Northeast Portland Bungalow

Sneaking in a project

2011-11-08T20:05:00.001-08:00

Have you ever snuck a small organizing/rearranging project when someone wasn't looking? Did you ever do that in someone else's house?

Is that the kind of thing people appreciate? I know one of the people in the home will really appreciate it, and is excited. But no one else knows. Except for you. And you wouldn't tell anybody, right?

We're still here

2011-10-01T19:19:00.000-07:00

October. Really? Whoa.

There has been progress on our home improvement projects. Namely, the yard. Daffodils are planted, garden boxes are full of compost and ready for topsoil. But between guests, work, and the extended vacation our sander took (at the repair shop) there has been little time focus on projects or update the blog.

I'm really hoping to get our focus back, soon, and get back on track. The rain is back, so it's time to sow grass seed. Unfortunately, I probably won't get around to building the shed until the rain stops, next year. We'll also have to wait until spring to see if the Japanese Maple survived being moved.

More soon (I really, really, really hope!!)

Garden Boxes

2011-07-17T12:52:00.001-07:00

You might remember from older posts that we've found quite a bit of garbage buried in our yard.

Exhibits A, B, C and D:

The cement in the top picture was almost 4' long. The white disc in the second picture is the top of a prescription drug bottle. We found maybe 100+ of the clear, compostable cups, and other picnicware that the previous owners had left in the yard. Some buried, some strewn about, most cracked all to pieces. Love it. Also from another post, you may remember that the rusty barrel was not only full of garbage, but it was buried, up to the rim.

Garden boxes will help ensure we're gardening with cleaner soil, and make garden maintenance a little easier. Box design and construction is another project that I surrendered control of, and, once again, it was for the best.

My mock up of his design:

We purchased: two 4x4x12 and two 2x4x12 sticks for the vertical pieces, eight 1x6x16 yellow cedar boards for the sides, landscaping fabric, 2 1/2" screw (should have gone with 2 1/4") and 3" screws. The 4x4s were cut to 12" lengths. The 2x4s were cut to 24" lengths. The cedar was cut to 4' and 8' lengths.

The 4x4s were attached inside the corners and along the 8' section on the interior side. The 2x4s were placed along the midpoints on all 4 sides, on the exterior, and were sunk into the ground for stability. Landscaping fabric was stapled around the interior sides of the boxes to help keep soil from squeezing out between the boards.

Cost of materials was $138 and change. The project required about 9 hours of labor for one person. That one person was not me.

Now we just need to get some good, clean soil and wait for next spring to start our garden!

It's been a while

2011-07-15T22:10:00.001-07:00

... but we haven't stopped. I realized today that it's been a month since I last blogged. We officially lost a follower, and I get so excited about followers, that it bums me out. "Sorry to see you go!"

See? No hard feelings. :-)

Our sander is still in the shop. Really, I have no clue why they've had it for so long. It's been busted for almost 2 months. And we totally could have finished anyway, without the sander, but... yea... we've been distracted.

Distracted with things like backyard demo. Pictures will be posted soon, but I assure you, it's impressive. We now have a blank slate and are excited about this project.

The backyard project includes the design and construction of garden boxes and a shed. I'll add a breakdown on pricing in future posts.

Do you use Google SketchUp? It's pretty easy. I downloaded the basic version for free, and of course, I skipped the tutorial. But I've managed to figure out most of the tools- at least well enough to come up with this:

The shed, at least according to my current plan, will be about 4'x8''. As you can see, the roof will slope down to the back. I'm hoping to use salvaged materials, so I will be hunting around at the local outlets and on Craigslist.

Stay tuned- I'll be posting more about the yard and construction projects soon!

Sanding is still on hold.

2011-06-13T17:11:00.001-07:00

The sander was supposed to be ready for pick up on Thursday. Still hadn't heard, so today I called the shop. They explained more was broken than they anticipated, and they are waiting for parts to come in. And "we'll call you when it's ready."

That line is such a bummer. No expectation of when it will be ready. Just whenever. I'm so excited to wait even longer for the sander.

Luckily, we've been able to spend the would-be-lost home improvement time in the backyard. So there: the silver lining.

More Time in the Yard

2011-06-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

Yard work kept on through Friday. The vines came down off the fence.

Before (side view):

After (looking straight on):

Then Norm came over to help us remove the holly. It was growing too close to the house and was well on it's way to damaging the eaves.

Saturday I spent several hours stripping one side of the closet door for the office/guest room.

It's not quite done, but it's close. I'm debating whether I want to strip the interior facing side of the door. It's roughly 4 hours worth of labor that I'd rather put towards something else. So I may just sand it to clean up, and repaint. Or I may give in to the guilt and strip the paint anyway.

So far as a day spent stripping paint goes, it was pretty awesome. I had music playing, it was warm and I was well shaded by the giant fig tree.

When I decided to call it day, I still had enough motivation to clean up the front room, which has been a disaster area since starting the office project. Yep, it was a good day.

So, how did you spend your weekend?

Living with Construction and Dreaming of Project Completion

2011-06-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

I saw a post on Apartment Therapy about living with home improvement. There, in the first picture, I saw our shop-vac, our ladder and the paper on the floor. It's like they snuck into our house and took that picture. Reading further, I saw (and maybe you did, too) the script for my own home improvement.

You've got to keep the project contained, as much as possible. I try to keep a "dirty" area and a "clean" area- even if no one else can tell the difference, I usually know which is which.

The article also talks about photo-documenting progress, reflecting upon what you've done to gain a sense of progress, and sharing your progress with others for support. That, in fact, is why this blog exists.

And while I don't keep mood boards or inspiration folders at the ready, I have my bookmarks for different websites, online catalogs and a few online design tools that I really love. I like a nice online design tool that does not require you register. I hate registering for the thousands of things online, just so I can receive your junk email. Just let me use your software, dang it.

I especially like:

Icovia. Maybe you already know this one already. I've been using the program by way of the Raymour and Flanigan Furniture page. You can customize the size of every room, structural element, furniture, appliance and fixture. There's a wide variety of symbols to choose from, which helps me visual our furniture that much better. Love this tool. It's a fun way to kill a little time and prove that YES, a bigger rug would actually define our living room as such, rather than the awkward pass through it seems to be now.

Here's our living room floor plan with my proposed rug and chair:

That big thing next to the chair is actually the fireplace. Doesn't quite look like ours- actually I think it looks more like a big screen television. But it's not. The left is at an angle, to the top left of the floor plan.

I also really like Sherwin-Williams' Color Visualizer tool. You can upload your own pictures or use one of the sample they provide, choosing from indoor and outdoor scenes. If it weren't for this tool, I would never have realized that some whites look pink next to your certain wall colors, while whites actually look white. I think of myself as less-than-creative, so this tool is a "must consult" for me.

Our room with SW Color Visualizer:

In the interest of full disclosure, you can register (::shudder::) for both of these tools and save your work. I prefer to just make notes and do a screen grab of the image. Yep, I like to beat the system. And stick it to the man. Push the envelope. Etc.

Are there any similar programs you are using that you'd like to recommend to others? Do you know of something similar for landscaping? Because I really would love to start pseudo-planning our future backyard!

Equipment Failure? Change gears!

2011-06-08T20:59:00.001-07:00

Being busy with a few other things has kept me away from the blog, but we're still hard at work.

Unfortunately, our sander died. I guess we're just too strong for the awesome plastic parts inside of the sander. Joking aside, I was disappointed to find out that plastic spindles ~~are~~ were holding our sander together.

Of course it broke. Why wouldn't it? It's plastic. I suppose that's probably the case for most sanders, but if you know of a heavy duty, can't-be-stopped sander, I'd love to know who makes it and where I can find it! Suggestions?

Since sanding is ~~the last thing we want to do right now~~ on hold, we're spending this week getting the yard ready for an overhaul. Our friend is coming over Friday to really get into the yard clean up, so today we did some prep-work, dragging the pile of brush to the curb. It was no small feat.

Here's most of it:

A while back (er... two years ago, maybe?) we found some crushed glass and a metal rim just below the grass. This is what we dug out of the ground, in the middle of the yard, barrel and all:

Filled with plenty of this:

Except for the gren t-bar. We added that. But still- wowzers.

"I think I need to get back on the rower."

He went on to say: "Old pants + heavy lifting = blow out."

