GGville

While Mark and I are home toiling away on the house, the girls are happily ensconced in GGville.  (For those of you not familiar with this, it stands for Gramma and Grampa ville.)  We've discovered that GGville is a lot like Disneyland, only with less rules...
GGville has things not seen in the normal world.  Like breakfast dessert.  There are no chores required, and things like teeth and hair brushing, and showers are not required.  I'm not even sure if they are suggested.  But, really, what are grandparents for if not to spoil your children and then send them home, right?

Life is rough...

Since the girls were gone,  Mark and I took a trip to IKEA in Salt Lake to outfit Syd's bathroom (also the main/guest bath) with a vanity.  Unfortunately, I should never enter IKEA.  We came home with a pick-up load of stuff.  We bought light fixtures, towel racks, toilet paper holders, and a myriad of other things that we just had to have.  And when I say "we" this is not a figurative "we".  Mark was just as bad as I was!

One of our projects upon returning home was finding a place for the tv in the family room.  I think what we came up with will look pretty cool.

This is a picture of the fireplace in the family room before...

That area now looks like this...

The tv will go above that box.  The box is actually a built in for the DVR etc.  You can't really tell from this picture, but the wall is actually built out a bit...a little architectural flair, if you will.  I think once it's painted it will be pretty cool.  We opted to take out the fireplace since it was one of two wood burning fireplaces in the house.  We really would never have used this one.  The one in the living room will stay however.

As for the rest of the house, the drywallers are done, as is the roofer.  The tape/mud guys were there for part of today and will be back tomorrow.  Once they are done, I take over.  I've got to prime and paint the entire house.  Seriously. 

We will prime the entire house using one type of primer for the existing, and one type for the new drywall.  Why?  Really, it all comes down to money.  We are using Kilz on the existing house to cover any gross smells, and or stains (I haven't seen any, but I'm not taking my chances.  Yes, I DO have issues...).  The Kilz is way more expensive than the primer we are using for the new drywall. 

After I/we prime, they will come back and texture.  Once the texture is done, I can put on the first coat of paint.  We still have floors to put down, as well as all the new doors, mouldings, cabinets, backsplashes, tile in the shower, another coat of paint, etc, etc, etc.  Some of the remaining work will be done by us.  The rest we will hire out.  I'm exhausted just thinking about it. 

The past couple days, Mark has been home.  We've gone over around 7am and not been home until 9pm at the earliest.  He goes back to work tomorrow, so since the kids are gone, we'll head over when he gets off work.  We both were excited to get done by 5 today, and couldn't wait to come home and sit on the couch.  Just about the time we started talking about it, we got a call that someone wanted to show our current house.  So, we headed to our home away from home...Home Depot.  The employees there are starting to recognize us.  I don't think that's a good sign...

The drywall truck

Our bedroom with drywall. 
The blue area is the entrance to the master bath.

That's how we roll...

Throughout this process, we've come to realize we have some pretty great friends.  Not only are our friends great, they've also got some really cool stuff we can borrow.  Between nail-guns, screw-guns, pry bars, miscellaneous power tools, and the dump truck, we've hardly had to buy anything.  Oh, and yes, I said dump truck.  Don't any of your friends own a dump truck?

This truck has been instrumental in our latest project, removing the shingles.  We've decided that we are in fact replacing the roof on the existing part of the house.  There were a couple leaks that needed fixing and since we had planned to replace it next summer anyway, we figured we should just do it now.  After all, it's only money, right?  However, since our budget has already taken a hit in the form of HVAC and a water heater for the addition, we decided we'd be wise to save the money it would cost to have the roofers remove the existing shingles and do it ourselves.  Honestly, it seemed like a good idea at the time.

Mark's brother Chris, nephew Tilson, Mark and I are the crew.  My brother-in-law saw an article somewhere that said it should take a 4 man crew about a day and a half to remove the shingles from a 1700 sq. ft. house.  Well, since we have a crew of 3, 3 1/2 if you count me, and our square footage is more than 1700 sq. ft., it's taken the better part of 2 days to get about 2/3 done.  Add in that we have not one, but two layers of shingles, and I think we're doing quite well.  Unfortunately, Mark and I will have to finish the rest tomorrow without Chris and Tilson.

Day 1, I seemed to be considered pretty helpful.  By day 2, my job was not nearly as glamorous, as you can clearly see.

The girls quite enjoyed being able to get on the roof whenever they wanted.  Even Syd, who is afraid of heights.  Her first couple times up and down the ladder were quite traumatic for all involved though.

Thankfully, the weather cooperated.  It wasn't too hot, we had a slight breeze and so far, no rain.  Lots of water was consumed, and a whole lot of sunscreen applied.  Since all 6 of us have red hair, and only Sydney and I tan, it could have been quite disastrous.

A new twist on family meal time...

Below is a snapshot into one night of the Tverdy family's new existence.

This is what happens to family dinners when you're knee deep in a home remodel...

The sub floor seems to be coming along nicely...

The room that still needs sub floor...

The super fun circular saw with laser...

The fireplace that is no more...

The Bossman...

The Bossman's Boss...doing the grunt work...

These photos are courtesy of Sydney, our 9 year old, and resident photographer.  Without her, I'm pretty sure there would never be any proof that I actually contributed to this project! 

Genius!

The person who invented the belt feed screw gun has got to be one of my favorite people ever!  We are replacing the sub-flooring throughout the existing portion of the house.  I can't imagine what a chore this would be if not for the fabulous screw gun.  Really, it's quite a chore with it, so without might be unbearable.

