Before and After: Laundry Room Edition

Our new washer and dryer arrived, and Chris was kind enough to get them set up AND sell the old ones on craigslist while I was out of town over the weekend. So, I drove home today anticipating the maiden load of laundry. And it was wonderful. 

While it was running we got out some paint leftover from painting the master bedroom, and gave the little room a big facelift. I like to think of the color as "serene green," with the hope that it will make doing laundry a more relaxing experience in the future. We shall see. 

So, here's our old set, which we purchased for $125 on craigslist right after moving into the house. It worked well but was small for our needs, and was beginning to have some a few issues running well. 

So we sold them for $100 (not bad after two years). It was wonderful to come home and just have them gone. Then, we attacked the walls with green.

We were really happy with how everything looked once we got it all put back together. 

Next, we plan to build in some storage and a drying rack next to the machines, where I'm standing in the photo. And then later on we'll probably change the lighting, and way down the line we're going to redo all the basement floors. It's going to be amazing. 

But for now, I love the new machines, which hold about twice the amount of laundry per load as the old ones, run in about half the time and finish everything off wrinkle free. It will make a huge difference in the ease of daily life. 

Signs of Progress

Painting is not the hard part. In fact, its the best part.

It's the sanding. The stripping. Then the re-sanding. Then painting the cracks. Then caulking. I'd say we are about 1/10th there. Progress below.

 The side door area shingles were really beaten up badly.

After a 1st coat, before new shingles to fill in missing spots.

Final result with door trim painted.

Nino likes the blue too.

Appliance Shopping

I'm about to place an order for our appliances, which makes this whole kitchen renovation plan seem very real! It's exciting, but also also pretty surreal. Chris and I have shopped around a lot, looking at difference appliance options and sources for the best items at the best deal. On Saturday we made our decision, and I'm just a phone call away from making it official.

While we kept the appliances on the modest side (Chris shot down the 36" Wolf range I was eyeing), we did still try to think of what will suit us best long-term, watching item reviews and planning for the long haul. And believe me, they're all pretty serious upgrades from what the house came with!

This dual fuel range will replace our current white electric range, which has the old-style coils on top (only two of which work - one is literally in pieces). We are going for a gas top for two reasons - one, because I love cooking on gas and two, because it feels *more authentic* to an old style house (as much as a modern, practical stove can). The oven, though, is convection, so we can all look forward to lots of very evenly cooked baked goods in our future. In addition, we love the slide-in style, which lacks the back panel many ranges have.

We picked this dishwasher because we loved the clean front. The buttons are all along the top of the door, so they're hidden when the door is closed. The handle is recessed, so from the side nothing protrudes. I especially loved that because it will be directly next to our farmhouse sink, and I didn't want a big shiny handle stealing the sink's thunder. Its reviews say it runs quietly and gets things very clean (a big change from our current model!)

The microwave is pretty much just a basic over-the-range microwave, but we're still excited about it. It will free up countertop space and double as a hood, so very practical and a nice clean design. 

No, we do not plan on doing laundry in our newly renovated kitchen! The washer and dryer are kind of being thrown into the project (much like the upstairs bathroom renovation - we seem to live by the go big or go home philosophy when it comes to home renovations). 

For the past two years we've been living with a washer/dryer set that CJ and I bought for $125 on craigslist right after moving into our house, from the sweetest little old lady named Marjorie. The set has treated us well considering the tiny pricetag, but in the past few months we decided it's time to retire them, as the washer has been acting up. And by acting up I mean stopping mid-wash and beeping incessantly until I drain the whole machine and remove the bobby pin/nickel/lint that's caught in the drain - a process which takes about 30 minutes to complete, and requires me to start the whole wash cycle over again! Talk about making laundry very unpleasant. When we replace the machines, we plan to do a whole little "laundry room renovation," so watch for more on that!

It's exciting to start acting on the plans we've been making for the past few months/years! This is our first major purchase related to the renovation, so it's very fun. Just a quick update on the rest of the process - we're still waiting on two quotes from the contractors we interviewed earlier this month, and are still planning on a September start date for the project. We'll keep you updated on the process as momentum (hopefully) begins to pick up!

Mr. Bowling Ball

Last weekend I finally got the round shrubs planted next to our garden steps that we'd been talking about for a year! It was a good time to do it, because I had coupons to our local nursery, giving us half off our purchase. So, the shrubs which are usually $30 a piece were $30 total!

Even better, they're called Mr. Bowling Ball! Isn't that the best name? We debated among lots of options, mostly varieties of blue spruce or arborvitae. Mr. Bowling Ball is an arborvitae variety. They're very hardy, soft to the touch and just the right size - maxing out at 2.5 foot spheres - so we shouldn't have to do much, if any, pruning. And arborvitaes are generally about half the price of spruce, so that's a plus as well.

Steps before Mr. Bowling Ball

 Steps after Mr. Bowling Ball

 
The only downside - for some reason I planted them in the middle of this huge heat wave. I suppose that's the reason for the generous discount - what fool is silly enough to want to dig 2' holes in July??????

It was nearly 100 degrees at 8:30 in the morning - not fun gardening weather. They look great nonetheless, so the short-term pain was worth it.

They're a subtle accent, but I look forward to seeing that sweet shape year round. The other perennials I plant along the wall all die down once the ground freezes, leaving the area fairly lifeless. These little guys will keep our steps company even on the chilliest of winter nights!

