This past weekend we had some great weather (what month is this again?!!). Ryan and his dad got the new chimney liner installed and finished the top of the chimney! Next up was installing the insert itself which took basically all day Sunday! It was quite the project.
Chimney finished!Insert installed!
Other than that project we did get a few other things done – Ryan has gotten the wall to the master closet all framed and the ceiling to the closet. I just didn’t get pictures when it was light out. We started installing the cover on the boat (we have to install all the snaps all the way around!).
We’ve got to do a few small fires in the fireplace before we can fully utilize it but we need to get some seasoned wood first 🙂 Our new heating system is making great progress too! The upstairs vents and returns are all in place, pipes are run. We ordered thermostats and got the wire we needed for wiring the outside unit. We *may* have heat upstairs before Christmas!
Wednesday was a very busy day. First Ryan did a bunch of cleanup/moving stuff to prepare for demo (out on the roof mostly). Then after lunch he started the actual demo with a break for dinner. After the little one was in bed he finished the last 2 walls and I helped with the cleanup of that and all the lathe that was out in the driveway (thrown off the roof). By 9:30 we had the wood all in the dumpster and Ryan has all the plaster bagged and on the roof/in the room ready to get thrown off the roof into the truck (and driven to the dumpster) later. (Truck was in NY at the moment).
After demo!
I think the negative air machine worked well, it really helped keep the dust from escaping throughout the upstairs (man i hate demo dust!).
While Ryan did demo our contractor was here and he finished the crown molding in the livingroom (which is now our bedroom)! Only the front hall and the diningroom left to get crown!
Crown installed!The rest of the crown
Today started with driveway cleanup (sweeping for nails from last night), then cleaning off the porch. Next Ryan took off the railings and finally started the porch demo (pulling up the decking). By 4pm Mark (his dad) was here with the new railings and they are out there now getting a start on the porch project! I’m so excited about this one! (I guess i’m excited about all projects but I am looking forward to enjoying the new deck for a bit before we leave!)
Railings gone – this was before the deck was pulled up
I’ll have porch updates this weekend for sure! I am hoping to get some weekend time (naps) to work on the demo cleanup (vacuum out ceilings etc) and getting some electrical/lights installed in our empty rooms so we can work after bedtime too. Those rooms just need to be prepped for insulation and sheetrock and electrical has to be finished. A full week to go still (although admittedly ryan will need a couple days off too!)
Friday and Saturday we rented a lift to complete some up high projects around the house. First up Ryan got a coat of paint on the shakes on the driveway side and the molding up under the soffit. Some sections of that molding aren’t done yet but they are easier to get off a ladder so we waited – wanting to take advantage of having the lift. Ryan then painted all the green that he could easily get with the lift that was left (again what’s left we can get off a small ladder on the porch roof).
Red shakes done – green around the windows done! Almost finished with painting 3 sides!
Next up Ryan moved to the back and removed both the aluminum siding and the original siding from the back side.
This took about an hour and a half to get to this point!
That was all on friday, Saturday it was a second coat of red on the shakes and moldings, then he installed the last 2 windows in our entire house that we plan on doing! Our contractor is going to reside that back side (hopefully very soon so we can insulate) – so we’re done with that upper section, leaving just the back porch for us to deal with. The flashing for that porch was fine so a little ice shield to keep water from getting behind it until it’s sided and we’re good to go for now.
Last 2 windows installed! The attic one is just a vinyl window
We attempted to get the lift to reach the small section of green by the electrical wires that i couldn’t reach by ladder last year but it wouldn’t reach 🙁 So we’ll have to pull out the bigger ladder to complete that green paint. Finally we started pulling aluminum off the back porch which didn’t really need the lift but we ran out of actual projects that needed it!
Porch with most of the aluminum off. This siding is in decent shape, we’re going to patch the missing piece of sill and sand/paint the siding/trim as is. Not putting a lot of work into this porch as it really should just come off the house and have a garage attached!
