Oiling the Ipe

In the crush of getting the house ready for occupancy last year, putting the finishing touches on the porch flooring was the least of our worries.  The ipe flooring has been installed for over a year now (see previous post about the ipe installation) and it was long overdue for its staining/oil/finish seal.  The sun had really faded the wood to grey over the past 12 months and we had various stains and waterspots due to continuing construction - one of the many frustrations of renovation.  Ipe oil, formulated specifically for ipe outdoor flooring, stains, oils and seals the wood in one step.  Rob was confident that the finish coat would remove all traces of staining and restore the wood's beauty; I had my doubts.  Nonetheless, I gamely cleared the porch of the many things we'd been storing there and then scrubbed all traces of dirt from the entire porch.  Here's the clean, un-oiled porch:

Although there are quicker ways to oil a floor surface, I wanted complete control over the coat as it was going on so I did the entire porch with a single brush on my hands and knees.

The results were phenomenal and all in a single coat.  The oil dried beautifully and uniformly, every stain and water mark was gone, and the porch looks amazing. 

I had similar results on the small side porch, see the before and after:

Oiling the ipe will now be an annual event.  It was a bonus that I actually enjoyed the process - fresh air, sunshine, and a great finished project.

Call the Guy

When Rob and I first got married, neither of us knew the first thing about fixing anything.  We bought, for the grand sum of $4000, a mobile home that was our first home (and really our first renovation, although it really didn't look all that much better when we moved on to our next home!).  And, when things went wrong (as they often did on a very old mobile home) because we didn't know the first thing about how to fix anything, we called the "guy".   But, money was beyond tight back then and with two little babies, the "guy" in our case was my Dad - a knowledgeable Mr. Fix It and the price was right!

Back then, we took my Dad's knowledge and willingness to fix anything that broke at our house for granted.  We didn't give a second thought to how we might be interrupting his life to come over to help us.  And my Mom always came, too.  She'd watch the kids, give moral support, and make sure everyone lived through the current crisis.  Dad knew plumbing, electrical, carpentry and he was a master gardener - all skills that we called upon again and again.  And, he showed up at a moment's notice.  This fix-it help from my Dad has continued throughout our married life - even after our jobs took us further away from my parents, if we don't know how to do something, we still call the guy and he'll talk us through it.

Looking back, we didn't realize how lucky we were - all that skill and thankfully much of it has been passed on to us (um, mostly Rob, but I got a bit of it, too!).  I think that's part of why we are so into our house projects - we learned the joys of fixing it ourselves so well from the guy,  Thank you so much, Dad, for all that you did for us and all that you taught us and Mom for all of your support, too!

And, recently, we had the opportunity to help Jake and Ashley in a similar way - we spent a week in Michigan helping to install a privacy fence at their home.  It was a great project and lots of people had their hands in it - Dad was there, as well - four generations in all, so fun and so special.  Here's a few pictures of that fence project week.

Getting the posts JUST RIGHT:

 Jake and I spent a long time sorting through the slats - rejecting many and finding the best boards to use on the fence:

 

 Cross boards and slat sections going up:

Looking good:

A beautiful fence - just needs to be stained and/or sealed (and caps on the posts).

We were all pretty tired at the end of this project! 

Picking up Sticks

The yard at Glenlochan has been sadly neglected for many, many years and, since it's been a construction zone for the past three, precious little has been done to it by us, either.  We are slowly beginning to tackle it.  Rob planted grass seed last fall, which is sprouting like crazy, and he recently re-seeded the entire yard.  He picked up branches, trimmed the boxwoods that we really want to keep, despite their scraggly, non-uniform appearance, and picked up the many things that a long winter had deposited in our yard.

On a recent sunny day, Joe and the other Rob came out to give us a hand in clearing all the horrible brush that had been growing in the yard unchecked for so long.  It was a lot of work, marked by malfunctions.  The wood chipper we rented refused to work and had to be returned, the chain kept coming off the chainsaw, which led to much down time for the necessary re-assembly.  Despite the issues, a lot was accomplished due to good old fashioned elbow grease and fire power (and non-power tools like pruners and rakes).  Where was my machete when we needed it?  We couldn't locate it, unfortunately. 

