Gutters Smutters

When we had our home inspection, Lou (the inspector) told us our gutters were all clogged and pulling away from the house. Hmmm... not cool. Also, some water has been leaking into our tenants place (the lower level) and we determined this was due to rain sheeting down the wall and into his door frame. We had to get the gutters cleaned.

Could I do this myself? Sure. But, Lou mentioned a few things. . .the main one involving standing on the roof with a pretty high probability of falling off.....three stories. Was I comfortable being on the roof?, he asked. No. But, I was willing to try it. First thing. . .I had to get a ladder. Off to Lowe's I went. It turns out that ladders are pretty expensive, and along with the harness to secure myself to the roof (kidding) - not worth the effort. Also, my grandmother said "What are you and IDIOT" when I told her about this. Alas. . .we hired someone.

They came by today. And left four minutes later, and we were 100 dollars poorer. Next spring....its harness time!

Rumor has it.......

Well, there has been a debate (granted within a small group) about whether there is original hardwood under our disgusting carpet upstairs. I don't think there is - considering there is laminate flooring in the closets downstairs. But, tomorrow I will know for sure! I plan on ripping up a small section of carpet to expose the wonder beneath. Stay tuned....

Test Run

The downstairs half-bath is the smallest room in our house - and needs the least amount of work. Thus, my first project. I figured I would try everything out in this room and move on with my newfound knowledge. Some things I discovered were: it takes four mounting screws for a toilet paper holder . . .and two for a medicine cabinet. That did not make sense. If I hear a loud smashing sound - I'll assume it is the medicine cabinet falling off the wall. Also, painting...not so easy. Yes, slapping some paint of the wall is as close to coloring as you can get - but the blue painter's tape and making even layers are not as simple as it looks.

Another large problem was the lighting. There is no window in this bathroom since it is under the stairs. Therefore, when I had to take the light off to change it...I had to paint by flashlight. Not the best method but I think it came out OK.

Overall, this project took about a day and a half. I did buy a new faucet, but I think I am going to leave it to a professional to install it.

Here are the before and after pictures! Enjoy!

Frankly, I got hurt (a lot) during this project. I must have banged my knee, elbow or head a dozen times. I also figured out if you are using an electric screwdriver...and you slip...it will cut your hand. It got me thinking, "I wonder how many injuries I will get during this whole process". So, I am starting an injury list. I expect big numbers. Visit the bottom of the page for a total tally. During this project I got:

7 bruises
1 cut
1 rather unpleasant electric shock (warning: don't stick your finger too far in the electric switch when the cover is off while trying to tape it off).

Stained Glass House Numbers

A lot of the rowhouses around Washington, DC have beautiful stained glass house numbers. We want one too dammit! I found a local artist who is going to use her craftiness and make one for us. We'll have it installed in the glass space above the door. We meet with the artist in January - not sure how long it will take. During this time I will try and steer Dan from trying to insert a lord of the rings theme in there. . . . .

Here are some pictures of homes in DC with the stained glass pieces. They are not great examples....i'll try and take my own pictures and post them later on.

We Have Light!

This weekend, I embarked on my first mission.... One...small...step... for... OK, it wasn't that big of a deal. It's actually is a small step - I mean small. I changed the hideous light fixture in the back of the house to something more tolerable. Notice the lovely globe atop the fixture? Yes, this gem has been chased down on the deck many time. The first time it teetered on its crooked post we assumed it was glass and feared for its existance....nope....its plastic. Well, after some wire twisting and praying not to get electrocuted....BRAVO! New light.

Operation Renovation

So, we bought a house! We closed on December 4th! Let the games being! Now, all we have to do is . . . . .well, everything actually.

You know when you rent a place and you spend time thinking about what you would do if you could (repaint, renovate, get rid of the ugly blue tile counter tops.....)? Well, now I (I mean, we) actually get to do it! Except, it all seems like a lot of work. Yes, ripping up the carpet seems like a fantastic idea - but who wants to move their stuff and deal with handy people?

I am calling this Operation Renovation! So far, here is a list of the things we are planning to do:

- renovate bathrooms
- renovate kitchen
- new hardwood floors
- paint inside and out (did you notice the "rustic" finish....nice.)
- new light fixtures (in and out)
- fix up fireplace
- new deck & fence

Will we do it all? Who knows....