The partial moon wasn't the only view. There are also these:

Shelterness Inspiration

2011-06-03T23:03:00.000-07:00

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to share some design inspiration ideas that I found tonight, while surfing around at Shelterness. The following photos come from 50 pages of articles I sifted through on Shelterness. Think of these as my personal favorites from the first 50 pages. Again, all of the following photos are found on Shelterness.com.

A few years ago I saw something similar to this in a Pottery Barn catalog. I like how the television is integrated with the room by the large frame.

I'm also a fan of utilizing the space under the stairs for storage. I like the look in this picture, but I don't see myself putting a television there.

But maybe it would work for some shelving like this:

I always picture a big wall of built in shelves in my dream house. I like the big library ladders, too.

Take that ladder and use it in a kitchen? Now you're onto something!

My husband tells me all about the drying rack in the kitchen in Rome. In my mind, it is similar to this:

He really wanted something similar when we renovated the kitchen this year, but it didn't happen. Maybe next time.

Glass-backed cabinets are interesting. You can really show off glassware, and it does give you a sense of space. I like seeing a cabinet like this lower in a room. Even though they are see-through, when they are mounted higher (like over a breakfast bar) I still feel like they are blocking my view. This is a nice alternative.

Here is another cool storage feature. I feel like these shelves would get dusty and be difficult to clean, but I like the way it looks in the picture.

This outdoor walkway is made from slices of logs. I wonder how this would work indoors.

I'm not a big fan of tile, because you have to clean the grout. But. This tile floor is pretty cool:

Again, I do not claim any credit for these pictures. No offense to the person in this picture, or the photographer, but it's pretty cheesey. Cheese aside, I think they are onto something with the notches in the shelf. Maybe with something like this, I'd quit leaving my toothbrush on the side of the sink.

Time to get out of the bathroom.

This group of lights comes from a kitchen ceiling. I think it would look fantastic on a back porch, in a sitting area.

The first time I saw the drum from a clothes washer used as a fire pit was a few years back, in Edison, California. I really liked the rustic look of the drum (that one was double stacked- it looked like a rocket!) and have been storing this idea in the back of my mind. Maybe one day...

Finally, this picture is what brought me to Shelterness. This mailbox would have everybody laughing:

One last time: All of the photos in the post were found on Shelterness.com.

Office/Guest Room

2011-05-27T07:47:00.000-07:00

This is a room of many names, but I envision that it will soon primarily be used as an office, and occasional guest room. Part of that vision includes removing the wallpaper, repairing the plaster, removing an extra doorway and repainting the room. Easily enough work for two people for a couple weeks.

But while I had the house to myself for a few days, inspiration struck. I decided I would see how far I could get on that room, working solo. I set a goal to do all the dusty work while I was home alone- stripping paint and wallpaper, tackling the doorway and repairing the plaster. That way, the room would be paint-able by the time my week was done. I picked up a lot of momentum removing the wallpaper.

As in the dining room, there were staples holding the wallpaper up in a few places:

Under the wallpaper, I found some caulk in the plaster... uh-oh...

What the in the world happened here??

We have several very nice neighbors, and one such neighbor helped remove the extra doorway. He, David, did almost all of the labor and advised me on what I would need to buy to complete the job. David is working on his house right now, and shared some of his tools. His house is a few years older than ours, and has some great features. He's also finishing the basement which will be attractive, comfortable and totally "Portland." His place is going to be very cool when he's done.

Here are some pictures of David in action:

I kept telling David "You're an animal!" but he wasn't sure it was a compliment. I assure you, it was. It was impressive to see how quickly and easily he could handle removing and closing a doorway.

I started stripping paint, and was about 30% through, while still working solo. I removed the hardware, in order to strip the paint. Here is a close up of the back of one of the hinges.

Have you seem this mark before? I haven't figured out what manufacturer it is yet. Do you have any cool stamps on your hardware?

Though I didn't reach my goal by the time my week living solo was done, I was glad to have my husband home and (fortunately) he was excited by my surprise project. Working together, we stripped a bit more paint, but now it's time for me to regroup, finish stripping paint and get on that plaster repair.

I am so excited to paint this room, and have it "complete." If you click that link, you'll see some colors I was playing with. What do you think of the greens? Let me know!! If you have a favorite wall color, we'd love to hear about it!

Flooding, Storms and Preparedness

2011-05-21T21:39:00.000-07:00

In Portland, the Columbia and Willamette Rivers are currently swollen from a long/late rainy season and snow-melt. Local news outlets are calling for more bridge lifts, and the highest river levels since the historic flooding of 1996. We are currently "near flood stage" according to the National Weather Service.

If you've been following the news, you've likely heard more about the flooding currently going on along the Mississippi River than the Willamette or Columbia. The images are just shocking, and my heart goes out to everyone in the South whose lives have been impacted by recent flooding and tornadoes.

Here are a few pictures that really pull at my heart-strings:

source

You may remember The Great Flood of the Mississippi River in 1993:

source

The tornadoes that blew through the South a few weeks ago shocked and horrified residents and those watching from afar. Tuscaloosa was hit especially hard:

source

Please keep the families living in these storm-ravaged areas in your thoughts. And consider this question: Do you have an emergency plan? These recent events should remind us all to spend sometime preparing (as much as possible) for the "worst case scenario."

In the event of an emergency, our best assest is preparedness. Visit Ready.gov and remember to make a kit, and make a plan. Discuss your plan regularly with your loved ones, practice what you would do in an emergency situation, and keep supplies current.

The Plum is Re-homed!

2011-05-15T19:40:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Puddles for coming to take the plum tree to its new home! Glad to save this tree by giving it new life in another yard!

Now, to mow that grass...

Found some great stones!

2011-05-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

The other night I was searching the internet for pavers. I found these stones:

source

They are currently available in Tigard, Oregon. Click on the source link to check out the listing.

They remind me of these:

I took this picture downtown (in Portland). This is the only picture I have of them. If i get another, I'll update this post, but you get the idea. I love that the stones are less than refined, but are still fairly regular and even. For now I can only hope to find something similar when we are actually ready to use them.

I know many people search Craigslist for building/landscaping materials, fixtures, furniture and appliances. Have you found any great steals on Craigslist? Do you know anything that is listed currently that shouldn't be missed? It would be great to know what's out there!

New Homes for Old Friends

2011-05-09T23:05:00.001-07:00

I am happy to report that I have found homes for the plum tree, the Japanese maple and the lilac.

The plum tree was handed to me 2 years ago, after it had been out of soil for nearly a week. It has ONE root (picture a dandelion root, or a twisty carrot) and no foliage. Even though I see lots of plum trees doing really well around Portland and the Pacific Northwest, our tree has not yet bore fruit. I'm sure one day it will have at least a few delicious fruits, but they will be enjoyed by our friend, Puddles.

I will miss the lilac the most. My grandma had a lilac for years. I remember it was big, and tons of [almost too] fragrant blooms. I loved that tree, and have enjoyed this one as well. I think our friends Rebekka and Randy are going to love having this at their house!

The same folks are taking the Japanese maple. This tree is still young, and will likely do well in the hands of a Green Thumb who knows better how to care of it, and can help sculpt it into a graceful, mature umbrella shaped canopy.

Some Home Improvement Perspective

2011-05-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, I was reading the 1912 Bungalow blog, and followed a link to Joyce Wadler's 2008 New York Times article titled "Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Solvent." If you have ever worked on a home improvement project, if you enjoy old houses, or need to hear someone's story (because the house in the article was in way worse shape than most!), I recommend reading the NYT article (and pictures).

Early in the home's life:

source

Taken from the article, the following points were pulled from home owner (and home-improvement saint) David Giffels’s list of tips for taking on would-be-condemned house, found in the NYT article. These particle points really spoke to me:

"Invest in a heavy-duty vacuum." I couldn't agree more! A good, heavy-duty vacuum can be really helpful when trying to control dust, clean up after a job or sweep up spilled dog food/flour/anything. I used one today to dust the back the desk.

"Exploit the sweat equity of family members, but remember that if somebody gives you a day of work, you have to give one back down the line." Amen! We have a few neighbors that are GREAT at lending a hand. Because their houses are also in various states of home improvement, there is usually SOMETHING we can all pitch in to work on. And the work seems to easier when working as a group, I think.

"Do not be afraid to try things you have never done before." So true! Speaking of the neighbors, I'm always amazed as I watching them tear (sometimes, litterally) into a new project. It always encourages me to go home and dive into our next project.