Feeling Blue?

Somehow, a few weeks ago I talked Chris into the idea that we should ditch our summer vacation plans and paint the house instead. Am I a cunning wife or what!

So, my saintly husband has spent the past few weeks scraping and sanding 90-year-old cedar shingles (notice the gas mask - we take lead paint seriously!), and just this weekend I began following behind his work with a paintbrush. I started on the bare shingles on the back of the house, where my dad replaced the old ones when he replaced our back door when we first moved in.

When we've finished the job, all the shingles will be the dark blue you see here - Sherwin Williams Mount Etna - and we'll come back and repaint all the trim  cream. We have lots of great accent colors planned, and you can see them all here.

For now, it's baby steps to a beautiful house. But we're excited for what we have to look forward to. Hello curb appeal! Maybe by Christmas 2012????? 

And just in case any of you took the title of this blog seriously and really are feeling blue, here's some Nino snuggling to warm your heart. He's fitting into the family very well (and trying very hard to help me with my typing).

Getting Down "2" Business

See how happy that number two looks? That's how we feel. We're just two months out from our project start date, and we're not just sitting around counting the days. We're kicking butts and taking names! Well, names of contractors that is.

We started a few weeks ago with a list of four contractors. We won't mention names, but let's call them 1, 2, 3 and 4. Creative, huh? We've met with each contractor to discuss the project and let them see our space, with the hopes of having quotes from each within 2 weeks and picking one by the beginning of August. We just received our first quote back today, so things are moving along. Here's a little about each one.

Contractor 1:
This guy was referred by one of Chris' professional contacts. He had completed a kitchen remodel for a friend of theirs, and came highly recommended.  We got a good impression of him when we met. He measured our space and agreed with most of our ideas for the remodel. There were one or two things (such as the pocket door on the upstairs bathroom) that he shot down so that would be something we'd have to think through or try to negotiate moving forward. 

Contractor 2:
This guy was referred by the same professional contact as Contractor 1, after completing that person's kitchen remodel. Unfortunately, when we met with him we decided he just wasn't a good fit for our project. He didn't bring a tape measure, took no notes on our plans, and admitted that if it were up to him he'd do only commercial construction and no residential. Buh-bye buddy!

Contractor 3:
We met this guy very early in our planning when we were scoping out local cabinet makers. He worked for a cabinet making company and even though at the time our job was a year out, he was willing to meet with us and help us with planning and budgeting. He helped us see past our kitchen's current boxy shape, suggesting that we knock out a wall and make the most of our first floor. We've kept in touch over the past year, and when he came out to see the space again he was very positive and willing to make all of our hopes work, even if some were a bit out of the ordinary.

Contractor 4:
This guy was recommended by a friend who is an interior designer and has worked with him on a few jobs. He was very pleasant and down to earth when he came out to see the space, and seemed willing to make most of our plans work out. He even had a few ideas to contribute that he thought would improve our existing ideas.

With all the contractors, we asked certain questions including their years in the business (all had 20+), their most common projects (generally kitchens, bathrooms, basements and additions), what work they hire out (all hire plumbing, electrical, flooring, cabinet-making while they varied on drywall and framing) and whether they generally pull permits (1 said always, 3 said sometimes and 4 said usually - we didn't ask 2 because he'd already left by that point) and how long they thought our project would take (1 said 6 weeks, 3 said 4 weeks and 4 said 6-8 weeks).

As we receive quotes, we'll also request references and proof of insurance for each contender. Our first quote was within the price range we anticipated, so we feel like we're off to a good start!

Meet Nino

This weekend brought us the full gamut.

1. A Block party we've been planning for over 6 months finally came and went. Great DJ, good food, firetrucks, yard games, sparklers, and kids with water guns. Around 75 neighbors and friends showed up for the event. It was a roaring success.

Inagural Block Party for Troost Avenue Lawn

2. Friday night, we lost our feisty cat Hazel. We don't know what happened, but we trust that she is hunting bugs now in big grassy fields, and we will see her again someday for a good chin scratch. She will be missed. We hold on to her memory tightly.

A tiger lilly for Hazel

3. Saturday afternoon we adopted a Maine Coon kitten named Nino. He purrs like lion. He plays with Wrigley's tail. He also likes to sit on shoulders like a parrot. Needless to say, Nino has already won our hearts and affection.

Meet Nino the fearless dogcat

Backyard Buffet

Our salad is in full bloom. Butter and Romain lettuce. Roma tomatoes. Onions & Strawberries. Cassie, my sis, and Bec had a fun time picking a nice salad over for a Sunday lunch.

Father's Day = Cutting Boards

End-grain Hickory cutting board

My dad has a hobby farm near McAlester Oklahoma. He paid an Amish carpenter to build custom hickory cabinets for his barn kitchen. New appliances, nice space. All that's missing is a hickory cutting board for cutting and preparing food.

I've made a couple cutting boards, this is the first with a counter "lip," that allows you to rest the board flush with the edge of the counter. I think the look is nice, and it also keep the board from moving when you use it.

Side view of counter lip

I think this is the last end-grain cutting board we'll do for a while. Getting these guys smooth requires a lot of sanding, especially with the hardwoods. Thanks to Schutte lumber, you can find exotic and rare hardwoods in Kansas City. Look for a walnut cutting board this fall, when our kitchen remodel is complete.

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