The Home Renovation Continues

Not even bothering to tell you what number week this is of the home renovation. One, because I've lost count and two... it's easier to just say it's been months. :) mm kay?

So here we are in the New Year, January. It's about 2 months since our first (and very unrealistic) move-in goal. It's 4 weeks past our second (still unrealistic) move-in goal. And just 2 weeks past our third (again unrealistic) move-in goal. And I would say we are about 2 months away from our newest move-in goal. 

My best advice at this point in our renovation experience, for those of you seeking to buy a fixer upper is the following:

Don't. :) 

Unless of course Chip and Joanna Gaines are your hired help... then go for it! :) But don't call us! 

So since it has been quite awhile since I updated let me do my best to let you know where we are at. 
If you want to catch up on the last update you can read that here.

I think I've mentioned before that this type of renovation is a challenge for me. I really want to have pretty floors, curtains and walls... and as of now the bulk of the work has been all that unseen stuff: heating, air conditioning, electrical, plumbing and so on. 

I mean of course I still want indoor plumbing and heat. That stuff is important, don't get me wrong. But when I walk into my house... I don't see it. I see a mess. I think that's the hardest part; remembering a TON of work has been done, important work, but it's the kind that is hidden. 

So speaking of that:
My amazingly talented and hard-working husband has tackled the massive projects of replacing and adjusting all the mechanicals of the house and all of those projects stand completed with the exception of the heat: one or two more steps and this house will be a heated home!

God bless all those who have come to help and work in that house with no heat... and no bathroom! 

Which brings me to the next project that is still underway: The bathroom. 
You remember what it looked like originally:

Then what it looked like a month or so ago. 

We have had both a tile professional and a contractor in to start us on the process of putting it back together. They are ready to get at it once we have all the necessary materials and can give them the green light. 

Folks... this is big. We just might have a functioning bathroom in this house in the near future!
And a pretty one! 

Rejoice with me on this. 

Greg and my dad worked very hard on one long Saturday peeling up the old tile floor, replacing rotten floor boards and then laying down new sheeting for the floor: 

Lots of "Hooray"'s and applause for that! 

As I mentioned in a previous post: all of the horrid wall paper is FINALLY gone and the process of painting has begun! 

REJOICE REJOICE REJOICE!

My parents, who are awesome, have come out almost weekly for the last month or so to get the house painted. 

My parents... and the dogs of course. 

Just a reminder... no heat. no bathroom. 
Saints, these people, SAINTS. 

The painting is tedious, but compared to wall-paper a welcome change! We have had to use a combination of oil-based and water-based primers for the walls. Oil-based is for any wall that had wall paper on it. It offer a nice thick coating and the oil prevents it from melting into any left-over glue. The smell however... horrendous. Never use oil-based primer unless you have some serious ventilation because oh.my.word. The water based was for the walls we had dry-walled, so no issues there! So far all bedrooms, the hallway and the dining area are primed and just the kitchen and living room are left to do. 

Needless to say I am actively working on picking the actual colors for the walls so we can keep this momentum going! I have the colors for all but 2 rooms selected! 

Other small projects that we have tackled are some hardware and fixture selections:

We are replacing the hardware in the kitchen. We cannot possibly change all the cabinets at this point so we are doing what changes we can. Hardware is a fairly easy change that can make a big difference! 

However... we must contend with the holes left from the original (ugly) hardware...Not ideal... but we work with what we got. 

Thankfully... I know someone who knows things about this! My wonderful brother owns a company called "Knobs and Knockers" with a store in Lahaska, PA. (They have a website and do work worldwide if you are in the marked for any type of hardware!) 

I spent an afternoon with him, my cabinet door and a showroom of hardware to try and find some options that work. Unfortunately because of the holes left from the original hardware our options are limited... 

If we were shopping at Home Depot our options would be really close to absolutely nothing
Also... those few options would be cheap junk...
I can't say enough about quality hardware and individuals (like Matt) who know their stuff!)

Matt gave me option after option to try. He patiently answered my questions and brought me new options when I asked... best hardware shopping experience ever. 

Seriously... one time at Home Depot I asked for help... guy new nothing. nothing.

We also got to pick our door hardware - all with the help of an expert. 

Thanks Matt! 
I'll write more on hardware shopping with the pros in a later post! 

We have also started to narrow down the flooring. We are doing hardwood in all rooms except the bedrooms and bathroom. But the color selection process has been a bear since it has to work with our kitchen cabinets (which are a strange orangey cherry wood) and then the rest of the house. We have it at least narrowed down to a few options... though we are not 100% signed off on that. 

I tend to be the girl who is at a friend's house ...or perfect stranger's house and is found observing the floor, walls, carpet, hardware etc. and asking if they have the information on it... one day I'll stop that.... just not yet. :) 

We have had one continual hiccup that is making us a bit crazy... a roof... or chimney leak. We noticed it after we painted the ceilings and the paint was chipping. Greg covered the chimney with a tarp and it solved it for awhile... until last night when the leak was apparent again... so it must be the roof and not the chimney... or the roof AND the chimney

awesome

Either way... something else to deal with, something else we didn't anticipate, something else to pay for... that is not aesthetic or apparent (unless you don't fix it) 

Sigh. May advice at the beginning of this post still stands. 

DON'T DO IT. 

So months into this home project here we stand. Closer to the end goal, but far enough that it seems like a bit of a dream still... and sometimes we think about throwing in the towel.

Anyone in the market for a fixer upper?
I kid. 
Sort of. 

Ultimately I am so thankful for the incredible hard work of my husband, our families and friends in helping us get closer to this goal. 

And truthfully... when I look back on what this house was 4 months ago and the progress that has been made it is exciting. And I am ultimately so thankful that it does not look anything like it used to... because yuck, for reals. 

Stay tuned... hopefully I'll have more updates and hopefully one day I can tell you we are done! :) 

We'll see... 
The Lord may return before that happens.