Transforming House to Home: Part I

Once again, I realize this blog is a long time comin'.  It has been a little over a month since I wrote last, and we still haven't moved in!  We moved out of our apartment in Reston at the beginning of June, and have been bunking up at my parents house ever since.  Most of our stuff is already there, but since the shower isn't finished we aren't staying there yet.  We did try to stay over at the house one night, but that ended badly.  Picture pregnant lady sitting around in an unfinished house, desperate to settle in and "nest", but all the while knowing she might not be there for more than a few months...Yes, there were tears.  At that time, we didn't have internet, T.V., running water (except for one sink upstairs), electrical in all the rooms, mail that forwarded correctly, and there were still tools and construction gear every where I turned.  I just couldn't handle it.  I knew Gabe was itching to get in the house, so it was hard to make that decision, but oy, can't really go without a shower!

I'll start with May 15th, when the backsplash was installed.  Dad hired this out since we are really getting down to the wire, and don't really have time to do this ourselves, even though I had wanted to do this.  It looks so good!

A few decisions that went into the success of the backsplash : 1.) color of grout--I chose to do a "pewter" color, which is a medium to dark toned grout.  This helps the backsplash read as a unit, since the color is close to the overall color of the slate cut stones.  Since we are putting under-cabinet lighting in, I wasn't worried about the area reading too dark.  With the white cabinets, I figured doing a dark countertop and backsplash was going to be just fine.  2.) where to stop the backsplash on the north side--as you can see in the below photo, I chose to stop the backsplash a line of demarcation where the upper cabinets stopped.

It's even with the pantry on the opposite side and the soffit above.  The other alternative we had talked about doing was bringing it all the way to the end of where the base cabinets stop.  I voted against this because I didn't want such a great expanse of tile, I like how it gives boundaries to the kitchen so the base cabinet to the left acts a bit like a dining room buffet, which is what the space in front of the French doors is to function as.

The next weekend, May 17th & 18th, Gabe's bro, Joel came to stay with us for a few days to help us move.  Gabe got him from the airport on Friday and took a load of furniture out to the house and Mom & Dad's that afternoon.  Not all of our stuff is going to our little house in the country, because we will not be there for more than a few months.  The goal is for us to live in it long enough to get it finished, and get our part of the profit out so we can go on and buy our own place.  We have selectively chosen to bring only the things to the house that really fit (not the desk from college!) and will work to help stage the house when we go to sell or rent.

Exhibit A:

The next day, Saturday, we trekked out to the house to get some things done.  The main goal for the day was to get the shower tile installed.  There would be side projects too that Mom, Dad, Joel and I could work on too, but the shower was Gabe's baby.  When we got there, the stair treads were all standing up around the living room like soldiers having been clear-coated and sealed and waiting to be installed:

Also, when we got there, we saw that the landscaping fairy had been there (our subcontractor Rene), and had planted some of our plants/trees:

Juniper trees, for privacy from neighbors

more evergreen, for ground cover

So, while Gabe got started on tiling the shower, Joel worked on wiring plug outlets:

So helpful!

I worked with Gabe on the tiling since I was in charge of what tile went where.  I manned my supervising perch, the only seat in the house --the toilet!  HA!  First, he measured the space, figured out how many 12" tiles would fit on the wall, and where the middle tile would lie.  It's important to center the tile from the mid-point and work out to the corners instead of starting from the corners and working to the middle.

Gabe measured out a distance from the tub--to do at the end, and placed a temporary wood piece all the way around so he had a level line to start out from.  What a smart cookie!

To keep the inside of the house relatively clean, he set up the tile saw out on the front porch and hand carried cut tiles up and down the stairs.  Here's how far he made it that day:

The next day, a lot more progress was made:

Above, a slate corner shelf is installed.

Joel and Gabe also installed our mailbox post, so we can receive mail soon...

Joel left on Tuesday.  We were able to take a load of our stuff out to the house before we took him to the airport, which was a really big help!

