tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43012919238325614972024-03-20T03:43:56.336-05:00Our Big Blue HouseMy husband Mark had a plan: to find the worst house on the block in a great neighborhood. He found it, bought it, updated it, tore it apart and tripled its size. It all began in 2004. Now we are finally starting to see that the end is near. People near and far have enjoyed seeing photos of the work that's been done to the house, and I thought there would be some interest in knowing how it all began and how we lived to tell the stories.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-34773301867256024652013-10-13T21:01:00.001-05:002013-10-13T21:01:18.278-05:00The problem with countertopsI was impatient to get the countertops installed, as we had to wait a few weeks after the cabinets were completed. In the meantime, Mark topped the countertops with plywood that we covered with a tacky wood-veneer Contact paper. We figured that if we were going to have plywood for countertops, we might as well go all-in on the tackiness factor.<br />
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The installation of the countertops revealed some flaws in our construction that would require some ingenuity and adaptation of the custom pre-cut Silestone. Namely, the wall that was built to divide the kitchen from the dining room was not quite square. This dilemma also affected our cabinet installers, but they found a way to get the cabinets to fit the space.<br />
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The majority of the countertop installation was done in a day, but the piece that was to go across the top of the half-wall between kitchen and dining room (yes, the one that wasn't quite square) couldn't go in that day. <br />
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Some miscommunication had one person returning on a different day to complete that section, for a job that required two. I wasn't able to offer my assistance in lifting that heavy piece of quartz composite, so the resourceful man found some guys doing some painting across the street and asked one of them to kindly stop over and help him lift the slab into place. Thank you, random painter across the street, for helping out our countertop installer!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypQgOAldCji5tzVccr3yIf6nJyz9XBA96-LDdut1O1z_VgbE-F5ybL8MWHmJ7z4vXbGBjNjmiHe5963pcC8FcnRJ6Lwi2s6sh6F9ZtDcDJqopI4NTzr6C15ZLG83zKWZ53n0bomgGmP4/s1600/DSCN14521700.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypQgOAldCji5tzVccr3yIf6nJyz9XBA96-LDdut1O1z_VgbE-F5ybL8MWHmJ7z4vXbGBjNjmiHe5963pcC8FcnRJ6Lwi2s6sh6F9ZtDcDJqopI4NTzr6C15ZLG83zKWZ53n0bomgGmP4/s320/DSCN14521700.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of our kitchen, without countertops or dishwasher installed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqmcU1UpcmRdC5q9_CaYUbJvLyMv5g50-CCB_mDYP84d4T8Mv0S6G9QEsQcXmJB6DrSjJt4-30JELCzyWaNazVrMiKCtFRAi3UvcKSAfgK4HXoU8YyBpcJ4uQvpehPBxFJgdgqe1ax2I/s1600/DSCN14531701.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLqmcU1UpcmRdC5q9_CaYUbJvLyMv5g50-CCB_mDYP84d4T8Mv0S6G9QEsQcXmJB6DrSjJt4-30JELCzyWaNazVrMiKCtFRAi3UvcKSAfgK4HXoU8YyBpcJ4uQvpehPBxFJgdgqe1ax2I/s320/DSCN14531701.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the kitchen, with island in foreground.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Ady0W75SrjoaXJuIpEd21hKMIba8fGU-mE5mEkKGB3aJv6S3TTWi6M3Iw1hliWn0Q5odTtCPYQAGQYapTEKk5pUunIp6TGUEkkK6uwVOfGAF6FfCmaHMSPGcVUft9xZ7m2q-HJm0DDY/s1600/Kitchen_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6Ady0W75SrjoaXJuIpEd21hKMIba8fGU-mE5mEkKGB3aJv6S3TTWi6M3Iw1hliWn0Q5odTtCPYQAGQYapTEKk5pUunIp6TGUEkkK6uwVOfGAF6FfCmaHMSPGcVUft9xZ7m2q-HJm0DDY/s320/Kitchen_2.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Countertops are nearly finished. Now when can we get that dishwasher?</td></tr>
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The piece went in, but there was a 1/4 inch opening on one side. The countertop was cut straight across. So, our contractor used some polymer glue to fill in the gap. I wasn't loving the look, but he assured me that it wouldn't be noticeable. I notice it, but I don't think others do. <br />
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The other issue was that he should have moved it further toward the dining room before setting it into place, as our stove has to be pulled out about two inches from the wall to accommodate the countertop. Again, it's likely not noticeable to anyone except Mark and myself. And observant guests who notice these types of things. <br />
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Aside from these minor annoyances, we were very happy with our functional kitchen and I enjoyed unpacking dishes, cooking tools and small appliances. I found new joy in washing dishes while standing upright, not leaning over a bathtub, though I was still looking forward to that dishwasher!<br />
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We lived exclusively on the main level of the house for a long period of time, while construction continued on bedrooms, bathrooms and living space upstairs. When our daughter was an infant, her bedroom doubled as a home office for my husband. There was no cute mural on the wall, matching nursery furniture, or closet organizers to organize our newborn's clothes, toys and gear. As someone who has been referred to as "one of the most organized people I know," this life stage was extremely stressful for me. Having a newborn is challenging enough without being given the added stressor of living in a house that's under construction. I wouldn't recommend it.<br />
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Add to that stress the fact that my husband, our primary contractor, has a job that requires regular travel. Mark traveled two full weeks of each month during the year after our daughter was born and our house was a dusty construction zone. But we lived to tell the tale!<br />
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What's the next installment in our adventure? How about the radiant heat installation project on our second level? </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-68126508125008764472012-09-08T21:52:00.001-05:002012-09-08T21:52:38.578-05:00The new house painted blue The installation of the siding and windows went late into the fall, so we decided to wait until spring to get the house painted. You never know when frost will wreak havoc on a painting project in the fall here in Minnesota, so we opted to be cautious. This extra caution gave us a few more months to decide on our color scheme.<br />
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Homes in our neighborhood are generally some shade of beige, taupe or grey, with trim being painted the standout color. Mark and I opted to go with the reverse. We chose a muted blue with a dark taupe trim.<br />
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Our painter obtained samples of a few shades of blue and of taupe to test on our house so that we could be sure of our decision. You see below the options that were painted on the back of our home. We selected the second blue and the second taupe. <br />
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Several of our neighbors weighed in on the decision. One neighbor was surprised once the house was painted; she thought we'd be using the blue for the trim, as is typical in our neighborhood. Nope! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b6XRtbOIuHjXbKdnyRJvU6kIqsSByitSC_xangfLN7IM1pJh519PKf8SfChsAB7VwdMJVreGHhzwyAOYPVo4bFw9mIEU5cgxL_Gvj88kY882gmE0wO0Da4H1iCxRX7qCeeqbO2NH2yU/s1600/DSCN18022038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b6XRtbOIuHjXbKdnyRJvU6kIqsSByitSC_xangfLN7IM1pJh519PKf8SfChsAB7VwdMJVreGHhzwyAOYPVo4bFw9mIEU5cgxL_Gvj88kY882gmE0wO0Da4H1iCxRX7qCeeqbO2NH2yU/s320/DSCN18022038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our painter worked with us to decide on the exact shades of blue and taupe to choose.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84YKNXh67lAu-xGf0gCi2xSpzoNLp4_roB5-8Z41tplQj7SyptRbBNYRNGbTPcXiIsM_tzn2vJKEY5X80wuvoF_YFqcTgNG20Et8pxgvXMTpsYAlhd9hJ2aIn28d64g57N9xEzvlZt_0/s1600/DSCN10832046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh84YKNXh67lAu-xGf0gCi2xSpzoNLp4_roB5-8Z41tplQj7SyptRbBNYRNGbTPcXiIsM_tzn2vJKEY5X80wuvoF_YFqcTgNG20Et8pxgvXMTpsYAlhd9hJ2aIn28d64g57N9xEzvlZt_0/s320/DSCN10832046.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the house after it was painted blue.</td></tr>
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We were really pleased with how the colors coordinated when it was finished. Even now, years later, I really like the way the colors work together. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3h6l1DDtNN2A3ZaA0vrLxozH7g25VXTDqKnPNNT3weq38Ry8Pu_3J-37E_Vq9eMjftu9oe_As3bgKemATJFfgc1xupAQVWhc81GDm4181rsk2dc8qapdUHMwwbWVwjnE34rZvrkK3clw/s1600/DSCN18062042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3h6l1DDtNN2A3ZaA0vrLxozH7g25VXTDqKnPNNT3weq38Ry8Pu_3J-37E_Vq9eMjftu9oe_As3bgKemATJFfgc1xupAQVWhc81GDm4181rsk2dc8qapdUHMwwbWVwjnE34rZvrkK3clw/s320/DSCN18062042.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our freshly-painted front entrance. Home sweet home.</td></tr>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-9773192135705454192012-07-02T09:11:00.000-05:002012-07-02T09:11:03.138-05:00The road to a functioning kitchenOur baby girl was born in February on the coldest day I'd experienced in years. The temperature in the morning was minus 18 degrees. I didn't care; I was just glad that we were moved back into our house before I went into labor. <br />