This is the kind of mess with which we were dealing - lots of prickly brambles throughout, so it was easy to get "caught" and there was lots of de-tangling of various people throughout the day.

Tereasa and I provided lots of helpful encouragement!

Action shots:

And, at the end of the day, we had many large piles like this one - just waiting for when the wood chipper is repaired and ready to reduce these piles to mulch.

Like the house project, this yard will be a long term project - a marathon, not a sprint!

Thundersnow...Whaaat?

We had a new first this week, thundersnow.

Disclaimer - thundersnow has absolutely nothing to do with renovation, not in VA, not in Philly, not anywhere.  End disclaimer.

We've had so many significant snow storms this winter that I've lost count.  The last big one was a doozy though - a "long duration event" as the excited weather and news people chimed repeatedly.  Phase two of this storm, it was announced, could include thundersnow.  I thought it highly unlikely that we'd be lucky enough to experience thundersnow - especially since I hadn't even heard of this phenomenon until the dire predictions for this storm began.

But, sure enough, the snow was falling heavily as we headed to bed and just as we were drifting off to sleep, we saw a huge flash of light and a large boom of thunder.  Luckily it repeated the pattern several more times so our disbelieving minds were able to confirm that yes, we were actually experiencing thundersnow - thunder and lightning in the middle of a snowstorm - how cool is that?  I was so excited I could hardly fall asleep.

Unfortunately, no pictures to document this potentially once in a lifetime event. 

You Say Shoe Molding, I Say Quarter Rounds

Although shoe mold and quarter round are words often used to describe the same thing - the trim strip between the floor and the baseboard - they are technically a little different.  Quarter rounds are based on a true radius, so they are, literally, a quarter of a round.  They have a nice profile that adds a terrific finishing touch to the flooring and baseboards.  Shoe molding, on the other hand, has a narrower profile and is not based on a true radius.  It's a great choice for some applications and it is a bit less pronounced, but we are using quarter rounds in Glenlochan.  And, per the previous post, these will be painted to match the base board and not stained to match the floor (another personal choice issue).  Unfortunately, most of the quarters rounds have been here (see below) for the past two months and not painted and installed yet:

Behind the couch was the only place we could store them even partially - they are 16 feet long and very awkward to move.  We did install quarter rounds in a select few places already - behind the toilets and sinks for example (see below), since it would be too difficult to do after the toilets were in place - but most of the rooms are completely sans the trim.

So, this past weekend was "quarter round painting weekend" for me.  I managed to get every inch fully primed and also painted with one coat of paint - 8 long pieces at a time, and the breezeway was the perfect place to set up three saw horses for this long project.

Although they all need one more final coat of paint, I'll apply that right before we install each piece.  Otherwise they will get too dinged up in the pile of painted quarter rounds, below, and will need too much touch-up.

Now, we just need a weekend of good weather (and not 13 inches of snow like we experienced in Philly this past week) so Rob can set up the saw outside and get these cut, and installed.  That installation will, of course, produce even more nail holes to keep me busy and out of trouble.

Still Veggin' and Tin Ceiling

We've taken laziness to new heights over the past few weeks.  We are the consummate couch potatoes and frankly, facing a full five day work week for the first time in over a month is challenging.  The body depression I've so artfully made on the couch might actually start rebounding if I am not on it for five full days.  I know the dog will miss me, for sure.

During all this laying around, er, rejuvenation period, not much has been accomplished on either house in my view, but Rob would disagree - he's been busy "conceptualizing" and researching - all from the comfort of the couch.  I've just been laying around.

I've ginned up the energy to write a post, but I'm fading fast.  This couch gets the best of me every time, luring me in and sapping my strength while the body depression cradles me in comfort.  I have a few "catch-up" posts in the hopper - which I'll try to get written despite my lack of energy - and one is the installation of the tin ceiling in the study.  Bare ceiling pictured here prior to installation of the tin tiles.

