New Pipe

It isn't pretty, but it is fixed! No plumber needed. Definitely a relief. Also, the same kind of pipe was replaced in P's apartment before we bought the house. One less thing to worry about.

~ E

Good and Bad

Good News: We are 90% moved in. We had so many helpers this weekend. We even got the old washer and dryer out of the basement. The stairs are narrow and windy, so this was quite a feat. We left them on the curb, and within twenty minutes a stranger happened by and put them in his truck.

Things are looking great. Our desk did not fit up the stairs but we think we found a good spot for it in the living room/dinging room. Lights, curtains, and blinds are installed for the most part. Makeoverhill is really starting to look like a home. Some friends got a sneak preview this weekend and it was exciting to see that they liked the place.

Bad News: There is a very leaky pipe in the wall. My dad already cut out some of our freshly painted kitchen wall and might have to cut a hole in the brand new ceiling. (We also noticed that someone someone painted right on top of wallpaper in the kitchen many layers ago.) This leak has set us back a bit. We were hoping that P's kitchen would be all set by tomorrow. But, without a new pipe we can not take showers our use the upstairs bathroom at all.

Luckily, my parents don't live too far away and there's always P's shower. (Right?) We are currently discussing if it would be worth it to pay a plumber even thought he had a pretty pricey estimate. That would free up my dad and K to focus on kitchens. But, if the boys can do the work instead it would save a lot of money. And we definitely could use the money since we give all of ours to Lowes. We were definitely expecting this part of home ownership, it just would have been nice if the House Gods held off until the new year.

~E

Living Rooms/ Dining Rooms

E & K's Living Room/Dining Room

Complete
-Removed wall
-Installed windows
-Painted walls
-Installed lights
-New ceiling

To-Do
-Buy shorter radiator at New England Salvage
-Install new outlet
-Fill in molding
-Crown molding
-Paint front door (Hey, I can do that!)


P's Living Room/Dining Room

Complete
-Installed windows
-Painted walls
-Installed light

To-Do
-Install outlet covers (is that really all?!)

Happy Thanksgiving, dear reader! K, DD (my father who does almost all of the work), and I are working through the holiday. We will take a pie break, though.

~E
P.S. You can click on any picture to enlarge it.

Progress

Everything is coming together on Makeoverhill. We need to be moved in by next week, so that is great news. This weekend, K and I got to live it up at a wedding while my parents and aunt slaved away. I have recently discovered that I am a terribly slow and messy painter, so I am very happy that they finished most of the house.

Here are a few recent pictures, I'll try and take lots more this week. Although I do have to start that whole packing thing....


P's Kitchen Nook



Our Bedroom


New Windows



~E

Our Next House

I am totally done with painted surfaces. Especially ceilings. When you have no upper body strength, painting ceilings is the hardest workout ever. Also, I got paint in my eyes and mouth.

Next time we buy a house, I'm thinking glass and concrete. Nothing to paint. Nothing that has been painted over fifty times or has telephone lines painted into it.

Off to scrub my hands......

~E

Faucet Fixes

Remember my bathroom sink? Everyone was complaining about it today. "What if you children burn themselves with the hot faucet?" they asked. First of all, hopefully it would teach them not to do it again. Second of all, what children?!?

The real answer is that one is supposed to mix the water in the basin. Hardly anyone in England has "mixed taps" and they get along fine. (That's probably an exaggeration.) The modern convenience of instant warm water would be nice, though.

My trusty friend, Apartment Therapy lists a few solutions for this problem. (Also, the librarian in me needs to give them credit for the photograph.) The solution in the picture allows you to keep the existing faucets. I like it, it's a little steam punk-y. There are nicer looking bridge faucets you can buy, but you know I how I feel about old things. And British things. And old British things.

~ E

Giving Thanks

Today, I am thankful for:

-The Ikea Man who loaded two kitchens into my Focus Wagon with the ease of a Tetris Word Champion.

-Our families for helping us day in and day out.

-New windows!

-Veterans (both for their service and a very much needed day off at the end of this week).

-My husband, who saved our front door instead of giving up and buying a lame generic new one.

-The fact that P's apartment has a new renter so he can move out and move in to Makeoverhill in a few short weeks.

~E

Bathroom Loathe

In an earlier post, I mentioned the heinous half bath. Here it is in it's awful glory. It belongs in a Roald Dahl book. Fictional British orphans get punished in this bathroom until they are saved by a peach or Miss Honey.

Although it is horrible, it remains on the bottom of our very long renovation list. I plan to close the door and pretend it's a pantry until mid-January. Did I mention this abomination takes up precious kitchen space? Should we turn it back in to a pantry? Is it wrong to take away a bathroom?

For now, let's mock it. Look at that toilet, it is so close to the wall that no one can actually sit on it. You can't reallysee it in the picture, but the paint is very textured. It looks like an English Muffin. Bacteria nooks and crannies, if you please.

Joking aside, we have some plans for this room. We're replacing the frosted window with a regular one. Who can see you from up there anyway? My mother found a solution to the legroom problem- a toilet that fits in the corner! Still not sure what we're going to do about those nooks and crannies, though. ~E

Backyard Love

Check out our adorable backyard. I'm sure it looks small to you country folk but I think it is the perfect size. It's also enclosed on three sides which adds privacy.

I envision lovely summer garden parties lit by these hanging solar lights that K found. P is very excited to project movies on the wall in the left side of the picture.

The actual garden will have to go in the sunnier part of the yard. I also need a place for a compost bin. I don't think there will be any room for chickens, though.

~E

Makeoverhill Treats

Halloween on Makeoverhill was quite busy. We went back to the house after a break last night and picked up a few bags of candy on the way. We got to work putting up boards for our new ceiling when the doorbell started ringing. Husband kept working but I didn't leave the doorway for a while, except to run out for more candy.

After hundreds of super cute kids (and some lame teens with no costumes), we ran out of candy for a second time. It was time to turn off the lights and do some work in the back part of the house. Also, P bought us some Pizza! Thanks, P! All in all it was a fun evening, we met a lot of neighbors and everyone was very curious to see what was going on inside.

This first day of November marks one month before we need to vacate our current apartment. We have gotten so much done in the past week, but we still have a lot to do. So now it's off to Lowe's, since the day is not complete without a trip there.
~ E