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We brought our daughter home to a house without a functioning kitchen and without a carefully decorated nursery to call her own. These things that others take for granted wouldn't come for several months. <br />
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Only a week or two after Z was born, we had contractors come in to build our kitchen cabinets. Prior to her birth, the cabinets had arrived and been inspected by these contractors. There were two broken cabinets to be replaced and several missing pieces to be ordered before the kitchen could be assembled. The parts arrived, but in our sleep-deprived state, we neglected to take a look at them before we scheduled the guys to come back and put together our kitchen.<br />
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Big mistake.<br />
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At the same time that we ordered our kitchen cabinets, we ordered bathroom cabinets in a different style and finish. When the replacement kitchen cabinets arrived, they were not the same look as the rest of the kitchen cabinets. The manufacturer had used the bathroom cabinet finish and style. Oops.<br />
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The guys were disappointed, as the very cabinets that they couldn't install were the ones that they would generally install first to ensure that everything was straight and even. But if they didn't work that day at our house, they wouldn't get paid. So, they asked me if it was ok if they did as much as they could that day and come back when the correct order of cabinets had arrived. I agreed.<br />
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Our baby must have gotten used to the noise of power tools while in utero because she didn't seem to be bothered by the work being done 20 feet from her crib. I remember feeling her startle in my belly when she heard the nail gun as Mark was installing the hardwood floors in our kitchen and dining room.<br />
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The island in our kitchen is triangular, with the shortest side featuring three doors. The middle door has a glass front, and three shelves to use in displaying dishes. The two other doors were included for looks only and did not feature shelves. Why? I asked our designer at Home Depot. Can't we put shelves in there to make it useful? She said that she didn't know how it was possible to build shelves into those spaces. But can't we just order some boards and have the installers cut them to size? I tried arguing with her, to no avail. <br />
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When our installation experts went over the plans with me, they asked me why there weren't shelves built into those two extra doors. Wouldn't it be more useful to have some shelves in there? We can just order some extra boards and cut them to fit the space. I could have hugged them.<br />
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So, our kitchen now had cabinets. Next on the list: dishwasher installation, sink fitting and countertops. But I'm getting ahead of myself. <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-26655314667400498502012-07-01T09:50:00.001-05:002012-07-01T09:50:25.034-05:00How to sand and seal your floor in one weekMaybe Mark felt a little pressure from me to quickly finish the flooring project given how soon we'd be welcoming our first child into our home. My pregnancy-induced nesting instincts and hormones could have made me a little emotional about needing to have things finished before the baby arrived. Also, my predisposition toward planning. <br />
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But, imagine yourself in my shoes. While others in our prenatal classes were discussing nursery colors and washing onesies, I was moving all our belongings to our unfinished basement, keeping shower gifts protected from dust in plastic bins, and packing a bag. Not for the hospital, but for a week's stay with friends so our floor could be sanded and sealed. Would you be completely rational and unemotional in this situation? I didn't think so.<br />
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So, Mark and I agreed to divide up tasks, enlist the help of friends, and try to have our floor finished and livable within a week. Ambitious? Yes. Achievable? Well. . . <br />
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I was in charge of ensuring that all the necessary tools and materials were ready and waiting when needed. Once again, I relied on my favorite hardware store for advice and a referral for a business that rented out sanding machines. They haven't let me down yet. All was ready and waiting for Mark and a few buddies to get to work.<br />
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I realize that it was January and we live in Minnesota, but did we really have to have a snowstorm during this critical week? No, not flurries or a few inches of fluffy, snowman-friendly snow. A real storm with high winds, limited visibility and weather-related travel advisories. Yes, a snowstorm.<br />
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Just how did that affect us? Well, for one, our friend Nick, who had graciously agreed to give up most of his weekend to push a sanding machine around our living room and kitchen, lives about 45 minutes away from us. That's on a good day, with no snow-related travel advisories. <br />
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Nick's wife, understandably, didn't want him traveling alone in the dark with the bad weather. So he stayed later than he planned, and Mark drove him home and came back to our house to do more work. He spent the night on the couch in the basement one of the nights, after having worked until 3 AM to finish some sanding. Thankfully, our neighbors didn't hear the loud machine (Mark asked later and was relieved at their answers). <br />
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The long and the short of it is that the work got done, though a lot of sweat, tears and stress went into this project. I am not sure Mike and Deb saw me in the same light after that week. I hope I'm forgiven.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-54370520922045156732012-04-18T20:54:00.001-05:002012-04-18T21:35:23.352-05:00Hardwood floors and the race against time<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Now that we finally had painted walls, it was time to lay the hardwood flooring on the main level. Yes, Mark did that himself, too. To prepare for this project, he read a book, borrowed a nail gun and got to work. I wasn't sure his self-confidence and commitment to doing the majority of the work on this project himself was warranted. But the finished floors proved me wrong.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">We had a family gathering at our house before Mark began work on the flooring to say thank you to our painters and enjoy some food and wine (being pregnant, I obediently drank sparkling juice instead). The subfloor was covered in black felt paper to prepare for the hardwood flooring. I remember little about that night, but I do recall that one family member spilled red wine in the kitchen. We were relieved that this spill happened on the felt paper and not newly-laid floorboards that were not yet sealed.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Because we had extended the house to the side, Mark would need to join new floor boards to the existing floor in the kitchen and dining room. This task proved intimidating for a few reasons. First, the walls weren't straight, so the existing flooring wasn't laid straight. The new flooring would have to feather in the existing floorboards in a creative fashion to make the layout work. Next, to make the new boards blend into the existing flooring (and avoid a clean break between rooms) he'd have to tear out some of the original boards.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; letter-spacing: 0px;">The first row of boards that Mark laid in our dining room took several hours. He snapped chalk lines and did a lot of measuring to make sure the first board was at the right angle to match in with the existing flooring and the flooring around the staircase to the basement. I worried that this project would take weeks at this rate, but once Mark felt comfortable that the boards would line up, the installation sped up considerably.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I did find a way to help with the flooring installation. I got to choose the layout of the floor boards, making sure to vary the lengths from row to row. Mark then just had to slide each board in place, thump it with a mallet, then nail it in. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpSdHnZlgXS3bT6vbovLP650OiM-HtiOF4GB_H7legWx0DSCAl3NNsfSaaAO9pCSxfQHmxOE49NW_mcibVbin6nXnbunkV9uR21EhCK2slU3vw95xTwzWvZvmgY4kzx7Ehce3xv_Nxlc/s1600/DSCN10401021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_8EIGLhUYQV5mU-jRitRssnF4DBiiG3MhH9PtYei7plmfO8cUXw1diMngU0DZKnrfwQ5YtdCEWq3sV-_eaPJaEKX3zgYB_yb_G_OCGMEHfiGk0Zmnnc2O_uHgMriJtz4mp_jPk4hG0M/s1600/DSCN10611038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_8EIGLhUYQV5mU-jRitRssnF4DBiiG3MhH9PtYei7plmfO8cUXw1diMngU0DZKnrfwQ5YtdCEWq3sV-_eaPJaEKX3zgYB_yb_G_OCGMEHfiGk0Zmnnc2O_uHgMriJtz4mp_jPk4hG0M/s320/DSCN10611038.JPG" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpSdHnZlgXS3bT6vbovLP650OiM-HtiOF4GB_H7legWx0DSCAl3NNsfSaaAO9pCSxfQHmxOE49NW_mcibVbin6nXnbunkV9uR21EhCK2slU3vw95xTwzWvZvmgY4kzx7Ehce3xv_Nxlc/s320/DSCN10401021.JPG" width="240" /></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once the floorboards were laid, it was time to sand and seal the floor. We chose a water-based sealant because it was winter and we would have a newborn shortly after the floors were finished. We were very conscious of using materials with a low VOC and other chemicals to minimize exposure to our baby. It wasn't easy! A lot of better options have come along since 2006.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOJhQb2SHam7OqfA46A-Zay-RUla2Rre5a99Gvhc68gHC-eJsmHDABUdkplHfh9v74CcABXD5xq3wGtUC7g-OlU_gpR8PPLguhiiG_KuvzCihNAE-ZbwLVLe8jd8HtIBgYLXhzwmzvtE/s1600/DSCN10731049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggOJhQb2SHam7OqfA46A-Zay-RUla2Rre5a99Gvhc68gHC-eJsmHDABUdkplHfh9v74CcABXD5xq3wGtUC7g-OlU_gpR8PPLguhiiG_KuvzCihNAE-ZbwLVLe8jd8HtIBgYLXhzwmzvtE/s320/DSCN10731049.JPG" width="320" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The week that Mark sanded and sealed the floors on our main level was the only time we moved out of the house during the entire project. We stayed with Mike and Deb, who worked with Mark. I was very uncomfortable that week, as I was 37 weeks pregnant and would have been mortified if I had gone into labor while staying at their home. My doula, Emme, reassured me that my body wouldn't let me go into labor at their house because I wouldn't be comfortable enough. She was right, thank goodness!</span><br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-52033761666104800532012-03-04T14:46:00.000-06:002012-03-04T14:46:01.673-06:00We have walls!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmFp0JKgSmkIQc7Y0DkkHg5vUCFgPoUri_QQ3IAc401VOSCb0zGNSQRoFaNqNeXtcyNk0B8jVamZzV1_xcBWBEdKqSJaB7p5wZg2lREVgtEJKfAz7haOuf4pYCfQaIZmlk3LWY5F6Y9k/s1600/DSCN08500979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUmFp0JKgSmkIQc7Y0DkkHg5vUCFgPoUri_QQ3IAc401VOSCb0zGNSQRoFaNqNeXtcyNk0B8jVamZzV1_xcBWBEdKqSJaB7p5wZg2lREVgtEJKfAz7haOuf4pYCfQaIZmlk3LWY5F6Y9k/s320/DSCN08500979.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our second floor linen closet, lounge room and a peek into the baby's room prior to the installation of drywall.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of our kitchen and breakfast nook from the dining room, with sheetrock installed.</td></tr>
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The sheetrock was installed in our kitchen, dining room and throughout our upper level by Juan, who had worked with our electrician friend, and some of his friends. This contractor landed on our list of those we do not recommend. The nicest thing I can say about them is that they were inexpensive. We learned the hard way that generally it's worth the money to hire a contractor who is known for dependability, communication and attention to detail. <br />
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Mark had to finish the framing of our pantry, master bedroom closet and other places before we could have the sheetrock installed. We had planned to have our contractor work the weekend of Thanksgiving, while we were visiting my parents, so we could avoid the dust. Unfortunately, the pieces that Mark needed to finish before we headed to my hometown of Pierre didn't get done. He notified Juan that we'd have to push the project out another couple weeks. <br />
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Because Juan did this work with some friends as a side business, he found it more challenging to line up enough help to work on the project on the weekend that we were ready for him. On that Saturday, they arrived later than we were expecting and left earlier. They returned the next day, but again, it was later than we'd hoped and fewer people were able to work. The house was a dusty mess. We weren't happy.<br />
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This task was taking longer than we had hoped, which started to cause me and my eight-months-pregnant belly some serious stress. My goal was to have a functional kitchen before we brought home our newborn. For that to happen, the sheetrock needed to be installed and painted; and hardwood floors, cabinets, countertops and appliances all needed to be installed. I was beginning to lose hope that any of these projects would be completed, much less all of them. <br />
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After the sheetrock was installed, the equally-messy job of mudding and sanding began. Juan and his buddies came over on a couple of weeknights and again on the weekend. The compound had to dry, then be sanded, then another layer had to be applied and sanded. <br />
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On that Saturday, Mark and I made plans to be out of the house for the full day to avoid the dust. But first our contractor needed to arrive. We waited, called Juan, waited some more, called again, saw a car pull up, then saw it leave again. It was Noon. I was furious. We called again and finally Juan arrived, alone, at 3 PM to work. I was still furious.<br />
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Once the sheetrock was installed, I called in reinforcements to help with painting. We owe a huge debt to my Uncle Mark and Aunt Kathy and cousins Emily and Katie for painting the main level of the house and to my mom and sister for traveling here from South Dakota to paint the upstairs. Because I was pregnant, I didn't want to be exposed to paint fumes, so I babysat Emily's son Adam and stayed out of the house. We couldn't have done it without all of you! Thank you so much!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My Aunt Kathy and cousin Emily putting primer on the walls in the kitchen.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My mom painting our baby's room green, the safe color we chose because we didn't know the baby's gender.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My cousin Katie painting walls in the master bedroom.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sister Elizabeth working on walls in the master bedroom.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaATRRP1g6BfiWKCgnJuFqzXTgzKUT3Gk9gtgk2nwuRBxDr900tMpKUbmx3MK3yNQ1CP3Z68C1i-XDNcwFAftdTQrRlJEPaCf-vrYyFeF9O2I1G5HTNjpgvHEUgDIW4uGIk0tV07x8FU/s1600/DSCN10040991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaATRRP1g6BfiWKCgnJuFqzXTgzKUT3Gk9gtgk2nwuRBxDr900tMpKUbmx3MK3yNQ1CP3Z68C1i-XDNcwFAftdTQrRlJEPaCf-vrYyFeF9O2I1G5HTNjpgvHEUgDIW4uGIk0tV07x8FU/s320/DSCN10040991.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Uncle Mark working in the dining room.<br />
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When the painting was completed, Mark was able to begin installing the hardwood flooring in the new dining room and kitchen areas. Two projects down, four to go before our baby was born. Would it happen? <br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-36660698145680545802012-01-01T20:33:00.000-06:002012-01-01T20:33:09.045-06:00What's been happening inside the house?While the framing, windows and siding were being done on the outside of the house, internally we had professionals working on plumbing and electrical. These tasks ordinarily wouldn't be of much interest to report - running pipes and wires isn't very exciting. But our contractors managed to give me some material for this blog anyway.<br />
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The electrical wiring in the existing house was not safe when we first moved in. There were exposed wires, old two-pronged outlets throughout the house, no grounded outlets and an inadequate electrical box to manage the power through the house. Mark worked with our friend Micha, a licensed electrician, to get our electrical wiring up to date and safe. When the time came to hire a company to add electricity to our addition, we were happy to use the company that Micha worked for, and he was happy to serve as the primary electrician for the job.<br />
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Micha's work brought him to our neighborhood often, so when Mark was on leave from his job to build the house, Micha often dropped by for a cup of coffee and a chat before he went off to his job for the day. He's the kind of friend who has no qualms about heading straight to your fridge and checking out what's there. We kept Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches on hand primarily for him. For a few weeks and off and on throughout the next several months, he'd be installing wiring, fixtures and switches at our place.<br />
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I was assigned the task of selecting all of our light fixtures. It was a big job. I bought most of them at a lighting outlet store in Golden Valley. The building was cylindrical with no internal walls and an all-glass exterior. It was the perfect way to display hundreds of light fixtures and lamps. I marveled at the number of choices as I circled around and around that little shop.<br />
