The Finished Product

Here are the "After" pictures from the remodel. I'm very pleased with the end results--definitely worth all the hassle. I took it as a high compliment when a coworker who was at the house on Tuesday asked if I'd had a designer help me with my new furniture selections, tile choice, etc. I've had another friend ask me the same thing after visiting a friend's house that did use a professional designer. I guess the countless hours of HGTV, looking at catalogs and magazines, and stealing ideas from friends who can use designers has paid off. (I didn't do a very good job of staging the pictures though. Please ignore all the stuff that come with actually living in a place.)

One more remodel picture. A little Southern ingenuity on doing dishes in the downstairs bathroom--use a sweater dryer for the dishes. Oh, yes. Someday we'll look back on all this and laugh.The finished kitchen. I guess I did have help choosing the tiles although the remodeling consultant really sat back and let me decide, offering a few suggestions but not many. That's why it took so long to make a final decision--I had to mull through all these choices before I settled on these. I had taken the doors off the cabinet over the microwave when I had all my cookbooks there. Now, because there are only a few left in there and the rest of the cabinet has been reclaimed as dish space, I put the doors back on. Putting the matching pulls on is on today's honey-do list.
A close-up of the finished counter and backsplash. The contractor did a fantastic job with the tile and the little finish details like the finish tile on the edges of the tile.
The new sink and bar area. We reused our old faucet much to the chagrin of the remodeling consultant. He wasn't sure I'd like the old faucet with all the new surroundings. I like it and think it looks fine here.
A close-up of my fabulous new sink. The right side is 11 inches deep while the left side is 9 inches deep. Looking into the living room from the hallway. I'm positively thrilled with the end results of taking out the windows. It is such a nicer light in here--proof that it really is possible to have too many windows in a space.
Another view of the living room, this one from the dining room.
Our new chair and ottoman. It was delivered earlier in the year.
Looking into the dining room from the living room. I like our new cabinet. It's a darker wood than I'd anticipated but very pretty especially against the red wall. I love the tin tiles and since I put our Nambe pieces and some silver picture frames in the cabinet, I thought it looked nice with them hanging like that.
A closer-up view of the cabinet and tiles.
An even closer-up of the picture on the bottom shelf. I found this picture at an antique store when we were in Kansas in December and it amused me enough that I had to buy it--four farmboys from Kansas on the beach of Santa Monica, CA in the early 1900's.
So, that is it. One more big project that is finished. I haven't figured out the next project I'd like to tackle next around the house. I'm sure there will be something. There is always something. . . .

Weekend Recap

The conference was great and I'm really glad I went. I hate the term "network" but I know that's what I was doing--catching up with people I know and like, getting fantastic new ideas to try in my library, and generally walking away from the conference feeling with a good feeling about my job and how I hope to improve it. The keynote speaker for Friday wasn't able to make it because of the American Airlines debacle. Fortunately, he's technologically inclined and was able to do a podcast for the group on the pros and cons of Wikipedia. I would love to have heard him speak as just the podcast was pretty dynamic. It was also nice to know that I've been teaching the use of Wikipedia correctly (as a good site to use as a starting point for information and for the external links but definitely not as the expert site).

During the morning on Friday, I was manning the ASL-SIG booth and flipping through a catalog for a book vendor. I started chatting with the book rep at the booth, explaining that I do use them every year and really like my rep and the company. Another book rep came over and started chatting with us. He lives in Rio Rancho and through the course of conversation, I mentioned the church we attend and my inlaws' names. Come to find out, that rep went to school with my MIL in Louisville and Wamego. Reva was his 4-H leader. He asked about Paul's aunt and uncle. He and my inlaws have been in and out of touch over the years but he gave me his card with his phone number to pass along. Small world.

I got home on Friday evening after a horrible drive home. I managed to drive both to and from Cruces with a headwind and Friday's was especially rotten. One of those ones where you have to hang on the entire time and I held my breath any time I drove over a bridge. Not because I thought I'd go over the edge but all those "gusty winds" signs and the flapping wind socks did nothing to deter that thought. I promise the best thing about the drive was stopping at the Border Patrol check-point outside of Las Cruces and being asked if I was a U.S. citizen. Because I look so foreign. I'm sure it's just a standard question asked of all drivers but really. I wanted to ask if it was a trick question but simply replied "Yes." (Paul said I should have answered "Si") and headed back into the nasty gusty wind. 230 miles and 3/4 of a tank later (I'm not going figure out that gas mileage), I finally made it home.