The next weekend was Memorial Day weekend.  We took another load of stuff out to either Mom & Dad's or the house.  Saturday was a work day and the priority was tiling the shower again.  When we arrived, we saw that Rene had installed most of the heart pine treads on the stairs.  They looked gorgeous!

Since Gabe would continue to carry wet, cut tiles up and stairs, he cut cardboard pieces to protect them for now.

From the top:

The platform:

Gabe worked on the shower tile--the detail border was almost complete:

Another priority was to hook up the A.C. pipe so we could have air conditioning when we moved in.  It involved cutting a hole through the outside wall--stucco and everything.

The next day, Mom, Dad and I went to HHGregg to buy a stackable washer/dryer during a Memorial Day sale.  We bought a Whirlpool scratch and dent model for a good price with a rebate we had gotten from buying the Whirlpool kitchen appliances.  Then we headed to the nursery for some landscaping materials.  We got a blue spruce bush and 3 blue hanging plants that would compliment the yellow-orange colors of the house beautifully.  We made one more stop to Home Depot for recessed ceiling trim kits.  Gabe had been at the house finalizing the venting for the microwave.

When we got back to the house, Dad wanted to install the hanging plants:

It did make the porch appear more festive and homey!

Meanwhile, I installed recessed lights!!

Looking good!

How many guys does it take to install a mail box??

hehe :D

Mom and I worked on cleaning out the inside of the kitchen cabinets from the dust and dirt that had accumulated there.  They were quite grubby!  Our next project after that was to cut shelf liners, which ended up taking a really long time.


We came back on Monday with another load of stuff.  That day was all about finishing the tile.

Dad worked on the last stair treads and installing the threshold in the living room from the foyer:

Gabe worked some on electrical to figure out some of the issues with the circuits:

On Saturday, June 1st, we got everything out of the apartment we had been living in in Reston, cleaned up and moved the last of our things.  We had a couple of generous friends come out to help us.

Our plan is to move in to our little investment property for a couple of months until we find a place of our own to buy.  Our baby is comin' and we aren't even sure if we will be in the house when our baby comes!  It is a leap of faith to move in to this house for me, when all I want to do is settle in somewhere and make a place for our baby to come home to.  So, I trust that, as we take one day at a time, that the longer term plans will fall into place in the way they are supposed to and that I will learn better how to be content, even in the face of uncertainty.

We stayed over at my parent's place for a few nights, since the shower still needed to be grouted, caulked and sealed.  We attempted to stay overnight at the house a couple of days later, despite not having a functioning shower, but I just couldn't do it.  There was just too much undone and it didn't feel like a safe place for me yet.  There was still dust and debris everywhere, with cardboard on the floors, only one functioning faucet and rooms with without electricity.  Unpacked boxes and lack of motivation loomed over me.  At every turn, there seemed like there were ten things on the to-do list that were "priority" and I was overwhelmed.

About a week later, another issue popped up.  One day, as Gabe was installing the washing machine, he discovered that there was good water pressure there with hot water coming out, but horrible water pressure at the bathroom sinks and no hot water.  So, we called on the plumber (who said he would show up for 3 days without actually showing up) to come take a look.  It ended up being a sediment problem in the system that needed a filter.  The faucets that Gabe had already installed would have to be flushed too.  Also, an inspector came check the gas lines so we could hook up the range/oven and fireplace, but the inspection failed.  So we then had two set-backs to slow us down and discourage us.

A few projects that took place in the next couple of weeks--

Gabe hung my curtains in the master bedroom:

Later in the daylight:

He installed the kitchen sink faucet:

Installed a light fixture in the study:

Installed a light fixture in the stairwell:

This might be my favorite light fixture, ever.

To be continued...

Tile Flooring and Cabinetry Continued

It was hard to sit down and write this one.  I have been really tired and lethargic---given my baby-growing superpowers....!!  For those of you who didn't know, I am pregnant!  So, Gabe has been working on the house by himself more and more.