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One fixture I found online was perfect for our breakfast nook. I showed it to Mark, who promptly vetoed it. Disappointed, I kept looking for something else. But a few days later I looked at that fixture again and found that the price had dropped by $10. I decided to take that as a sign that I should buy it anyway. Until it was installed, Mark maintained that he didn't like it. Once he saw it hung in our breakfast nook, he changed his mind. <br />
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Our plumber, Al, was a hardworking, meticulous German man who thought his work through carefully to ensure that the job was done right. Some nights he would stay to 7:00 PM or even later to finish up a task he was working on. A few times we had to kick him out so we could go to bed. <br />
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He did make one major mistake, which made for a big mess and a good story. He was installing pipes in an upstairs bathroom. To do this work, he had to walk or crawl around on the joists; the subfloor would be put down afterwards. One afternoon, when Mark and I happened to be home, we heard a big commotion. We ran to the bathroom on the main level and found Al standing like a cat, holding a glass shelf. He had fallen through the ceiling and brought a lot of loose insulation with him. <br />
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We were shocked that Al survived this fall unhurt and even managed to land on his feet and catch our glass shelf on the way down. Mark ordered me to go outside, since I was pregnant and shouldn't breathe in the insulation particles swirling around the room. He did a quick cleanup of the mess while Al apologized repeatedly and told him that he always knew he would fall through a floor like that. He was just glad it happened at a house with such nice people. <br />
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The hole in our bathroom ceiling was covered with a piece of plywood for about four years before Mark replaced the ceiling and walls in that room. A part of me thinks Mark wanted to keep that piece of plywood there to keep the story alive.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com1Minneapolis, MN, USA44.9799654 -93.26383609999999244.899412399999996 -93.33152059999999 45.0605184 -93.1961516tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-39556956142665215432011-11-20T21:00:00.000-06:002011-11-20T21:00:54.779-06:00The finishing touches for the external work on the house<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwLSUkYVnigh0W4CNTPo75NrHMnPB876-c0bJg31N5Tfrak9NLhmcRCFGcPemrwGbE7dXh9PJoOBqkmf1hjitvEnIsDGgISF2Wj5haS0aPUnYIbYKxMKzWEXrplS_S1Df5VfdywLxWTc/s1600/DSCN06320544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcwLSUkYVnigh0W4CNTPo75NrHMnPB876-c0bJg31N5Tfrak9NLhmcRCFGcPemrwGbE7dXh9PJoOBqkmf1hjitvEnIsDGgISF2Wj5haS0aPUnYIbYKxMKzWEXrplS_S1Df5VfdywLxWTc/s400/DSCN06320544.JPG" width="400" /></a>When the addition was completed, our house had nearly tripled in size, from 860 square feet to 2300. This ambitious project caught the attention of many neighbors, who gave accolades, advice and even sometimes lemonade on their daily walks. A lot had been accomplished in a short time, but Mark's six-week leave from work was nearly over, and he still had several windows to install and siding to put up. Our project timeline was behind due to weather, miscalculation of time needed, and some mix-ups with materials deliveries. To get the house sealed up in time for winter, we relied on the help of contractors, friends and a relatively warm fall that year.<br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We used a contractor to shingle the roof. Mark decided that installing shingles on the steep- pitched roof should be left to the experts. We later used the same contractor to install gutters and complete the siding. <br />
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I got to make a couple window wells along the back wall of the house. Other than that project, I stuck to running errands, making lunch for the laborers and going to work. </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
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Our shipment of 41 windows (that's right, 41) included two with broken panes, two with incorrect dimensions and two that were the wrong color. A couple weeks went by before those windows were replaced. The windows in the new parts of the house were all installed before Bruce and Dave went back to Australia. It was those that needed to be retrofitted into the existing parts of the house that weren't completed, and those took additional time and skill to install properly. When you're working with an existing house, you have to compensate for openings not being plumb and square, or in layman's terms, not straight. But before the siding could be put up, all of the windows needed to be installed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Several friends helped with window and door installation.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Mark installed Hardi board siding, beginning with the framing around all the windows on the main level, moving on to the siding boards on the main level. He created a little handy tool to help him hold one end of a board while he nailed the other end. This method enabled him to work independently. The contractors who helped out with the remaining siding were impressed with his invention. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknnDn7O7MApmfxDtzxLcp_OYF_14K_KUuE_SKVj-liKdUKnK17yuHPvTRjPCG9DbafQeWzmGNlFPqYTGZmLyAOa5FLznve1z8n1FmcrAkk1X13DQliQld4kmKF1J9NUI4dxKvsbQzZCI/s1600/DSCN06610595.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhknnDn7O7MApmfxDtzxLcp_OYF_14K_KUuE_SKVj-liKdUKnK17yuHPvTRjPCG9DbafQeWzmGNlFPqYTGZmLyAOa5FLznve1z8n1FmcrAkk1X13DQliQld4kmKF1J9NUI4dxKvsbQzZCI/s320/DSCN06610595.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark installing our Hardi board siding on the back of the house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYCvn8YVZTrc7V_x_wuSv_J5amhpyx7ZL6Cg2Xz_MP2tMoSBPZ-XYIA1Sk_QuLaUCwCLZnDFjkf4CEuI08Qco2satJrQTHKAHFMoRY1GZotpGZV92BgYRwhyHHxW84pqO5OKQva9hbmY/s1600/DSCN06510586.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYCvn8YVZTrc7V_x_wuSv_J5amhpyx7ZL6Cg2Xz_MP2tMoSBPZ-XYIA1Sk_QuLaUCwCLZnDFjkf4CEuI08Qco2satJrQTHKAHFMoRY1GZotpGZV92BgYRwhyHHxW84pqO5OKQva9hbmY/s320/DSCN06510586.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mark and Don were glad to finish the soffit installation. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVobTifG6tmJLW-jybqp7yytYKqw_5Te3FWWOeXNPw7O127BnURrRqxJxIXHpQI03CmsGOm0W_dGVE2V7FHY7KTA2RgdtwBxC5iAg8qw3Nz-j6dRkfhaX67jryyK6-8Mkhn7c436Pzzpw/s1600/DSCN07880844.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVobTifG6tmJLW-jybqp7yytYKqw_5Te3FWWOeXNPw7O127BnURrRqxJxIXHpQI03CmsGOm0W_dGVE2V7FHY7KTA2RgdtwBxC5iAg8qw3Nz-j6dRkfhaX67jryyK6-8Mkhn7c436Pzzpw/s320/DSCN07880844.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here is the house with windows, siding, roof and doors all installed. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnr7algKba42h9HnQMKoy83nilVVc5umoDe5cj53egujX_Aj62yTgPCcCeiqC2mlvgsk5FVNwsS0zMXGpaVb_Ady7Gnv_xMA-VlZSFxPmNf7d2mLVdClB4NMSLdd1lDnwDv93OBhXnNY/s1600/DSCN07890845.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHnr7algKba42h9HnQMKoy83nilVVc5umoDe5cj53egujX_Aj62yTgPCcCeiqC2mlvgsk5FVNwsS0zMXGpaVb_Ady7Gnv_xMA-VlZSFxPmNf7d2mLVdClB4NMSLdd1lDnwDv93OBhXnNY/s320/DSCN07890845.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the back side of the house. There's me, about six months pregnant.</td></tr>
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Having finished the outside of the house, it was time to start working on the inside. We prioritized the completion of the main level before starting work on the second level. Would we have a floor, cabinets and appliances in our kitchen before the baby arrived in February? Time would tell.<br />
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</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-55188879373060889552011-10-23T15:19:00.000-05:002011-10-23T15:19:07.190-05:00The surprise from our old dryerAllow me to go back in time before the major project began. I can't leave out the story of our dryer. Before we put the addition onto the side of the house, Mark and I decided to finally take our old, rusty, non-working dryer out of the basement and get it hauled away. We planned to drag it up the stairs and out the side door that was mercifully located at the top of the stairs. <br />
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The two of us lifted the dryer step by step, Mark at the bottom and myself at the top. That thing was heavy! Each time we dropped it onto a step, a coin or two fell out. We got partway up the flight of stairs and Mark decided to give the dryer a thump. A handful of coins fell out! I banged on the top of the dryer and more fell out of the bottom. How about that? The previous owner left us a little money in the dryer to go toward functioning appliances! No wonder it was so heavy!<br />
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Once the dryer was outside, we took turns banging and shaking it to see how much more change would fall out. Did someone think this machine was coin operated? Mark took it apart to see if we could find where the coins were coming from. But ultimately, our method of banging and shaking proved most successful in getting the coins to drop out of the bottom. <br />
