Phase II half-way there...

Phase II of the half-bath project is underway.  T and I spent Sunday dismantling a defunct chimney.  He said this was "the worse job yet" and "can we buy a real house now?"  Granted it was a 90 degree full humidity day and he had his head stuck in the attic removing bricks one by one with a hammer and a crowbar.

I had the fun job of throwing bricks out the 2nd floor window and then schleping them all to the rubble pile.  It was very hot and dirty work but we got the chimney more than half way down.

The bricks have a wonderful smoky charred smell reminiscent of many chimney fires.

Here are some lovely photos:

[slideshow]

Phase I is complete!

It's true!  Phase I of half-bath is complete.  Notice I did not tell you just how many phases there are...



Last week my Dad came down and we successfully removed the water heater from the kitchen and put it in the basement.  I know what a crazy thing to do - most people enjoy having a water heater in their living space...

The task went rather smoothly.  Our expectations around here are pretty low - pretty much you go into everything thinking that there will be some unexpected twist that will require a Plan B (or C) and an outlay of money.

Still, there were a few lessons learned...

1.  The water heater will not drain.  The bottom valve will not loosen.  We banged on it a bit but decided we were pressing our luck (and ensuring the purchase of a new one) so we moved it mostly full...

2.  When we shut off the hot water we found that the water lines seem to be crossed somewhere and at some point hot water is crossing into the cold?  Strange.

3.  We had a few extra wires when hooking it back up (it is electric and was connected to a timer that we dismantled).  Our electrician on call would not answer the phone so we did what any self-respecting do-it-yourselfer would do and winged it.  So far so good.  Hot showers have been had by all!  Thanks Dad!

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

Kitchen Dreaming...

Don't you just love the arch over this kitchen? My current kitchen is just so horrible that I have tacked up images of kitchens that I like to the wall. This is one of them. I love the windows and the fixtures and of course the apron farm sink. Not sure about the white cabinets...with little kids white scares me. I have seen some very pretty green or blue ones.

Our kitchen renovation is many dollars and time away. We first have to deal with some basement structural supports, dampness, replacing the existing leaking bulkhead and jacking up and leveling the floor. The floor right now is a big mix of plywood, rock maple, some kind of oak and tile that juts out way too far from where a wood stove once was (the chimney crumbled so we won't be putting that back!). Then we need to deal with the ceiling (water damage and some horrible patch job) and moving the hot water heater out of the kitchen and into the basement where it belongs!

After that we need to address replacing the windows and the slider to the back yard, tearing off the faux brick, moving the plumbing, updating the electrical and buying some new fixtures and cabinets. I haven't figured out the overall design - sometimes it's good to live in a place for awhile first, but I know I want one of these:

I love the built in bench seating that would be great for a family of five (plus a few more). I can so see us eating and doing homework and even playing a game at this nice light-filled spot! Again, I am afraid of white and I need a table that will not get scratched and beat up too easily. I love the chairs - they come in other colors too...

Someday...