So Long Floors!

Dear Reader(s),

It took a day and a half, but all the floors have been removed from the house.  The original time table was to have all the new floors back down before the little one's birthday, but we have run into some additional foundation and leveling issues that weren't expected.  All work came to a stop, and we have had to get an independent engineer to come out and do an inspection.  He suggested adjusting 7 existing piers, and adding 3 more.

Most Pinterest projects are currently on hold, but once the floors are in, a friend and I may do a freezer meal project together, so stay tuned!  And the little one's 2 year portraits are this weekend, so I'll be putting together our outfit plan and props.

For now, you can laugh along with me (because my only other option is to cry) at our current living conditions.

"Dining" room

View from the front door (Ellie's in the background)

Family room - we brought the tv back in once foundation work was delayed

Office

Master bedroom

Kitchen nook - with original vinyl tiles

One of the original accent tiles in the kitchen

Kitchen and laundry, Ellie again in spotlight

Nursery, with a few random toys and books still out

Hall bath - toilet isn't functional due to the height of the old tile

Master bath - with the one functioning toilet

Master bedroom - we set the mattress back on the floor once the foundation work was delayed

Well, that's where we're at for now.  Work on the foundation will resume in about a week, but life goes on so keep checking in!

Thanks for reading,
~Beth

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

My big boy turns 2 today.  It seems unreal that two years ago I became a mother.  He amazes me every day and makes everything in life better.  Even if the house is an absolute disaster, or work has become unbelievably stressful, a hug or a kiss from him turns it all around, and makes me remember the important things in life.  Here's to you son, may your day be truly fantastic, and I can't wait to celebrate you all weekend!

2 Years Today!

1 Year Portraits

 Check this photographer's awesome work at: www.courtsgrinerphotography.com/

Just Born

Looks Like We're Moving...

...but we aren't.  We just had to pack up virtually everything we own, other than clothes and basic essentials.  The floors are being ripped up so that we can have the foundation fixed.  For those of you who have not lived in Texas, the soil down here likes to shift fairly regularly, which is why we don't have basements (sorry PeeWee.)  Foundation adjustments aren't so bad if you have a pier and beam house, they'll go under the house and jack it up as needed.  Unfortunately, we have a slab foundation - which means they have to jack hammer through the slab to install piers either at the perimeter of the foundation, or on the interior of the house.  So, for right now, we have a very empty house.

Master bedroom view from hall

Master bedroom from corner

We took our bed apart so there was room to move around, and placed a sheet in front of our doorless closet to protect some against dust.

Nursery from hallway

We did leave some of the larger toys out

Closet floor

Hall bath - excited to be rid of that tile!

Master bath - excited to be rid of all that grout (it should be white)

Ignore the shower door - we're doing a thorough cleaning of the house after the floor is installed

Office completely cleaned out

Office clost

Family room (Milo's in the chair)

Dining Room

Hallway

Entryway/ Dining Room

Piano and breakfast bar

Bare china cabinet

Bare kitchen cabinets

So where did all all of our stuff go?  Well, into our lovely new, formerly well organized, shed.

Note the door frame to the left in the picture above.  There is just enough room to step inside, and close the door.

Hopefully the next few days go smoothly and the floors are taken out without issue, then the foundation piers are adjusted, and the floor can go back in next week.

Thanks for reading!

~Beth

Walking Room

Dear Reader(s),

Remember that post on perspective?  The one where I shared the dismal state of our home office?  If not, here's a quick reminder:

Yeah, I know, not really a functioning office.  Not really a functioning anything other than perhaps a dumping ground.  But then, you haven't seen the garage yet.

I know, they are both just an absolute mess.  Which is a huge reason we got the shed.  There's another huge home improvement project coming up, but it basically requires that we pack up the house like we're moving.  The first step towards that was moving all the shelving units from the garage to the shed, so that the base of how the shed would be set up was done.  Boxes and miscellany will just be filled in around them for the time being.

Part of this process meant that while my husband was out sweating in the shed, I was inside boxing up books and sorting through comics.  Our hallway was a bit cramped that day.

Once the garage shelves were taken down, moved, reassembled, and restocked we were able to move items from the office into the garage.  Here's what the office and garage looked like after two days of packing and rearranging.

They are both still cluttered and un-organized, but getting much better.  It's important to remember that some things take time, and patience is a virtue.  At least, that's what I keep telling myself so I can keep some sanity.

Thanks for reading!

~Beth

Installing Insulation (of sorts)

Dear Reader(s),

You're back!  And, at least for now, so am I.  Once the shed was finally installed, we were able to start insulating two days later.  We put foil bubble sheets between the rafters and gable studs, and pink foam sheets between the wall studs.  Eventually, we'll go back and add in radiant barrier across the rafters, but that's for down the road.  After this two day project, we were just happy to be able to have it ready to start moving things in.

Most of the ceiling done

My hot husband finishing up the loft end gable

Look at all that fabulous silver

Working on the walls

Even with the insulation, fans were needed - we are in Texas after all

End of the first day of loading in from the garage

After two days of hard work from my husband, the shed was insulated and much cooler than it had been the first day.  We still don't plan to store candles out there anytime soon, but it should make it a bit more tolerable at least.

I was thrilled that in addition to that, we managed to get the majority of the garage cleared out, even if it was a temporary win.  Shortly afterwards, we picked up another project and the shed AND garage have become dumping grounds for the time being.  More on that situation in the future.

Thanks for reading!

~Beth

What's Goin' On

Dear Reader(s),

Thanks for sticking with me!  Our household has been a bit on the busy side for the last month.  We recently purchased and installed a storage shed (barn) in the backyard and have been spending most of our time and energy filling it up/ emptying our house.

We went through a major home improvement store to purchase both the shed, and the installation.  After going through what seemed like every choice option possible at the store, we still had three follow up phone calls (which each added to the cost) before the installation.

First they let us know that even though they had asked how big of a loft we wanted, and entered the size, they didn't charge us for it.  Okay, not sure how that's possible, but alright.  The second call was to inform us that even though we had explicitly stated we wanted the permit pulled for us, we again, had not been charged.  Finally, even though we had someone come out to our house to view the site, and review our city's coding ordinances with us, we were told that we needed two anchors for the shed, and that electrical lines needed to be moved.  The lines ended up being telecom, and were an easy (free!) fix, but the anchors were (surprise!) an added cost.

On top of that, the permit was nearly delayed due to someone's vacation and the entire installation was almost rescheduled.  After nearly a month of making arrangements and getting everything in line to be on the schedule.  All that being said, I'd still do it again, just would have preferred to have all the knowledge up front.

Once the installation started though, it flew by and only lasted about 5 hours, which really isn't bad for a 10' x 12' building with a 6' x 10' loft.  The "during" photos were taken through windows, so please excuse the blinds.

The foundation's been built (and anchored!) - decking is going down

Walls are up, prepping for arches

Arches are partially installed

Adding the top of the front wall

Arches and walls are complete

Roof sheeting has started

Roof sheeting almost done

Sheeting done, about to start shingle prep

Underlayment for shingles done

Shingles almost completed

Paint touch-ups and adding the final piece of trim

Finished! - front of shed

Finished! - side of shed

Right door open

Interior

Loft

And so it sat empty for less than a day.  We decided since there is no ventilation (we plan on converting it to a fully insulated, powered, and temperature controlled space later) we would install radiant barrier and foam sheets to at least help with the sweltering Texas heat.  But that's another story...

Thanks for reading!

~Beth