Well... let's just call it half way there. Coz if i wouldn't i'd probably go insane. :-(

So this is finally a picture of my kitchen which is pretty much done. It hasn't been clean enough to take a good picture, and I finally have put in the new lights over the past couple days, so I can get rid of the nipple looking light in the center of the ceiling, and just paint that weird strip where the 2 ceilings meet.

Then in the near future put down a new permanent floor.

I love doing this stuff, I really do.

At this point we felt pretty pro.

The back door with casing trim that matches the rest of the house

I found this cabinet for just $10 at our local thrift store. It holds all the components nicely, with room for more things below.

There has been this large sprawling juniper in my front yard for decades... until a few weeks ago, when it got cut down to the stalks, and I started digging around the roots.

Today I got the rootball out of the ground and planted a "lime-mound" Spirea. It's definitely a splash of light green, and will get 4'-6' wide so should fill the corner in over time. The real test of success is whether it produces pink flowers this summer. Pardon the mud splatter from my planting, it'd only been in place for about two hours when I took this.

115/365

we are in the midst of a bathroom redo. In the interest of recycling (and economy) we decided to just sand and re-stain the vanity in that bathroom. It was horribly ugly, but pretty well made and a simple design. I think if we just change the wood color and put new knobs on, it will go far.

when i took out the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, I stuck my camera down in the wall and took a picture of what was inside...

Installed boxes for three outlets, and a switch for outside.

Also a box for an outdoor outlet (the house's first! :)

This morning before work, we started pulling romex through the basement to feed all of this nonsense on two new fresh circuits. That's right! No old, cloth-insulated wires for feeds here -- at least not anymore! :)

we've got a vanity!

Next, the copper waterlines are cut. I've leaving 1.5" on the shut-off side, just in case.. but I bought some compression-fit flexible hose so really, the majority of this copper line will be cut off and thrown out I guess..

It goes without saying that the shut-off is actually shut at this point, and a number of towels are placed beneath to catch the spray (i.e. water left between shut-off and the faucet)

Know any metal dealers in the GTA I can sell this to? I am sure someone wants this?

Lots of plumbing and a gas pipe that may need acces in the future. That made me decide to have a removable ceiling here. First installing the base construction, then cutting the lightweight boards to size. Six panels will form this ceiling, 5 of them will be removable. Final color is to be off white.

The first day, actually only a few hours worth, we knocked out the first 2 walls of the new office.

Next step will be to mud the drywall. I hate that step.

my painting table in its own nook



Joe and I installed over a snowy weekend

I left a little surprise in the wall for whoever opens it up next.

If you want the traditional Venetian blinds but are on a budget then you will find that there are discount stores that will offer you quality blinds at a low price. These blinds will be made from aluminum or wood slates. Both wood slates and aluminum blinds are readily available and you can choose the one that suits your needs. You can purchase cheap blinds and then finish them up by adding more expensive accessories.

bit.ly/3oaQJnM

Our house has gotten cozy so we're doing our best to make the most of things until the economy picks back up. For now, that means three boys in one room - we gave them the master bedroom - and built a wall between the little boys and the teenager. We (I say that loosely) got a lot done yesterday, with more to do tomorrow. It's a project that will continue for awhile as I involve myself in changing the curtains (the boys are complaining about the floral, of all things) and repaint....I won't be bored. :)

Dead media shelf (VHS, cassettes, CD's) against ugly stub wall in Great Room

all in! am i ready to turn on the water??

These are the original tiles from the 50's, I think. I'd keep them, but there were too many cracks around the toilet that couldn't be fixed.

lower deck boards on, joists for upper deck

It looks pretty crappy right now, but after sanding and another repair coat, I'm planning to skim coat it with actual plaster to smooth it out. It would have been MUCH easier to put drywall up. It probably would look better, but we realized the extent of the damage too late.

I made a photoshop mock-up of the few minor exterior improvements I would like to do to my home before the cold gets here including: a new ceiling light that doesn’t look so cheap, a few small trees to go in the 2 front door pots, nailing in the boards around the base of the deck since I finally decided they should be white, painting the front door red and painting the base of the house grey. The grey will probably have to wait until spring but it would be so nice.

Another angle of the finished shower.

Sanding

Fence repair, anybody?

Yesterday I mentioned that I had a change of plans regarding some peripheral work. Here's the result -- I managed to cut the edge tiles out fine and have replaced them with rounded tiles that will hide the backerboard, plus add another stripe. :) The new tiles will be grouted when I complete all the tiling on the other side of the room.

We are putting a bathroom in the basement. It's been a lot more work than I expected. I'm glad that we hired someone to do it.

Holes in the ceiling and everything.