Grout Out

I scrubbed the grout in the powder room. It was not fun. It pretty much sucked. And I didn't see a huge difference, but enough.

Before

After

Have you done this before? If you know of a less sucky way, please let me know!

Wish List

Each year for the past several years, we've requested no gifts for the holidays. Why? Well here, let me list the reasons, I love any opportunity for a list:

1. We don't live near any family, so everything would have to be shipped
2. Space is precious and limited (especially when we still lived in the apartment) so we don't need any more 'stuff'
3. This automatically eliminates any possible stress (did I mention I hate shopping?) on what to get us
4. This saves everyone money (we couldn't be happy knowing our gifts are breaking our loves ones' banks)
5. If gifts are a must we've suggested options of consumable items, handmade items, or inexpensive items
6. This directs the holiday's focus on the more important things rather than the materialistic, like sending a card with a nice message that we are missed and loved
   
7. And if a card was forgotten, a phone call would make us just as happy
8. Cash. We will accept cold hard cash. Just kidding. Or are we?
   

Since we've started this tradition of breaking tradition, we've received handmade items, food baskets, wine. And everyone has been on board with the idea!

Even though we request no gifts, it doesn't mean we don't like to dream. Here is my wish list of items I need or would love to have! Uh oh, I sense a list forming:

Image from Amazon.com

1. Bathroom vent because the one in the powder room is about to die any minute now, and it would be nice to upgrade to an integrated light
   
2. Pendant chandelier to replace the ancient one in our stairway
   
3. 2 storage ottomans to replace our coffee table which is heavy and bulky
   
4. TV console because ours is currently too low and Rylie has gnawed on the edges (thanks Rylie)
   
5. 3 bar stools to replace the ones that I sold. These have a smaller footprint.
6. Lever for the entryway door to the garage, it's the only one left in the house to switch out
7. Dimmable CFL bulbs for the chandelier in the dining room, surprisingly expensive and hard to find
8. Area rug for the living room that actually matches stuff and didn't come from a dead guy's house (we bought our current one at an estate sale where the homeowner passed away)
9. Buffet/sideboard/credenza/server/console/bar cabinet to store infrequently used kitchen things that are currently in the back of the coat closet
10. Electric hedge trimmer to keep the Creeping Fig in check
11. Roundup to show Creeping Fig who's boss
12. Power core aerator to loosen our compacted lawn (thanks dogs)
    
13. Soil pH and moisture tester to know what amendments our lawn needs
    
14. Fireplace draft stop balloon to well, stop drafts
15. Latex Window Glazing, because if you haven't noticed it's really drafty here
16. Caulking gun to apply said glazing
    
17. mailbox and new post because our mail box is rusty and won't close all the way and attached to a post that is hanging onto a retaining wall by 1 loose nail
    
18. A hard-sided cooler with drain plug to keep beers in during parties, and to keep our food in at flyball tournaments
    
19. Chiminea or outdoor fireplace because the firepit is really smokey on windy nights
    
20. More solar lights
21. Outdoor lights over our garage
22. An integrated hose and reel for the front spigot, so I can stop toting the one from the back
    
23. Artificial grass for the incline
24. Wheelbarrow for future lawn redo and possibly to cart around a dog or two around the neighborhoods so that we can cement our role as the neighborhood dog freaks

What's on your wish list? It's fun to come up with one even if no one reads it...

We Floored It

Now that the walls are complete, time to move onto the floors. The previous owners had fortunately left several unopened boxes of the Pergo flooring used downstairs, so we wanted to make sure we didn't make mistakes and run out of pieces. After a couple frustrating false starts during the week, we decided it was best to tag team this one and get it done right so Jesse made a rare appearance at flyball practice this week. He couldn't be trusted home alone.

During the week we cleaned the debris and laid down the vapor barrier on top of the concrete, to well, protect the new floors from moisture. I love saying 'vapor barrier', it makes me feel pro just throwing around that term. In reality, it's just a sheet of thick plastic.

Next we put down some foam underlayment for sound and cushioning. Our flooring is a 'floating' floor, meaning it is not glued down directly to the floor below. I think most laminate flooring is connected via a tongue-and-groove method these days, and floats to allow shifting and to expand and contract. So don't forget to leave a 1/4" gap between the planks and the walls. We also put a thin bead of glue inside the tongue-in-groove connections per the manufacturer's instructions.

Tip: keep a damp rag nearby to clean up the excess glue. A little goes a long way, and try to avoid glue getting on the underlayment.
Another Tip: the easiest way to apply is inside the grooves, not on the tongue. The tongue of the planks that is. But you should probably avoid getting it on your tongue as well.
And Another Tip: don't try to measure and cut the planks all at once. Just measure and cut as you go along. Trust us.

Right after practice on Saturday we starting ripping the Pergo planks left and right. The most difficult part was cutting out the piece for the entryway to join with the existing planks without disturbing them. It sounds super easy, but typically you don't start in the middle, and that's where our entryway was located. We also didn't want seams in the entryway, or seams lining up with the other seams, they are supposed to stagger. Once Jesse got that piece done, we were on fire and the rest of the floor went pretty quick.

So now we no longer have exposed concrete flooring. This is big. BIG.

Suggestion: say 'vapor barrier' a lot. It's fun.

Kitchen Guts

I was so naive in my last post. We were so not close.

This weekend we completely gutted our kitchen down to the concrete foundation. This was an unexpected step, we didn't plan on removing the flooring. But while trying to remove our range, we realize it was caught on old linoleum flooring. We also realized that there was a smell under all that flooring. The smell of dampness and mold and all kinds of nasty bacteria.

And we discovered the source of it all, evidence of an old leak that had a clamp with screw... and scorch marks on the stud all around the copper pipe. That explains the horrible smell under the sink! Who fixes a hole with a clamp? Did I mention that all the plumbing was running through the old cabinets. That made for lots of holes through cabinets, unusable cabinet space, drainage noises, and unsightly drain pipes - I will not have that in my new beautiful cabinets. And I will not have smells under my floor.

We purchased some copper piping, learned how to weld, and created a new route for the drain pipes (through the half wall behind the sink). So in addition to being electricians, we are plumbers now.

And the fun doesn't end there. The next surprise was removing the adhesive from the linoleum flooring. That stuff is thick and bonds to bare concrete really well. It was instense labor. We tried all 'green' methods such as boiling water, wet towels, a blow torch, and old fashioned manual labor with a floor scraper. Finally, we resorted to chemicals. And when it comes to chemicals, this stuff was hardcore and highly effective.

On a side note: welding is fun, we encourage you to try it.