Remains of the Day.

Day One of the master bedroom demo. Lots of 50s drywall—about twelve 42 gallon construction trash bags worth—and more than a few surprises...








Like some black mold/water damage. Nothing we can't fix, but nothing we would've ever known was there had we not reluctantly decided to gut the bedrooms for the sake of the new electrical system. The termite damage we uncovered, on the other hand, was totally expected. Doing this, we realize, is actually a good thing. Painful, but good.


Seen here, another surprise of the "what the hell?" variety. That's rolled up newspaper that was used to "help" hang the window. On the outside? Caulking. That's it. Just caulking. Who the hell installed this window? The Three Stooges?


Tomorrow we tackle the rest of the master, which is farther along than this picture shows, the other two bedrooms, the hallway, and the ceilings. All with the help of my sister, brother-in-law, friend/innocent bystander, a 4 oz tube of ultra strength Bengay and a couple of six-packs.

Yeah... Good times. Good times.

Thanks.

Yesterday's posting prompted emails and postings from friends, family, and even a couple of kind bloggers. With the help of family and Visa, we're going to manage just fine.

A phone call with my sister brought with it a realization: We're gutting the whole house. Something I NEVER, EVER dreamed we could do or would do. But, when we're done, we're going to have a beautiful home to share with those same individuals who have given their support and prayers.

It's all worth it. We are thankful. Very, very thankful.

A Renovation Reality Check

We knew buying an older home would have its issues. We joked about it needing TLC, as well as triage. We laughed at the construction quirks typical of a 50-year-old home. Today, I'm not laughing. Not even a little. Why? One word: electrician.

After several visits from electricians, one of which was apparently scared off by the scope of the job(s), I spent a total of five hours speaking with two more today, and a third will contact me tomorrow. The jist? The whole house, all 1,924 sq. ft. of it, apparently needs to be rewired to make it up to code. Two words: holy sh*t.

One estimate has already been provided and a second will be faxed to us later on today. Needless to say, it was as bad as bad could be. Actually, worse than I expected. At least most of the house, except for the bedrooms, is already gutted.

Still, it needs to be done. We just need to figure out how the heck it will get done.

Three words: God help us.

(Insert semi-smiley face here.)

Bath is a Four Letter Word.

After roughly 55 hours online, we have FINALLY found a toilet and sink that makes us happy, as if that was EVER a consideration in our lives before last week. That said, I'm stunned that anyone would pay three grand for a toilet that doesn't at least compliment you as you do your business, i.e. "Have you lost weight? You seem lighter."


Anyhoo, here's what we're getting: The Escale toilet from Kohler, Starck 3 sink by Duravit, which is by far the BEST company in the US for modern bath fixtures I've found, and earthy stone tile available at Costco. We're getting a simple Jacuzzi tub at Lowe's, at least that's the plan until we talk to the plumber and electrician. As for the faucet, it's still undecided so if anyone has any ideas, let us know.

Now we just need to decide what we're going to do with the guest bathroom.

Great.