Happily, all the inside construction was finished on Friday. I spent most of the day yesterday doing all kinds of cleaning--getting all the construction gunk out of every nook and cranny of the house. I could probably call in Merry Maids to get the gunk I missed--I gave up out before cleaning out the inside of cabinets and drawers that probably need to be cleaned. But I LOVE the new countertops and tile. Alan did a fantastic job with the tile work. I wrote him a nice thank you before I left and Paul bought a gift card to a local restaurant to put in it. Alan will be back at some point in time because the stucco still isn't finished. We haven't had rain in two months then we scheduled outdoor work. Oh well--as I said before, that doesn't bother me much because I don't see it. Pictures are forthcoming. It seems that the camera is never on the same floor as I am and as Paul is currently vacuuming the stairs, I don't want to interrupt his work.

Today has been a lazy day for both of us. Finishing up the laundry and that sort of thing. We finally finished and e-filed our taxes. We knew we'd owe money so we weren't in a hurry to get that done any earlier than need be. Paul leaves tomorrow for a week-long conference near L.A. and I've got a few little things going on during the week to keep me busy. A good weekend followed by a hopefully good week.

Remodel Day Something: No news is no news

Nothing to report again today. It's like the horror stories you hear about contractors just taking off and never hearing from them again. Except I've heard from Alan both days I haven't seen him. So maybe it's nothing like that aside from the kitchen and dining room being a disheveled mess. Alan called this afternoon to let me know that the tile didn't come in today but hopefully it would be in tomorrow. The plan is to finish things up Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. I've got to give him a call tomorrow to let him know that the road in front of our house is being resurfaced on Wednesday. Of course. Hopefully he'll be able to either bring the tile saw by tomorrow afternoon or park at the corner on Wednesday morning to make it a bit easier.

My new bookcase was delivered this afternoon. It is currently in it's packing crate in the garage as I needed to repaint the dining room wall to touch up some spots left when I took down the shelves. I'd planned to get that done this weekend but I ended up making a quick trip to Amarillo to see my step-grandmother. I'm not as close to my step-grandparents as I'd like or as most expect after 30 years for a variety of reasons. Family dynamics are a funny thing, especially when it comes to blended families. But she is still my Granny and I really felt I needed to go after talking to my sister Amy on Friday evening. Granny has had COPD for the better part of a decade and was diagnosed with an aortic aneurysm on her esophagus last week. The family was all in this weekend to see her. For her peace, I do hope the end isn't too far away because it is heartbreaking to see her so frail. But on the other hand, it's hard to see the same sadness on my dad's face this weekend that Paul and I saw on his mom's face not too many months ago. I told Paul that this is what I was dreading--we lose one grandparent and then we start losing all of them. Thankfully, all the others seem to be doing OK given their ages and various ailments. I know that we are extremely fortunate to have any grandparents at our age and I'm selfish enough to want to keep them all around for a while longer.

Remodel Days 9 & 10: Almost there

There was no update yesterday because after a little lovefest over the work that was completed, I wandered down to a neighbor's house to join some of the other neighbor ladies for cocktail hour. That ended up lasting through dinner and a movie. It was a pleasant way to spend an evening.

Yesterday, our lovely contractor was able to grout the tile behind the sink (the Day 8 picture) and hooked up the sink and the dishwasher. It was the first time I've seen large expanses of the countertop uncovered and it is exactly what I wanted and had hoped to see. (My across-the-street neighbor said she'd looked at the slabs before they took them in and confirmed that the color was "very nice." I take that as a high compliment from her.) When I was talking with my neighbors yesterday and describing the new countertops, one of the ladies said that she had been looking at probably the same countertop for her kitchen and she hoped I didn't mind. Not at all--if anything, I think it confirms that I've got good taste in countertops.

