Sunday, November 21, 2010

Delays

I feel like it's been a while since I posted on the blog.

We've had a few delays in our plans this past week, as can be expected with these sorts of projects. But as a result, I've been grumpy and very wrapped up in what I'm doing. I've been stripping wall paper. Well, it started with stripping wall paper, but the paint started coming off too. So I've been stripping paint really. It started very easy! It always does, doesn't it? Then came the tough spots. There are a number of spots where the plaster walls have been patched, or sanded, or are rougher than the rest of the wall for some unknown reason. The paint DOES NOT want to be separated from these spots. Unfortunately, the back of the wall paper doesn't want to be separated from the paint either. So we've been scratching, and picking, and chipping, and scraping these spots off. I think, it retrospect, a bit of water might have helped do the trick, but I suppose that would have to be scrubbed at too. Ahhhh, retrospect..

Anyways, I have been working on that for 8 days now! But finally, the walls are bare (almost!) Honestly, there are a few spots to go, but the dining room is finished and ready to be patched, and then sanded. I will be doing that tomorrow.

Earlier today, as I was trying to finish the scraping of the walls in the dining room I realized that there were some bare patches in the ceiling where Ian had removed the crown molding and chips of paint had come off. I poked one at one, the paint around it seemed loose. Don't ever do that. It fell off. The paint across the whole ceiling of the dining room could be picked off. We couldn't paint it like that. So we had to chip it all off! The floor was a disaster! I'll try to post pictures of what this looks like later, when I have more energy. Maybe I'll make a post on DIY disasters! We were hoping to have all the scraping finished, and the walls washed tonight. Also, Ian has a few other projects I was hoping he'd finish off this weekend, but we've been tied up with other things. So this additional delay was NOT a welcome one. I'm sure you can imagine what I was thinking as I started knocking chunks of paint off. But maybe in every disaster, good things can be found if you just look hard enough. We had no light fixture in the dining room, and no attic access to install something, so we couldn't figure out what we were going to do to light that room appropriately. But underneath all that paint we chipped off, in the center of the ceiling, Ian found a perfectly round patch that wouldn't come off! Could it be..? Hmmm, there is also a small rectangular patch on the wall beside the kitchen door! Is it..? How do we find out for sure? We chip them out! (Another delay, but at this point I'm starting to think this annoyance may have been quite worth while!) So we did that, starting with the wall, and sure enough, the rectangular patch contained a metal switch box, complete with live wires! So Ian knocked out the circle in the ceiling, and sure enough, there was a ceiling box, also complete with live wires! (The wires were marretted, BTW!) And now, because the paint on the dining room ceiling was chipping off, we get to shop for a new lighting fixture, and we will have light when we eat!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

The Master's Suite

After nearly four months separated, we have finally been able to sleep in our own bed! It took us 9 days to prime (2 coats), paint the trim (2 coats), paint the walls (2 coats), pull out the carpet, scrub and scratch the old spilled paint off of the floor, etc.. We still haven't finished the closet, we need to hang a picture above the bed, and we need bedside lamps, but it's close enough to being complete that it feels like home!

The first 2 nights back in our own bed were the best nights sleep I've had in the past 4 months, and much needed! After a week and a half of sleeping on twin beds, it was nice to cuddle up to my husband again, and fall asleep with my head on his chest.
Before.

After. Before.

After.
Next project is the main floor bathroom.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Hard work

I don't think I've ever worked quite so hard in my life. We got the keys to our place Friday evening. We came over then and I started cleaning the kitchen while Ian and his dad went to Sears to pick up our new couch and chair.
We began the "big move" Saturday morning. We brought our first load, from the in-laws house, by 10:30 that morning. By 1PM we had picked up most of the stuff in our storage room also. I stayed here and started cleaning, while Ian and his dad went back for the bed and mattress. I sorted boxes and cleaned for several hours I think. Ian and I also started washing the walls in the bedroom. We took a little break around dinner time to go to J's. J is my sister-in-law's mother-in-law. She lives at their place in a basement suite. She made a lovely roast beef and mashed potato dinner for us all, complete with chocolate cake and pumpkin pie! It was very generous of her. Then we worked until midnight that night, Ian in the bedroom washing walls and the ceiling, and me in the kitchen unpacking boxes. Those stinking walls in the bedroom were washed with TSP and rinsed 4 times and the water was STILL coming out a disgusting orangey-brown colour from all the smoke!