Last I wrote, we had almost finished laying floor tile in the upstairs bathroom.  The next step would be to seal it before grouting it.  This ensures that the slate clefts won't be damaged by the sandy grout.  So, Friday, the 8th of March we worked to finish up securing the tiles down:

Again, I would select the tile and Gabe would diligently cut pieces and apply Thin-set to the subfloor and I would help "butter" the backs of the tiles and Gabe would place them.  Look at his masterful job!

Working around the toilet flange was a little difficult.  But, it was pretty nice that it worked out exactly in the middle of a tile!!

Tile saw and Gabe, in action:

And done with that part.

The next day, we can see a dry fit of more kitchen cabinets:

These will be installed after the microwave/range vent is installed.

Here is the start of the under stairs closet storage door:

Dad has been working on this using leftover heart pine pieces.  Here is the original door style we are going for:

On another note, the utility door jamb broke somehow, so this will have to be pieced together now:

The object of the day was to attack the tile in the foyer/downstairs bath.  I was going to be leaving mid-afternoon, so my job was to select the tiles and Gabe would then set them in Thin-set.  We prioritized the transition areas and doorways, so Dad could get Rene started on the doorway trim.  The first thing was to draw chalk lines and determine the direction of the tile brick pattern:

And this is what it looked like at the end of the day:

From the front door

Looking toward the living room threshold

We worked this week to order carpet for the upstairs also.  It was quite difficult because the one I chose several months ago is not there.  Or if it is, the name has changed and the price has been hoisted.  Ugghh.  So I selected another, that was actually a bit less.

we sourced Home Depot

The next Friday (the 15th), we continued filling in tile in the downstairs bath.  By this time, because of the work Gabe did around doorways, the door trim was (mostly) complete:

              downstairs bath door                                             under stair storage door frame

And we can see the utility door frame was fixed:

yay!

So, the plan for that evening was to get the bathroom tile laid and cut, so tomorrow, I could work with him early to select tile for the foyer space and then leave while he set it all in the mortar, since I would be leaving early again.

Looking into the bathroom:

Sink & shower area:

Toilet flange:

Moving into the foyer, first Gabe vacuumed up the space:

A photo of Gabe, posing nicely from out on the porch through the front door:

At the end of the day on Saturday the tile is set in mortar:

the "X" is a tile set last week, so it's safe to stand on

Next week, we move on to grouting the tile!!


The weekend of the 22nd and 23rd of March, we worked on grouting the upstairs and downstairs tile.

During the week, Mom had sealed the tile so we could move forward.  Look how nice the upstairs tile turned out!!

This is the product we used:

sourced from Home Depot

Here is the downstairs tile sealed and ready to be grouted:

Meanwhile, we had received appliances during the week as well, so here is a visual, even though they mostly look like big boxes taking up space:

This refrigerator is 30" wide, which is the most narrow profile of any French door frig out there.  With an ice dispenser too!

From left to right we have a frig, stove with microwave sitting on top, and lastly a dishwasher

Gabe also worked with Dad a little while on sizing the vent hole for the cabinet above the gas range and microwave.

I have to admit, Mom hooked me up with a comfy cot on site so I could occasionally get some rest, but still be around for the action....  She rocks!!  So....that is what I was doing.

Mom worked very well to sand down rough spots on the walls preparing soon to paint.  She also added putty to nail holes in the trim.

Later that day, Gabe and Mom (since I was down for the count) started grouting the tile upstairs.

Starting in the corner:

Looks terrifying at first!!  My beautiful tile!

I was there to wring out sponges quickly as they worked.

We finished around 8 pm, but the directions said we needed to wait two hours to then go over it again to remove the haze.  Gabe volunteered for this job.  He's an all-star I tell ya!!  So needless to say, it was a long day for him.  This is how the tile looked right before we left:

Looks pretty scary, but it will clean up nice!


