Renovate

Replacement Basement Windows

2010-03-27T21:12:00.004-04:00

We had to do something about replacement basement windows in this house. After looking at the neighbourhood, we realized other houses had trouble finding replacements too. The main windows and doors had all been replaced, but we needed to find these 30 x 11.5 inch windows.

They were in an aluminum frame, that was load bearing, so could not be removed. Every window company we contacted said they "don't make them anymore" They would try and get us interested in bigger ones, which would require huge expense and window wells, which was just plain stupid.

Finally, after an exhaustive search, we were going to have to create our own storm windows to cover these basement windows and stop the cold drafts. We had gone to a lot of trouble to add more insulation and replace the furnace, but the basement was freezing! These windows had huge gaps. Then while we were in Home Depot, for another reason, I thought I would whine to the window guy there, and he frowned and took me to a shelf FILLED with these replacement basement windows! The label even says, to replace aluminum framed basement windows. The size was perfect, they might as well of had our name on them. They were also on sale for $102.00 each, and Adair installed them very quickly. So, much for the window companies!

Renew The Hardwood Floor

2010-03-06T21:07:00.004-05:00

The hardwood floors in this house, were not in the best shape, especially upstairs. Many stains and just not good colour. We decided to clean the upstairs the best we could and then had it all carpeted.

But the living room, we wanted to save. Our budget could not justify the $3.00 per square foot we had been quoted to have it sanded, stained and varathaned. So, we decided to try this product from Home Depot, that "renews hardwood floors". For $79.00 the kit contained a slightly abraisive cleaner, that takes off the old varathane and any dirt. You then wash the floor with a conditioner, then after it dries, you put on two coats of the varathane. All of this included the mop head were included in this kit.

We were very impressed on how it turned out. This floor is not A1 to begin with, as it has gouges and dents here and there, but I feel Adair brought this 1972 hardwood floor back to life. Plus the coat of paint on the wall helps tone everything down a bit! Just need to get the trim around the window and the baseboard on. But I will save that for another picture!

Repairing Stucco Ceiling

2010-03-06T20:43:00.005-05:00

Adair and Hailey replaced the drywall in the living room ceiling after making sure the plumbing did not leak.

This hole was here when we took over the house.

But we then had the issue of trying to match the stucco on the ceiling. We had many suggestions for the ceiling. From just adding another layer of drywall, as it was a tall ceiling, to scraping off the existing stucco. All of them were very labour intensive. We even got a quote from a ceiling repair place that does this for a living. But we were quoted $680.00! We decided to do the best we could ourselves.

I purchased some stucco for ceilings and I sponged it over the area, I then painted the whole ceiling with a large stucco roller. It took two coats. I didn't realize how yellow the ceiling was, until I started painting with ceiling paint. It is not a perfect repair, but it look better, and the whole room looks brighter for the ceiling paint.

Upstairs Hallway

2010-02-18T21:36:00.003-05:00

Here is a before and after picture of the upstairs hallway. This shows how far that railing went around. Painting the twisted and fancy shaped pieces, was a bit tedious, but gave it some life again on the cheap!

The carpet looks great, and we got a good deal for it, and had it installed, in all 4 bedrooms as well as this upstairs hallway and runner down the stairs. But you can see by the after picture, how much better the walls were looking.

There had been a wallpaper border (this house had wallpaper everywhere!) I got creative with a sponge mop. After wetting it down, from the upper hallway standing at the railing, I then taped a wallpaper scraper to a broom handle and scraped off the wallpaper without any scaffolding! I thought that was creative! Then painted with a roller on a long stick, and used a ceiling edger on the stick as well.

Staircase upgrade on the Cheap

2010-02-18T21:22:00.002-05:00

Here is a before and after picture of the staircase. It was too expensive to replace the wrought iron 1970's railing, so I lightly sanded it, and used black tremclad. It cleaned it right up and looks much better.

I also sanded and varathaned the exposed 6 inches or so of stair tread on each side, and painted the riser with the trim colour we are using around the house.

We felt for safety and to finish it off, that we would continue with the same carpet that was installed upstairs, as a runner down the center of these stairs. The railing goes not only up the stairs, but along the hall as well, so there was a lot of tremclad to do!.

