What I've learned

 1) Bathroom work is messy.

 

 2) An outdoor gardening mat works really well to cushion knees.

 

 3) Hand protection would have also been a good idea.  Shards of ceramic tile are....sharp.

 

 4) Pedestal sinks don't look heavy.  They lie.

 

5) It's fun to go down memory lane: Ah, how I hated pulling all that wallpaper off the top of the walls; how I thought the green was a good color choice after that; oh how much I love the grey.

6) Demo first; ask for opinions later.  Can you guess what the decision was on the bead board?  I had one "no" vote, one "yes" vote.  I broke the tie and just tore it down before I was outvoted!

Time to get movin'

The last week or two has been a blur of last of summer, back to school, finishing up a large work project, and very little (no) house projects.  Until today.

We will have FLOOR by next Friday!  The delivery of the wood will come this Friday, and then has to acclimate for at least 5 days.  We will have a definite install date later today, but will be before the end of next week.

Which means: I need to get moving!

I finished pulling up the tacks strips and the thresholds; the biggest job there is pulling up the carpet and pad, and honestly, pulling up all the staples in the padding will be the most time consuming.

And then this:

 The bathroom tile has never been my favorite.  I think the biggest issue I have is the non-white grout between the white tiles.  Maybe smaller grout lines would have looked better, and would have been easier to clean.

 So when we decided to pull up carpet and install wood, I knew the tile was going to go. 

 I was suddenly nervous when I got the call that the wood was coming and we would be installing in one week....I needed to get this tile up and make sure I didn't have any issues I needed help with.

 When I hammered under the first piece, I got this huge chunk up easily, and knew I would be OK!

 After 1/2 hour, this is the mess I have at this point....but it's progress. 

 Now to remove the door to do the rest: It makes it easier to get in the small space and makes me less claustrophobic.

I also realized that the level of the floor did not match up with the level of the sub floor under the carpet.  I think the tile was installed on a backer board, and once I research that, think that I will also be pulling that layer up.  This will make it easier than having to clean up all the grout left over like I had to do on the concrete in the basement!

Next: to keep the white beadboard or not?  My choice is not, but I think my two other votes will be to keep it.  I know what is under there: original flowery wallpaper that will also need to come down.  I'm making more work for myself, but think in the end it would look better and updated.

We'll see how that one plays out!

The summer "to-do" list is done.

Did we do everything on my list? Nope, not even close.  Barely.  So the list, not the things on the list, is what is done.

I've done this most summers, make a list that is.  Most summers the list was in my head, or in a conversation with a friend.  This was the first time I've actually posted a list to read....my big "summer to do list" of fun, new and exciting things.

And it was a failure.  Not the summer, but the list.  It was all wrong.

Why?  My intent was good: it was a night I wasn't sleeping, and with this big expanse of free time ahead of us, I was thinking of all kinds of fun we could have, and wanted ideas when we came up short.   Great idea, but not one that really works for us. 

Why it doesn't work it something I think will be helpful for the future. 

Here is my stab at it:

• We're not a list kind of family.  I've learned to take things as they come a lot more and let my planning and control tendencies go a little (a lot).   Early in our marriage dh suggested we just "pick a direction" and head out on vacation with "no plans" (and yes, I put that in quotes for a reason: you planners/control freaks will understand why).  I gasped.  The horror and fear of it all was a little much for me, but I went with it.  With a few key things in mind, we headed out, and had one of the best vacations ever.  Until the boy came along, we did this for most of our vacations.  It was awesome.
• We like to be at home.  A lot of day, curling up on the sofa under a blanket beats the best planned out day trip.  Not always, but a lot.
• There is a lot to be said for free days.   The school year is full of schedules and dates and homework and limits.  Summer? Not so much.  Having a list of things to do just doesn't seem like the right fit.

We had the perfect summer in my opinion.  We actually did a few things on my brainstorm list, but most went undone. 

Instead of a day trip to DC we had day and night long playdates.

