Here's our new desk

Not the greatest photo in the world, but you get the idea ...

The Bathroom, 2003-2007

For a slideshow with larger images go here.
Here's the rehab project, finished earlier this year ... Click CAPTIONS for more info.

First thing I did was hire Kevin (you see him in the slide show) to replace the yellow vinyl floor with mosaic tiles. At the same time I took out the old sink and replaced it with Home Depot's smallest pedastal sink -- this is a small bathroom!

I took out the awful wood mirror and towel racks and put in some basic Home Depot supplies. Then earlier this year I picked up a mirror from Restoration Hardware (hint: if you complain about minor scuffs they'll give you 20 percent off!). I tore out all the walls up to about 5 feet and put drywall over the wall with the sink on it -- then painted that. Kevin entered the scene again at that point and put up the backerboard and tile. Et voila! The whole project (phase 2) cost about $3,000. It took me probably two weeks to get that wall out and put up the drywall. Oh yeah, and I taped and drywalled over the ceiling, which was peeling. Whew. Glad that's done!

Progress

The girls are halfway done painting their dressing room. I thought they'd finish up today but they decided first thing to go for a walk and were gone til 4:30, and by then it was too late to get started, so they'll probably finish that up next weekend. Meanwhile, I bought a little desk off Craigslist last weekend and turned the second -- unused -- room on the second floor into a writer's nook.

Also, a coffee table update. Since I couldn't figure out what kind of wood it was I just said what the hell, and put mahogony stain. Came out pretty good. I also shaved about an inch and a half off of the legs with my bad ass reciprocating saw. I'm calling that project done and moving on.

I think I'm over the idea of taking the asbestos shingles off the house. Though it would only cost $700 to remove the shingles, it looks like there's no siding on underneath, so that could run up into the thousands. Poopy, I say. Maybe I'll just paint.

Also, the idea of a dormer, briefly flirted with, is out. The lady at the local construction company says that could cost (cough) $60,000.

I'll stick with the little projects, I guess.

Here's what our house looked like decades ago...

Here's what it looks like now ...

House Tour

We took a ride around West Seattle today to look for houses that can inspire our house work. We're looking at a) fixing up the front of the house, either by painting it or by removing the asbestos tile and replacing it with the traditional clapboard siding and shingles that were there originally and b) to fix up the yard.

Here's some houses we saw today:


Franny likes this blue. I like this siding and the shingles.


We like this blue too. I'm partial also to what Kaye calls Texaco Gray.

We're wanting to replace our bushes with something a bit more exciting. Here's a yard that had some stuff we liked.







And here's the house we're kind of aspiring to. Not this color, but this coolness.

What? Another Blog?

That's right buckos. I find I need a place to upload all my house photos, so this must be the place. Welcome to the house blog.