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We guessed that the previous owner didn't empty his pockets of change before washing and drying clothes. Nearly $40.00 in coins came out of that dryer that day. Not enough to pay for the new dryer we had already purchased, but hey, every bit helps, right?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-50284939968612812052011-10-08T20:26:00.000-05:002011-10-08T20:26:16.703-05:00We can't turn back now!Once our renovation plans were finalized, Mark was on the phone with his dad and brother in Australia. They had agreed to travel to Minneapolis to help build the addition. The two would arrive in early July, with the expectation that the project would have been at the point when the framing could begin. We had a great deal to do before they arrived to work on our project. <br />
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A little wrinkle in our planning came up just before we started this major project. I got pregnant with our firstborn. It was exciting, but also challenging to determine whether we should go ahead with our plans. At the very least, I wouldn't be able to help with a number of projects that would expose me to chemicals that may harm the baby. But we ultimately decided to proceed as planned and re-allocate our respective tasks to ensure that I didn't put my health, or that of the baby's, at risk.<br />
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Mark set to work tearing apart our half-story - taking down drywall, removing carpet, and tearing out insulation. Then, he and a friend tore off the roof. There was definitely no turning back now. We literally had no roof over our heads.<br />
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Check out our <a href="http://www.photoshow.com/watch/cJ4Cq6QQ">Tear-down slideshow</a>!<br />
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Some tasks seemed more appropriate to delegate to people with the training and tools for the job. We hired a contractor to dig the basement for our addition. Then, a concrete contractor built the basement walls. Everything started to feel much more real once we had no roof and a deep hole in our yard.<br />
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<a href="http://www.photoshow.com/watch/NF8se7nf">New Basement Slideshow</a><br />
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Mark's dad, Bruce, and brother, Dave, arrived ready to tackle the framing segment of the project. We were lucky to have a neighbor's brother, Don, who was a semi-retired builder, to lead the way. All three Bertrams admitted that they wouldn't have made so much progress in two weeks were it not for Don's leadership. The three would have wasted time arguing about the proper way to get the job done. <br />
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On an unlucky night before the roof was built, we, along with our next-door neighbors, Kevin and Meg, scrambled to put up several tarps to keep out the rain that poured down that night. It was a stressful process, but we succeeded in keeping out the rain. <br />
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<a href="http://www.photoshow.com/watch/zn3jp6ft">Framing slideshow</a><br />
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Dave's girlfriend Sophia flew into Minneapolis and the two of them took off on a cross-country road trip. Two days later Bruce departed for Australia. We were grateful for their help and happy with the progress that had been made up to that point. It was fun to see the house take shape and begin to visualize how it would look when finished.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0Minneapolis, MN, USA44.9799654 -93.26383609999999244.899412399999996 -93.33152059999999 45.0605184 -93.1961516tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-5795986128240949862011-09-24T21:40:00.000-05:002011-09-24T21:40:55.829-05:00How to design your own houseDid you know that you could buy software that facilitates creating the blueprint of your house without the help of an architect? You can. That's how Mark and I designed the addition to our house in the winter of 2005. <br />
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We discussed the pros and cons of a major renovation/expansion project. Can we take this project on? Should we tear down the house and start over, or can we work with the existing structure? How much extra space do we want to add? Should we use the land on the south side of the house to add square footage without sacrificing our backyard? What's our budget? How much of the work can be done ourselves? How long will it take?<br />
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During the Summer of 2005, our next-door neighbors, whose house was the identical twin to ours, put a major addition on their home. They worked with a local general contractor to design and build the house. We watched carefully, and Mark asked many questions, as the contractors built a full story upstairs and converted a main level bedroom into their dining room. <br />
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We were fortunate that our neighbors took on this project just before ours got underway. Mark could learn more about the building codes and regulations affecting renovated homes in Minneapolis, and we could borrow ideas from their choices. <br />
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Our project would include a 32' by 10' addition on the side of our house for an expansion to our basement, a new kitchen and dining room on our main level, and a master bedroom and living room on the upper level. The half-story would be dismantled and in its place, a full second story, including the expansion on the side of the house, would be built. <br />
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The biggest challenge was the layout of our new kitchen. We knew we wanted a half-hexagonal breakfast nook off the back of our house and a mud room and pantry where the existing kitchen was. Apart from that, we were stumped. A board member of the nonprofit where I worked was an interior designer, and she told me of a special event through which you could have a free 45-minute consultation with a designer. I signed up right away.<br />
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Mark and I met with the designer regarding our kitchen space. Those 45 minutes were invaluable to us. She sketched a few options for us, helping us to visualize the space available and see how an island could help us maximize our counter space. We then took the plans to Home Depot and worked with a designer there to insert our chosen cabinets and countertops into the space. <br />
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We discussed many options for the layout of the second level. We knew we wanted a master bedroom suite, two additional bedrooms and a laundry room on that level. Planning the space while accommodating the existing staircase and maximizing the use of existing plumbing lines for the laundry and bathrooms upstairs was tricky. But we worked it out and are happy with our plans. <br />
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Once we settled on the plans for our house, we worked with a drafter to ensure that the official house plans that Mark would submit to the City of Minneapolis for approval contained all the necessary documentation. The drafter was straight out of the 1970s, even resembling Greg Brady from The Brady Bunch. He chose to draw the plans up by hand, rejecting the advances of technology in his field. But his final product was accurate, detailed, and exactly what we needed to get our approval from the City. <br />
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Mark was pleasantly surprised when he took the plans to the City. The project was approved on the spot and he could start building that day if desired. Apparently in Australia, these projects can be delayed for months by the government.<br />
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Anyone who's taken on a major project like this knows that no matter how much you try to plan and how many delays to anticipate, there will always be setbacks you didn't predict. Mark put together a careful timeline for the work to get done and we finalized our budget for materials and labor. We felt prepared for this major undertaking. But we learned quickly how timelines and budgets become obsolete!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-10099252736431925212011-09-17T11:39:00.000-05:002011-09-17T11:39:13.031-05:00Want to see some pictures?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMCZb-kW9zCHg7UpYWYlkEuZ3CDoMBe_hobWcbXePoDUo6h5akpkeluugMtU5yzUFWQpEUPmEyLnuLVxQ87-HGCGkOG9rLSxzEKKlFB1CFdTsKcJmsu4X58HcAdQns5PxDeEl58JlLx0/s1600/DSCN04850241.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyMCZb-kW9zCHg7UpYWYlkEuZ3CDoMBe_hobWcbXePoDUo6h5akpkeluugMtU5yzUFWQpEUPmEyLnuLVxQ87-HGCGkOG9rLSxzEKKlFB1CFdTsKcJmsu4X58HcAdQns5PxDeEl58JlLx0/s320/DSCN04850241.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Here's the back of the house. Notice the nice green lawn. This picture was taken before the Bobcat incident. The roof of the screened-in porch leaked, but otherwise it served as a nice dining room during summer and a little bit of fall.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVczIyKcldaRkfBTvbeXT3hmbOTuZ7-xvcZYLJz9ZBizBX5s-1__4U4A2KPH4QnV1LwzF_rBg6xWoesSi3MclhXRdEG5b2NWYFZPjV2fwQzhaPniedrIAKcy4H2NN_U1libdEmDaHtVw/s1600/DSCN04880244.