Kitchen Cabinets

2010-02-08T20:17:00.005-05:00

Today, it felt like everything was starting to come together. It has been over two months, on wallpaper stripping, demolition, bathrooms, flooring and more, but today we saw very fast progress. It gave us all a "ahhhh" moment!

I have included a BEFORE picture, I am sure you can guess which one it is. The Home Depot team installed the kitchen cabinets, and we now need to do a back splash, and install the appliances, which are sitting in the living room. The electrics have been upgraded, and Adair is getting quite good at plumbing. Hailey was helping and putting up mirrors and towel racks in the bathrooms, plus today they spent out and about purchasing 300 feet of trim, mostly baseboard, plus closet bi fold door kits.

But the kitchen, made everything seem worthwhile today...

Finishing Wood Stairs

2010-02-02T19:09:00.003-05:00

Finishing wood stairs, can be difficult, especially if they are not really in very good condition.

With the staircase in this house, the stairs were natural wood with varathane, and were worn down and dirty. We made the decision to get a carpet runner down the middle, so we had to sand and finish the 6 or 7 inches on either side, including painting the stair risers.

It took a lot of sanding, especially since you can't get power tools inbetween the railings, so sanded it the best I could, then used a tack cloth to get rid of debris, and varathaned it in a satin finish.

There are lots of dents and knicks and gouges, but they just looked "rustic" when I was finished. This left a opening in the center of the stairs where we could all still run up and down. I painted the riser, which was wood, the same off cream that all our trim was. I then lightly sanded the iron railing, and then painted it with tremclad black. Painting the railing took over 3 hours. It was also upstairs in the hallway.. Lots of it! But looks much better.

Still looks messy, with the center not refinished, but once that carpet runner is installed it will look great!

Kitchen Laminate Floor

2010-01-21T22:28:00.003-05:00

Adair has been preparing the kitchen floor for the new ALURE laminate floor. While Hailey finishes the grouting in the bathroom, he prepared and cleaned the floor area, after filling in any gaps in the subfloor.

The Kitchen is due to arrive on the 6th of February, along with the appliances, so we need to get the floor down, at least in the kitchen. This new laminate "tile look" floor, glues to each other, rather than the floor itself. It is a sealed joint and is waterproof, perfect for the kitchen and hallway where we are putting it down.

Bathroom Floor Tiles

2010-01-21T22:20:00.003-05:00

Adair and Hailey have finished tiling around the tub, and are now working on the bathroom floor tiles. They have done a good job, and Hailey is getting ready for grout.

Everyone is working hard on this renovation, as we start putting everything back together, it is looking much better.

Adair has started on the laminate floor in the kitchen, while Hailey does the grouting in the bathroom.

Bathroom renovation

2010-01-07T19:16:00.003-05:00

Hailey and Adair were continuing today with installing tiles around the new bathtub. They are doing a great job, and the tiles they picked are awesome! As per usual, older houses, have "not so perfect" lines, so they have had their hands full, trying to make everything perfect.

But they have, with lots of measuring and tile cutting, this bathroom will be one of the best rooms in the house. Pretty good for "first time renovators".

They had a budget, and picked out everything for this room, including the new vanity, and floor tiles.. can't wait to see it all together.

I have been painting. I have now put primer on three bedrooms and the hallway. Also, two coats of ceiling paint on all rooms. The fourth small bedroom, needs some wall prep before we can continue, but with the primer tinted close to the finished colour, it is already looking better. Jeremy was "materials manager" today, getting us all the things we needed. It is handy to be working on a house right in town, stores are not far.

Tomorrow, I will prime all the doors and window trim. Some are presently bright pink, or purple or green. Zinsser primer works best on all of this. Once that last bedroom is primed, then it will be time to put on a coat of finish colour.

Creative Renovating

2010-01-06T22:05:00.005-05:00

The upstairs hallway had a wallpaper border all around the top, including the area over the stairwell.

There is no landing in this stairwell, making the ceiling two storeys high. The border was dry strippable, meaning the pattern part ripped off easily, but it leaves behind the brown backing paper. You then wet this and scrape it off. Sounds easy enough, but unless we can rent some serious scaffolding, this job has been left for now.

