aftermath...
First of all, who would "special order" this? U-G-L-Y you ain't got no alibi, you ugly ... yeah yeah, you ugly. *whoops to anyone that has this carpet, if you feel your carpet is similar, realize that you have the Cinderella to this ugly stepsister of a foot fabric*
And then after a long day of house renovating and wandering about Home Depot (who has nothing on Lowe's btw) we ate. (I know to the reader it may seem very soon after lunch, but it was like 8:30 by the time we ate dinner.)
And then after a long day of house renovating and wandering about Home Depot (who has nothing on Lowe's btw) we ate. (I know to the reader it may seem very soon after lunch, but it was like 8:30 by the time we ate dinner.)
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Hospitality & First Meal
This just in, first meal served in the Lucarini/ Ehlers household: Homemade pizza (mozz, ricotta, pastrami, spinach, and tomato), pretzels & dip, and beer!
Cheers and may the good times go on!
Cheers and may the good times go on!
Colors & Layers
Wall in the downstairs hall.
Inside the closet of the downstairs bedroom/ laundry room.
Behind the kitchen cabinets:
Inside the closet of the downstairs bedroom/ laundry room.
Behind the kitchen cabinets:
More Secret Stashes
So many ice cube trays, and tucked in all areas of the cabinetry like they were hiding them from someone. Mmmmm, grenadine.
I couldn't just throw this out! What if it's tasty?
I understand the wax paper and ant traps, but a pacifier?... The youngest of the children is like 50. May be a grandchild's? I hope...
This woman was a bigger mini-bottle collector than I am. May be...
Words cannot describe the rest of these treasures.
I couldn't just throw this out! What if it's tasty?
I understand the wax paper and ant traps, but a pacifier?... The youngest of the children is like 50. May be a grandchild's? I hope...
This woman was a bigger mini-bottle collector than I am. May be...
Words cannot describe the rest of these treasures.
Good Things Come in Threes: Aunt Debbie, Dad, and Nanie
Two Notes:
1) Yay! Dad got to see my house for the first time and didn't hate it! Yay for artistic vision.
2) Aunt Debbie is not pictured and that drastically understates her participation, it's just that she moves so darn fast you can't capture her on film!
Aunt Debbie and I took turns trying to scrape this out. It was harder than it looks.
We also worked to get up tile and take off window dressings.
Took out the vanity in the downstairs bathroom. Turns out it went straight through the wall!
Unpictured: pulled out the rest of the staples in stairwell and floor in living room and hallway, moved most of the scraps and junk to the garage, got rid of remaining wall paper, pulled out cabinets in downstairs bathroom, uncovered the rest of the radiators, put a door over the opening to my basement where animals could get in, and I am sure there were more things, but off the top of my head that was Saturday!
1) Yay! Dad got to see my house for the first time and didn't hate it! Yay for artistic vision.
2) Aunt Debbie is not pictured and that drastically understates her participation, it's just that she moves so darn fast you can't capture her on film!
Aunt Debbie and I took turns trying to scrape this out. It was harder than it looks.
We also worked to get up tile and take off window dressings.
Took out the vanity in the downstairs bathroom. Turns out it went straight through the wall!
Unpictured: pulled out the rest of the staples in stairwell and floor in living room and hallway, moved most of the scraps and junk to the garage, got rid of remaining wall paper, pulled out cabinets in downstairs bathroom, uncovered the rest of the radiators, put a door over the opening to my basement where animals could get in, and I am sure there were more things, but off the top of my head that was Saturday!
The Kitchen & What Happened There
Dad bringing kitchen remnants out and then pointing out where the cabinets used to be. Colorful.
Nanie killing mold.
They took this down too.
Brendan washing dishes in the aftermath.
Nanie killing mold.
They took this down too.
Brendan washing dishes in the aftermath.
Pete's Work Weds thru Sat
This is in the bedroom where we had the washer and dryer. For now it will be divided into a closet facing the side for a stackable, and a small but deep shelving area to the left. Yes it makes the room a bit smaller but it retains it's status as a bedroom and is a step closer to putting the laundry in the hall and making the bedroom just that- a bedroom.
Here we had a "walk in" closet, also known as a sewing room to the right and to the left of it was a small closet. blew them both out and we have a pretty sweet master bedroom.
In the bathroom Pete took out the remainder of the cabinetry as well as the as the sink. I am actually haveing some remorse about getting rid of that vanity especially after vanity shopping right now. :( Hopefully he didn't destroy it. Going to ask him Monday.
Pete cut this wall in half. It makes the stairwell area MUCH nicer. It's open and brighter.
Here we had a "walk in" closet, also known as a sewing room to the right and to the left of it was a small closet. blew them both out and we have a pretty sweet master bedroom.
In the bathroom Pete took out the remainder of the cabinetry as well as the as the sink. I am actually haveing some remorse about getting rid of that vanity especially after vanity shopping right now. :( Hopefully he didn't destroy it. Going to ask him Monday.
Pete cut this wall in half. It makes the stairwell area MUCH nicer. It's open and brighter.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Secret Stashes and Unsung (or pictured) Heroes
Pulling off wallpaper in the kitchen, all of a sudden dust and plaster fall, and I am showered in bee carcasses. Ok may be showered is an exaggeration, but only slightly. Thankfully the hive seems dead.
Found this card, thought it was kind of signature of the house. I mean I have no idea who it's addressed to ("Dot and Click/Chick?") and from Astrid and Paul. Really? Astrid?