I spoke with the contractor this morning when he called to let me know that he would not be in today. He will be back on Monday with the rest of the tile and would possibly get through that task then. So, it's getting there. A few days longer than we'd planned but nothing too terribly long and delayed. I think the contractor would have been back on Monday or Tuesday anyway so as to be around for the stucco guys to finish. And then, apparently, it's cocktail hour at my house so the neighbors can nose around and see what we did.

Semi-related to the remodel: I've been looking for a new piece of furniture to put in our dining area. Currently, there are three 4' floating shelves on the dining area wall and while I like them, I've discovered that it's not exactly what I was wanting or needing in there. I'd envisioned using them as a bar area when people are over. Yeah. That never happened. It ends up that the shelves are just places to display pretties and not quite the storage I need. Because it's not a very big space, I was limited on how deep the furniture could be. I really didn't want anything over 12" deep. I found this piece in a Sundance Catalog that I LOVE but my husband started getting all stingy with the money. Something about spending a whole lot on kitchen countertops and we just got a new couch and that's not even really old just made to look old and why does it cost so much and mutter mutter mutter. . .

Last week, I got an email that there was 20% off orders at Ballard Designs. I had been flirting with the idea of ordering this bookcase which has a more husband-friendly price in honey. The discount covered the cost of shipping plus a little more so everyone was happy. While I was still a bit hesitant to press the "Order" button--after all, I have spent a pretty penny on furniture and remodel lately--Donna has no problem spending my money and started going on about nice furniture being an investment, have this piece forever, blah, blah, blah. And she's right. It will be one of those pieces that can easily roam around a house from room to room. (I wish she'd been around to try this line on Paul about the Sundance piece.) I got a call from the truck delivery service that the bookcase will be delivered on Monday afternoon during the convenient time of 1:00 until 5:00. I'm gone three days next week for my conference so I'm hoping Paul can hang out at the house. Because I'm fairly certain that it's not appropriate to ask the lovely contractor to sign for our new furniture.

Remodel Day 8: Much Better

So, I greeted our lovely contractor Alan this morning with the ominous "You're not going to be happy with me." And it's not that he's unhappy with me but I'm certain he is understandably frustrated with me and the remodeling consultant. I explained my position--I think Alan did a fabulous job with the tile work but I misunderstand what the RC had planned and I didn't like the tile placement at all. I understand was the RC was thinking but it just didn't look right to me--the rosettes should be centered on the tile not evenly spaced on the wall which is what the RC was doing.

Fortuitously, the construction supervisor happened to be stopping by our house this morning. He is the one who is responsible for checking on construction sites, fixing any problems happened, and dealing with distressed homeowners such as me. I called work to let them know I would be late this morning and stuck around until he arrived. And I told him my position adding in at Alan's request that this was originally scheduled to be done while I was still at home and could have yayed or nayed the progress at that time but because of the delay in countertops, that didn't happen.

We discussed the options--the original thing we'd agreed on which was to have the complete tile on the bottom and cut the needed width off the top tile. The other option, which we were originally told would cost more, would be to cut the equal parts off of top and bottom of both rows of tiles. I said I would be satisfied with either one--and I honestly think either would have looked fine--and by then, I needed to head to work.

As I was driving to work, Paul called to say that he and the supervisor agreed that it would look better to cut the equal widths off the tiles. Much, much better:

Of course, the bulk of the tile had to be reordered and I haven't heard when that will be delivered so this can be finished. Because it's not loads of tile, there is a possibility that it can be overnighted. Not sure how much that will cost. . . . When this is all done, we will definitely do something very, very nice for our lovely, and patient, contractor.

UPDATE @ 5:00ish: I spoke with Alan who let me know that the tile will be in on Friday and he will work on Monday and Tuesday to finish it. I leave town on Wednesday for a conference. I just hope we have water in the kitchen before I leave so Paul will stop grousing.

Oh, and the primer coat of stucco was also applied today. It's about a 5-day wait until they can apply the top coat.

Remodel Day 7: :(

The tile work was started today. I was very excited to see it when I got home. Until I saw it.