Until I got creative! I pulled a completely redneck move. I took a long handled mop and soaked the paper border over the stairwell, from the second floor hallway. I then took the wallpaper scrapper blade and "duct taped" it to a pole (used for painting ceilings etc) and proceeded to scrape off the paper. This actually worked! It fell all over the place, and took a lot of mopping to get it really wet, but it worked.

Did the same trick when it came to painting the primer on the wall. I "duct taped" the trim paint brush to the pole, and carefully edged the paint. Not too bad at all! No one could believe how I did this when they came in to do work on the house today. I promised Jeremy, that not once was I in danger. I did not go anywhere near a ladder, just got creative with the extension pole!

Repairing Drywall

2010-01-04T21:44:00.004-05:00

One of the small bedrooms in this house, was dark blue wallpaper, and the opposite walls, at one time, had stick on cork tiles. They were stuck on quite well, and at some point the previous owner must have tried to remove them, taking the drywall surface paper with it. So, now we are faced with the fuzzy insides of the drywall board.

We were trying to avoid tearing down the drywall, as this would damage the ceiling, and it looks like they had already put another thin sheet of drywall on as a second layer. (who knows what happened to the first layer!).

I took off as much loose paper as I could, and the remainder of the cork, and am trying my hand at "mudding". I have already used two small pails of spackle, and will sand it tomorrow, and see what it looks like. Worse case scenario, this room will have a "plaster look"! (That is the before picture you see)

Bathroom Renovation Progressing Nicely!

2009-12-29T20:58:00.004-05:00

After we all took a break for Christmas, we have started back at it today. Adair and Hailey, are doing a great job of the tub and the wall surround. They have installed mason board, and after that is complete they will install beautiful tiles.

They have come up with a great decor for the bathroom, and we are all excited to see it when it is done.

My job, right now, is painting. I have managed to get the master bedroom plus one small bedroom primed, and 2 coats of ceiling paint. Plus make sure the kitchen order gets going, and after having a new furnace installed, we are going to get the ducts professionally cleaned, hopefully after the holidays.

Once we get the bedrooms painted, then I will get the carpet put in. We are putting carpet in the 4 bedrooms and a runner down the stairs. I already put a deposit on the carpet to secure a good price.

Michelle has been helping me with the wiring, and making things safe.

With us all having other day jobs, we work on the house when we can, and are hoping to be finished by the end of January. The kitchen will not be ready for install before then, but we can have everything else ready. I already purchased the 5 appliances. I got 15% off, an already good deal if I purchased them before the end of the year. But we have to take delivery by the 8th, so they may have to sit in the living room for now.

Painting the Walls

2009-12-29T20:29:00.005-05:00

This 37 year old semi detached house, was wall to wall wallpaper. It was stuck in the 80's and needed to come down. After lots of hard work, we all managed to do our share of wallpaper stripping.

Now the next step, was to wash the walls. Glue residue left over from the wallpaper will turn your paint finish to that crackle finish if you don't get it off. After washing with TPS solution, we filled holes with Spackle and sanded. (Lots of holes from hooks over the years).

Finally, the painting. I love the zinsser products, and purchased a HUGE tub of it, and had it tinted close to the finished colour. This way, we only have to do one coat of primer, and then one coat of the finish paint. The zinsser primer covers ALL paints including oil paint, it makes a great surface for the finish colour.

I also painted the ceiling. Even though it seemed OK, it just freshened the place up with 2 coats of ceiling paint.

Painting the walls, can make a huge difference to a room. After all the prep, it is starting to look good, as you can see in the primed picture compare to the before picture of the same room. It is still in progress, but coming along. (The before picture is the one with the pink wallpaper)

Next is to prime the window trim and bedroom doors (some are pink!). Plus we are still puzzling over one bedroom that had cork board glued to the wall, and that the previous owner had ripped off the wall, pulling off the drywall paper with it.

New Furnace

2009-12-18T21:55:00.003-05:00

Jeremy was having a good look at the old furnace. It was installed when the house was built in 1972, and has worked like a horse since. We had it inspected, and the inspector was amazed to find out that it had NEVER been cleaned or serviced in the 37 years it has been in service. It is jammed in behind the water heater, so scratching our heads on how to get it out.

We had a energy audit test done, and it was during this test that the effectiveness of this furnace was realized. It was very inefficient, and during the test, the airflow is reversed in the house, and by fluke, some dirt and debris ended up in the furnace and it started smoking.

