My New House, Restoration and such

[KCMax]

Very cool PS!

[LindseyLohan]

I'd rather install new tile then demo old. Why aren't you doing the tile yourself?

Should of rented one of these

http://www.floor-equipment.com/walk-beh ... ehind.html

I'm tearing out my master bath. Waiting for the weather to get nicer so I can knock out the ceiling.  My floor is floated with concrete, so it's going to be a bitch to tear out. Open to suggestions.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Open to suggestions.

Dynamite.

[PumpkinStalker]

I'd rather install new tile then demo old. Why aren't you doing the tile yourself?

Should of rented one of these

http://www.floor-equipment.com/walk-beh ... ehind.html

I'm tearing out my master bath. Waiting for the weather to get nicer so I can knock out the ceiling.  My floor is floated with concrete, so it's going to be a bitch to tear out. Open to suggestions.

That looks like fun!  I knew they had big machines like that but it was just as east with two guys and chisels and cheaper!  The oak floor will be a breeze. It's brittle and very thin. It will pop right up. Not sure what to recommend in a bathroom. I know that old bathroom wall tile is frequently cemented into a chicken wire and I hear it's a bitch and requires total removal of the wall down to studs. Then you have to re drywall.

Not doing the tile by myself because it doesn't interest me. Just like drywall, it's just not something I care to learn to do even if it's much cheaper. I prefer carpentry and demo! 

[lock+load]

Why not put new hardwood down?  I think that would look best. 

[aknowledgeableperson]

Not doing the tile by myself because it doesn't interest me. Just like drywall, it's just not something I care to learn to do even if it's much cheaper. I prefer carpentry and demo!   

Good choice on tile and drywall.  It is best to stick with those skills you are good at and want to be good at.  Having someone else do those undesired chores means you can spend time on things you like, plus you can work on your things while someone works on tile or drywall.

[PumpkinStalker]

[quote="lock+load"]
Why not put new hardwood down?  I think that would look best. 
[quote/]

Quite simply we just want something different. The whole house is red oak and I am against carpet so we have plenty of wood. We just wanted a change of pace.

[PumpkinStalker]

Lately I've taken a break from the back breaking labor to do more fussy things, like refinishing a few doors.

This is the master bedroom closet door, I started with stripper to take off most of the varnish so it won't gum up my belt.  Yes my head actually looks like it's on fire in real life.  No editing was done.


After rough belt sanding to get to bare wood, I take a random orbit sander and go down to 220 grit.  Then to the basement where it's cool...


One coat of Minwax English Chestnut stain and three coats semigloss poly.


This door had a neat little shoe rack on it, which I also took off, stripped, and re-stained/poly'd.


Install hardware back on (after some minor cleaning up, taking paint drips off from prior sloppy paint jobs.)


Ready to hang...


And hung! 

[shinatoo]

Is it wrong that I get so excited every time I see that you have posted?

[Midtownkid]

Wow that looks really great!  Must be fun to customize your own little bungalow.  I want to do that sometime down the road!

[PumpkinStalker]

Is it wrong that I get so excited every time I see that you have posted?

Not at all!  I slack off.  I've taken hundreds of pictures but I'm always so busy working on projects when I get home that I don't find time to upload the pictures I take.

Wow that looks really great!  Must be fun to customize your own little bungalow.  I want to do that sometime down the road!

Not a bungalow!  Actually considered a story book style with influences of tudor and craftsman!  I don't fault you - even though you're a budding architect.  I have never (and won't) post a picture of the front!

[jdubwaldo]

Is it wrong that I get so excited every time I see that you have posted?

Right there with you. 

It also makes me immensely jealous that we do not have the capability to do many of the exact same projects he's doing at our house.  Sigh....

[KCMax]

I wish I had your skillz.

[PumpkinStalker]

Well thanks!  All pretty much self taught. I whore my services for beer and pizza if anyone wants help doing anything. I love working on projects (excluding landscaping)

[Midtownkid]

Not a bungalow!  Actually considered a story book style with influences of tudor and craftsman!  I don't fault you - even though you're a budding architect.  I have never (and won't) post a picture of the front!

Ahh, my bad.  A lot of houses around there are bungalows and like you said I've never seen the front.  Well it's cool in any case!

[jdubwaldo]

Well thanks!  All pretty much self taught. I whore my services for beer and pizza if anyone wants help doing anything. I love working on projects (excluding landscaping)

Seriously - We would give you as much beer and pizza as you want just to come walk through our house and get your thoughts on some things.    Maybe you could point us towards some projects that dummies like us can attempt ourselves without gumming too many things up or killing each other.  Then we could head to 75th for some growler action..... 

[PumpkinStalker]

Just a reminder of what the ugly ass kitchen "used" to look like.


Staron Counter Tops going in...




Stove counters finished




Sink almost done


New fan in the breakfast nook is hung


When I was chipping off some of the backsplash I uncovered this small screened in hole that goes to the outside.  Since my cabinets are not the original, I had no idea what this was.  However!  My neighbor has the originals and his has a sliding wood door that opens and closes the screen....and these were designed to cool pies in the cabinet!  How cool is that?  You can see it from the outside, but it's covered by the back splash inside.  No pie cooling for Pumpkin Stalker.


New drywall (I did this small section myself!  Quite proud, since I HATE drywall.


Faucett put in


Painting cabinets commences




Bought outlet covers to match tile


New floor, I did mouldings myself


Taking shape!


Back splash coming along


Hasn't been grouted yet


More to come with total finished product!

[mlind]

Love the subway tile and porcelain sink in the kitchen. 

Re the screened hole:  houses built before refrigeration often had cabinets with screened openings to the outside.  You would store things that need to be kept cool.  The one in my house actually had 3 metal shelves with vent holes and a screened opening to the outside next to each shelf. 

I sheet rocked the openings to keep ants out (big problem in California) and replaced the metal shelves with wood because after 60 years they were badly bent.

It's fun to uncover things like that.

[shinatoo]

Will you be restoring the license plate to its original location?

[PumpkinStalker]

Love the subway tile and porcelain sink in the kitchen. 

Re the screened hole:  houses built before refrigeration often had cabinets with screened openings to the outside.  You would store things that need to be kept cool.  The one in my house actually had 3 metal shelves with vent holes and a screened opening to the outside next to each shelf. 

I sheet rocked the openings to keep ants out (big problem in California) and replaced the metal shelves with wood because after 60 years they were badly bent.

It's fun to uncover things like that.

Thanks!  I have always had a thing for subway tile, and even though it was not in style anymore by the time my house was built, I still liked it and used it.  Some subway tiles are overly squared and have beveled edges.  Original and old subway tile is wavy and not perfectly rectangular.  I tried to find some that was a little wavy to make it not so harsh.  The sink is acutally Staron also, fused to the counter, and not porceline.  It was part of the package, but a porceline would have been my next choice.

Thanks for the info on the cooling screens.  That's very interesting.  I had a patched square of stucco by my back door that I always wondered what it used to be...my neighbor's house has a little door there and said it was an ice door.  In the old days the ice man would come around and shove a block of ice for your ice box through the small door.  Such interesting stuff!

Will you be restoring the license plate to its original location?

Ha, unfortunately that has met the fate of my Wiss tinsnips.