(Bad picture because it was easier to take it with my cell phone than do the whole camera rigmarole). Shouldn't the embossed rosettes be centered on the tiles? That's what I'm thinking. I'm not sure who is going to have to pay for this mistake because I don't know whose mistake it is. I don't know if I didn't understand our remodel consultant and what he was explaining about the tile cuts when I agreed to it, if our lovely contractor Alan didn't understand the tile cuts when he was doing them, or if the RC was just insane when he laid this out but it doesn't look right in my opinion.

A big fat sigh. . .

Remodel Day 6: Countertops

We gots them.

And they look fabulous.

Tile work will be done tomorrow and Wednesday. I'll post pictures of the kitchen then because right now, there is plastic covering all the counters. The final plumbing work and miscellaneous other little things will be done on Thursday.

And Saturday, I'm going to spend the day doing some much-needed housecleaning.

Remodel: Weekend Edition

Aside from the fact that the furniture is still dishelved and there are no pretties in the living room (and I really, really need to dust), the living room is complete. And if I weren't feeling incredibly lazy this Sunday afternoon, I would trek upstairs to find the camera to prove this fact. I do love the non-windows and really wish we'd done this when we built the abode.

And I'm blaming my mom for this next part because she was the one who questioned the counters being installed on Friday. I blindly believed we would. But, alas, we still don't have countertips in the kitchen. As a result, we have no sink or dishwasher although Paul was trying to figure out how to run the dishwasher yesterday despite it not being hooked up to any water. He called me at Donna's to find out what was going on. Good times. I did speak with the contractor briefly on Friday--Paul insisted I call to let the contractor know that we wouldn't need him to change the battery in the smoke detector that is on our living room ceiling some 22 feet up even though Paul was in ABQ and I was in Grapevine at the time and Paul was the one who even brought it up to the contractor. It just made more sense. Or something. So here's hoping for Monday so the tile can be installed on Tuesday and Wednesday and we can reclaim our house by next Thursday. But I'd even give him until Friday. I'm not terribly picky. I just want my little routine back. That would be very nice indeed.

I had a lovely visit with Donna this weekend and it's always so nice to see all my friends in the D/FW area. I'm truly fortunate and blessed to have all these wonderful people in my life. I just wish we were a little closer to each other so they could be in my life a bit more.

It's back to work tomorrow after a much-needed Spring Break. We have seven or eight weeks left when we return--I know we are out before Memorial Day. I think the last day of school is May 22. I'm sure I'll soon have the date seared in my memory. But as it stands, I'm attending the the NMLA conference in Las Cruces April 9-11, have a professional development day on April 15, a training on YA literature on April 23, and am taking a personal day on May 6 . I might have to find something to do the last week of April. I think I feel a cold coming on. . .

Remodel Day 4: Drywall

A little bit of progress to report on today. Yesterday around noon, a man with the stucco company showed up to get that process started. He put up the tar paper and the wire--lots of banging involved there. I thought he would get the primer coat of stucco on but no such luck. Eh, well. At least this is outside and not terribly disruptive to my life. It could stay like this for months and it wouldn't bother me. The HOA, on the other hand. . .

This morning, a man came to do the finish work on the inside where the windows previously resided. That took most of the moring to complete. I'm so happy with the way the wall now looks. Tomorrow, the contractor will be back to prime and paint the wall so at least this portion will be finished.

As for the countertops, I have a good feeling that the countertop company better get on the ball and get them in or they might lose some future work with the remodeling company. According to our contractor, the company rep is pretty hot over the fact that we've had to wait at all for the countertops since they came out for a measurement over two weeks ago. I'm trying to take it all in stride--although it would be nice to be able to use the dishwasher again. We've run out of spoons and have moved on to paper plates. I think I might break down and do some dishes in the bathroom sink.

I won't see our contractor again until Tuesday morning because I'm leaving town this evening to visit Donna over the weekend and they have Monday morning meetings and don't arrive at the jobsite until around 8:30. As much as I would love to prolong my Spring Break by that hour, I don't think I can get away with it. The contractor and I went over the plan for the tile, working out some of the finish details of the tile and where to put the sink faucet. Paul could answer these questions but doesn't want to be responsible. He already told the contractor that I was the first person to call tomorrow even though I'll be in Ft. Worth.