The next day (Saturday), was another busy one.  First, here are a few pics of the grouted tile.  It still needs a good cleaning before the final coats of sealant.

Dad had finalized the fitting for the microwave vent, which was the piece holding up the installation of half of the kitchen cabinets on the north wall.

Here's the fitting and the cabinet, ready to go:

It will go in the hole from the outside:

Finally the cabinet and microwave can be installed!

Voila!!

At that point, I left since I wasn't feeling well.  Gabe and Dad continued hanging the rest of the cabinets on that side.  Yay!

Check it out:

The ones installed this afternoon are the two base cabinets: one drawer stack and one 36" double base.  Also, the wall cabinet to the left of the microwave was hung and will have a glass front when we are finished.

Dad and Gabe also worked to modify the sink base, since it is an apron front sink.  They took the drawer out and shaped it to fit.

The sink will fit like this:

I came back and brought them dinner after a good nap, so I was able to see progress on grouting the downstairs bath and foyer area.  Here are the all-stars themselves:

Once again, we had to wait two hours to do a final clean of the tiles to remove the grout haze.  We sent Mom & Dad home and we waited there together.  I actually got a second wind and was able to help Gabe out with the final clean:

Isn't he cute??

It's a good thing Gabe brought his computer to watch March Madness in the meanwhile!!

HA!!


Next weekend, we committed to being there for a three day weekend.  My Thursday class was cancelled due to Easter weekend, so we left to be there around noon on Thursday, March 28th.  Once again, I wasn't feeling very well, so I skipped out of the action.

The order of the day was to hang fireplace tile.  I stuck around long enough to help Gabe determine the location of the T.V. wall mount and mantle on the fireplace wall.

He made a mock-up of the T.V. size, and held the mantle so I could see what it would look like.  Let me tell you, I am very excited about our mantle prospects.  This piece of wood is an original joist from under the house.  It is beefy and gorgeous.  Can I say that about a slab of wood?  We will give it a light sand and put a coat of polyurethane on it to install.

Then, he worked to change the outlet from a single to a double, and attached boards to designate the locations of the mount and mantle.  Gabe worked with subcontractor Rene to hang the fireplace tile from 4 until around 8:30 pm that evening.  I got to see pictures later that evening:

The next day (Friday), was a very productive day.  But I didn't stay very long once again.  I came to see the fireplace tile, did some sweeping and organizing, since it was chaos in there.  There were floor tiles everywhere, so I worked with Gabe to organize and box up floor tile that will be used to clad the shower stalls.  Gabe worked to fix the table saw switch, and when I left, he worked with Dad to install the final cabinets.

This is what I saw when I came to pick them up later in the day:

A soffit created

A niche created for the refrigerator:

The sink base (without the sink):

Rene also had a chance to continue tiling the fireplace wall:

Dad even took a nice picture of me and my man!

Saturday, I didn't go out to the house until late in the afternoon, since I was working on this very blog :).  Gabe and company prepped the ceiling for painting since we are angling toward getting the carpet installed upstairs in the next couple of weeks.  Mom worked on priming the bare wood door jambs.  

When I got there, Gabe had finished spraying the upstairs ceiling with this paint color from Behr:

It is intended to be a warm white.  I came to see if it was going to be an acceptable color to use as the trim and door color as well.  I think it's going to work :)

Here are a few shots of the ceiling--can you see the color change??

2nd Bedroom

Master Bedroom

He spray painted the upstairs vanity drawer stack (we couldn't get it in the Ice White Shaker--they didn't make it in 9" width):

Here are a few pictures of the kitchen in the daytime:

Here is a detailed picture of the work Rene is doing on the stair rail trim:

And one last task before we call it a day--attaching the grounding wire for the gas line:

It's a good thing it was a gorgeous day!!  Also too, having the windows and doors open to air out the fresh paint.

And we are off!  Gabe and I are pleased to be taking a week off of school and work to hit the beach.  It is a much needed break to have some quality time together.

Cheers!