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 [...]
October 13th, 2009
Not to get personal, but is your bedroom closet filled with tools, like ours?
On second thought, I don’t want to know what you stash away in your bedroom closet. La la la la la la la (covers her ears), I’m not listening!
Over the course of the week all these tools will get put away, [...]
August 27th, 2009
After multiple trips to Tile Outlet (a great discount tile source if you’re in the Chicago area), additional trips to King of Tile (also a good place for deals but not as big) and Century Tile, we finally ended our quest for bathroom tile at The Tile Shop in Deerfield.
At first I assumed that [...]
August 26th, 2009
If our Master Bedroom is Tranquility Lodge, then our other room upstairs is a Weimaraner Dinner Party according to its paint color names (Benjamin Moore AF-155 and AF-300, respectively).
I can just picture a bunch of Weimaraners lounging about, listening to jazz and sipping cognac. They’re much more sophisticated-looking than the Dogs Playing Poker, wouldn’t [...]
August 21st, 2009
When we’re not chasing bats, eating our veggies, working, visiting Pete’s dad in rehab or the myriad other things that seem to constantly pop up, we’re also trying to make headway on our attic remodel so that we can move in/up.
Once the hardwood floors were finished, I was itching to start painting, my favorite “chore”.
I’m [...]
August 19th, 2009
When I last reported on the remodel, I offered a glimpse of the finished space, which included our hardwood flooring installation in progress.
We originally planned on installing the hardwood flooring ourselves, but after pricing material and the cost to rent equipment — not to mention all the time involved — the contractor gave us a [...]
July 15th, 2009
Take a load off Fanny, take a load for free;
Take a load off Fanny, And (and) (and) you can put the load right on me.
—from The Weight, by J.R. (Robbie) Robertson, The Band,
© 1968, 1970 Dwarf Music
This song keeps humming in my head when I think about all the sheetrock the previous owner had stashed [...]
July 1st, 2009
If you grew up in the 1960s or ’70s, then you must remember Captain Kangaroo’s sidekick, Mr. Green Jeans, who would bring cute little animals on the show?
Well, this post isn’t about him, but it is about being green with jeans, as in Bonded Logic UltraTouch Natural Cotton Batt Insulation, made using the by-product of [...]
June 24th, 2009
When our attic renovation was still in the planning stages, I began researching insulation options. It made my head spin: closed cell foam, open cell foam, blown-in cellulose, venting or not venting the roof…
I knew for sure that I didn’t want to use fiberglass batts. From my own research, unless the batts are installed correctly, [...]
June 23rd, 2009
Just a few random things today. A lot has been happening, but nothing too exciting, in pictures or words.
We had our rough framing, electrical and mechanical (HVAC) inspections last week. We needed to fix a few things on the electrical and framing, but it didn’t seem to be anything major. We passed our mechanical inspection.
We [...]
June 13th, 2009
Well, after all the angst over the shed dormer in past weeks, I’m totally fine with the outcome. We had it constructed according to the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association’s guidelines, in that it’s located more than 20 feet away (much more, in fact) from the front of the house.
While it would have been nice if [...]
June 13th, 2009
We’ve just completed week four of our attic renovation (technically 3-1/2 weeks as they started the project mid-week), and the work has been humming along steadily.
The exterior work is essentially done and I’m really happy with the outcome.
Last Monday the windows were installed and they are beautiful.
The long-term plan for the front of the [...]
June 4th, 2009
…the attic (please — I’m not going to use that old cliché!).
I need to catch up on the progress around here. Things have been moving along, although the changes aren’t as noticeable as the first few days.
We lost most of our kitchen the very first day in order to widen the staircase. It has [...]
May 27th, 2009
Construction is moving right along. They have most of the master bedroom and bathroom framed, so it’s great to be able to walk through those spaces. The roof window in the bathroom is going to be fantastic.
Here is the dormer, which houses the master bedroom and bathroom, after the first day:
Interior framing started, looking toward [...]
May 23rd, 2009
Our front and back gable dormers have been clipped, and we couldn’t be happier with how the house is coming along. It makes a huge difference in appearance, and I can’t wait for the roof to be complete!
Before
After
Before
After
The windows are on order, but they’ll take 2-3 weeks to arrive. We got a great deal from [...]
May 21st, 2009
Okay, I’m happy with the color we chose for the roof. While I think the warm gray would have looked really nice and helped to ground the roof, it would have made the white soffit and gutters stand out more and I really wanted to downplay those. By clipping the gable dormer in the front [...]
May 20th, 2009
Thanks to everyone who commented in my last post: it’s decided! We’re going with the hip roof on the front and back dormers — or as Josh at Bungalow ‘23 pointed out, a clipped gable dormer (that sounds more accurate; thanks for clarifying Josh!) — and we’re going to shingle the whole thing.
I don’t want [...]
May 19th, 2009
Thanks for the comments and suggestions about our roof conundrum — as always I appreciate others’ input and ideas and I get a lot of insight from your experiences and opinions.
I do agree that one of the problems with the look of our roof is how far forward the gable dormer sits in the [...]
May 5th, 2009
We did it. We sent in a deposit to the contractor for our attic remodel.
We have a couple things to iron out regarding HVAC and insulation, but we’re moving forward with the project. I’m both excited and nervous.
No word on a start date yet, but I imagine it could be within the next few weeks. [...]