And a few more pictures of my poor mistreated cat. This chair in our bedroom has been claimed by Jubjub as his usual napping spot during the day. However, because I've been hanging out in the bedroom this week, I've reclaimed the chair for my own use. Apparently, that does not deter my cat from at least trying to use it for his own purposes:

Remodel Day 3: The Jubjub Interlude

There is a term the remodeling company uses for the stage homeowners arrive at during the remodeling process when it all comes down to "I want you people out of my house NOW." They call it remodeling fever. It occurs when you're just sick and tired of the workers, of the mess, of the drop cloths and thick plastic curtains, of being displaced from your normal routine, of breakfast being interrupted every morning at 7:30, pretty much done with the whole of it. During our previous remodel, my breaking point came over our garden hose. It was about a month into the process, which thankfully lasted only about 7 weeks. The roofers used our hose and it ended up with tar all over it. I couldn't get the spray nozzle off which was fine because they had broken the spray nozzle in the process of using it. I remember the builder VERY CALMLY speaking to the crazy woman in front of him who was carrying on and on and on about a spray nozzle that cost under $5 at Target. It was a fine example of remodeling fever and one that I'm trying not to recreate in this two-week, I brought it on myself, project.

Jub, however. I think he's at his breaking point. Two days of banishment and confinement to our bedroom (even though he normally spends most days in here) has been quite enough, thank you very much. The plastic, the drop clothes, the everything--he's D-O-N-E with it all. He's been doing the hairball-warning meow all morning so I've been following him to catch said hairball (even though there is plastic every where downstairs that isn't tile--force of habit I suppose). He spent much of the last hour and a half squawking at me, even though no one has yet to show up this morning. Now, he is hanging out by his BFF, the humidifier in our bedroom, still voicing his displeasure but taking solace in the one thing he loves unconditionally.

We have yet to determine why Jub has a crush on the humidifier. From the time we get it out in the fall until we put it away in the spring, he is right there beside it, a sentry standing guard over Holmes Model HM2408-UC. He knows the nightly refill routine and waits for Paul to take the tank to be refilled, loping beside him as Paul walks the bathroom then running back to get a little water from the reservoir before Paul comes back. We don't try to explain, we simply accept.
We call this "The Sniff" because Jub is, well, sniffing. We don't know if he likes to feel the breeze through his whiskers, if he's loving the extra moisture, or what it is but Jub is often found doing "The Sniff."
I think the carpet is permanently flattened in this spot. We've debated if it's the vibrations on the ground, the steady hum of the fan, or what it could be but even if the humidifier isn't running, Jub is still beside it. He isn't quite as interested in the larger humidifier we have downstairs although we have found him sitting on it doing The Sniff. Basically, this just confirms what we already knew--our cat is a simpleton.

Day Three update: Shortly after I was initially posted this, the contractor called. No countertops until Friday which is rotten because I won't be home until Sunday. This leaves Paul in charge of all decisions which means I'll probably get lots of phone calls and text messages. Thank goodness for picture messages. No word on the stucco guys, yet. I think I'll join Jub by the humidifier.

Remodel Day 2: Not Much

After all the excitement yesterday, today was pretty slow around these parts.

No stucco guys.

No countertop guys.

The contractor was able to do a few smaller things--get the plumbing ready, put the insulation and dry wall on the window holes, redo a wonky electrical box. He also ran errands to pick up paint and tile and was able to knock off a bit early which was great since today is his birthday (I didn't know or I would have gotten him a cupcake).

Tomorrow with either be super-busy if both countertop and stucco guys show up, moderately busy if one or the other show up, or we'll just be staring at drop clothes all day with nothing being accomplished. Here's hoping for super-busy.

In the name of staying out of the way, I spent the afternoon in the yard getting it cleaned up and ready for spring. I can't decide if my face is still red because I got hot or because I got a little sun. I'm saying overheated. Future diversionary tactics include a pedicure, possibly a nap, and catching up on the pile of Netflix movies I've acquired. Oh, and leaving town on Thursday evening.