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikVczIyKcldaRkfBTvbeXT3hmbOTuZ7-xvcZYLJz9ZBizBX5s-1__4U4A2KPH4QnV1LwzF_rBg6xWoesSi3MclhXRdEG5b2NWYFZPjV2fwQzhaPniedrIAKcy4H2NN_U1libdEmDaHtVw/s320/DSCN04880244.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> Here's the front of the house. The skylight was nice, but it leaked. It's unfortunate that an electrical outlet was placed just under the skylight, right where the rain dripped down. The house came with no landscaping. A blank slate. I'm still working on that. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBwxX9DhpM439m9Hift-Fr2wTcrXsWXH5eVSZAbNycsbgq8KepRxxh7nFnRS1bSzjXxcssUH3IKcF3Pm4I7Lq6NDNUFVv6B6pX05GngWnyv_gShMYAgnB-1VV-GBfR1EgaqWqtDt2LcQ/s1600/DSCN05950313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYBwxX9DhpM439m9Hift-Fr2wTcrXsWXH5eVSZAbNycsbgq8KepRxxh7nFnRS1bSzjXxcssUH3IKcF3Pm4I7Lq6NDNUFVv6B6pX05GngWnyv_gShMYAgnB-1VV-GBfR1EgaqWqtDt2LcQ/s320/DSCN05950313.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here's the color we used in the kitchen and living room. Our new kitchen and living room are still that color, and I am still glad we chose it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9nU3agz_d6vLohKvDaEXIPoMDaCE7yb1nZNT-oI30DKLMY7GQJxx9RjMnVP7kC7UF5h6H-ChS2hUE5n13QNY2-ACC4ZOZQhEFeiqpvHt18V-rAVsUyKnmO4kPy-x92OwfRJn5j4R2H_Q/s1600/DSCN04320199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9nU3agz_d6vLohKvDaEXIPoMDaCE7yb1nZNT-oI30DKLMY7GQJxx9RjMnVP7kC7UF5h6H-ChS2hUE5n13QNY2-ACC4ZOZQhEFeiqpvHt18V-rAVsUyKnmO4kPy-x92OwfRJn5j4R2H_Q/s320/DSCN04320199.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Here's a photo of the half-story upstairs. Notice the sloped ceiling. Even I, at barely 5' 1" could hardly stand up straight there. How did a family of five reside in that space? <br />
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Many of our early photos weren't digital, and I haven't taken the time to scan them, so I don't have much more to show of the early days. I will post more photos as I start to tell about the major addition we put on in 2006.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-37602954814530864872011-09-14T20:22:00.000-05:002011-09-14T20:22:09.290-05:00For the love of BobcatsFast forward several months to Summer 2005. Mark and I had gotten engaged in February and planned a July 29 wedding. His father, brother and a couple close friends would be traveling from Australia to witness the wedding. But that's not all they'd be doing.<br />
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Mark decided to take the opportunity for free help to install pavers in our gravel driveway. He and the other Aussies were delighted to learn that one could rent a Bobcat in the States and operate it without a special license. They couldn't wait to take turns driving the Bobcat. <br />
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Before his family and friends arrived, Mark measured, planned and ordered materials so that they could get right to work and finish the job before we hosted about 40 people at our Rehearsal Dinner in the backyard. They got an early start the first morning, ready to get started digging just after the eagerly-awaited Bobcat was delivered. Soon enough, the driveway area had been dug out deep enough to put down the base layers of sand and gravel. The Bobcat wasn't going to be picked up, however, for hours. Rather than waste those hours with the Bobcat sitting still, Mark and his helpers decided to re-grade the soil around the house to improve water runoff. Apparently, the only way this project could be achieved was to tear up most of the backyard lawn. Two days before we hosted family and friends for a Rehearsal Dinner. I had not anticipated this side project. I was not pleased when I returned home from work that day.<br />
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I admit, the results of the paving project were great. Gone were the messy gravel and weeds we had driven on over the past year, replaced with a level, smooth driveway paved with paving stones. Shoveling snow would be a lot easier that winter!<br />
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I was still a little annoyed when we set up tables and chairs in our backyard for our guests, but we had a nice dinner party with family and friends who came not to judge our lawn care skills, but to enjoy the company of others and congratulate Mark and I on the occasion of our wedding.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com2Minneapolis, MN, USA44.9799654 -93.26383609999999244.899412399999996 -93.33152059999999 45.0605184 -93.1961516tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-76859506803031940442011-09-04T20:52:00.000-05:002011-09-04T20:52:19.779-05:00What was he thinking?Most people, when moving into a home, find a couple quirky features that leave them scratching their heads and wondering, "What were they thinking?" Maybe it's the odd shade of chartreuse paint in the bathroom or the haphazard shelving in the closet, or carpet that wasn't expertly installed.<br />
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Well, we had a lot of those moments with this house. Our favorite was the absence of doorknobs on any internal door in the house, with the notable exception of the bathroom (we think it had been recently added). There were doorknob-sized holes where a knob would generally have been installed, but instead, a piece of yarn was tied around the hole to make opening and closing easier. What happened to the doorknobs that we assume once were there? <br />
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The man who owned the house for over 30 years was a heavy drinker. According to the title, he and his wife bought the house in the 1970s, but were divorced years later. We suspect that those absent doorknobs, likely to have been worth some money if they were the original knobs installed in the 1940s, were sold to buy liquor or pay the bills. But that was just a guess.<br />
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Another odd feature was the kennel attached to our garage, complete with a doggie door and an enclosed space inside the garage. As far as we knew, no dog had lived in that kennel for many years. Why was the kennel still there? <br />
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The unfinished basement was mostly empty, apart from the huge heating system. One small room was sectioned off in the basement, complete with carpet and paneling for walls. Why did they choose to enclose the heating system inside that small room? Was it a bedroom? Could someone sleep with the heater running right next to him? Is that even safe? <br />
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We knew that the previous owner had regular, transient tenants living in the half-story upstairs. Most of our utilities are split into apartment 1 and apartment 2. Neighbors told us that at one point a family of five lived up there. It couldn't have been a very comfortable arrangement, as that level had only one room, few adults can stand up straight due to the slope of the roof, and the entire home had only one bathroom (located on the main level). We still can't convince the cable company that we do not live in an apartment building.<br />
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The most notorious story about the previous owner was one that our neighbors decided not to tell us until a couple years after we moved in: that a man living in the upper story had fallen down the stairs and died one night. I learned of it while looking through the title and seeing the lawsuit that was filed against the homeowner. The details are a little shaky, but apparently the man was an alcoholic and was nervous about his daughter's upcoming visit from Hollywood. The homeowner came home drunk that night and saw the man on the floor at the base of the stairs but thought he was passed out. When he woke the next morning, he realized the man was dead and ran outside the house yelling that he was in trouble. <br />
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The man's daughter arrived in a Jaguar with an entourage (not common to our neighborhood) to collect some belongings, all of which allegedly fit into a small box, and decided to sue the homeowner for negligence. Realizing that he had few assets and very little equity in his home, she backed down. But this event prompted the homeowner to put the house on the market. <br />
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After I learned about the death in our home, I picked up some sage to burn throughout the house to cleanse the area of bad energy (I thought it couldn't hurt). I also used the sage around the perimeter of the property, just in case. Mark was a good sport through this exercise in removing bad karma from our property. <br />
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Eventually, doorknobs were added to our internal doors, the kennel was dismantled, and the makeshift room in the basement was torn down. But the house didn't feel like our own until we started planning our addition. That's when the big projects began. Stay tuned.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-75994778155047247832011-08-25T22:47:00.000-05:002011-08-25T22:47:10.383-05:00Heat: a Minnesota necessityThe monstrosity of a heating system in the basement was a barely-functioning forced-air unit in our home. Not only that, but the whole unit and its ducting were covered in asbestos. We were warned of this fact before the final sale. No matter; Mark already had made the decision that he'd like to install radiant heating on the main level. We'd forgo heating the half story upstairs to start because we had plans to expand the upper level. <br />