Sunday we returned the lift, went out to breakfast and then I spent the day packing while Ryan was on Dad duty. I got our bedroom packed and ready to empty and the back porch emptied. These are the next 2 demo projects although the back porch is only getting partially demo’d. During naptime Ryan got the front area grouted so that tile job is done! The front hall just needs trim and paint to be completed!
Grouted!
Maribeth and Dan came out Friday night and spent Saturday morning stripping paint off the little front porch off our bedroom. They are back to it today and it’s coming out great (pictures coming soon!).
Today is a day of getting lots of small stuff done. We were hoping our contractor would come today and finish the crown in the front livingroom (he did the cupola crown over the weekend) so we could move our furniture down there and it wouldn’t be in the way but he has another job holding him up at the moment. The plan is to demo our bedroom Tuesday and Wednesday. Then get electrical done Thursday.
Cupola has crown! Just needs caulk, prime, paint!
Friday will be the start of the porch project – that is very exciting — a finished porch coming soon! I’ve had a hole in my porch for so long now! I wrote a list of everything I can see that needs to get done still and while it’s huge it seems manageable with the next 2 weeks of Ryan’s time so I’m excited. He’ll need a break next week for sure but hopefully putting up trim or doing some smaller easier tasks will be okay!
We put the final coat of poly on Sunday night! Ryan sanded when we got back from NY and I got it vacuumed and poly’d while he put Alex to bed! It’s done! And great timing, we can let it dry/cure for the week and we’ll definitely be using it a bit by next weekend!
Finished!
Just a few small things left to do (crown molding and trim paint) and the front livingroom will be done! The front hallway has a bit more work and the diningroom is on hold because we have to do the bathroom above it (plumbing). So excited though! We can finally put furniture back in the rooms officially. Here comes my new office (front livingroom), sewing room (diningroom) and playroom!
It’s not as shiny because it’s drying much faster. It’s also a bit lighter after the sanding I think.
I don’t think the 3rd coat will get done before the weekend, maybe Sunday night. This coat took a while with the sanding and vacuuming and it was just me this morning. It looks very smooth and nice (the first coat was a bit rough). Can’t wait till this one dries!!!
The stain wasn’t quite dry enough last night to do the first coat of poly so I took an hour and a half this morning and got it done by myself and Ryan took Alex to daycare to save me some time.
Poly is on!A view from the front door
It went pretty well, the first coat doesn’t need sanding/vacuuming before hand so the second and third coats will take more time. The floor is somewhat protected now though with at least one coat on so I feel better about it.
Our contractor showed up today to start working on the small porch off of our bedroom. He took out the screens and took off the sills and is working on rebuilding it a bit. The porch roof leaks where the porch is since we took the siding off so he’s got to fix the leaks (flashing and shingles should help). I think we may leave the porch open (no screens) for now, it looks nicer but there’s a lot of work to make it look really nice that’s for sure!
This weekend was awesome! Mom and Dad came out for the weekend and it was a very productive weekend! We started with this….
Doesn’t look too bad but the cupola area had patched in flooring that was uneven and the floors are just worn and old.The front hall had almost no finish left on it, just very worn
Dad and Ryan spent Saturday sanding the floors down … they came out great (and completely even)
Sunday we cleaned them up really well (all dust gone) and then Dad and I stained them Jacobean – nice and dark!
Jacobean stain – thinned out
We’re letting them dry a while and tonight we’ll start the poly coats. 3 nights of poly then a few days to let them cure and we’ll be using this room again next week for sure! I’m so excited, the color came out perfect and once it’s done we’ll get the final white paint on the trim. The windows in these rooms are all done (2 coats of interior paint completed in the last few weeks). The last item on the checklist is crown molding – it’s always last for us 🙂
Our downstairs is almost complete – the front hallway is our last ‘room’ that needs a decent amount of work. The rest of the downstairs just needs some paint here and there (or crown molding) 🙂 Getting there!!!!
Not a lot of house progress this past weekend because we were potty training and Ryan had to work most of the weekend.