“Anyone who paints a hinge spends one day in purgatory for each hinge that she or he has painted.” and “Every single person you ask how to get rid of squirrels will have a different method they swear is foolproof, and none of them work.” These two just make me laugh!

"Do not begin one project until you finish another." I swear, my husband must have read this list. He insists on finishing one project before starting the next. It drives me nuts at the time, but later I am grateful.

“... the last 10 percent of any project takes as long as the first 90 percent...” True of removing wallpaper, stripping paint, and just doing the laundry. So stinking true.

Do any of these points speak to you too? If you read the article, I'd love to know what really stood out for you. It's a great story, and easy to relate to. It's what we're all doing, but it is definitely on a greater scale than here at our house.

Several generations of the Giffels's work boots:

source

I want to give credit where credit is due, so again, the 1912 Bungalow post can be found here, Joyce Wadler's New York Times article can be found here, and the photos are posted here. Enjoy!

Saving on Power

2011-05-06T19:45:00.000-07:00

Like us, frugal home owners everwhere are unplugging the dryer, have the television, gaming platform and DVD player on a power strip and have been known to shower with the light off (no? Just me on that one??). Then, I learned about something else: variable billing rates on electricity.

There are many similar programs out there, but I'll focus on our local service provider Pacific Power and their program "Time of Use" billing. After enrolling in Time of Use billing, for 12 months your power bill with reflect usage during On-Peak & Off-Peak Hours.

source

In the Summer, On-Peak hours are billed at a rate of $0.06124 per kWh. Winter On-Peak Hours bill at $0.03316 per kwh. Year-round Off-peak hours are billed at -$0.01125 per kwh. Did you see that NEGATIVE rate for Off-Peak hours??

"You will receive a credit for the number of kwh of electricity you used during off-peak hours and an additional charge for the electricity you used during on-peak hours." source

I'm still reeling.

So, should you make the switch? Pacific Power recommends taking this short quiz to help you make the decision. We scored 10 points on the quiz, so I'm feeling pretty good. But I'm happy to know about this program. This may be something to consider in the future. Maybe by then we can talk the oil companies into "off peak driving hours" or maybe the banks will offer "off peak spending hours"...

The Great Fig Tree

2011-04-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

We have a monster fig tree.

It is prolific, in every sense. Near constant growth. New limbs, lots of leaves and huge crops of fruit:

Each summer, the bright green figs weigh down the limbs, causing them to reach down to the grass.

We don't know much about how to properly prune the tree. I've done some online research, but haven't tried too hard to do it "just right." Evidently, it doesn't really matter how we prune. I prune the tree three times a year, and it just keeps growing!

The snow in this picture helps show how thick the branches are, and how high I cut the branches back when I prune at the end of the summer:

See that big pile of branches? That is from one pruning. And look at the tree- you can't even tell it's been pruned!

The fig tree today, Saturday, April 30th, 2011:

I've lobbied hard to keep the fig tree. I've heard many times that fruit trees add value to a home. Like the rest of the yard, the tree is overdue for a clean-up. We'll cut down one of the three trucks, and give it a major pruning.

Do you have figs? Is it as out of control as ours? Because this tree is getting out of hand!

3 Years in the Backyard

2011-04-30T19:22:00.000-07:00

This summer, we'll be working on the yard, so here is a bit about the backyard.

Spending sometime out there today, it was easy to daydream about how nice it will be when we get the yard cleaned up. Between the day we saw the house and the day we moved in (30 days apart), the yard was allowed to grow, unchecked, and was out of control:

Most of the plants went into compost, but others (like the irises, peonies, mint, onions, etc) were given to friends. I do miss the never ending supply of fresh flowers:

...and the rainbow of potatoes:

When we started digging around the yard, we found lots of weird stuff in the yard, like this barrel. Inside, there was a plastic trash can, filled with (you guessed it) trash. How did burying this barrel with trash make sense to anyone?

To make things manageable, I started tearing out plants. I liked the fresh flowers, but without any beds, or mulch, it was impossible to mow or remove the brambles without removing the flowers. Things have cleaned up quite a bit:

The blackberries haven't quite surrendered. They are making their last stand on this fence:

I'm keeping the lillies- these babies grow to about 7 feet tall. I don't have any good photos of them blooming, but they look good in every stage of growth:

There are a few more plants on the chopping block. Including diseased roses, lillies that don't bloom, a Japanese maple, a butterfly bush, the lilac (which I will sorely miss and may change my mind about) and the plum:

Soon we'll have a blank slate. Looks like we better start getting inspired! Do you have any thoughts about what works great in a yard? Any good lessons learned from your own projects? We'd love to hear about it!

Spring Cleaning

2011-04-29T12:23:00.001-07:00

You know the button on the turkey? The one that pops up with the turkey is done? That is what I think of when I see dandelions. You know it's spring when they start to pop up.

And you know what that means- spring cleaning. I've never really done this before, and since I've had the time, I really put myself to work with a new vigor and new level of committment to operation "Declutter."

I used some leftover particle board to get all the spices visible:

We went through 3 years worth of magazines and tore out the articles and pictures we wanted. We organized the clippings with page protector sleeves and binders, circling pictures or adding sticky notes to direct your attention. Now, we can find the articles we liked from these magazines, and it takes up almost no room.

We have a huge "donate" pile in the basement:

See anything you like in that pile? Let me know and it's yours!

The hall closet is organized:

... and we moved the bed to hunt down the region's largest dust bunny colony (definitely NOT pictured).

It feels great to make some progress eliminating clutter. It allows us to better enjoy this neat old house, and better visualize our next project!

Caulking Windows/How to Wash Silicon Caulk Out of Your Hair

2011-04-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

First, yes, I still blog about the house. Between traveling to visit family and all the spring cleaning, there hasn't been much to post about, or much time to post. Mea culpa! I will try to back track, and catch up on the few little things we've been working on since completing the kitchen. Little things, like, the time I got caulk in my hair.

On the front of our house, we have a few large windows (over 90" across). One is original to the house- it looks great and is solid. The other two are newer, aluminum clad and fit loosely in place. When you touch them, the wobble. The rubber weather stripping is now dry-rotten, and is falling apart.

I decided I should finally caulk around the edges, to help limit the air flow moving through the gaps. I borrowed a caulk gun from my neighbor, and armed myself to do batter.

For the record, I think I'm pretty good at caulking. I once had a job assembling large aluminum frame windows for a high rise, and got lots of practice. I considered staying in IBEW and building a career as a journeyman-level caulker. Yes, people actually do have the specialty.

There I am, in the front yard, caulking away, when I realize something stinks. Not the caulk, something worse. Our dog never uses the front yard, because it is not fenced. But here I was, with dog feces on my shoe.

Oh look, it's on my pants, too. (groan) Wait- why does it feel like there's something on my cheek? (touch) Oh, great. Caulk is on my face. And my ponytail is now caulked to my face. Ever better.

I quickly put away my caulking supplies, left my shoes on the porch and went in to research removing caulk from your hair.

Basically, it's just like removing gum from your hair. You wipe out what you can, the rub mineral oil (I used baby oil) all over the area with caulk in it. Then, soak it in vinegar, and comb/wipe out what you can. Repeat this process as long as needed.

Luckily, it worked. I still haven't finished the caulking, though. I wish I had stopped to take a picture of the caulk in my hair, so I could post it. I'll try to remember a picture next time.

Have you done something similar? Did you feel as ridiculous as I did? I know someone out there has been there!

Sash Cordless

2011-04-05T20:42:00.000-07:00

Finally confident spring has arrived in Portland, I took the plastic off the windows and let in some fresh air- it was great! When the house cooled down, I started closing windows, when: THUD.

Crap. A sash cord busted, and the weight is now sitting in there, not holding the window open.

The windows are due for restoration this year... but really? Dang.

Paint Colors for the TV/Guest Room

2011-04-04T09:45:00.001-07:00

While technically a bedroom, we use the space for watching television and hanging out, as well as for overnight guests. Located in the front of the house, we expect that this was originally the master bedroom. It is wallpapered over a smooth finished plaster, and has its own entrance to the bathroom.

Similar to the dining room, we will:

-strip wallpaper and paint

-repair plaster

-repaint

Also, we're also removing the entrance to the bathroom. The door limits the sense of privacy you have when someone is on the other side of that door, so we'll have to take it out (and reuse it when we finish the basement).

