11 August 2014
Plans for Week 2
We've completed our first week of renovations on our new house! And today, Week 2 was in full swing at 9am.
Today our drywaller has begun work on both repairing areas of damage in each room, as well as hanging new drywall in the bathrooms that were completely gutted. This first step towards putting things back together is so encouraging! I was tempted to stand armed with a paint brush to motivate them to mud and sand faster, but I have to be patient, stand back, and allow them to do their job.
Carl and I were able to work together during Week 1 while he was on holidays and I was "free" from Mom-duty while the MiniMen were at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Today, I am back on-duty and am very thankful to have my MiniMen back home!
Carl and I accomplished a lot of little jobs last week, including stripping the staircase and prepping it for new carpeting to be laid. Here is a before/during/after picture:
All of those staples were difficult to remove! But I do love a job that I can just plug away on. Our plan is to install new carpeting over the parquet on the second floor and staircase. We chose carpet on the stairs mainly for sound (we hate the thought of creeping up and down wood stairs during naptimes!), and also for safety - we aren't through the "little years" yet, and until our kids are past the stage of taking a tumble down the stairs, they're going to be carpeted.
Our main focus of Week 1 was prepping everything for the tradespeople to come in and do their work. And, arranging all of the tradespeople - calling, meeting with, and obtaining estimates. This takes a lot of time! We met with tradespeople to do the following jobs: HVAC, windows/doors, drywall, stair railing, and masonry.
Meals have been creative during this process. I have an operating fridge in the garage and I've been using the dryer as a prep-station. Nothing is homemade in this stage of transition, but everyone is kept satisfied. Here is a lunch I prepared for Carl and friends who were helping us last week:
On Saturday, our last MiniMen-free day, we checked out a few other tile stores and countertop places. I came across this wall of marble mosaics and nearly melted on the spot in admiration!
What a beautiful foyer any of those mosaics would be! Or the powder bath! But, alas, the budget doesn't allow for many splurges, so we had to pass these by. But they are tucked into my long-term memory just in case an upgrade is possible one day! A girl can dream, right?
The previous owners planted tomato plants around the house! Now this is the perfect gardening scenario for me - reaping the benefits of someone else's labour! MiniMan #1 loves the cherry tomatoes, but MiniMan #2 isn't a fan.
At some point I'm probably going to have an abundance of tomatoes that will need to be preserved. Any favourite recipes to share with me? They need to be quick and easy, because my time for canning is very limited!
Back to the house...this week's to-do list includes drywall, masonry (to the fireplace, the previous location of the stove exhaust fan, and the front stoop), completing electrical, and hopefully getting a start on plumbing in the upstairs bathrooms. My personal list includes finalizing the tile selection, the paint colours, painting the brick fireplace, and finding and booking a tiler to lay tiles. And, of course, all while balancing the MiniMen.
Fun times!
Today our drywaller has begun work on both repairing areas of damage in each room, as well as hanging new drywall in the bathrooms that were completely gutted. This first step towards putting things back together is so encouraging! I was tempted to stand armed with a paint brush to motivate them to mud and sand faster, but I have to be patient, stand back, and allow them to do their job.
Carl and I were able to work together during Week 1 while he was on holidays and I was "free" from Mom-duty while the MiniMen were at Grandma & Grandpa's house. Today, I am back on-duty and am very thankful to have my MiniMen back home!
Carl and I accomplished a lot of little jobs last week, including stripping the staircase and prepping it for new carpeting to be laid. Here is a before/during/after picture:
Our main focus of Week 1 was prepping everything for the tradespeople to come in and do their work. And, arranging all of the tradespeople - calling, meeting with, and obtaining estimates. This takes a lot of time! We met with tradespeople to do the following jobs: HVAC, windows/doors, drywall, stair railing, and masonry.
Meals have been creative during this process. I have an operating fridge in the garage and I've been using the dryer as a prep-station. Nothing is homemade in this stage of transition, but everyone is kept satisfied. Here is a lunch I prepared for Carl and friends who were helping us last week:
On Saturday, our last MiniMen-free day, we checked out a few other tile stores and countertop places. I came across this wall of marble mosaics and nearly melted on the spot in admiration!
What a beautiful foyer any of those mosaics would be! Or the powder bath! But, alas, the budget doesn't allow for many splurges, so we had to pass these by. But they are tucked into my long-term memory just in case an upgrade is possible one day! A girl can dream, right?
The previous owners planted tomato plants around the house! Now this is the perfect gardening scenario for me - reaping the benefits of someone else's labour! MiniMan #1 loves the cherry tomatoes, but MiniMan #2 isn't a fan.
At some point I'm probably going to have an abundance of tomatoes that will need to be preserved. Any favourite recipes to share with me? They need to be quick and easy, because my time for canning is very limited!
Back to the house...this week's to-do list includes drywall, masonry (to the fireplace, the previous location of the stove exhaust fan, and the front stoop), completing electrical, and hopefully getting a start on plumbing in the upstairs bathrooms. My personal list includes finalizing the tile selection, the paint colours, painting the brick fireplace, and finding and booking a tiler to lay tiles. And, of course, all while balancing the MiniMen.
Fun times!
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