Ok, so I know I shouldn't, but I actively feel guilty having thrown this magnet away, lil' baby Jesus sitting in a contractor trash bag with wall paper and house refuse.
As far as progress goes, today was a lot of talk. I met with Peter the handyman my Aunt and Grandmother referred me to and I think he as well as they were a little shocked at the conditions, but I try to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel rather than how dark it is in here. He seems to have a lot of potential and will start on Wednesday, so I look forward to see where we are on Saturday. Also Pete the Spartan Home Inspector (Sparta, NJ) stopped by to verify my bees and mold were dead and easy to rectify. I HIGHLY recommend his services if you ever need a home inspection, thorough, patient, and conscientiously helpful even months later. He along with my family were the unpictured heroes of the day. My aunt alleviated the need for a pry-bar by breaking out some of the tiles and cabinetry with her bare hands. My grandmother came up with her and the handyman to help advise and offer a third opinion, which I appreciated. I was a little nervous about her opinions on the house but I think by the end of it she felt more constructive than scared for me. Then later that day my mother came by and cleaned my refrigerator and the mouse poop under my sink cabinets and made me feel better about having bits of my house not under siege and livable.
Here are a couple of shots where I took down the valences, but other than that I mainly took up some tile and cabinets, and spent a good long time pulling nails from the floor in the living room.
Found this card, thought it was kind of signature of the house. I mean I have no idea who it's addressed to ("Dot and Click/Chick?") and from Astrid and Paul. Really? Astrid?
Ok, so I know I shouldn't, but I actively feel guilty having thrown this magnet away, lil' baby Jesus sitting in a contractor trash bag with wall paper and house refuse.
As far as progress goes, today was a lot of talk. I met with Peter the handyman my Aunt and Grandmother referred me to and I think he as well as they were a little shocked at the conditions, but I try to focus on the light at the end of the tunnel rather than how dark it is in here. He seems to have a lot of potential and will start on Wednesday, so I look forward to see where we are on Saturday. Also Pete the Spartan Home Inspector (Sparta, NJ) stopped by to verify my bees and mold were dead and easy to rectify. I HIGHLY recommend his services if you ever need a home inspection, thorough, patient, and conscientiously helpful even months later. He along with my family were the unpictured heroes of the day. My aunt alleviated the need for a pry-bar by breaking out some of the tiles and cabinetry with her bare hands. My grandmother came up with her and the handyman to help advise and offer a third opinion, which I appreciated. I was a little nervous about her opinions on the house but I think by the end of it she felt more constructive than scared for me. Then later that day my mother came by and cleaned my refrigerator and the mouse poop under my sink cabinets and made me feel better about having bits of my house not under siege and livable.
Here are a couple of shots where I took down the valences, but other than that I mainly took up some tile and cabinets, and spent a good long time pulling nails from the floor in the living room.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Missions Accomplished on Day Four
Me: Taking down wallpaper, which meant dismantling handles, wall hangings, etc... because they wallpapered EVERYTHING.
Brendan: Pulling up Carpet.
Today's Aftermath:
Turns out under the white wrapping paper-like wall paper of the living room was a taste of rustic Europe country side. Is it weird that I actually liked the look of unfinished plaster?
Other rooms without wallpaper or carpeting...
Hardwood everywhere (downstairs, except the kitchen and bathroom).
Brendan: Pulling up Carpet.
Today's Aftermath:
Turns out under the white wrapping paper-like wall paper of the living room was a taste of rustic Europe country side. Is it weird that I actually liked the look of unfinished plaster?
Other rooms without wallpaper or carpeting...
Hardwood everywhere (downstairs, except the kitchen and bathroom).
House Storytelling
Apparently in the 50's it became popular to put a pencil sharpener in the stairwell to the basement. Normally there were put in the wall on the side. I find this one an afront to tall people.
They liked the wallpaper so much they cut out bits to use as decoration. We found this a trend throughout the house.
Wallpaper was put in pre-cabinet. Means it is time for me to ditch the cabinet.
This time the wallpaper went from the wall right onto the cabinet, and was then painted over. Classy.
This is where they knocked down a wall and then couldn't match the wood to the surrounding rooms.
Flooring told interesting stories today. I mentioned this one in a previous post. It seems there was hardwood, and then an addition with different hardwood, and then parquet got popular so they threw in some fake linoleum, lastly the trend switched to wall to wall carpeting. It was all laughably easy to lift.
Now we have the upstairs, covered in tiles like from some basement. Likely nothing good beneath, BUT the stairs are hardwood, and why would you put in hardwood stairs leading to a cheaply done master bedroom? Plus if you look at the cross section of the top step you see tile, plywood, and then other plywood or is that hardwood?
They liked the wallpaper so much they cut out bits to use as decoration. We found this a trend throughout the house.
Wallpaper was put in pre-cabinet. Means it is time for me to ditch the cabinet.
This time the wallpaper went from the wall right onto the cabinet, and was then painted over. Classy.
This is where they knocked down a wall and then couldn't match the wood to the surrounding rooms.
Flooring told interesting stories today. I mentioned this one in a previous post. It seems there was hardwood, and then an addition with different hardwood, and then parquet got popular so they threw in some fake linoleum, lastly the trend switched to wall to wall carpeting. It was all laughably easy to lift.
Now we have the upstairs, covered in tiles like from some basement. Likely nothing good beneath, BUT the stairs are hardwood, and why would you put in hardwood stairs leading to a cheaply done master bedroom? Plus if you look at the cross section of the top step you see tile, plywood, and then other plywood or is that hardwood?
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