My Feet Are Tired!

[maillotpois]

Cool that you're almost done, V - what color are you painting???

Before we moved in, we painted every wall in our house, replaced most fixtures and I removed wall paper and a sink/console in a bathroom and painted Em's bathroom cabinetry. (We had the floors done by others, re-carpeting and re-finishing the wood.) I was NEVER so exhausted at the end of the day as that month we were doing all that work. And I was riding a lot back then and in good shape - it was just harder all over body aching work, using muscles I didn't even know existed.

I had a lot of fun with my friend Holly painting Em's room cloudy (sponge painting with glossy blue and white).

[divingbiker]

May I whine a bit in this thread? Please?

My sister and BIL and I bought my aunt's house from her a couple of years ago, in order to give her a monthly income since her children and grandchildren have bled her dry of the comfortable nest egg she was left with when my uncle died about 12 years ago. She's lived there rent-free since we bought it. (The house is on 3 acres with two large farm buildings in the midwest, and is across the road from my sister and BIL's house. I'm here in the DC area.)

In September, she moved to town into a senior apartment, since her eyes are too bad to drive the country roads into town. (She shouldn't be driving at all, but that's another rant.)

Since she moved out, we've been clearing out 40+ years of crap, all of which my aunt thinks is priceless but no one wants. We sneak it to the burn pile when she isn't looking. (We've still got to figure out how to dispose of 50+ old car and truck and tractor tires that her grandson left behind, but again, that's another rant.)

We have removed many layers of wallpaper, some of which won't come off without bubbling up the paint underneath. We've hired plasterers to come in and skimcoat several walls and redo several ceilings. We've torn out nasty 30-year-old shag carpet that is so gross I can't even think about it. We upgraded the fuses to breakers.

Finally, last week when I was home for Christmas we started putting things back together. We painted four bedrooms, the kitchen, the bathroom, the stairwell/landing, and two closets. And it looks gorgeous. Smooth plaster walls in a 95 year old house are amazing!

The floors are pine, but are not in good enough shape to refinish, so we're just slapping down carpet so we can sell the place. But there's still a new countertop, plumbing, flooring, trim painting, replacement of lights and switches and receptacles, out-building cleanup, etc to do. I feel bad that my sister and BIL have to finish it by themselves (a new bathroom is going in this weekend) but I am so excited that it is almost done. I've taken three trips out there to work on it since September, and the end is in sight.

I went through all of this with my own 69 year old house when I moved in 15 years ago. I feel for all of you who are remodeling. It is a lot of work.

[maillotpois]

Wow, Trek, Mae is super cute.

(Gawd I am such a dog slvt. Don't tell Russo. )

[Trek420]

May I whine a bit in this thread? Please?

..... And it looks gorgeous. Smooth plaster walls in a 95 year old house are amazing!

Please whine!

That's what remodeling is all about

Aren't old houses the greatest? I'm bored with brand new houses, gimme a house with some history. 'cept it is a lot more work.

Good for you helping out your aunt Brphffpt to the other family members.

Maillopoits, yes, Mae's a cutey, she's smart and a very good dog.

She's a rescue and she does have some issues especially with other dogs. Friday my carpenter brought someone in half a day to help her with the floor. I was at work.

I told her that my neighbor would come over and get Mae for the day because I thought the excitement of 2 new people and construction and one of 'em a guy (she does not do as well with guys) would be too much.

So I call on my break. I hear a very happy woof in the background. H. tells me Mae and her helper are best friends. She walked over, gave him a lick and is sitting in his lap while he works. Of course he'd been making her do tricks and rewarding her with Trader Joes Peanut Butter filled pretzels first.

My turn to whine. I bought this place after a break up and even worse that was the year my Dad died. I suppose if I had concentrated on nesting and turned this joint which I bought waaaaaaaaaaaaay below market I'd be sitting pretty financialy. I would have turned it at the top of the market.

Instead of turning the house I turned to cycling and did back to back to back to .... CA Lifecycle rides.

But I have no regrets.

I met people, saw sights and parts of CA, had experiences that will last a lifetime. I got to spend a week with my neice on her first ALC. And we did a lot of good. And even given recent injury I'm now in better shape than I've been in years. Plus I met Knott whom I probably would not have met if I'd been walking the aisles of HomeDepot instead of riding and reading about riding.

Recently my 85 year old Mom said that the week she, Duck on Wheels and Mr. Duck on Wheels spent going down the coast following ALC, seeing UK Eliphant on the ride, meeting up with us in camp and the closing ceremony was one of the best experiences she's had in years.

So I'm remodeling now, when nobody's buying. No regrets.

Well, back upstairs I just tore out the carpet strips in another room and have to clean up.

[Veronica]

The family room is staying builder beige with an accent color on the mantel. We had to do the ceiling because we had some water damage.

I wish it were almost done. We still have the living room to do. But at least it's just the floor, we're not painting it.

We do have to figure out what we're going to do with this.



V.

[maillotpois]

Divingbiker - it sounds like you guys have restored a beautiful home. And what a wonderful thing you have done for your aunt.

Trek - I can be won over with TJ's PB pretzels as well! No regrets on ALC. It's all good.

V - what wonderful ART and that music stand - wow!! Your living room looks amazing! I don't know what to do with a piano. We get by with a large keyboard for the musical one. She will learn something on the violin or guitar and then immediately go down and play it on the keyboard. I'm sure it's easier than it sounds, but I can't imagine. My brain wasn't wired that way.

[Trek420]

Wow, V. It looks beautiful now.

What do you want to do with the room? Besides fill it with bikes

I do a lot of drawing. I'm horrid at math, tried draft paper, cad programs, nothin' .... but I can draw.

Now when I think "maybe we should do this ____" I draw it. Really helps as I think about the colors.

It's also my way of staying sane through a remodel. I know that no matter how it will be, living out of boxes, tarps everywhere .... I can look at my drawings and say "someday it'll look like this!"

[snapdragen]

Somebody else's stuff is going to both of our places.

OK - own up. Who is it?????

Not me, they seem to have dropped a bunch of stuff off here too. All in nice boxes. Someone should really sort through it all. Any volunteers?

[salsabike]

Does it multiply? Where does this "stuff" come from?

It's aliens, you guys. I thought you knew that. They're in charge of clothes hangars and single socks as well.

Trek, it'll be okay. It may be that when you're done, the market will be improving again.

[Veronica]

The piano is going back in. It just has to be moved so we can do the floor. I did use to keep my bike in that room when Thom had an upright. It just didn't fit when he moved up to the grand.

That artwork on the wall is very cool. It's a kinetic sculpture.

V.

[Trek420]

It's aliens, you guys. I thought you knew that. They're in charge of clothes hangars and single socks as well.

V, the artwork is very cool. Now why don't the aliens leave stuff like that?

[Trek420]

Kitchen cabinets are ordered. I'm glad I did this today. I knew they had a sale on in January but didn't know it ended today till I got to the store. If I'd waited to the weekend it would be 45% more

[mimitabby]

what is Vair and why were you barefoot? No wool socks?

[Veronica]

Vair is squirrel fur. Yes I wear wool socks all the time.

V.

[Tri Girl]

All of your remodeling looks so great (the actual work part- not so much).

We had to pull the carpet in our bedroom after a spring flood, and we've been living with the concrete floor ever since. That carpet was NASTY (and it was only about 7 years old). Yikes!

We've decided to lay down the snap together engineered wood flooring, but only AFTER we get around to fixing the foundation. One day before I'm 40 perhaps.

Keep the pictures coming- I love seeing other's remodeling projects.