Instead of a hectic tour of a foreign country (not written, but in the plan), we had a fun 7 days at a ocean paradise in nearby state that we had already visited....twice.

Instead of hiking trails (we don't even like to hike!) the boy and I had wandering dates around town over pizza and frozen yogurt, with good conversations and easy (ie no) schedules.

We fostered (and subsequently adopted) a nine year old kitty that is the sweetest thing ever.  We celebrated Grandma's 80th birthday.  He enjoyed his first ever bachelor party (at Camden Yards no less) with cousins and good friends.  We played Legos and sorted baseball cards, rode bikes, played in the pool and on the baseball field and learned more licks on the guitar.  We curled up on the sofa under a blanket together and each played on our own computer in the afternoons.

It was the perfect summer. 

It is something that no list could ever create.

Living in a plastic covered room

It's not as bad as plastic covered couches, but living with plastic covered floors is getting old.  Probalby about as old as the talk of the wood floors that aren't yet are getting to you, my loyal dozens of readers.  But yes, we persevere.  The upside? We bought floors Saturday. Decision made.

We thought we were close with the samples from a local supplier, but sadly that didn't work out.  We went back to Lowe's yesterday and found a hardwood that is very similar to the engineered wood floored we have in the kitchen.  Since that is the biggest area that will be connected, it's a win.  If we ever do redo the kitchen (stress, anxiety and chaos for three months anyone?), we can extend this floor and have uniformity.

The price was a win too.  We found a Bruce wood product that has a (only) five year warranty against scratches and dings, so the price was a lot lower.  With the activity going on here with us, kids and pets, we really don't expect much more than that! 

Bruce "spice" it is. 

And the plastic will be gone.  I have an issue with chaos, and living with torn up carpet and plastic on the floor is not good for my nerves honestly.  I can't wait for it to be done. 

Another big part of the decision was what to DIY verses what to have the professionals do.  I did consider trying to put in the flooring for a hot minute, but decided against.  If this was in an upstairs bedroom I might feel differently.  Being that it's in our main living area and more than a little chunk of change, I decided that it was best un-DIYed.   Professionals it is...for the most part.  

I will save around $900 from doing the things I can do myself though:

• remove and dispose of carpet and padding
• remove tack strips and staples
• remove tile in bathroom, removed toilet and sink
• move furniture
• remove and re-install shoe molding; install quarter round

Removing the shoe molding is optional, but the added height of the wood would leave very little of the molding showing once the quarter round was installed.  So out it comes.

We're waiting for the call to find out the scheduling time, but hoping that 2-3 weeks from now we will have a new, non plastic floor. 

I can't wait to have this project finished and our main living space returned to, and better than, normal!

to the beach and back

We spent the week at the beach.  Enough said....there is never anything bad about a week at the beach.  I enjoy trying out my telephoto lens from 12 floors up.....

....and I loved sleeping in my own bed and waking to a puppy on my feet again.

And now....it's back to the hammer and nails. This post....she's a coming down.

I've been trying to figure out for a last weeks whether this was a load bearing column.  After talking to a good friend and architect, we had the great idea to call the builder of the house.  I talked to him, and he was gracious and patient, and looked up the original (19 year old) plans. 

I was THRILLED to find out this was not a load bearing support!  So out it comes, and the area between the kitchen and family room will be completely open,  clear and barrier free

 

But the boy is not happy with me. 

This kitty was a Christmas gift, and he picked this post for kitty to live.  It's great.  Except that I'm going to tear it down, and he is not happy.  He says he is going to tape himself to the post and not let me demo.  We even offered to let him swing the hammer, and he is still not happy about the loss of kitty's home.

 

 

But he left, and I did this.

He will not be happy with me.

 

Kitty trusts me to find her a new home though.

 

**Update: we're having friends over for a last minute, casual dinner: the family made me stop the construction. Which I don't get, really, since they all know me and how I am....I mean, what's a little construction dust between friends??