When we painted the dining room last year, we picked a great dark blue (I think it's great, anyway). At that time, we also picked out colors for the rest of the house. I've started to second guess the original palette. Instead of tans and grays, we are starting to look at green/gray colors. Have a look:

Now:

The new greens:

What do you think? Should we keep looking?

2011 Forecast

2011-03-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

In October 2010, this post described our progress, relating to a list posted earlier in the year (here: 2010 Forecast). We had barely touched the list! Our good intentions meant very little once the home improvement ball was rolling.

Last summer, the City sent us, along with our neighbors, a letter explaining the City's plan to replace our sewer. Good news, right? Did I mention that replacing our fully functional sewer connection will be at our cost? It isn't how we'd hoped to spend that chunk of money, but there is no way around it, so we have to bite the bullet.

This impacted our 2010 list, and will also play into our 2011 list. We can't very well build a retaining wall when it might be damaged by work in the street, and possibly in our yard. So that project has been simmering on the back burner, for a while. I just said simmering, didn't I? More like ice cold. Bummer.

Fortunately, the NE Portland Bungalow still has plenty of home improvement projects to chose from. Here is our ~~pipe dream~~ proposed "To Do" list for the remaining three quarters of 2011:

1.) The exterior:

-remove the poured concrete patio/sidewalk and replace with pavers

-fix the gutters and dig french drains

-prune the out of control fig tree

-remove old plants, till/level the yard, and replant grass

-build a shed for the grill, mower and other lawn care tools

The backyard has seen (and will see) better days:

Here's a peak at the monster fig tree:

There is a lot to say about this tree, and it could have an entire post just for itself. Maybe it will someday.

2.) The current TV room:

-remove wall paper, strip paint, repaint

-repair plaster

-remove door to bathroom and frame in wall instead

The current TV room:

The room is currently egg-salad-yellow paint over wallpaper, has about 5 layers of paint on trim, and has plenty of damaged plaster (not to mention holes in the plaster from insulating the room). This project should be very similar to the dining room project, and will hopefully go much faster.

(at this point, we'll play Musical Rooms, moving our bed to that room)

3.) The current bedroom:

-repair plaster (no wallpaper- woohoo!!)

-strip paint, repaint

-restore sash windows

The current bedroom:

This picture was taken during the insulation project, in November 2009. Clearly, this room will need lots of plaster repair. Fortunately, there is no wall paper to strip, but there are sash windows to restore. I'm excited for that experience, but intimidated by the unknown.

4.) And everyone's favorite category, miscellaneous:

-if we're ever really feeling ambitious, strip some paint off the fire place brick

If anyone has any good tips or stories relating to french drains, restoring sash windows, landscaping or anything else, please do share- advice might be just want the doctor ordered!

Some [Un]usual Homes in NE Portland

2011-03-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

I was planning a post to show off some of the cool older homes currently for sale in NE Portland. Then I saw this post by Dawn, over at Bungalowcious. Did you click on the link? And did you see Baby Shutters? Isn't she great?

Northeast Portland is littered with unique and beautiful homes, and there are still many diamonds in the rough. For example...

The Double Stack:

The "What Happened Here?":

What did this poor foursquare do, to deserve such a remodel?

The Purple Monster:

The "We Saw the Purple Monster and Wanted to Take it One Step Further:"

The gold trim really adds that "pop" they talk about on HGTV.

And finally, this baby caught my eye, on my way home from work. But it is not the house that made me do a double-take. Do you see it? There, on the front porch.... Is that a paper mache dinosaur??

It sure is.

Have you seen any houses that inspire you to scratch your head, or make you feel better about the state of your own home? Hey, maybe OUR house is the one that makes you feel better about yours! Either way, I hope you enjoyed the houses, and enjoy keeping an eye out for more unusual homes.

Talking Trash: How We Deal with Refuse and Recycling

2011-03-24T20:29:00.001-07:00

We have become very interested in how much garbage we produce, and what becomes of it once it leaves our home. We want to handle our waste responsibly and save money while doing it.

Portland Metro contracts with Waste Management (WM) for waste and recyclable material processing. WM is an interesting company- they harvest gases released in landfills to produce energy and they sort & recycle materials that were not sorted before pick-up.

Unfortunately, garbage service is not that cheap. Weekly pick-up for one 32-gallon cart would cost us $26.75 every month. That's $321.00 a year! Use this link to find more information on pricing for 32, 65 and 90-gallon carts.

source: http://www.montereycounty.wm.com/Royal%20Oaks/Residential.asp

Before learning the WM sorts everything they collect, I was disappointed by the number of things we could NOT put in the curbside recycling bin- common items that we frequently throw away, such as plastic bags, microwaveable containers, or broken glass.

We decided to try collecting and hauling our own waste. Gross, right? And overwhelming? And it's a lot of work, too, right? Nope, not even a little.

We only keep the recyclables (which are dry) in the house- in the basement, actually. We have an unfinished basement with (roughly) 15 square feet of space below the staircase. Sometimes this sort of space can be difficult to utilize, but when you're just stacking up bags of mixed paper, plastics, etc, you can make use of every cubic inch. Honestly, it takes months to fill this space.

These bags account for roughly 85% of our refuse. What about the remaining 15%? Nasty things that might stink (like the meat packaging) might get a rinse and opportunity to dry before going into the trash. Non-stinky things, like wads of blue painters tape, chunks of broken tile, too-far-gone dog toys, and compostable cups go in the garbage bag. The previous owners left two 90-gallon carts and tw0 65-gallon carts. I don't know if we've ever actually filled the carts completely.

When it's time to make the dump run- usually when we're tired of seeing so many bags of recycling in the basement- we load up the truck and haul it off.

So now you know what we're doing, and how we got started. Do you know why we keep doing this? Recycling is FREE. The trip isn't totally free, in fact, we have to pay the flat, minimum which is $28.00, for non-sorted materials (the refuse, which will still be sorted by WM/Portland Metro staff).

When you arrive at the dump, they will weigh your vehicle and ask about your load. This is when we explain it's all sorted recycling with a few bags of garbage. The person at the gate tells us about the minimum fee, and we proceed into the facility.

People bring everything to this place!

Compost:

(Sorry for the blurry picture!)

Mixed waste:

Recycling:

Even building materials:

Do you recognize that logo? When we needed a new register grate for the kitchen, we found what we needed at The ReBuilding Center. I bet this is a convenient drop-off for lots of home owners and contractors.

The facility operates by moving the large piles onto belts, where the staff can sort through the materials. It was hard to get any good pictures [while trying to help sort the recycling] and not bother the folks who were busy working.

On the way out, they weigh your car again, and you are charged accordingly. We are always under the first weight (400 pounds) and because most of ours is recycling, we always pay just $28.

I've been teased for the extent we go to, for the sake of saving some cash, but it's really no sweat. We have the space in the unfinished basement, we have the truck, and we're willing. It's about 90-minutes of work, every few months. We made a generous estimate that we spent $100 on refuse and recycling this year. Am I willing to do that to save $221 a year? Um, yes, of course I am.

Another Cool Wall Mounted Faucet

2011-03-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

I can't tell you how much I like the wall mounted faucets. Paired with an under-mount sink and a solid surface counter top, cleaning is a SNAP.

In case anyone is shopping for faucets right now, I wanted to share this faucet by Kohler:

photo credit: KOHLER: K-7319-3: Triton® utility sink faucet: Faucets, Flushometers & Fixtures: Bathroom

Kohler's website describes this faucet as being for a utility sink, but I am picturing this faucet at a kitchen sink. I think it looks a bit more modern than the American Standard Amarilis faucet we have, but I might keep my eye on this faucet, for future reference.

The Kitchen Details (This Post is Longer Than I Planned)

2011-03-16T22:40:00.000-07:00

We are still riding high on the New Kitchen Express, and really enjoy cooking our own meals- even if we did promise to start eating [much] better with the completion of the project. I'm confident my waistline and our equity are already better for it.

Diving into the kitchen renovation was exciting and overwhelming. So much to do and no idea as to where to start? While we wandered blindly at first, things slowly started taking shape and we gained some momentum.

In mid-December, we demo'd the old kitchen, and refinished the floor. WHAT a RUSH! We moved the gas line and installed ventilation. New cabinets, new lighting, paint, counter top, appliances, backsplash and voila: in just under 3 months, we had a new kitchen!

