framing, drywalling, texturing, priming, sanding

No more plastic, no more dust, no more electric sanding = best birthday gift ever.
Please note the new ceiling, (with wood hatch entry into the unfinished attic -think potential for a ladder up the wall and loft in the future) the new framing for a shoe cubby, and the freshly sanded beams in the basement.  Ryan also put in some new molding and trim work around the stairs. This project included a lot of demolition underneath the basement stairs and gross removal of musty wood/walls.  Next, we'll lay some new back entry oak flooring, refinish the original wood steps, finish the basement stairs walls with some more framing and drywall, paint, add coat hooks and some shelving. 
That's not too much work right?
Oh yeah, and don't forget about the need for a new back door/screen...

Basement cement update

This past month someone's been cementing the basement.  This has included over 6 bags of cement in the old chimney foundation base/hole and skim coat patching along some of the walls. Please note that the basement and backdoor are still off limits from the rest of the house with some lovely dust control plastic sheeting. 

Basement insanity

The oil tank is officially out of the basement!
We now have a basement that smells like oil, is covered in 3 inches of cement dust, and has a massive hole in the floor where Ryan removed the old oil line and chimney base.  He spent a weekend with the skill saw, the pick ax and the face mask.  I went shopping.  Please note the insane amount of dust left in the wake of this project.  This is one of those house projects that got really big really fast.  We called in the reinforcements and Jason came to the rescue.  Slow and steady progress got it wedged up the stairs and out the door.  Now there are 20 gallons of heating oil in buckets in the garage, and a giant tank waiting to be transformed into some type of art-piece/fire pit in the back yard. Congratulations guys! 

5th time's a charm

Sometimes people need to buy and install 5 different light fixtures before they realize that the one Leah bought over a year ago for this exact spot is actually perfect.  
Let there be light in the back hall.

The amazing compost pile

6 months ago Lydia came to town and helped rip out our front yard.  

Remember this?

This sod has been sitting in a pile in the back yard nicely doing it's thing…until today.  We added a few layers of grass clippings and wet leaves, piled it up and viola, an incredibly huge amount of yard debris is on it's way to becoming some beautiful compost.  Someday we'll add it to our new smoke bush, featured here in it's autumn hot pink color pallet. 

Buried Treasure

Anyone need a rusted metal dagger? You never know what we'll find digging in the back yard.

The Backsplash

Scrap wood project #2.
Why not use some cool old pieces of wood to tile your kitchen backsplash? Great idea! 
Now all we need to do is decide what color to stain it. 

New Planters!

Amazing wood scrap project #1.  
Ryan made these planters for our driveway from some random free pallets, old wood from our demolition, and scrap from a local lumber mill discard pile. 
Before:

After:

(please note... the random michigan beach stones for good measure.)

Next Step: 

Cool trellis for the clematis. 

Wood shop

You never know when you might need some extra wood.  
So why not collect it from everywhere you possibly can, fill the entire garage with boards, and then build a little firewood rack?
Next step... build the fire pit. 

It's october again?

Looking back at last October it's hard believe that we're in the attic again. This time instead of taking the chimney out... someone's adding a loft. 

Thanks Joel! Somebody get that guy a hammer, a nail gun and some chips and salsa.  Check. 

The little house next door

With the lack of projects getting done on our property this summer, we thought we'd let you in on some of the work going on next door. In one afternoon the house went from standing to a giant pile.  The next day the whole thing went in the dumpster!

What happened to all of our summer house projects?!??!!

This July we boycotted all house projects and decided to go on vacation.  Summer time in the sunshine!!!! From California to Michigan we had a great time relaxing with the family. Maybe sometime soon we'll get over our renovation and remodel overload and get back into the groove of things.  Maybe.

With a camping trip in the red woods and 113 degree weather in Modesto, we did it right. A cool hot tub, a hammock and a birthday celebration at the campground!

Look there's our house! (Top left.) On Lower Herring lake and in GR we soaked up some sunshine, read some good books and ate some delicious food.

More

With still more projects on the list... It's time to get em done. 

Thanks for painting the electrical box, picking up some plants for the front, and varnishing the new shelf Dad! And thanks for attacking the complicated chair reupholstery job Mom!  

Hard work deserves a break.  We took some time to ponder the Japanesse Gardens here in portland, relax on our new couch, and see the sights in Astoria. 

Window Treatments

When the Vanderhills come to town they get busy! 
Dad began by attacking the pile of storm windows and screens in the basement.   Now we have clean windows and replaced screens. Yay!  (And yes, that is Mark Vanderhill chatting it up with a random city worker about the power line voltage. Of course.)

Next, he went on to replace a broken window.  Should I mention who made the crack larger in the first place and then left the window frame at Lowes by the glass counter? Nah. It looks great Dad! Thanks for fixing our windows!!

