January 27th, 2010
About a year-and-a-half ago, we signed up for Residential Real Time Pricing (RRTP) with Commonwealth Edison, our electricity provider. Many utility companies across the country offer similar programs, so please check with your local provider for energy-saving opportunities on utility bills.
RRTP uses ComEd’s Basic Electric Service Hourly Energy Pricing. With it, the price of electricity [...]
January 19th, 2010
Last week the kitchen was relatively spotless so I quickly snapped a few photos. It doesn’t stay that way for more than a few minutes, unfortunately.
This is the view from the back of the kitchen, near the back door. The fridge is to the left with the pantry cabinet to left of the fridge (not [...]
January 16th, 2010
I love carbonated water. I’ll drink much more water if it’s the carbonated variety and we all know we’re supposed to drink lots of water. But even though we recycle, I hated all the liter bottles of Poland Spring Sparkling Water we went through.
So I was ecstatic when I received the Sodastream Penguin Starter Kit [...]
January 7th, 2010
Continuing with our “clean theme” for the new year, we were able to start using the master bathroom back in mid-October even though it wasn’t quite finished.
As you can see here: no fixtures for hanging towels, toilet paper; no mirror or light above the sink; sink temporarily installed on a plywood countertop; no shower [...]
January 5th, 2010
I think it’s appropriate to take a “clean, fresh” look at our new laundry room, just like the start of the new year feels to me.
Back in October, Pete and I laid the Marmoleum tile, an all-natural linoleum flooring, and our washer and dryer arrived soon afterward.
We opted for the pedestals, both for additional storage [...]
January 5th, 2010
While 2009 was a banner year for renovation, our 2010 goals will be more modest and much less exciting:
Repair kitchen wall (um, I kind of poked a big hole in it, hoping to find remnants of the original ironing board cabinet. No luck.)
Repair and paint office closet (project already started)
Install doors on second floor: master [...]
January 4th, 2010
Now that we’re well into the new year, I thought I’d start my first post of the year with the ever-popular review of 2009.
What started out as a modest “plan to continue planning” the unfinished attic renovation quickly turned into construction reality. Although Pete and I are both self-employed in different businesses and industries, [...]