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Contractors are notoriously challenging to work with. We invested in a subscription to Angie's List to help us identify those that were highly rated by satisfied customers and avoid those with many complaints. In spite of our best screening efforts, we still ended up with a few contractors over the last several years that we wish we had avoided. Our heating contractor made the list of those we should have avoided.<br />
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We interviewed a couple companies who installed Wirsbo/Uponor radiant heating systems, and chose the one that would be open to having Mark do some of the work himself. The installation of our new system was a major undertaking. Because we didn't want to pull up our existing hardwood floors, the contractors installed our water pipes beneath the floor joists. This method is less efficient than installing above the subfloor, but is still workable if you can place insulation throughout the floor joists.<br />
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The first task on the list for our contractors: asbestos abatement. We were happy to let someone else complete this task. They had to remove the ducts, being careful with the asbestos tape around the ducts, and remove the actual heating unit that was completely covered in asbestos - caked on like plaster of paris. The suits they had to wear reminded us of astronauts aboard the space shuttle.<br />
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As is often the case with projects, our heating system installation took longer than we expected. There were days that the guys didn't show up, days when the necessary materials weren't delivered, and mistakes that had to be corrected.<br />
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Mark has high expectations for quality work and was disappointed that the guys drilled more holes in our floor joists to run the pipes than were necessary. Whenever a hole is drilled in a floor joist, its strength is compromised. Mark wanted to make sure that the joists could withstand a second-story addition. He also emphasized to our contractors that our new boiler needed enough BTUs to accommodate our possible expansion. Our hope was to finish our basement and maximize the height of our ceilings and the use of the square footage, which Mark thought he had stressed as a priority with our contractors. However, some of the end pipes were run under the floor joists instead of through them, which would require an eventual ceiling to have a soffit to cover the piping. This suggestion was not acceptable to Mark. The pipes needed to be rerun. Also, the fresh air intake ducting for the boiler that led to the outside was placed on the wrong side of the steel I-beam that ran through the center of the house. This placement made it challenging to eventually maximize the use of the space in our basement. Mark's primary frustration with this issue is that he was just upstairs at the time and the workers could easily have asked him where he'd like the ducting placed before they installed it, if they were uncertain. Once the hole was drilled through the external wall, little could be done to change it.<br />
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The stainless steel exhaust duct to vent the gas outside was on backorder, which also held up the progress of this project. The contractors insisted that all the other pieces of the system were installed, but they had to wait for this part to ensure that the fumes from the natural gas that heated the water running through the pipes would be vented outside. In the meantime, they didn't anticipate the next issue: that there was no electrical outlet in close proximity to power the boiler. <br />
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We were headed into Fall when we would need to start using our heating system. I recall one week in October when the overnight temperatures dipped into the range when most homes would have their heaters running to keep their occupants warm. Lucky for Mark, this particular week had him traveling to a customer site for work and staying in a nice warm hotel room. Unlucky for me, I was home in a house with no heat, trying to stay warm with warm blankets and extra layers. The argument we had over this situation wouldn't be the last regarding house projects. Until writing this blog entry, I didn't know that Mark, in solidarity, turned off the heater in his cozy hotel room and opened the windows so that he, too, could feel the pain of an October night without heat. <br />
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In an effort to get our system working despite the lack of an electrical outlet, our contractor agreed to use an extension cord to connect our system on a temporary basis until we could get a proper electrical outlet installed. This temporary fix probably wouldn't have won the approval of the city inspectors, but it met the need for heat until an outlet could be installed.<br />
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Soon after, our system was working and we were enjoying warm hardwood floors and a comfortable room temperature, something that most people in the US and the developed world take for granted. Radiant heating systems are complicated and challenging to install, but the benefits of warm floors, less noise and lower heating costs are worth it to us. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-49968277313796308782011-08-21T19:34:00.000-05:002011-08-21T19:34:41.693-05:00Wallpaper and paintThe house was built in 1947, the time just after the war when people built basic homes with little of the 1920s charm that the majority of homes in our neighborhood featured. As a result, we didn't have any guilt when thinking about what to keep and what to change in the renovation process. <br />
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Next door was our home's architectural double, but it was easy to see that our neighbor's house (and its yard) had been well-maintained and cared for, in sharp contrast to ours. The advantage for both houses is that they each sit on a 1.5 lot, meaning that we have a large yard (and plenty of room for expansion) compared with typical homes in our neighborhood. <br />
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One of my immediate priorities, after functioning appliances, was removal of the wallpaper in the bathroom. Its whimsical 40s-style design, featuring shampoo bottles, combs, toothbrushes, and other bathroom essentials; and including catchy little grooming phrases such as, "Prevent the wrinkles or your true love might crinkle," and "If you want the girls to rave please don't forget to shave," was one of the few charming aspects of the house, but it was dingy and peeling. It had to go.<br />
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I tried using a wallpaper scoring tool to remove the paper. It didn't work. The drywall clung to that paper like they were one and the same. I used Dif solution for my next attempt. With both of these products, I would get small pieces at a time, but it would have taken many hours to get all the wallpaper down in that tiny bathroom. My coworker recommended a palm sander. It was messy and noisy, but it got the job done. The wallpaper was out and the painting could begin.<br />
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One of the bedrooms also had wallpaper covering the walls. Removing this room's wallpaper was a different challenge. We learned the hard way that the wallpaper was applied to bare drywall, without any paint or primer. Not good. Trying to remove this wallpaper without destroying the drywall proved unsuccessful for us amateurs. We ended up replacing the drywall in order to remove the wallpaper. After these challenges with removing wallpaper, I don't think I will choose to decorate with wallpaper, at least not for a long time. <br />
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The paint color that the previous owner chose for the living room and hallway was a dull gray that reminded us of cold, dark Minnesota winters. We had to make a change. We opted for a bold, bright, Spanish-style orange that has earned us many compliments over the years. The color still brings a smile to my face when I see it, though I must confess I was skeptical about using such a bold color at first. I'm glad I relented. When you live in Minnesota, you need to maximize sunshine, or even the illusion of sunshine, in order to cope with the long winters.<br />
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Free time was minimal during these early days of updating, correcting and improving the little white house, but we enjoyed spending time getting our new space to suit our tastes. Little did we know how much more it would take before all the projects would be crossed off our to-do list.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0Minneapolis, MN, USA44.9799654 -93.26383609999999244.899412399999996 -93.33152059999999 45.0605184 -93.1961516tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-44737433581013276962011-08-15T08:13:00.000-05:002011-08-15T08:13:54.819-05:00Our first priority: The leaking roofAs promised, Mark got straight to work on replacing our shingles. Because he had plans to add on to the house, and would likely need to replace the roof again, he decided to go with the cheapest shingles he could find. As luck would have it, one of his customer sites rented nail guns and his contact there was willing to let him borrow a few to redo our roof. <br />