On Sunday we started priming the master bedroom. We worked until 10:30 or so that night. That was also Halloween and our first dinner in our new house. We only had about 11 trick-or-treaters. I was a bit disappointed.
On Monday, Ian went back to work. When I woke up, I sat in the dining room and had my coffee and oatmeal. I watched the birds chase eachother around the yard. They ate the berries from an overgrown bush outside my window. I was going to remove the bush, but the robins seem to really like it. Also, Ian's mom put out some birdseed on the weekend, so we had chickadees, red finches, and something else (I'm not sure what it was) all flitting around the bird feeder. They were an absolute joy to watch. I took some excellent pictures of them. Then I put a second coat of primer on in the bedroom, but ran out of primer about 3/4 of the way around the room, and I hadn' t done the closet or ensuite yet. So then I finished unpacking the kitchen and tidying up, making it look a little more like home and less like we "just moved in." On Monday night my very kind father-in-law came over and fixed the leaky plumbing under my kitchen sink, and extended the tap in my laundry tub for me! Oh how lucky we are to have a plumber in the family! Now if only we had an electrician... We can only plug small appliances into the stove it seems, as every time I try to make coffee or boil water plugged into the wall outlet, I blow the fuse. A painter would be good too...

On Tuesday Ian went to work. I finished the second coat of primer in the bedroom, and primed the ensuite and closet. My sister-in-law came over and put a second coat of primer on some of the trim, and my mother-in-law came over and showed me how to use the caulking gun to seal the gaps around the windows and between the baseboards and walls. My mother-in-law invited us over for perogies (how could I turn that down? I was planning grilled cheese...) so when Ian got home from work we went over there. Then we went to Home Depot (we've been there every single day so far...) and bought a can of white paint to go over the primer (to help cover the purple, rather than using all the expensive primer). Ian finished the second coat in the closet and bedroom, and his parents came over also. His dad removed the carpet tack around the walls, and his mom and I sanded the baseboard and trim. Ian and I didn't stay up much later after they left. By 10PM I was in bed, exhausted.
Today... Today is Wednesday. I would like to paint the ceiling today, but I'm not sure if I have the energy to do it myself. It's at an angle, and quite high on one half of the room so I can't reach it comfortably, even on the ladder. I'm not too good with heights, so it really depends on how I'm feeling, whether I can do it or not. So I haven't quite decided if I should even try. If I get all the paint and stuff out and decide I just can't do it, I'll have to clean it all up... I could also paint all the trim. But I'd really like to get the ceiling done! I think if I got started, we might be able to set our bedroom up this weekend! But if I can't do the ceiling, it won't get done until this weekend. Which means we won't be in our room until next week... At any rate, I have to finish priming the baseboard in the closet, and I could start priming the main floor bathroom as well. Seems like a heck of a lot of work. Harder than I expected. So this morning I've chosen to update my blog, and have a second cup of coffee, while sitting in the dining room. I caught a quick glimpse of the robins and a chickadee, but the bird food is all gone now so they didn't hang around for long. I will have to get some more. In a few minutes I suppose I wish wash my face, then put on my painting clothes again.
Our new couch and chair.

The spare bedroom, already set up for us. We pulled the sheets and blankets off and are sleeping in our sleeping bags.

Ian raking leaves in our backyard.

Our walls in the process of washing. If you look closely you can see a slight line above the door, on the right hand side where Ian had washed up to.

Priming.

First coat of primer.

Second coat of primer.

Neighbours.

Hungry, greedy neighbours. Didn't even offer me any.

Friendly little fellas.

Cute.

My favourite, a red finch?