All of the lighting came from Rejuvenation. We replaced the existing center light fixture with the Thurman fixture and 12" Schoolhouse shade. Over the sink we installed Dana fixtures withBell shades. There was a bit of a snag with the Dana fixtures, but the exchange was easy. We also had a scare with the ceiling fixture, but the cabinet above the refrigerator just barely missed making contact with the shade- phew!

If you read the kitchen reveal post, you might remember that I surrendered creative decision making over. It was while we were counter top shopping. I was the sticking point. We were not impressed by the selection of natural stone slabs- in fact, I would say we were quite disappointed. We settled on Corian. It was easy to order (I think...) , installed quickly and thecolor is perfect.

Oh, and that tile? It's discontinued, and I can't find it on the Internet. But it's exists. Browns, tans and creams in glass and a travertine-like material. I'm sorry I can't find more information!

We chose a 30" single bowl Kraus sink. It is 10" deep, made of 16-gauge stainless steel, and arrived with it's included grate (and random golf towel). The grate is nice- when you're using the sink, dishes do not sit in dirty water, and your sponge can fall in without getting saturated. Sometimes the grate needs to be moved to wash the sink or get all the scraps into the disposer. The sink can be found here.

Along with a new under mount sink, we chose a wall mounted faucet. That means we won't be cleaning that nasty seam where the fixtures meet, anytime soon. During the design phase of this project, ease of use, cleaning and maintenance has been a priority. The faucet is found here.

Before I forget, I'd like to introduce you to the Waste King 8000 TC! The disposer is BIG, and takes up a lot of room under the sink. It has received great reviews, and seems very well built. It does not need a switch- it can be wired directly to the power, because the on/off switch is triggered by the cap. When you feed scraps into the disposer, you insert the cap, with water running, and press down. By lining up the notches, the cap presses the button that turns on the disposer. Our Waste King still has a wall switch, so we have to turn it on (and off) twice. I like to think of it as a safety measure. We saved on this purchase here.

The next three appliances came from this store.

The new dishwasher also has a food grinder, and is *whisper* quiet. So far, this baby has made us very happy. It has a variety of settings, including "Sanitize," but, so far, we have only used the "Normal" setting.

Before the renovation, the kitchen depended entirely on the window for ventilation. Adding an exhaust hood was important. This micro-hood has already made us very happy. I haven't been able to find a link to this exact model, but Sears carries many Kenmore microhoods.

The range is almost identical to our old range. It has a broiler and 4 gas burners. It does not have the perma-grime stains, which is a bonus, and is 8 years younger.

The refrigerator is pretty slick, with 24 cubic feet of counter depth food storage space. Features include "theater lighting," Multiflow cooling and it is Energy Star compliant. This last appliance was purchased at this outlet. Shopping at the outlet saved us a bundle, but we learned a couple lessons for the next time.

Finally, the feature I am most pleased with: the bulkheads! I thought they would look fine. I think they actually look great, and give the appliance an integrated feel and appearance, making them part of the kitchen, rather just something stuck at the end of the row of cabinets.

Next to the refrigerator, you can see that grate we reworked for the modified vent. That grate represents my greatest DIY victory to date.

Dare I invite feedback? Of course, like all bloggers, I get really excited about comments and treasure each of them. So... What do you think? Are you in the middle of a reno/remodel/restoration? If so, please do share a story or comment with a link to your blog so we can enjoy yours story, too!

It's officially, official. The kitchen is done!

2011-03-10T01:01:00.000-08:00

Strike up the band and break out the balloons! After a few years of brainstorms and daydreams, months of planning, weeks of dust... we have a new, usable kitchen. It's pretty exciting, and we're lucky to be able to pull this project off.

The former kitchen was not in great shape- peeling laminate cabinets and counter top, greasy stains [everywhere], perma-grime on every surface, a leaking portable dishwasher, a very deep refrigerator... Oh yea, and "bruised avocado green" walls. Ultimately, most of the kitchen was too gross to even use. It had to go.

Demolition was a beyond cathartic:

The old floor plan was not ideal. An over-sized refrigerator, in a kitchen not built with such an appliance in mind, took up a lot of space, visually, and interrupted movement within the room.

The old floor plan:

The old cabinet configuration only had about nine inches between the counter and the upper cabinets. This made most of the counter space useless for anything, but may storing some cans or baskets.

We acted as our own designers, and took time to make what seemed like minor decisions. After the floor plan was determined, and the cabinet style and appliance finish agreed upon, I surrendered creative decision making power. Project planning sped ahead, and before you knew it, labor was under way.

Reversing the position of the range and refrigerator has opened up space, visually, and consolidated the work zone. Technically, we lost counter space, by eliminating the portable dishwasher. But because the counter is more accessible, with 18 inches from counter to upper cabinets, we can use everything we have, which gives us much more usable space. Win!

The new floor plan:

The old corner base cabinet was a waste- it was too deep to reach in to clean, and went unused. The addition of the Lazy Susan has made this corner very useful.

Corner base cabinet, before (note the flooring and gross old cookie cutters, found inside):

After:

Replacing the counter top is always a big ticket improvement, in a kitchen remodel. We weighed our options and are pretty pleased with the improvement.

Faux slate laminate and plain tile:

This solid surface counter top and mosaic tile put the "splash" into backsplash:

Yes, I did just make that joke. And not only because I'm very sleepy- that really is just my sense of humor.

Previously, there was one light in the kitchen. We replaced the fixture, then added two pendants above the sink. The microhood light illuminates the range, as well.

The new lighting:

So, let's take a look at the whole thing, already! It was not until preparing this blog update that I realized we are without many "before" photos. The best I have are these views from the dining room:

Before:

After:

In another post, we'll have more information about adventures in purchasing appliances, fixtures and cabinets.

In writing this post, I feel that I've relived this whole process. Just like in real-time, it's exhausting, but rewarding! Stick a fork in it- this kitchen is DONE!

Almost Done

2011-03-07T09:47:00.000-08:00

We are almost there!

The schedule indicated we would be done YESTERDAY, but there are still a few small things to wrap up- caulking, a few pieces of a trim and switch plates. THEN we will officially close this chapter of home improvement.

We are excited to show you the fruits of our labor [and the hard work of family and friends, incuding our contractors and vendors]. Please keep checking the blog this week for the final installment of the kitchen renovation.

Until then, have a look at what we did on Sunday:

How We Installed a Blind

2011-03-02T15:13:00.000-08:00

For a window treatment in the kitchen, we knew we wanted a blind, and I definitely wanted to mount it inside the frame- but that window is shallow, with only enough room for a one-inch blind.

Luckily, we found two stores, online, that carried the one-inch wood blinds: Select Blinds and Just Blinds. The websites are nearly identical- and so are the color selections. We ordered the [free] samples, and chose "Almost White," which is a near perfect match to our trim and cabinet color.

While both stores have great reviews, SB had a slightly lower bottom line. We also ordered the blinds we will use in the office and media room.

If you have ever removed blinds, you know how easy it is. Hanging them is just as easy- it is the same process, in reverse.

Here is a photo of the hardware. Installation is very straight forward and only requires a few tools- a drill, level, pencil and screw driver. For a window with a third bracket, I would have need a measuring tape, as well.

Position the brackets (double check your placement!)...

... and mark the wholes with a pencil. Make sure to hang the brackets on level, so your blind won't warp or strain. (Oops- I marked the wrong spot! You'll see in the next picture, I corrected this before I hung the blind, to get it closer to the window.)

Pre-drill, the drive the screws through the bracket:

Slide the blind into the brackets, making sure the pulley/tilt rod are on the outside.

Snap the brackets closed, to secure the blind in place:

Attach the white, plastic R-clips to the header, and clip the header onto the blind:

Double check function, and level. You are ready to enjoy light-filtering privacy!

What are the cons?

The string is a little long. When the blind is open, it lays on the counter and could fall in the sink. Fortunately, the blind will likely be closed most of the time, for privacy, so it won't be an issue.

Also, the blind makes contact with the window. This is not a big problem, but I would like it to hang freely.

What do you think? Do you have blinds? Any hilarious got-myself-stuck-in-the-blind-cord stories? Do tell!

Spray Painting Lamps: Before and After

2011-03-01T12:48:00.000-08:00

DIY inspiration struck again.

In a quest to graduate from furniture and accessories left over form our college years, I've been hungrily searching for lamps to replace these:

Collectively, I think I spent about $20 for both lamps and the missing shade. Please note: these lamps look better in this picture than in person.