Apparently, I've earned my stripes.  I've been allowed to use the screw gun, as well as the circular saw.  I can't say I'd be mistaken for a professional, but I'm holding my own.  :-)

This week, we are finalizing bids on siding, roofing, and flooring.  Basically, we have visions of our checking account dwindling faster than the hands of a clock.  I keep telling Mark that it's okay, he can just make more money.  He's starting to lose his ability to appreciate my humor, I'm afraid.  Good thing I still think I'm funny...

The electrician is nearly done.  The plumber should be finished tomorrow, I think.  The roofers were scheduled to come this week, but as we haven't received the bid, I'm not super comfortable with them starting.

I have to admit, as much as I love working on the house, I sometimes feel like life is spiraling out of control.  It seems we're running here and there, and never have a chance to stop and appreciate the coolness of the project.  Thankfully, Jim is good at calming my fears.  Notice I said Jim, and not Mark.  Frankly, that's because I see our contractor more than I see my husband.  ;-)   Actually, they're both pretty good at handling my neuroses.  They are also getting pretty skilled at heading off my panic attacks.  They probably both deserve hazard pay..

A picture is worth a thousand words...

I thought that it might be a good change for all of you to get a break from my ramblings.  (Witty as they may be).  So, here are some pictures of the house progress.  It's possible we could be in around mid July.  Wow!

The entrance to the master bedroom.  Love the windows!

From the master bedroom to the end of the hallway.

Kind of before...

After the wall was removed...

The 3 foot addition to Sydney's room

I guess I should go ahead and post this since it's been hanging out on my computer for almost a week.  I do have some actual updates, so will post again in the next couple days.  I'm sure you all can hardly wait! ;-)

Takin' care of business

The first order of business this weekend for me was to get the grass mowed.  Whomever decided that a half acre of grass was a good idea should be shot!  I mowed for two hours straight on Saturday...until we had to go to Syd's soccer game.  And, since the world didn't end, I had to mow for another hour on Sunday to finish the job.  I have a feeling the first time Mark has to mow, someone will be getting a riding lawn mower.

On a funny note, we had our first canal "incident".  Yep, Syd fell in.  Thankfully, it's not deep, nor fast.  I guess if it were, they wouldn't be allowed to play around it.  She was soaked from about the chest down.  She's had a bit of a run of bad luck lately.  Hopefully, things will start going her way soon.

While I was outside enjoying the sunshine, Mark and his brother Chris were inside taking down walls.  Our nephew Tilson was helping too.  He's so good about giving up his free time to come over!  My niece Tori even got in on the fun.  (She was a bit timid though.  I guess she doesn't have the pent up rage and frustration the rest of us do.)



Tori getting instruction from Uncle Mark.



The view from kitchen to dining room
with the wall removed.

We also hosted our first dinner party Friday night.  We really do know how to entertain in style...so classy.



And yes, Syd did forget her work clothes
so she's wearing her St. Mark's uniform.



 As for the part of the house the professionals are taking care of, it's coming along nicely.  We found a bathtub and vanity.  Plus, picked our fixtures for the sinks and shower and tub.  The HVAC goes in Monday, windows Tuesday.  After that, there won't be any noticeable changes for a while as they work on plumbing and electrical.

Here are a few shots of the addition. 







They've actually made a little more progress, but somehow, I didn't get a picture.  Seems impossible with the 40,000 pictures I've taken, doesn't it?

Lastly, for this post at least, here are a couple shots of the backyard.  The barn, chicken coop and out-buildings all need a bit of work, but do look kinda cool, in a run-down sort of way.  ;-)



Another Brick in The Wall...

We have walls!  Well, kind of.  We have two by fours.  The framing is done!  We get trusses on Wednesday.  After that, they can get things weather tight.  We should have all the electrical and plumbing done in the next few weeks. 


The new addition...How do you like what we've done with the yard? 
Classy, isn't it?



Unfortunately with them moving so quickly, that means we need to get busy on the existing portion of the house. 
I'm struggling with picking hardwood.  I love the look of dark wood, but am still on the fence that it's the choice I want to live with for the next however many years.  Mark is absolutely NO help!  I think he's afraid I'll blame him if I hate it.  That, or make him change it.  :-)

I've picked out the flooring for the rest of the house.  Interior paint color is narrowed down to four.  And frankly, if you would have seen the bundle of nearly identical paint swatches I started with, you'd be super impressed.  Who knew there we so many shades that were so similar, yet vastly different? 

I've also, picked out tile for our master shower.  That was a bit of an ordeal as well.  I originally decided against tile, as we aren't super great on upkeep.  But, the "tile guy" assures me that the grout they will be using lets NOTHING grow.  I say, Perfect!  I'm actually pretty excited about the tile I chose.  It's a bit different since we'll be doing 9"x18" subway style tiles.  I kind of love it.  Now, I'm hoping the tile guy isn't shining me on about the grout.  :-)
I still have yet to figure out the vanity for the master.  I also need to find a 6 foot bathtub.  Apparently, most bath-takers are super short.  I don't even want anything super fancy.  Just a plain white tub, with a front apron.  No jets, no bells and whistles.

I was thinking the other day that maybe I could start painting in the existing portion.  I'm itching to get the ball rolling again after Mark's last business trip.  But, as I got to thinking about painting, I realized there is only one room that I could potentially paint.  All of the others are going through some sort of transformation.  Whether it's new drywall, or moving electrical, or knocking a wall out for the addition, there is just the guest room that isn't changing.  As far as paint, it is definitely the one room that needs it the most.  See below...

How would you like to wake up to this?  Yikes!

One last shot.  These little guys were swimming in the canal this morning.  It was a Mama duck, the Daddy duck and 7 babies.  So cute!