After turning the power off to it, to let the smoke clear, we turned it back on, with fingers crossed, and that old work horse started up again!. But the decision was made, and the poor old furnace is being replaced with a high efficiency one. It will certainly help with the gas bills, plus the Canadian Government is giving $750.00 rebate if we purchase a new furnace, after having this test done.

Install Bathtub and More!

2009-12-18T21:43:00.003-05:00

Adair and Hailey managed to get the new bathtub in the upstairs bathroom. With some help they also got the plumbing organized and are now ready for tiling.

It was a busy week. We finished off the wallpaper removal, plumbing lines replaced, new laundry tub, kitchen confirmed, additional subflooring, and today I was trying to wash the walls to get rid of wallpaper residue, and prep them for some repairs with spackle. Who ever lived here before, loved to hang pictures on the walls (lots of nail holes) and hooks in the ceiling.

The house still seems to be in shambles, but I am sure it will come together in the New Year, as we have picked many of the new additions, such as kitchen, paint and flooring etc.

Tomorrow, they are coming in to do the final measure for the new kitchen cabinets.

Upgrading Plumbing

2009-12-18T21:35:00.003-05:00

We had a friend come in over the last few days, and replace many of the copper plumbing lines, as they looked fragile!

Once that was done, we were able to get the water back on, but we are still turning it off at night, until the new furnace is installed. We don't trust the old one, and the nights are very cold now. We also installed a new laundry tub, and new taps for the new washer and dryer that will show up in the New Year.

Removing Wallpaper Still

2009-12-11T22:10:00.004-05:00

Today, Friday, Hailey and I worked on removing more wallpaper. This place was head to toe in wallpaper. We have finally done most of the upstairs (wallpaper removal). I think I know why most renovators, just take the walls down back to the stud wall!. There were a few layers of wallpaper, and one bedroom, with wallpaper over latex paint that was put over oil based paint, which did not stick well. But stuck enough to be gummy when trying to remove it!

Michelle and Matt worked on more electrical today. Michelle has been with me all week doing some upgrades, right now things look messier than when we got there, but hopefully once all this wallpaper is gone, we can start some drywall repairs and paint.

We had the "end of the roll" come in and measure for carpet in the bedrooms, and we are going to try and have the hardwood in the hallway and living room sanded and varnished. The bedroom hardwoods were pretty stained. I am sure they could bring them up, but it will be expensive. So, we have decided to go for a berber carpet in the bedrooms and a runner on the stairs. They are hardwood as well, but I felt they would be better with a runner down the center.

Everynight we turn off the water, as we don't trust the plumbing just yet, especially with this cold spell and an ancient furnace. But after having that audit done, we are getting the furnace replaced soon. It was a long day, but a good day! I had to shovel the driveway first to get in! Got to love winter!

Renovation Credits

2009-12-11T21:58:00.003-05:00

Yesterday (Thursday) we had a energy auditor come to the house we are working on, and do a energy test. He places a airtight frame in the front door, and starts a large fan in the frame. This reverses the air flow in the house, and will show up any air leaks.

This was a great test, as it showed us leaks we can fix. But the best part is, that we can get renovation credits from the government.

If we replace the old furnace with a high efficiency one, we get $750.00

If we replace the two toilets with 6L toilets, we get $130.00 for each toilet

If we insulate the basement, attic entrance, and do some caulking, there is even more money.

If we do this work within 18 months of this test, then he checks the work, and approves the credits.

This certainly helps with the budget, and with the heating costs.

The test was 350.00 and you get 150 dollars refund from the government for doing it. But if your house is over 10 years old, you could actually do renovations quite cheaply, with these renovation credits.

Replace Patio Door

2009-12-07T20:06:00.004-05:00

Today, Jeremy and Adair installed a new patio door. The old one, was a old metal frame one, with cracked glass, and was very ugly! The rest of the house, has already had window replacements, but this door was never touched.

It took some work, getting in the new one, but with the weather moving in soon, we thought it should be changed now. Already makes the kitchen look better.

Yard Cleanup

2009-12-05T13:50:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was a busy day. Aaron, Adair, Hailey and Cecil, got to work on backyard cleanup. We could only get Aaron and his truck yesterday (Friday) so we had crossed our fingers on the weather. A bit of snow had fallen, but they were able to cut out some scraggly trees, and clean up the gardens.