When I have to shop for something, for the first time, I find that I lack any opinion and end up spending months pre-shopping before I feel prepared to purchase. Drapes? Shopped for about 22 months. Rugs? 6 months. Dishes? HA!

With visions of what the current-TV-room/future-office will look like in a few months (after removing wallpaper and repainting), I started getting excited, and feeling inspired. I wanted dark lamps with a clean, casual look.

The lamps pictured above were destined for the "donate" pile, as I started pre-shopping. I was looking for a dark base (to match the drapery rods I picked) and mica shade- in bloth a floor lamp and a table lamp. Most of what I found came in around $40 per lamp- ouch.

At Target, I was inspired to check out the lamps and shades that could be mixed and matched. This shade caught my eye:

I realized that I might be able to add new shades to my old lamps. Two shades were around $35 together (one large, and one medium). I couldn't find the exact shades on the Target website, but they are from Target's "Home" line.

At home, I found the shades did not fit *perfectly* on the lamps, and wobbled a bit. I made shims by wrapping strips of foil around the base of the shade, for a better fit:

A quick sanding, a few coats of spray paint, and the lamps were ready for their new shades. The brown spray paint did not come out as dark as I wanted, so I may repaint them, later. But for now:

Doesn't the little lamp remind you a child wearing a big hat? Not the most amazing lamps I've ever seen, but they will work for now. If I replace them, later, I will probably keep these shades, though.

Revisiting Janet's Table

2011-03-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

You may remember this post about Janet's Table from November 2009. In that post you can see that we wrapped the table legs with newspaper. The legs were originally finished with casters, which have long since gone missing. As a result, the table was a bit short and forced diners to shove their knees under the table.

We didn't want to scrape our knees on the table, and didn't really want to replace the casters. So, for Christmas 2009 I asked for bun feet. Walt made some sweet little bun feet, which were finished many months before we actually installed them. For Christmas 2010, we installed them. It wasn't too complicated:

Tear out the old hardware:

Install new hardware, screw the bun feet into the legs, add some felt pads:

And voila!

The table is much more usable, now and ~~as soon as we get it cleaned off~~ we look forward to using it on a regular basis.

Nearing Kitchen Completion!

2011-02-17T21:09:00.000-08:00

The kitchen is ALMOST DONE! We are waiting on backordered tile (approximately 10-14 days) and the blind (roughly 2 weeks). Of course, we can't post the final pictures, before the project is complete... But here are a few pictures, because I can't resist and I'm itching to show somebody!

Take a peek:

Reworking a Register Grate for the Kitchen

2011-02-17T19:29:00.000-08:00

We are so close! We just have a couple small things left, then the kitchen project will officially be completed.

Through the course of this project, we were faced with moving the floor vent, or modifying it, in order to put the refrigerator in. We (rather, Lee, our contractor) put a couple plates over the 10x8 inch floor vent opening, making it 6x8 inches. This meant cutting the register grate down to size- loosing the functioning louvers and stability.

The original:

Defintely not going to fit:

I've been to the The ReBuilding Center a few times, and have seen the same register grates that we have in the house, already. I headed over there Monday, to pick up one of these matching grates (hoping to reuse the original when we finish the basement). I was surprised that I couldn't find a single grate that was the same style, let alone the right size.

And there it was:

The perfect 6x8 inch grate. Sure, not exactly the same design, but it was the right size! With functioning louvers! At the counter, the woman sold it to me for $3 off. I figured it was a fairly small gamble, and brought that baby home.

Just the right size:

At home, I ran it through the dishwasher and sanded as much rust and paint as I could. Inspired by DIY projects of others, I prepared to rework this new grate.

Using a Dremel tool, I trimmed just over 1/4" off the long side. A few coats of spray paint later, it was finished. I'm very pleased with the result. A small step for DIY, but a leap towards polishing off the kitchen.

The reworked grate, in place:

Let there be light. And a counter top.

2011-02-04T16:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, the lights went in. First, the pendants over the sink, then the main fixture in the center of the room. All of the fixtures were purchased from Rejuvenation. Very similar fixtures can be found for a great price at many retailers. Shopping at Rejuv,' meant we had great options, all in one place, without some many other fixtures mixed in. Convenience trumped price tag.

But something is off:

Notice in the pictures above that our matching 24" pendants do not, in fact, match. One measured 23.75" and the other measured 25.5." Awesome. After a phone call and mad dash back to the store, matching, accurately measured fixtures replaced this first set.

There was concern that the mondo cabinet above the refrigerator would make contact with the main overhead light. Fortunately, the perfect fixture was positioned perfectly, to avoid such a disaster.

Just enough room:

In the realm of home improvement, the kitchen is always a major project. And within that project, the counter top and the refrigerator are key points- you can spend a lot of money, and make a big visual impact with these two upgrades.

We shopped for natural stone counter top slabs, and were very unimpressed with the selection we were finding. We had brown in mind, and weren't finding much. We ended up gravitating towards the solid surface counter tops, and found some good options. We expect to be pretty happy with the final product. The install was a snap (for the professional), and this feels like one huge step towards completion.

And to "top" it off:

Seeing it come together is very satisfying, and slightly scary. But, looking at this last picture... do we even need to tile the rest of the backsplash? What do you think?

Goodnight, Furnace.

2011-02-01T22:26:00.000-08:00

When we bought the house, we knew the furnace was older, and would likely be replaced on our dime. We bought the extended home warranty, and hoped it would happen during that time. Of course not. Sunday, January 30th, 2011, around 3:00 PM, the furnace quit pumping warm air.

It could be several things, and it should be no surprise that we weren't able to figure out the problem, even though we opened the furnace, poked some things, looked around and made a bunch of sounds like "hmm" and said things like "okay, so that goes there."

Looks like it's time to start thinking of how this will work into our eventual basement finishing project. Ugh.

Cutting edge technology, circa 1987:

The question remains: repair, or replace?

Cabinet installation, Phase I

2011-02-01T21:40:00.000-08:00

We now have about two thirds of our kitchen cabinets installed. Last week, the base cabinets went in. The counter top folks asked that we not install the rest of the cabinets, so they would have plenty of room to work. When they finished the template, we were free to install more cabinets, though we were asked to hold off on the wall cabinets, until the counter top is installed. That should be this week.

The base cabinets:

Today, the bulk head next to the range (seen above) and the cabinets around the refrigerator went in. The refrigerator is counter depth- our thought there is to open up as much floor space as possible. The cabinets around the refrigerator are the same depth. We have some serious cabinet space there.

The refrigerator cabinets:

I try to keep tabs on what I call our "lessons learned" in home improvement. Do you have any great lessons learned from your kitchen remodel or things you wish you had known/considered earlier?

More dented appliances

2011-01-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

We'd been told to open appliances when they arrive, and look for damage. Sure enough, we found a big dent on the range.

Exhibits A and B:

First, we called the store (which connected us to a call center) and were offered a couple measily options (10% off our next purchase... what "next" purchase?). Next, we headed to the store, ready to haggle and show photo-evidence of the damage.

The store employee started talking about replacing the appliance, but I said I'd be happy with a partial refund. He seemed relieved and refunded us about 18% of the purchase price (which was already on a post-holiday sale)! WIN!

The stage is set

2011-01-21T21:43:00.001-08:00

This week, the walls were painted, the fridge made its way home, and new cabinets have completely taken over.

Bring on the beige:

The very discounted (and barely dented) refrigerator:

The living room looks like a storage unit:

Next week, the cabinets will be installed and the countertop template can be made. So, roughly, two more weeks of living without a kitchen. Pretty exciting!

Kitchen Floor Finishing

2011-01-17T14:12:00.001-08:00

This is where we left off:

With the old floor removed, our good friend and contractor Lee sanded the original fir floor.

Sanding alone was an improvement:

And finally:

This last picture doesn't show much, but the floor looks great. Lee calls it "rustic." It could also be called "way better than what we had before."

Kitchen Demolition

2010-12-11T22:26:00.000-08:00

This week, we moved into full cabinet demolition. Sledge hammer, claw hammer, scrapers, heat guns, paint remover, crow bar, pry bar and circular saw all helped us handle this task. Let's just get straight to the pictures.

Last week, we started with paint stripping.

This week, we removed the cabinets. The cabinets were constructed in place, and made of timber- not plywood. The cheap laminate refacing material stripped off easily, as did the plastic trim.