Day One pictures

OK, I found the cables and the camera. Most of this won't make sense if you're not standing in the middle of the mess. It reminds me of all the pictures we took when our house was under construction--I know what it is I'm looking at. Paul might even have an idea. The rest of the world--not so much. Although, when we did our remodel two years ago, the contractor was actually quite pleased with the whole mess of pictures as it gave him a better idea as to some construction things and placement of beams, etc. He was probably the only person who was happy to see that album be brought out.

Looking at the sink and the backside of the bar. They had to put in new supports for the bar top (those will be tiled over) and notch out portions of the sides of the cabinet fo the new sink. On either side of the sink (between the sink and the dishwasher and the sink and the outside edge) was hollow. Paul was trying to figure out how to create new "hidey-holes" there. I made him just walk away from that scheme.
No countertops = very easy to get silverware and utensils. When the contractor pulled out the junk drawer (not pictured thank goodness), he laughed and asked if I could fit anything else in there. Why yes, yes I can. What's great about that drawer is when they came for the final pre-construction meeting on Friday, none of the three reps for the contractor had a tape measure. I opened that drawer and in 0.2 seconds had produced a tape measure for them.
Makeshift countertop for making breakfast this morning. I am taking most of my meals in my room currently. Which sounds better than "Nothing like a hamburger scarfed down in the bedroom."
So this really won't make sense if you aren't standing in the kitchen but this is looking behind the sink cabinet between the bar and the back of the cabinet. When we built the house almost 8 years ago (we broke ground on March 2, 2000), Paul and I both commented when this portion was being constructed that it didn't seem "right." We were both pooh-poohed and told that it was fine. We're assuming the electrical inspector didn't see the exposed wires (just above the pipes in the photo) when he stopped by. Either the builder did end up having to make changes because it wasn't correct and the wires were left hanging or we were right and it wasn't correct when it was constructed and the wires were left hanging. Either way, this isn't quite kosher. But we're just going to cover it back up and pretend we haven't seen it.

No more silly windows in the living room. We all agreed that it would probably be easier to cover the decorative hoo-ha over the mantle than try to take it down. The wall is painted red and then I made the frame and hung the decorative grate, which weighs in at a cool 40 lbs. It's screwed to the wall with four big old screws. It took some acrobatics to get it up and I wasn't looking forward to trying it again. (Basically, I told Paul to not watch as I stood with one foot on the ladder and one on the TV to hang the frame--OSHA, smosha)
The current state of the living room. I had to move the drop cloth on the recliner and the television so I could watch last night's Dancing with the Stars. Hey, I'm on Spring Break and have no shame about watching junky television (not that I have any shame about watching it when I'm not on Spring Break). I'm just a little bummed that I didn't stay up later and watch the season premiere of The Hills.
No more windows, as seen from outside. Hopefully the lath and stucco will be up before the end of the week. Here's hoping for warmer weather this week. . .
The second goofy-now-nonexistant window. Honestly, these windows just made no sense and I wish I'd said something 8 years ago. Live and learn.

Remodel Day 1: The Beginning

1. The cat and all his accoutrements have been moved into our bedroom. Not so sure how the litter box five feet from the bed is going to work out. Thankfully, this remodel projects should only last about 10 days.

2. We have no countertops. Or sink. Not sure when the new countertops will be installed--the counter guys said it would be Wednesday. Or Tuesday. Or Thursday. Hopefully one of those days. Thankfully, we do still have access to the refrigerator and the stove, which is being used as a make-shift countertop in the interim.

3. The windows are no more. Of course, there is no wall there, just the framing. But I love the way the light in my living room comes in now--it's softer.

The house is a mess. There are drop clothes everywhere, plastic covering the carpet, a fine haze of dust covering everything downstairs, including the cat. It's a maze to get in the guest room where all the kitchen stuff is hiding. To find the menu to order Dion's tonight, I had to slip between the foot of the bed and the side chair, step over the magazine basket, move a picture and dig through the sack containing the phone message center where we keep take-out menus. I would post pictures of all this madness but I'm not sure where the camera cable ended up. As soon as I find it, and the camera, I'll share the joy of home remodeling with everyone.