House Blog

27 November 2008 - A Thanksgiving Miracle!
Stage One of the kitchen remodel is finally completed! Stephanie said that Thanksgiving was the deadline, and I pulled it off with minutes to spare. Click here to see the transformation to date.

27 October 2008 - More Kitchen Work
Well, it has been over a month since I updated this blog, and I have far less than a month's worth of work to show for the absence. We took a trip to Maine and have been busy with other things. My principal battle recently has been against our plaster walls. They were originally papered over and were not exactly "paint ready" after the wallpaper was removed. It is tedious work, but I think that the end product will be worth the effort. Click here to see some photos.

21 September 2008 - Painting the Garage
We have not been working too much on the house, because my pesky job has been occupying a lot of time. However, this weekend was a pefect time to start painting the exterior. We started with the garage, and oh what a difference a little paint can make. Click here to see the before and after photos.

9 September 2008 - Rebuilding the Kitchen
Well, Hanna did delay my rebuilding efforts a few days, but we are now on the path to a fully functional kitchen. All of the outlets are installed, and we no longer have to look at the studs. Click here to see the photos.

5 September 2008 - Down to the Studs
The devolution of the kitchen is complete. In order to install the dishwasher, range, etc., I needed to take the outside wall down to the studs. The dishwasher needs its own breaker on the service panel, and the range and over-the-range microwave need outlets. Hopefully, tropical storm Hanna will not prevent me from putting everything back together tomorrow. Click here to see the damage.

31 August 2008 - Moved Out, Range, and Curtains
Well, we are completely moved out of our rental house as of today. Good thing, too, as our lease ends today. I rented a carpet cleaner and fixed the nail holes with TSCC approved paint (thanks, Curt and Cathlene!). Also, we have a range, and I have new curtains for the garage, courtesy of Stephanie the seamstress. Click here to see photos of the range and curtains.

30 August 2008 - New Appliances and Lotsa Plumbing
We took advantage of the Labor Day promotions to purchase new kitchen appliances, and I spent the past two days playing plumber. Click here to see the photos.

28 August 2008 - Moving and More
There have been few updates over the past week, because we have been moving. We are now in the house and 90% of our stuff is as well. After three attempts, we also finally have an undamaged refrigerator! Very little in the way of renovations has taken place with the exception of sealing up the hole between the mudroom and the kitchen. Click here to see the photos.

21 August 2008 - Facelift for Pink 1
Today was spent (mostly) finishing the facelift for Pink 1. Click here to see the photos.

20 August 2008 - Chimney, Bathroom Facelift, and Carpet
The past few days have been exceptionally busy, with a flurry of activities aimed at prepping the house for our imminent move. Click here to see the recent progress.

18 August 2008 - Floors are Finished and a Home for the GTI
After an immense amount of effort, the floors are finally finished. Also, the garage has been organized enough to provide a much-deserved home for the GTI. Click here to see the photos.

14 August 2008 - Refinishing the Floors, pt. 1
At this point, the floors are the main thing preventing us from moving into the house. They are nice oak floors, but after 55 years of use, they need to be refinished. The first step was to sand them down and prep them for stain and urethane. Click here to see the work-in-progress.

13 August 2008 - Garage Renovations, pt. 3
After several weeks of work at the house, my tools were spread all over the place, and the garage was overdue for some organization. Click here to see the updates.

10 August 2008 - New Kitchen Floor
After fixing this and that, we decided that we really need to start working on those things that will be most easily accomplished before we move into the house, which is drawing ever-closer. The first order of business was to address the floors. The upstairs will receive carpet, but the first floor is nice red oak planks. Well, most of the first floor is hardwood. The "kitchen" part of the eat-in kitchen was linoleum. We decided to make the entire room hardwood. Click here to see the changes.

10 August 2008 - Garage Renovations, pt. 2
In prepping the garage for paint, we determined that the overhead doors were rotten...really rotten. They definitely needed to be replaced, and they were. Click here to see the before and after.

6 August 2008 - New Front Door, Tree Removal, Etc.
The past week has been busy at the new homestead. My father and sister were here 26 July to 2 August, and they provided much needed assistance in several areas. Since they returned to TN, we have continued to work diligently. We need to have the house habitable by the time our lease is up at the end of August. Click here to see the recent changes.

30 July 2008 - Garage Renovations, pt. 1
For me, the garage is the pièce de résistance of this house, and it received some of the first renovations. Click here for before and after pictures of the garage entry door and window on the side facing the back of the house.

23 July 2008
The deal is done. Stephanie and I closed on the house this afternoon and had our first guests shortly thereafter. Brian Shelley and Jim Bricker joined us for pizza and beer and a tour of the new crib. Now, let the renovations begin....

21 June 2008
Stephanie and I are in the process of purchasing a Cape Cod house in Ewing, NJ. Our closing date is set for 22 July 2008, and we plan to start renovations shortly thereafter. Here are some photos of the house in its current condition.

Here is a rough floorplan for the house.