Before:

After:

Did you notice the larder in the picture above? You can see the vents in the wall still.

We did find one piece of an older flooring with what may have been a really nice pattern at some point.

The existing vinyl flooring pulled up without too much effort, the paper backing remained stuck on the floor. To remove that, we had to scrap by hand. Took all day, but we did it.

When we were done, we saw this:

Then, we went to dinner.

Special thanks to Norm (for the haul-off), Jes (for the loaner tools and radio), Ginny (for sharing great adhesive-scraping skills).

Another lesson learned: When you remove a garbage disposer, get ready for a very stinky mess.

Moss killer

2010-12-11T22:19:00.000-08:00

Like the rest of the Pacific Northwest, our roof has provided a great a habitat for moss. This does not thrill these home-owners, so out came the moss killer. Not our most exciting project, but still... You know we have way more than just one picture, but let's not go overboard. After all, it's just moss killer.

Next Project: Operation New Kitchen

2010-11-28T20:52:00.001-08:00

That's right, the kitchen. It's the project homeowners dream about, and home buyers focus on. It's the room where we congregate, and one of the first places we think to clean when company is coming over. The kitchen.

In the last eight weeks, or so, we've met a few contractors, and shopped around (online) for appliances, tiles, and cabinet styles. We've made most of the choices, purchased appliances (at a bargain- but that's another blog post), and have a start date.

In two short weeks, the floor will be refinished. We have that much time to demo, so a new post should be up soon (we've already snapped the first pictures of paint removal on the trim!). Stay tuned (if you are excited as this homeowner is!)!

"The List" of 2010

2010-10-04T11:45:00.000-07:00

Remember this list? This list was posted in January 2010:

The upcoming projects include:

stripping woodwork (in progress)
removing old wallpaper (in progress, going great!)
paint walls and woodwork (I know, I know)
level yard
retaining wall along front sidewalk
french drains
fix gutters
repair driveway
new back patio pavers
Restore the 5 sash windows

So much for lists. In 2010 we've:

fixed one gutter of the two
finished the paint stripping/wallpaper removal and painting in the dining room

The yard project is about to get started, but the retaining wall is on the back burner, pending some other projects. This month, we're hoping to start the french drains and leveling of the yard, along with a landscaping overhaul. "Overhaul" sounds impressive, but mostly we'll remove most of the plants that aren't working, bring in some new ones, and (hopefully) build some raised beds for the 2011 gardening season.

Dining Room Project: COMPLETE!

2010-09-16T08:22:00.001-07:00

Finally, the dining room is done! Wallpaper is done, paint is stripped, plaster repaired. Walls and woodwork painted, furniture moved back in, drapes hung. This really blows my mind. Thanks goes to the wife, husband and the mother/mother-in-law.

Before:

After:

Dining room paint, Part I

2010-09-02T11:32:00.000-07:00

Dining room painting has officially begun!! CanNOT wait to see the finished product and start moving back into the room! Paint product reviews and more pictures to come!

Here's a sneak peak:

Primed!

2010-08-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Priming is done, and the ceiling is painted!! Picking up with wall paint next, and hopefully will get the painting done this week. Love it!

Have a look at our progress:

Next Up? Operation Back Yard!

2010-08-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

After the dining room wallpaper/paint project, were hoped to move to the yard, building a retaining wall, installing french drains, etc. Unfortunately, the City's sewer plans will interfere with retaining wall construction (that's a long story), so we're going to shift the scope of this phase of the yard project. This phase will include new back patio, concrete removal/repair in driveway & sidewalks. That's still plenty of work!

We're going to remove most of the existing landscaping (including a 3-4 year old lilac, 2 year old ornamental plum, a holly, invasive butterfly bush, diseased but beautiful roses, lillies, tulips, etc, etc. We'll keep the fig, and work towards a clean slate of fescue, with a mulch boarder and two raised beds to garden in. I'm also hoping to add some shrubs in the front with red or purple foliage.

Do you all have any great ideas, or valuable lessons-learned about such projects? Your experience and feedback is invaluable! Please feel free to post a comment or email us NEPdxBungalow (at) gmail.com!

Here's a glimpse at what we've got:

The yard when we moved in, July 2008:

Loved the flowers, but I just couldn't take it anymore:

We prune the fig tree several times a year, but it refuses to be discouraged:

Plaster. Repair. Done!

2010-08-23T15:22:00.000-07:00

Finally! Could I have dragged my feet a little more?? Doubt it. It's finally done, so we can prime, paint and move on. I feel like celebrating already!

I hated having to sand big lumps of uneven plaster. I found that by using my razor scraper I could do a lot more than with just sanding. The razor scraper didn't throw the dust around, in the air, so I didn't have to tape myself into the room, either- big bonus! I anticipate this little lesson will go far in the rest of the house.

Gutterly awesome

2010-06-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

Our home inspector had alerted us to the fact that our gutters sloped the wrong direction, but we figured this was a simple enough fix that we could take care of ourselves- and yes, we can do that. But it was never a priority.

This week, we spontaneously fixed it. We took turns with the hacksaw, to cut through the screws that were used to mount the gutter (and were then sealed with caulk, which disallowed us from unscrewing them) and finally, broke through. After that, it was simply a matter of holding the level to the bottom and repositioning the gutter nails.

Cutting through that one screw:

That night, it rained, and continued to rain for 48 hours. First time I was ever so happy about 48 hours of rain in June. It gave us a chance to admire our properly sloped gutter. Now, to fix the others...

Still stripping paint

2010-06-12T17:53:00.000-07:00

First, I apologize for the lack of photos. Photos account for about 95% of the fun in a house blog, I think. I hope to add an updated photo with this post, soon.

It's been longer than usual, between posts, but we HAVE been working! We're nearing the end of the dining room project and it's hard to believe it's taken so long. I bet if we dedicate 3 or 4 weekends on the next room, we could get just as much done in that time frame. (Famous last words, maybe?)

Slow progress is still progress! We have the paint stripped now, and are about 30% through the "light sand" and hoping to finish the sanding, and the last plaster touch ups this week/weekend.

It's going to be great to take down the plastic over the doorway, and finally see (and USE!) our dining room.

Wallpaper removal complete

2010-04-27T20:15:00.000-07:00

The wallpaper is down! Steam, scapers, fabric softener, vinegar and a spray bottle allowed us to remove the wallpaper. A thorough washing with trisodium phosphate, and we are moving on. Next up, plaster repair and paint removal- both already in progress!

Paper is down!

Post-TSP wash

Preview: paint removal!

Dining room wallpaper progress

2010-03-29T22:34:00.000-07:00

Progress on the dining room wallpaper came to nearly a complete stop. We spent about 6 hours- scraping, sanding, thumping, scratching and finally, washing. Just have to finish the wash job, tomorrow. Then it's plaster-repair-time. When the plaster is repaired, and the woodwork is stripped, it will be time to prime and paint. Cannot wait.

A sneak peek:

A little work in the yard

2010-03-27T19:01:00.000-07:00

Attempted some yard improvement today. The giant lillies have been moved to the small strip of no-man's land, along the side of the house. When these babies reach their 7 foot max height, I'll enjoy seeing and smelling them from the kitchen window. Here's what we had today:

Before:

After:

Didn't even realize that the moss washed away, until I saw these pictures.

Artifacts, left from previous owners:

Why was burying garbage in the yard so popular? Some of this stuff is less than 10 years old.

Detail Oriented

2010-02-27T14:59:00.000-08:00

Recently I was talking to a friend about the details in our home, so I'm posting pictures of a few details.

This picture is the cabinet next to the sink. We took the awesome laminate door off the cabinet when we moved in. This cabinet puzzles us. No idea what the original cabinet fronts and doors looked like, so no clues there. The slots go completely through the shelf. What do you think it is? Oh- the blue is painter's tape, which I used to hold the shelf liner still, until we can replace the cabinets. I'm tempted to keep this one, though, or find a way to reuse those shelves.

Here is one of a doorknob. We have most of the knobs on the doors, but two have been replaced with a less attractive knob. If you see these knobs for sale anywhere, please let me know!!

Finally, here is the floor. The portion of the house that is above the basement is oak, and the portion that is above the crawlspace (bedrooms and bathroom) is fir. I love the fir. Have a look:

Wallpaper removal continues...

2010-01-10T20:42:00.000-08:00

This weekend, we had some help removing wall paper. Even though she spent some time working solo (THANK YOU!) she stuck to it, and ended up removing the outer layers of paper that remained in the dining room, and getting down to plaster, too. Sunday night, we homeowners even got in on the activity.