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Mark, with his friends Andy, Micha and Nick, started pulling off the old shingles early on a Saturday. I was in charge of coffee, sandwiches, water, and emergency hardware store trips. Midway through the morning, it became apparent that a wheelbarrow would be necessary to haul shingles. I headed over to 54th and Penn to pick one up at our local hardware store. The guys, who had already started to recognize me as a repeat customer, showed me two types of wheelbarrows: those that are already assembled, and those that require assembly. We agreed that the former would be better. However, the assembled wheelbarrow wouldn't fit in my Honda Civic. No problem. The guys said they were just headed to lunch and would drop it by the house on their way. I quickly gave them my address, and within 20 minutes, we had a fully-assembled wheelbarrow delivered free of charge. Did they win my loyalty that day? You betcha.<br />
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The shingle-removal process was more time-consuming than we anticipated. The hot sun made the work even more challenging. Day two of replacing the roof came and went without finishing the work. Mark decided to take Monday off work, and asked Andy to do the same, so they could finish it up. <br />
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I didn't get up on the roof of the house much, but I did work with Mark to replace the shingles on our detached garage the following weekend. I looked forward to checking this project off our list, so we could focus on the interior of the house. First stop: 1940s-style bathroom wallpaper!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-23229916672316299852011-08-13T21:11:00.000-05:002011-08-13T21:11:22.901-05:00Moving in and getting settledJuly is a great time of year to be in Minneapolis. Residents, knowing what winter will bring in a few months, don't want to waste a minute inside and make every effort to enjoy the beautiful weather. But on our moving day in July of 2004, it rained. Thankfully, the contents of a one-bedroom apartment didn't take long to move from the west end of Lake Calhoun to our new home. <br />
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Mark and his friend Andy transferred most of the furniture and boxes while I worked on scrubbing the paint off our living room floor with my new discovery: Goo Gone. The red oak hardwood floor had not been sanded or sealed for decades. The former homeowner did the floors no favors by painting the living room and bedroom walls without using drop cloths. Paint splatters could be found all around both rooms. Another immediate chore I assigned myself was washing down the walls, which reeked of cigarette smoke, with another newly-discovered cleaning product: Soilax. <br />
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The house was in such bad shape that Mark had difficulty convincing Wells Fargo to give him a loan. He also struggled to get homeowners' insurance due to the condition of the house. He went back and forth between the two and convinced them to provide a loan and offer insurance. Mark, in return, promised to replace the roof within the first month and work through the other issues identified in the inspector's 44-page report.<br />
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Not long after we moved in, my parents and siblings came for a visit. Mark thought we'd make pizza for an easy Friday night dinner. I put the oven on preheat, but it didn't heat up. That explained why the oven was as clean as new. Plan B involved cooking the pizza on our Weber charcoal grill. Here's a tip: if you want to barbecue pizza on a charcoal grill, don't use Matchlight charcoal. Your pizza will taste like lighter fluid. A new stove would be a priority.<br />
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A new washer and dryer became an early priority as well, after my first load of clothes came out looking rusty. The dryer wasn't getting clothes dry, either. I mentioned in the first post that the harvest gold dishwasher, circa 1975, did not work. Were we going to have to replace all of our appliances at once? We lived without a dishwasher for a while. The refrigerator seemed fine, but we found that food would spoil sooner than we expected. Add a refrigerator to the growing list of major purchases that we'd likely be making in the near future.<br />
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As we invested time and money in this house, it started to feel more like a home. Soon after we moved in, the annual National Night Out potluck gave us the opportunity to meet nearly all of our neighbors. We felt truly welcomed and looked forward to many more chances to get to know them and feel a part of this urban community.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0Minneapolis, MN, USA44.9799654 -93.26383609999999244.899412399999996 -93.33152059999999 45.0605184 -93.1961516tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4301291923832561497.post-66174044256100321572011-08-12T20:47:00.000-05:002011-08-12T20:47:39.410-05:00The beginningMy husband, Mark, had a plan: he wanted to buy the worst house on the block in a great location. Mission accomplished. After an entire year of searching, and narrowing down the geographic area of interest to a small area near Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, he found what he was looking for. The house was owned by an older man who had a reputation in the neighborhood of being an alcoholic and someone who didn't take good care of his home or yard. Oh, the stories we've heard. <br />
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Mark and I were not yet married and he was determined to buy the house on his own, so I wasn't involved in a lot of the details of this major purchase. In fact, I hadn't seen the house before he committed to owning it. I had toured other homes with him, but there was some miscommunication with the real estate agent on the showing for this house, and he had to dash over to see it without me. In 2004, the housing market in Minneapolis was hot. So hot, in fact, that if you found a home you wanted, you better be prepared to make an offer on the spot. Mark knew right away that this house was the one and made his offer. <br />
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My first opportunity to see this house was at the inspection. The realtor, Judy, and I trailed Mark and the inspector through the house and exchanged horrified glances at what we saw. The cracked tiles in the kitchen, the paint splattered on the worn hardwood floors, the non-working harvest gold Kitchenaid dishwasher, the massive archaic heating unit in the basement, and the screened-in porch off the back of the house that had certainly seen better days. The thought that kept going through my head was, "What has he done?" <br />
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The inspection turned up some serious issues with the house. It would need a complete overhaul of electrical wiring (all outlets were two-pronged and many were not grounded), a new roof as soon as possible, and probably all new plumbing, among other updates. It was just what Mark wanted. His plan involved updating and repairing the house to fit in with the neighborhood, and possibly installing a couple dormer windows in the half-story upper level to make it more livable.<br />
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Though I wasn't as eager about this 'project house' as Mark was, I did look forward to sprucing up the place and creating a home of our own. After years of living in apartments, I was excited for the opportunity to paint walls a color other than white or beige. <br />
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Mark grew up in rural Australia and was raised by a man who found it rewarding to build his home from the ground up. His hard work inspired both Mark and his brother Dave to buy homes with the vision to improve and expand them. <br />
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When Mark arrived at the house on the day of closing, he (and his realtor) were shocked to find that the homeowner had not moved his few belongings out of the house. Apparently, he did not believe that the transaction would go through and had no plan for where to live after the house was sold. There was some scrambling, whereby some of his possessions were moved to the detached garage temporarily until he found a place to keep them. <br />
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Through all the challenges of finding and purchasing this home in the highly-sought-after neighborhood of Fulton in Southwest Minneapolis, we found great reward in meeting our new neighbors and becoming familiar with the walk around Lake Harriet. We anticipated a great deal of adventure to encounter as we began to settle into this new home.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14432591735640280365noreply@blogger.com0Minneapolis, MN, USA44.9799654 -93.26383609999999244.899412399999996 -93.33152059999999 45.0605184 -93.1961516