Tag Archives: renovation
Small measures
While the work on the kitchen continues, my own DIY projects have chugged along in small increments. At this point, my approach is fairly scattershot and nothing is really complete, although the bedroom is close. Recently, I’ve been working on the “pink room”, a second bedroom on the second floor. When we first moved in, […]
The floor plans
In researching Victorian architecture, I came across a phrase recently that lends a lot of clarity to the puzzle of our floor plan: “double parlor”. Obsessed with appearances and guarded in private lives, it was common in approximately the period between 1876-1915 to have a more formal front parlor for receiving visitors and a more […]
The progress and surprises
Week three started yesterday, and the work continues in satisfying increments. The demo of the cabinets is complete, the tile has come up and the rough-ins for the electric and plumbing are nearly finished. Because I am impatient by nature, I am restless to get to the part where we put the finishes in, but […]
The Befores
It’s been three months and a couple days since closing day, and we’ve undertaken quite a few projects, but few of them feel near completion. We have HGTV dreams, but a DIY network budget, and a couple unglamorous projects- a burst pipe and a roof repair- have distracted our time and funds. The big project, […]
The first surprise
After closing, we got the keys, unpacked, decorated, and lived happily ever after. (…which is hopefully how this concludes in 20 years, if we’re being optimistic.) But have you seen that foyer? You can forgive a house a host of sins with a foyer like that. After getting the keys, we vacillated between celebrating and […]
Almost
The briefest of progress posts just to say we are so close to having a functional bathroom, but not quite yet. (grout, vanity, sink, toilet, fixtures, sconces, window…)
The bathroom of my nightmares, part two.
Don’t freak out, darlings, and don’t question the choices that you make. It’s all part of the process. Did you you know mildew-resistant drywall is purple? And not just purple, but the very specific shade of reddish plum that happens to be my least favorite shade of my least favorite color? Alas. We’ve got some […]
In the thick of it
At the end of the second week, we’re in the “spot the differences” stage. Progress seems visually slow, but functionally steady. On Monday, work came to a halt when it was discovered that the building’s main water shutoff valve was broken. That had to be repaired, and then the plumbing rough-ins were finished, including rerouting […]
Tearing it down to build it up
One week in, and there’s one less bathroom in our single-bathroom home. Our tiny cat-contractor started her work bright and early Monday morning, and in no time, the terrible drop ceiling came crashing down. But I would strongly advise against hiring a cat contractor, because they tend to lose motivation pretty quickly and take long […]
Another new beginning
Hello, my blog. You’re looking kinda dusty. Up until this June, Nikki and I were working on this thing, this gorgeous thing, that took a lot of time and meticulous planning: Which was great! But that’s not why we’re here. In contrast to these happy gorgeous pictures (thanks, Shannon Collins, we looooooove you!), I have […]
The Projectory 