Thursday, July 30, 2009

Inch by Inch

Little bit of renovation progress last night. Mostly we're waiting for permits and inspections, but there is still a lot that needs doing.

But for right now I need another coffee.

It's going to be a loooooooong couple of nights.


Wednesday, July 29, 2009

There's a hole in my wallet!

Not much renovation progress to report... We took advantage of the dry and mostly sunny day to get some much needed supply shopping done. And not even the really awesome pretty stuff like tiles and granite (already bought and paid for), but the less exciting bits like lumber and plywood. And electrical boxes, and plumbing bits.

I've heard a few sayings about renovations, "always late and over budget" or "til death, or renovation, do us part", but there's another, much simpler one that I love dearly:

"It's not really a project until you've been to [insert local big box renovation store name here] at least twice"

Well, I've been twice this morning. And again later this afternoon. If When I go back tomorrow for something else I have to remember that the really friendly helpful guy in the plumbing department takes his coffee with 1 cream...

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Stripped Bare

So last night was the big big big demolition. We started with a bathroom and ended up with stud walls and bare floor joists. And a giant pile of old flooring, drywall, and cabinets in what was formerly my dining room...

Most of the demolition went smoothly. Gigantic guilt mirror safely stashed away, light fixtures removed, toilet disassembled (and water shut off). The 10' counter might have put up some token resistance due to it's sheer bulk, but it was no match for a determined Andre and a sawz-all. And the sheer unadulterated pleasure of swinging a hammer through drywall.

I swear I love demolition, but the next time we do something like this I vote we order a bin, have it parked in the back yard, and just huck stuff out the window. I've totally done my work out for the next few months.

Perhaps not surprisingly, demolition is also a time for discovery. Like an archeological dig, but without the little brushes. For instance, we knew that the vinyl on the floor had been just slapped down over another layer of slightly uglier vinyl - we could see that in the corners under the cabinets where it had already started pealing away. Under that vinyl was a sheet of 1/4 inch plywood - as expected. Under that, we (foolishly) expected to find the sub floor, although looking at the height difference between the bathroom floor and our hallway laminate, we should have known better.

So under the 1/4 inch plywood was a layer of peal-and-stick vinyl tiles (not too ugly), over another sheet of vinyl (really ugly), over linoleum (can someone explain the appeal of the muddy-pukey-dirt linoleum that was soooo popular in the 70's?). And then another layer of 1/4 plywood. As we braced our crowbars under the edge we briefly held our breath, but thankfully that was it. Another layer of plywood, this time the subfloor of 3/4 ply, and in surprisingly good shape! Pity we're taring that out too. We need to get into the floor for new plumbing.

So now, finally (mercifully) the last of the big chunks of remaining bathroom have been piled in the kitchen, awaiting their date with the dump.

There's something amazing that happens during the demolition phase of any project. That feeling of getting started on something new with all these bright ideas of what's to come. The chance to make something that was functional but boring into something that's exactly what we want.

Maybe it's a knitter thing, but I suspect it happens to all creatively-minded people. The blank canvas for art, the empty notebook of a writer, the un-milled lumber of a woodworker, or the neatly balled perfection that is new yarn. Things that sit awaiting inspiration and beg creation.

I think I'm going to go cast something on. Damn startitis!

Sunday, July 26, 2009

And now for something completely different!

So Andre and I renewed our mortgage last week (wow, 5 years in one place, good lord do we feel old!), and it turns out that we've managed to get some extra cash out of the deal!

When we first bought our house we had a 5 year plan for getting things renovated and up to where we want the house to be. Well, it's year 5, and we're really only up to year 1.5. We got new flooring upstairs and repainted the master bedroom (from dusty salmony rose to a new deep forest green). The 5 year plan had also included a new main bathroom and potentially new flooring on the main floor. Right, not so much.

So we're catching up our plan, and renovating the main bathroom!! We're going to take it ALLLLLL out, new everything from the floor joists and wall studs in. The plan so far involves a nice big deep soaker bathtub with a separate shower stall and double sinks in beautiful granite.

Super excited!! Can't wait to get started :D

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Worry Work

It was a difficult weekend this last one. Andre's got this wonderful, crazy Newfie family. They really are something else and a half. While I never got the chance to meet Nannie Skanes, the family tells me over and over how much we would have gotten along. Something to do with her being a crazy knitter too! I've even got some of the last things that she knit that need finishing, which I can't wait to do.

The patriarch of the family is Poppy Skanes. There are few suitable words for describing him. Stubborn might be a good one though. As one of 25 children (yes, really) the surviving siblings are close. So as one of his sisters back on Belle Island is ill, he wanted to travel home to see her. Dispite his own not so great health. So off he went with his daughter Bonnie and Andre's mom Lorraine for a week on the rock.


Now, I should probably mention, that apparently he's on doctor's not to spend too much time traveling, but that's Poppy for you. He had a great time out on Belle Island with the family. It was when he got back to Ottawa that things took a turn for the worse. Poppy landed himself in hospital, bad to the point they called an ambulance to pick him up.

So far they're treating him for pneumonia and the other ails from which he suffers. It's been touch and go for the past few days. So much so that the entire Skanes clan has descended on Ottawa. All of the brothers and most of the wives have been up at some point in the past few days. The family is like that. Especially about Poppy. We've done the short notice long drive to Sudbury just to be sure. So far he's hung in there, the stubborn man, but every time we worry.

So, there have been a few long days and some nervous nights. And there is nothing like nervous energy to get the needles flying. Or in this case crochet hook. I've picked up the granny square blanket again and the little squares have just been falling off the hook. So many infact that I've got all of the center squares made with the ends tucked in and everything. And in the evenings sitting with family I've got it almost all sewn together. Now I'm working away at the last set of dark blue squares for the border. Then get that sewn on and it'll be finished. I can only hope that Poppy with be with us to see it.

Friday, July 3, 2009

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday was the best birthday!! It was pretty quiet, but that's nice for a change. Life has been so hectic lately that it was nice to just have some quiet time. Katie was with us too!! She'd never been downtown for the fireworks (gasp!!), so Andre and I took her.

The weather's been really wet this summer and there was rain forcast for the entire day, so we didn't even leave the house till almost 8pm. We drove to a transit station and took the bus down - it's soooo much easier than trying to find parking downtown. After wandering downtown for a bit we met up with some friends to head down to our favourite firework-watching-spot. If you're ever downtown Ottawa on Canada Day, head east, past the art gallery and the mint, just past the mint take the path on your left. You can't hangout on the road at the bottom, but the path itself looks at the back of parlement hill, perfect for firework viewing. In the end Katie had a great time! The trip home took almost 2 hours by the time we caught a bus and it got out of downtown, but still, super fun had by all!

Not really much else to say... got to see Poppy (Andre's paternal grandfather) and one of the Skanes' aunts as they passed through Ottawa en route to Belle Island, Newfoundland. Poppy's going home to visit a sister who'se not doing so well. Here's hoping that his trip goes well!

Knitting's been progressing slowly... updates to follow. I've got one deadline looming, and at least a few requests for others upcoming. All these silly friends of mine having babies!

So that's it for now. Knitting update to follow. :)