We special ordered the tiles from Metal Ceilings Express.  We opted for the nail up (not drop in) since they were being installed between the coffers of the ceiling.  We selected a beautiful gold color to play off the stained glass window, the vintage light, which is trimmed in gold, and trim in the room.

Rob was able to install these by himself in less than a full day. We did invest in a heavy duty "paper cutter" like the kind the elementary schools used to have (and maybe still do, but they seem kinda dangerous in retrospect - they looked like they could chop off a hand, and probably have).  Remember those?  Well we have one now and they cut tin tiles like charm (and I'm sure I'll find future use for it).

We are very happy with the finished product - striking but charming, it's the look we were hoping for.

Celebrating Lessons Learned and Sound Decisions

With New Year's Eve quickly approaching, this is prime reflection time:  Thinking back over the last year, applauding resolutions kept, self-reprimanding for those that got away, setting new ones for the coming year...and this time with extra resolve to keep them all.  As part of the reflection process it is cathartic to think about all of the learning opportunities we've had so far on this project.  There have been a LOT - both good decisions and huge mistakes we've made.  I hope sharing a few of our learning opportunities can help others embarking on, or already squarely in the middle of, a renovation journey.

 1.  It's a really good idea to re-check the placement of the outlets, lights, and switches that you decided on in the electrical rough-in stage - it may save you from cutting new holes in the drywall to move these around when you realize the location is less than ideal.  Or not high enough to hang the mirrors above the bathroom vanity as a random example (vanity lights were originally pointed down, but they had to be reversed to fit above the mirror).

2.  Ditto on the rough plumbing - recheck prior to drywall to ensure the plumbing is located correctly to fit into your cabinetry and vanities.  The clawfoot is ever so slightly off center in the window  - but had to be to align correctly with the plumbing fixtures installed in the already tiled floor.

3.  If you are using interior white trim paint, check the actual coverage on actual primed trim before committing to a color/brand to save from having to do more than 2 coats after the primer.  The extra coat needed for decent coverage on the trim and doors used up countless hours...and we still counting since there is trim that remains in need of paint.

4.  Select your appliances as early as possible in the process and measure, measure, measure.  Don't assume that the latest and greatest models of washers and dryers, for example, have similar dimensions to older models.  We ultimately had to stack the washer and dryer because the front loading steam versions I really wanted did not fit as planned in the laundry room.

5.  Think carefully and creatively about room layout, considering things like activity and noise levels, light seepage from other rooms, and likely bedtimes of residents and guests. Although we love having the repurposed stained glass window in the main upstairs bathroom, for example, we failed to consider that the room on the other side of the window is the master bedroom sitting room.  Anytime someone uses the main bathroom in the middle of the night, the light shines through the stained glass window and right into our bedroom!

 6.  One can never have too many cabinets and built-ins - it's just not possible.  These aren't completely filled yet and I'm already planning more!

 7.  One actually can have too many wineglasses - hard to believe, but true (and a function of my thrifting AND attending a lot of wine tastings...).  I'm in the process of paring down - they just don't all fit.

8.  Purge before you pay to store things, not after.  Avoid this, if possible.

9.  Whatever budget you've carefully developed, add 10%...and then add another 20% and pray you come close to that.  But remember, some splurges are ABSOLUTELY WORTH IT, especially having professionals restore treasures from the past.

 

10.  You can save time or money but not usually both (as evidenced by a number of unfinished projects that still remain like the DIY mantel restorations).

11.  Spray foam insulation is worth every penny of the additional cost - do it if you can.  It pays for itself the first winter, and you cannot beat the snug, airtight comfort.

Most importantly, remind yourself of the progress made, even when the road ahead is still pretty long and dark, and always take comfort from the fact that there are no mistakes that cannot be fixed, worked around, incorporated in, or used to improve the original plan.