Nothing had been done in there since the previous owner left back in April. So, everyone did a great job of clean up, but man was it a cold day! We all went out for breakfast after to warm up. Adair then went to work on getting out that bathtub.

Bathroom Renovation

2009-12-05T13:25:00.004-05:00

Yesterday (Friday) was "get rid of gross green tub day" This took a lot of work, because there were so many layers of wall coverings around the tub, that it took a crow bar to get them off.

After getting down to the bare wood, Adair was finally able to yank the tub out (with some help) and it was the last thing added to the dumpster outside. Like the icing on a cake, the tub sits upside down on top of the pile of debris in the dumpster. Will get that taken away next week.

We did try to turn the water on. It had not been on since we took posession, because the bank selling the place had the line cut and capped. Jeremy helped sort that out, and he guided Adair with capping the bathrooms and the kitchen copper so that we could demolish the cabinets. We left one toilet and the laundry room sink in the basement attached, and crossed our fingers when the water was turned on. It actually held, although the laundry taps are a bit dicey.. So we turn off the water at the end of each day.. The saga continues!

Replace Furnace

2009-12-03T13:04:00.002-05:00

Yesterday (2nd of December) the local furnace repair shop that I am familiar with, came to look at the furnace in this house. It was working and keeping the place warm, but was old.

I had to make sure and be at the house for 8am, as I was not told an exact time, only to be there between 8 and noon. Luckily he came at 9am, just a young guy, turns out the furnace is older than he is!

After a good look, he said it had NEVER been serviced or cleaned, and was amazed that for 37 years this furnace just kept working. Totally inefficient, and was last inspected on the day it was installed in 1972! So, instead of trying to upgrade this old fossil, I am pricing a new furnace. Kind of had an idea we would need to, but sometimes people have changed out the motors, so just wanted to make sure.

Going to let a friend in the business quote first, then will see which way to go. But want to get that going right away.

Adair and Hailey were busy, and managed to strip off all the tiles and linoleum from the hall and are halfway through the kitchen linoleum. But they took a break to learn how to cap copper lines, and then demolish the kitchen, and the two vanities in the bathrooms

I had ordered a "skip" for trash, and it showed up around 2pm, and we all started filling it with the old carpets, kitchen... everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink! Good Day

More pics to follow...

Demolition Day

2009-11-30T19:54:00.002-05:00

Although we took measurements on the weekend, the real demolition started today. Adair and Hailey, after stripping out the gross old carpets upstairs, are now tackling the two layers of stick on tiles and linoleum, as you can see in the picture.

Michelle, my resident electrician, was checking out all the sockets and the panel.

I was out and about shopping! Actually I was ordering a new back patio door to replace the tired busted aluminum one, and a replacement bathtub for the lovely green one in there now., and a couple of new toilets.

Hailey's dad, Cecil was helping today as well, and was removing all the carpet strips and trim. Such energy! Hope it keeps running smoothly. I tried to corner a kitchen person in Home Depot, but someone else got to her first! Was going to get IKEA kitchen, but they want you to design and upload your own plan, then just go and pick it up! I think I need a bit more guidance than that.

Until next time.. the demolition saga continues...

House Closing

2009-11-28T09:42:00.000-05:00

As of 3:30pm November 27, 2009 (yesterday) we got the keys to this semi-detached house in small town, Ontario.

As it was a foreclosure, there was no one to move out, and the place was cleaned out. So, it is just crying for some updates.

I got the keys from the lawyer, and went to take my first walk through, and what got to me first, was the lovely stale, actually gross aroma!

NOTE: First job, remove gross carpets! That seems to be the origin of the "not so nice" smell.

The pipes had been drained and the water shut off and the heat was on low (55), I guess they were in for the long haul in trying to sell this house.

Took lots of "before" pictures, just like on those DIY shows, and hope to give this house the attention it needs. Just need to organize a list, and priorities. Already booked a furnace inspection for next week, and my son, is already to start work on Monday. My daughter (a second year electrical apprentice) will put in new smoke detectors etc and give the place a "electrical checkup".

Today, I will drag hubby to the house, to take a few measurements for a new kitchen. He is busy with his own business, and is letting me run with this on my own.

So, got my clipboard, got my budget, and am ready to go!