plumbing is a pain in the a@@!

That is my favorite quote of the day...from my favorite professional plumber (aka Dad) when asked why I can't just put a toilet wherever I want...  I am learning a lot about vent pipes (and how do you get them from floor one up through the roof) and how big they should be and what type of pitch ones needs to properly let the good waste flow.

Oh yes and important question #2 - just how many floor joists can you cut through before the structure starts to sag?  I am counting at least seven - but do notice a definite pitch near the upstairs toilet suspiciously near where the pipes run through...

These are NOT from my house.  Gee don't I feel better now...

Miscellaney

Digital notepad...here you go...I just need to jot a few item down...

Vessel Sink from Vintage Tub - too cute.  No overflow though, will the kids flood the bathroom?  Can I put an antique cabinet below for vanity?

Cool outside light - illuminates house number by Pottery Barn:  Mayfair Sconce

Potential living room sconces from Home Depot:  Rustic Iron Wall Sconce

Corner Gas Fireplace Design...

Our one central chimney is small and being used for the furnace.  I think originally the front living room had a wood stove (there is a patched spot that could have been originally from a stove pipe), but no fireplace.

I do miss my former fireplace.  It provides a room with beauty, a display shelf and a place to hang the Christmas stockings...not to mention there is nothing like cozying up to a fire during those cold winter storms. Shall we sing...well the weather outside is frightful but the fire is so delightful...  You get the gist. 

To address these concerns I have talked the husband into getting a gas or pellet stove.  They have these great direct vent zero clearance stoves that put out a lot of heat and will assuage my fireplace longings.  We debated the gas/pellet pros and cons (I won't bore you with all that) and decided that we have enough to do around here we want the easiest option with zero (okay very little) maintenance.  Plus we have already used up our tax credit on windows so we wouldn't get the 30% discount on the pellet one..

Anyway, I have been busy trying to figure out where to stick it (I need an outside wall not next to the window we are putting back).  I am opting for the corner since I think it would give the most viewing area.  I also want it to look like it belongs there (no modern stoves).  So I have been looking into hearths and mantels and brink refractories, and door faces and styles.  Here are a few that I like:

I think I am leaning towards white...  I also like the rustic look of wood, but then I have to consider matching the wood trim on the furniture which is a little more on the formal side...

plaster vs. wallboard...

Who knew this could invoke quite a controversy!  Everyone I have talked to has a different opinion and I found quite a few heated discussions online about the difference...

Unfortunately most of our original plaster walls have been messed with.  The dining room has paneled boards up against the framing where the plaster and lath use to be.  We decided to gut the living room (there are only three walls since one wall was removed and replaced with a big metal beam) to see what was in there as it would give us a feel for the rest of the house.  It's a north facing room with two exterior walls so we knew we could beef up insulation while we were at it.

I think it was the right choice!  We were able to remove a lot of nest materials, stinky mouse poop, a mouse skeleton, and see that there was no insulation at all.  We also found out that way too many joists were cut up for plumbing and that we should enforce the structural integrity of quite a few of them.

So now we have to decide how we want to finish the walls and where the tv and new gas fireplace should go and where we want lighting switches and wall outlets and overhead and/or wall lighting...  Lots of decisions.  There is a plasterer in town that I am going to call for a price and see how it compares with the rest.  Overall, this is going to be an expensive room (second to the bathrooms and kitchen) but I am hoping that we will love it once it is done and we definitely will be spending a lot of time in the one warm room in an otherwise uninsulated house!

Here are some links for the plaster vs. wallboard discussions...very interesting!
http://reviews.houseinprogress.net/archives/000942.html
http://homefixated.com/2009/07/02/plaster-vs-drywall/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drywall
http://www.contractortalk.com/f49/plaster-vs-drywall-10879/index3/

More demo fun...

The demo crew...day one...let the sledgehammers rip and the fun begins...

How many men does it take to wrestle a Majestic stove out of the wall? Note - the stove outer metal has duct-taped seams and it did not extend past the first floor celing...

Nope we won't be putting this beauty back. It is sitting on my front lawn right now in case you want it.

A insulated heat pipe outside the uninsulated wall.

That is NOT snow folks...

A celing squirrel nest. So far no sign of squirrels although the cats were running around the house like nuts in the middle of the night chasing mice (I think it was mice...). No trace this morning - either they ate the evidence or they were not successful.

The mess part one....

The mess part deux...

Dave wrestles the ceiling. Dave wins!!!

Doesn't every old house have a railroad trestle instead of a load-bearing wall???

Scott wants to know - what exactly does one of these puppies weigh? And why is it only supported on the ends by 2x6's?

Now if that doesn't make you want to run right home and start ripping down walls, I don't know what will!!!

The end result...or what is life like living with no insulation or walls... Rory can tell you - it's cold!!!!

The Septic Is Done

It only took two months, but the new septic system and leaching field has been installed. The plumbing in the basement has been fixed (pitch and leaking) and tied in so we are good to go (literally) in our one bathroom...

The installer said it was done in the nick of time as the old cesspool pipe was packed full of juicy stuff that you just don't want backing up into your basement. Phew! We will have to wait to reseed until the spring and until then will be dealing with a big mud mess...starts to make you think about walkways and driveways...add that to the list!

Here is a lovely picture of the side yard and the trench you must cross to enter the house.

Farmhouse kitchen sinks

If this doesn't scream farmhouse at you I am not sure what will! Love the sink and the butcher block countertop and the wainscoting and the open shelves...

Going to add this one to my kitchen idea file. Don't worry I will take some nice and ugly before pictures for you. The kitchen really is quite horrid!

http://www.calfinder.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/farmhouse-sinks-flowers.jpg

The Demo Begins...

We have officially demoed the living room. What better time than the first week of December to rip down ceilings and walls and cover *everything* with a fine film of dust ??!!

The nine new windows are arriving this weekend (finally) and should be installed next week. After two late nights of very nasty demo we are ready for them!

During the demolition we did not find any money or jewelery or newspaper clippings, but we did discover...

1. two huge squirrel nests - no creatures within but about a field's worth of grass/hay


2. lots of mice poop and one dessicated mouse


3. a huge metal I beam spanning the removed wall - think railroad trestle woo woo!


4. a horse hair plaster ceiling sandwich - horse hair plaster, strapping, and two layers of wallboard - yum!


5. two true friends that we can never hope to pay back...


6. clues as to the original layout - where the walls and doors were...