I did manage however to work during naptimes and our neighbor came over on Friday and painted windows. 9 windows got a single coat of interior paint done (the exterior is already done on these). These are the diningroom and livingroom windows. Hopefully this friday the second coat can get on them!
I got the closet trim primed and a coat of paint done. I also primed the closet doors. Trying to squeeze in some time to do the final coat of paint and start painting the doors so I can start using my closet! The shelves are just hanging around ready to be hung!
Nothing else exciting – next weekend will be similar – still potty training so can’t leave Alex too much but I may have my neighbor’s daughter come over to play with Alex a bit and get some time to do something or other around the house!
Oh Sunday – such a ‘lazy’ day 🙂 We went out to breakfast per usual but this time with the whole gang. Alex and Ryan got their haircut after breakfast and then home for some play time with the cousins. At naptime Ryan’s parents headed home with the girls and I started hanging lights. I got the fan in the livingroom and the light in the cupola hung. After some lunch I also got the diningroom light hung.
Fan!Light in the cupolaDiningroom chandelier
I also got the light at the bottom of the stairs hung (wanted to see how these would look since I’ve been holding on to them for 4 years!). And started the chandelier in the front hallway but need a second pair of hands to hang this one!
Light in stairway (there are 3 that will go up the stairs eventually)Chandelier, this did not come with shades so I just ordered some.
Ryan had to work all day Sunday so Alex and I did a little shopping in the afternoon, then went to the park and home for dinner. She was up quite late so by the time I came downstairs I wasn’t up for much except making plans for the rest of the week. I have a very busy week ahead!
And I got a picture of the last cabinet with molding on top that Ryan finished Saturday:
It was a Williams’ family weekend! Ryan’s parents brought my nieces out for the weekend to entertain Alex and we got plenty of painting done while the kids were happily playing together! Added bonus, we got extra family time in!
Friday night everyone showed up in time for dinner, so we ate and played and by 8pm it was bedtime for Alex and the girls settled in for a movie. Alex went down easy so I was able to get some painting done, and since we had already eaten dinner I had an early start! I got all the ceilings painted (the small sections off the kitchen that needed a coat, the front hallway, the livingroom)! First coat on those last 2 so they needed a final coat still. Kitchen ceilings were done though. And I was done by 10pm which is EARLY considering the rest of this week!
Saturday we got an early start since Grandma was there to handle breakfast for the kiddos. I started by getting all the trim sanded while Ryan’s dad did the final coat on all the ceilings and then helped me finish sanding. Ryan finished the moldings on the last cabinet so they are completely done now!
Once the sanding was done it was time to start painting the walls, Ryan’s dad and I got the first coat on the walls in both the livingroom and diningroom by lunch time. Our neighbor was over and finished priming the ceiling boxes by lunch time.
Ceiling boxes all primedDiningroom with 1 coat on trim, 2 coats on walls
After lunch my neighbor sanded and then primed the trim in the back hallways off the kitchen (there was one small section I finished up later). Ryan installed the trim at the bottom of the columns while Ryan’s dad, Ryan and I did the second coat on the walls. Walls and ceilings done! Just one coat on trim left at this point!
Small hallway off the kitchen, trim all primedBack hallway trim primed
One other small project for Saturday, Ryan got the doorbell at the front door installed (it doesn’t do anything yet but it looks nice!).
The livingroom! 2 coats on walls and ceiling, 1 coat on trim (sanded and ready for 2nd coat)Other side of the livingroomAnother view
Tomorrow we have our regular breakfast plans and Alex needs a quick haircut for her birthday and school pics this week! Then home to do some more work, I’m hoping to hang the lights and fan and get a start on the trim painting. The plan is by the end of Monday or Tuesday the livingroom will be done except for the floor, windows needing paint and crown molding (always the last thing to do!). All things we will hopefully do soon 🙂
I don’t think the 3rd coat will get done before the weekend, maybe Sunday night. This coat took a while with the sanding and vacuuming and it was just me this morning. It looks very smooth and nice (the first coat was a bit rough). Can’t wait till this one dries!!!
