Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Back from sectionals to see progress

This last weekend, I was in Edmonton competing in the Central Canada Sectionals for the 2010 CrossFit Games.  It was an amazing weekend!  I'm back now and putting together a game plan to figure out how to take it up a notch and close the distance between me and the women who qualified to go to regionals. 

Wait a second!  Wrong blog!  This one is about the renovation...  Well, I came back to find that a lot of finishing work had been done while I was gone.  The space is really coming together.  What I like best is how it feels up there.  The space has good energy.

(baseboards are on save for the finishing trim at the bottom, which will be added after the floors are finished)


(my future study)


(our partially completed ex-stairwell of death)


(we now have a sink in our powder room)

(our original registers are being reused where possible)

(this one had to be ground down to fit and needs a sanding and coat of paint)

(one was broken and couldn't be fixed so we salvaged the decorative cover and reused it in the bathroom shelves... I quite like the profile of the finishing trim)

(the rest of the arch and closet doors are coming up soon)
(the bath is ready for caulking, nail hole filling and a final coat of paint)

(there is a bit of decorative trim to be added to the window seat but this is otherwise completed)


(our washstand bases are now sitting in the shower waiting to be installed)
 
 (I can't wait to see them installed along this wall!)

Today, we're also getting the two basement windows installed.  About a year ago, those two big holes were first punched into our house's foundation.  It will be so nice to finally have our home safe and secure again. 

Friday, March 26, 2010

Friday House Porn

Loving pink, gold and turquoise this week paired with rich, warm wood.







(Lusty McLustersons!  Design Sponge via La Maison Boheme)


(Rolling ladder alert!  I want one for my dressing room... elle decor via nest egg)


(And this is also something we're doing - an island with chandelier over it... domino via nest egg)

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Floor is laid!

A quick post before I go to watch my guilty pleasure.  It sure has come a long way since I took those before pictures in January.  Look, the pile of hardwood is gone.


Somehow it ended up over here instead.


It really is there under those drop cloths.  I checked.  You can see more of it over here.


Actually, it seems to be everywhere!


With all those drop cloths, it's kind of like Jeff is suggesting we do something...  Hmm, I wonder what it is he thinks we should do.  Oh, wait!  I know!  Paint!  Good luck with that Kurt because I'll be off kicking ass and taking names in Edmonton at the Central Canada Sectionals for the 2010 CrossFit Games all weekend long while he is home!

To ease the burden of this bad news for Kurt, I'm including this random photo of The Sneak being cute.


Okay, now I'm going to go watch America's Next Top Model.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

More floor!


There's more floor today!  A lot more floor!  Jeff was a busy guy...

The study is done!

The landing is done!

The bedroom has started!

It looks pretty with the tile!

Our job is not an easy one!  It's all curves and angles. 

Our shrinking pile of hardwood!

Monday, March 22, 2010

And so begins the floor...

Jeff was a busy dude today.  When I came home at lunch, the house smelled like fresh cut oak floor planks and slow cooker pork.  It was not unpleasant.

Why is it when someone tells you not to do something, you so end up wanting to do it?  It took all my self control not to step on the nosing. 


The study... don't mind the poor lighting.  I didn't get home in the daylight to snap a photo.


I think it looks spiffy!  As you can see, the fillets (who knew that's what they're called... well, Jeff did) between the spindles have been removed. They are getting replaced as the floor could not be laid with the originals still in place.


And this last one is for Kurt.  Because I know that you miss him...

Milk

This week was a bit quieter around the house.  Jeff was off working on a commercial project for a few days but did manage to complete a lot of the millwork and Matt was by to do more wall repair.  We ended up able to paint again this weekend.  We've got two coats now on all the walls and ceiling but the bath. All of the trim has at least one coat and some places even have two.  We still have a lot more to do after this with the closets needing another coat on the interior and we didn't even start on the exterior yet.  There's also the bath, including the built-ins and the entryway and wainscoting running down the stairs.

At first I really wasn't sure about the wall paint.  I had a hard time picking a white to begin with.  Everything was either too cool, too yellow or too dark.  I wanted something creamy, delicious and soft but still fresh.  It had to be white.  So, I went with my fave griege (OC-14) mixed with two parts untinted base paint.  We splurged on Aura and after the first coat I was nervous.  I thought it was too yellow and leaned more to beige than it did a white.  So, pretty much exactly what I was trying to avoid.  D'oh!  And with it such a pricey paint, there was no way I'd have any luck convincing Kurt to go with a different white.  I'm glad I didn'!  With two coats up and the trim painted out, though, I'm exceedingly pleased with it.  It's the colour of milk.

Next up, we're getting the hardwood installed!


 (The study)


(The study from the other direction)


(The powder room)


(The beginnings of an arch from the master into the dressing room)


(No more yellow paint and some lovely new window trim)


(Kurt's closet in the bedroom)

And as for the resolution of the minor issues with the trim, the meeting went very well.  We are reducing the number of switches in the bath, moved over the switch in the landing and doubled up the trim on the interior of the arch so we didn't have to move the plate.  We also had some moulding added to finish the top of the shower.


(All good!)