Removing layers and layers of paint

I managed to capture some beautiful images after two days of experimenting with sandpaper, chemicals, and a heat gun.

Hanging out at Elise's

A wonderful Christmas with Elise, John, the dogs, and the horses. I also played cribbage for the first time.

Sita posing after being groomed.

Joey, ready for his close-up. He and I go way back.

Sita dances.

Elise feeding carrots.

Little Buster Brown.

12.25.11

Epic sunrise and sunset in Idaho on my sister's ranch.

A hall is reborn!

Joists were installed today in the hallway.

Shawn at work.


Shawn and John inspecting the joists.


The view of the new hall from the original bathroom, looking into the master bedroom.

15 days on

After a bit of a delay, work is underway again at my new house.

Insane ductwork connects to the furnace:


A wall collapse damaged the connection to the furnace flu. A new duct was installed today to keep the carbon monoxide in the flu.


A new footer is poured for the hallway floor to have some support. For almost a month it's been a big hole in the middle of the house with dirt flooring.

Four weeks on!

I got the keys to my new house four weeks ago today. The original plan was to move in by today or tomorrow.

Not gonna happen.

At the moment the plumbing changes are almost finished. The floors are still ripped up. Many of the walls are down to their studs and some need new studs.

There is no water, no toilet, and the furnace is currently inoperable.

Electrical work needs to happen, drywall, flooring, etc., etc.

I've been going non-stop every possible moment myself, with friends, with helpers, and of course with the contractor who's doing the big stuff.

It's overwhelming but fun.

New target move-in date is by December 15, though at that point much will remain to be done.

After a 10-day frenzy of prepping and painting I am currently spearheading the furring out of the back porch so it can be insulated. That's where the laundry is being moved to and the space needs to stay above freezing.

My next big wishes from the contractor are to finish the plumbing, shore up a part of the foundation that was removed for the plumbing, get the furnace and water working again, reroute some heating in the kitchen and get the floor recovered with plywood, and then install the new flooring. After that, electric, drywall, paint, install the kitchen . . .

One bedroom is getting closer to being a finished room. Three walls and the ceiling are painted. Another wall needs to be rebuilt and I've decided to carpet that room. It also needs a new light fixture and possibly some other electrical work. The entry is also almost finished, just needs some touch-up paint--and attention to the floors (which will come later).

That's the update from a new homeowner in Salt Lake City. Thanks to everyone who's helped so far--with an honorable mention to Quinn, the mastermind who made it happen.

Choosing a VCT tile

VCT stands for vinyl composite tile. You can read more about it here.

Here are the two styles I am considering for the kitchen floor:


1.7.12 Update: I picked the darker one (after some strong input from my colleagues at work). Most of the house has wood floors so I wanted something different in the kitchen. This is the type of tile you'd see in a grocery store, so it's very strong and durable. And it can be waxed! It's also easy and inexpensive to install, though the material itself is more than I would have thought. The darker one cost over three times as much as the lighter one (the difference amounted to a couple of hundred dollars more). I am happy with the choice. I picked up the materials this week. Installation is pending the drywall, which as I am writing this update will have to wait for some roofing . . .

Ripping through the floors.

To install plumbing and move heating.

Thinking about colors

Going with a sage green floor--old school look--grocery store VCT tiles.

Thinking of a burgundy back splash (actual ceramic tile) done in subway style. Rest of walls? Drywall, but not sure of color--maybe white?

May lower upper cabinets so the area of burgundy tile is smaller.

Demo phase, out with a bang.

Self portrait from midnight last night. The demo phase is 95% done on the remodel. I seem to have saved the dirtiest, nastiest job for last. This is saying something because the whole process has been pretty dirty. I'd just finished removing the pre-1953 kitchen ceiling which has loose insulation called rock wool. It's apparently not as dangerous as asbestos to breathe, but it's probably close. I did wear a mask. I was in reality much dirtier than this photo shows.

Rethinking the kitchen

Full views of kitchen post-demo.

Hello from Salt Lake City.

Double click on any image for larger version.

Before (and during) the demolition.

Kitchen installed after December 1953 (likely). Found newspaper with that date in the ceiling.

Demolition!

Kitchen after the demo, at night.
The kitchen, after the demo and door to rear porch.
The pantry is gone. On the left, hall to front of house.

Looking in to the kitchen from what was the third bedroom on the first floor. Looking through the former pantry.

Details from the demolition.

Plastic wall tiles after over a half century of service.

On the left, wallpaper from the 1920s? On the right, remnants of 1950s plastic wall tiles.


1970s flooring, on top of 1950s flooring, on top of 19th-century wood floors (fir).

Entry area.

The red walls are gone. Primer is up. In the first photo, the right side of the rear wall may soon be coming out to make way for stairs! Hello second floor and 800+ additional square feet that have been blocked off from the main house for many many decades. Possibly since the 1890s.


The red is almost gone. One corner in the living room remains--with its own issues.

Front bedroom.

Some minor problems with the wall.