East wall

South wall

West wall

North wall

How one homeowner likes to kick back, after working hard on wallpaper removal

Wallpaper removal has begun!

2010-01-07T21:24:00.000-08:00

About a year and a half into homeownership, the wallpaper has finally met its fate. It is the end of an era... 5 layers of floral, splatter paint, and southwestern printed era.

The many layers of paint and wallpaper practically fell from the wall, except for the very first layer of paper. In about 10% of the total area, we got down to plaster, by just scraping the paper off (gently) while dry. With a a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 fabric softener, the last of the paper scrapes up with a bit of elbow grease. The plaster, in general, looks very good.

We also discovered that behind the wallpaper was the last of the moisture from our insulation installation. Fortunately, there is no indication of mold (by smell or by my allergy-powered detector system), and the wallpaper comes off even more easily on these walls. In these areas, the dry-scraping-straight-to-plaster accounts for about 35% of the area.

The following pictures don't include the last shots of where we left off, tonight. We have a patch of plaster exposed that is about 2.5'x4." I will do the math for the total work hours per square foot of wallpaper removal, soon.

East Wall

South Wall

Some paper samples:

2010 Forecast

2010-01-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

I was inspired by Our Portland Foursquare, to post a 2010 DIY to-do list. We have several projects on the chopping block, and maybe if I post them on the blog, we'll be extra motivated to get down to business!

The upcoming projects include:

stripping woodwork (in progress)
removing old wallpaper (in progress, going great!)
paint walls and woodwork (I know, I know)
level yard
retaining wall along front sidewalk
french drains
fix gutters
repair driveway
new back patio pavers
Restore the 5 sash windows

Lots of work in the yard, this spring and summer, but plenty indoors, for now, too. The wallpaper is coming down beautifully, and so far, the plaster looks pretty great, beneath. 2011, hopefully, will see a kitchen remodel and/or a bath remodel, possible new bath in basement and other basement improvements.

Drapes, not sheets

2009-12-09T20:51:00.000-08:00

Another step away from house and toward home. Yes. the drapes still need to be steamed. No, I haven't patched the walls, since the insulation installation. Yes, there is stuff everywhere, in the pictures, and that's ok. I am very excited about the drapery hardward. Haven't mounted the tie-backs, yet. I'll wait until we finish the walls and woodwork for that. But in the mean time, I'm thrilled with the improvement. Oh, and the wrinkles have fell out, by now, and we have cleaned up after hanging the drapes.

Dining room window, before

Love those bed sheets (on a bed, that is)

Dining room window, after

Living room window, after

Paint strippers and weather stripping

2009-11-19T19:36:00.001-08:00

We tested a new paint stripper: Peel Away 6. It's the 3rd product we've tried, and the first product to actually cut through the layers of paint on our woodwork. I'm sure that different products are more or less useful in different situations. Our particular combination of oil and latex paints (2 to 7 layers) has reacted very well to this. After 12 hours, the paint scraped off with a plastic scraper and ZERO elbow grease. I repeat, ZERO elbow grease.

First, the application-9:30AM

Next, the test-5:30PM

(COMING SOON... the second test- 9:30PM)

One of our house's previous owners decided to remove a built-in bookshelf. Yes, I would have dome something totally different, starting with not removing built-in bookshelves. With that pesky bokoshelf gone, the previous owner added a pair of french doors. However, the stairs leading to the patio are only in front of one door, so do not use the second door. The doors aren't the sturdiest, and we have talked about replacing them with a better set. In the mean time, I've decided to do something about the weather stripping. For how much we love the doors, I think we set an appropriate budget for the weather stripping.

Old french door weather stripping:

A $4.97-fix!

Janet's Table

2009-11-19T19:07:00.000-08:00

Let's catch up on one of last year's projects: Janet's table. At the time, we had been eating on a card table, on loan (see the left side of the first picture) for about 4 months. Then, our good friend Janet loaned us an antique table. She recommended Howard Feed-N-Wax to clean and moisturize the wood. It worked beautifully. The table originally had casters, which are now missing. The table (still) sits on newspaper booties I made, awaiting bun feet. Here are some pictures:

Applying Howard Feed-N-Wax:

Finished product (pardon the mess):

We're getting warmer...

2009-11-14T19:53:00.000-08:00

This week, we brought in The guys from TriCord Enterprises to insulate the walls. They offer a unique product, called air krete. Initially, we were looking into closed-cell poly-resin type insulation, but no local contractors make that product available to folks with existing construction. Then we found TriCord, Andy, and air krete. After reading about the product, I think we really lucked out, having this available to use in Portland. We are very happy with Andy and Diego's hardwork (and for helping us clean up).

The difference is obvious. The house is noticeably quieter and the furnace doesn't have to kick on every 10 minutes to maintain the temperature in the house.

Here are some pictures:

Diego, hard at work:

Someone else, hardly working:

These are the plugs that are removed:

Sweet holiday cookie cutters, just in time for the holidays!

This is what it looks like afterward:

We're gonna be warm!

2009-10-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Today, we insulated the attic! Insulation was here and there, but not everywhere. All wires were left exposed, which accounted for about half of the square footage. There was a combination of blown-in cellulose and yellow fiberglass batts. All of this was covered with debris from a roof replacement performed by the previous owners.

The Mr. ran the machine and I went up top with the blower hose. Rather than remove the old batts, I blew the new insulation in to the height of the joists, then laid the batts back over the joists (now filled with new insulation) and buried them with about 10" more of the new insulation. It was an interesting process. Word to the wise: WEAR GOGGLES for this project!

The bid our very cool insulation contractor gave us for the attic (blown-in cellulose) was $1050. Following his money-saving advice, we did it ourselves for $269.70! Insulation is $26.97 each, and we used 10 packages. With the purchase of 10 or more packages, the blower rental was free. Thanks, Andy!

Before:

Weapon of choice:

Taking care of business:

The finished product:

New Blog!

2009-10-17T19:09:00.000-07:00

I wasn't feeling great about our former blog address, so I've moved us to a new address! So welcome! to nepdxbungalow.com! Below, I copied the September posts into the text.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2009

Alice.com

Today, my mom sent me an email, directing me to Alice.com. I know it's not house-related, but penny-pinching is a peripheral hobby of many old-house-people, as we need to use those precious pennies to buy great hardware, reclaimed flooring, or beautiful drapes.

You sign up with your name, email, zip code and birthday. Shipping on orders of coupons is free! It's very cool- I highly recommend it!

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2009

So much for the tiles.

The tiles did NOT clean up well (I took pictures, but haven't uploaded them yet). They are still dirty, still ugly. The grout, too, is still in bad shape. We've decided to replace them, so now I am in pursuit of the right sized tiles, that are attractive. I have no sense of what makes an attractive tile, so I'm still doing some online research (which consists of google-imaging and blog surfing).

In the mean time, I've found great drapery hardware, at jcpenny.com! I feel I've exhausted other possibilities, in an effort to assure myself the best possible deal for the best looking rods, that I can find. I've picked out a few rod sets with a glass finish. I think they'll look great with our 1923 house. To go with these new rods, I picked up a few sets of drapes and sheers at Ikea. I picked white sheers in a few different styles, and some thick drapes. Pictures will be coming when I have them all in place!

It's so fun to finally start turning this house into a home :-D

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2009

In the Beginning

I love reading blogs about other people's adventures in old houses, so I'm starting my own. Rather than living vicariously through the blogs of others', I will now attempt to give someone else the chance to live out their home improvement dreams through this blog.

Brief background- we moved in during the summer of 2008, but were busy planning our wedding. Now, married, with a dog, we'll be tackling our projects around the house. Later, I'll post a few pictures of the minor things we took care of in the first year.

Today, I've been cleaning up the tiles around the hearth. Our brick fire place is surrounded by a quarry tile (4x4) hearth. The tiles are unusual in that they have some color "smudged" on. I'm not sure if this is a stain someone applied in situ, or some other treatment. Anyway, the tiles, especially near the mouth of the fire place, are pretty dirty, with a lot of thick, black, waxy build-up. My clean-up efforts include chemical strippers, a heat gun+scraper combo, and finally, steam+scraper+towel combo. The grout is dirty and chipped, and I'll just have to regrout when the tiles are clean. The grout scrapes out very easily.