Creative Thinking

Who is this crazy landscaper?  And why is one half of the front yard still a desolate weed jungle? Good question, and one I'm sure all of our neighbors have been asking for months.  We simply choose to celebrate the little things like the first ripe blueberries on the new bushes instead of dealing with the potential sewer line replacement project. 

Chimney turned Closet Part 2

Linen closet.  Check.

Summer

...has arrived on Farragut street.  School's out and family vacations are planned. Let the projects begin!

Old & New

It's time for some decorating with something old and something new! Thanks to the incredibly cool vintage brass bird hooks from Grandma and Grandpa VP and our newly ordered couch... we're just a little bit closer to living in real style.  Now we just have to wait for the couch to be delivered! 

Bathroom!

We recently found the original towel bar we took out months ago when we demolished the bathroom.  When we decided to hang it up again, the drywall and tile board seam came apart. 

After weeks of patching, the towels are finally drying and the rack is up!   
Check out our bathroom.  It's a bit small, but we love it so far.

Stump-be-gone

We finally bought a pick-ax and conquered the stump.  
The neighbors across the street literally stuck their heads out their windows and cheered.  Never fear, the front yard is still a dirt patch and the stump is still sitting there... I was thinking about attaching a free sign or posting it on craigslist.  Hmm?

New Grill

The other week we coaxed Leo into the Village Gardens truck and bought a grill.  This was due to the fact that our old grill literally broke apart while flaming in the backyard and the gas line fell off.  The first time we used this giant new grill we ran out of gas and dropped the half cooked piece of salmon on the floor.  The second time... the asparagus and hotdogs were delicious.  (We didn't even need to crack into the newly purchased backup tank.)

Chimney turned Closet

Remember when we took out the chimney... while now it's time to turn that 1 1/2' x 2' space into a closet.  This means more drywall, more mudding, and more sanding. 

Back hall

Just when we thought we were done with drywall... we started working on the back stairway. 
We've begun patching around the new electrical box and hope to create a new coat and shoe rack sometime soon. Then comes a new paint job and some hardwood floors.

Our new best friend, the ice maker.

Finally!!! Ryan connected the water line to our ice maker! 
Just in time for summer weather and perfect for really fruity beverages. 

Let's get these projects started!

Our weekends have been ruled by house projects for months now... heres a little update on what we've been spending way too much time on:

The inevitable lowes runs.

The purchasing and use of a desperately needed new (used) lawn mower.

The epoxy patching process for the punctured interior wall of our brand new dishwasher....ARGHGHHH!

The re-installation and tightening of our bathroom fan due to the mysterious "rattle" that someone (ryan) heard.

The assembly of our new jacket and clothing rack... and bonus ukelele show.

Welcome Leo!

Presenting....
LEO!
This past weekend our new 4 legged best friend moved in.  He likes naps, soccer balls, and long walks in the park.  Our friends Jeff and Mia have just relocated to an exciting new adventure in Nairobi, Kenya.  Sadly, Leo could not join them on this journey... so he joined us for a few years, a few house projects, and a few new adventures of his own.

Spring planting

We decided to put a few summer bulbs and transplants in the ground this spring... nothing like having about 500 house and landscaping projects going at the same time.

Thanks for all the bulbs Grant! We think they'll look great along the garage in the backyard.

Front yard Landscaping step # next...

ATTACK of the over grown yuca and the never ending tubber root system next to the foundation.
Yikes! 
Thank you Abby for your amazing digger energy and help. 

We successfully planted 3 new blueberry bushes under the front south facing window.  Aunt Jane stopped by to water them in!
(Please note the band aids being passed in this picture.  Sometimes people get blisters from working too hard...) 

!@$?#%^ STUMP!

This stump is stuck.

Spring Break 2013!!!!

After spending some time in Seattle with your sister, it is usually best to put her to work digging out your unwanted sod.  
Happy Spring Break 2013 Lydia!!!!

With the help of some beautiful warm and sunny days our front yard has been transformed! 

Thank you sunshine. Thank you sister. Thank you shovels.

Temporary fix

For months we've enjoyed the view from our back yard... of our neighbor's random trucks, barking dogs, and piled tires.  After reclaiming this abandoned bamboo fencing from the lot next door, we decided to attach it to the existing chain link.  We're pretty excited about our quick and easy "new fence".

Fly

The other day I found a fly laquered into our kitchen floor. Thank you flooring company for refinishing our floors, flies included. 
It's still there. 

Front yard landscaping step 1.

Our front yard is a bit of an eyesore.  With long grass, an uneven slope and ugly landscaping... we have our work cut out for us.  After getting completely overwhelmed with the big picture, I decided to think small and put a few veggie starts in pots on the front porch.   Our next steps include finding a home for these transplanted blueberries that are starting to bud and repotting the houseplants that I had been slowly killing in the garage since the day we moved in last September.  Then Ryan began attacking the giant shrubs and we now have a substantial brush pile in the backyard.  Anyone want to stop by for a bonfire?