My Little Yellow Bungalow

Finishing touches on the bathroom

2011-02-27T08:04:00.000-08:00

I think the toilet looks good here!

2011-02-20T09:15:00.000-08:00

Toilet Relocation Program

I've been hanging on to that photo for awhile. As I mentioned in my previous posts, I sent my old toilet out to pasture and replaced it with a dual flush.

Other than that, I haven't updated much since I've been swamped at work. Parent-teacher conferences, faculty meetings, grading, lesson planning, and various afterschool programs and professional development have eaten a good chunk of my time. I have had zero energy lately.

Oh and I joined Weight Watchers at work. I'm currently down 5.6lbs in my first week.

That aside, I should probably get my butt back into gear because I do want to finish the renovations on my house.

Next on the list:

1. Relocating the air vents from the baseboards to the floor or the wall, wherever is the better option.

2. Expanding the closet in my bedroom so that I actually can have some storage.

3. Painting my bedroom, the living room, the dining room, and the hallway and stripping all the current molding so I can apply a fresh coat of non-gloppy paint.

4. New light fixture in the hallway

5. Repair the floor in the second bedroom

6. New bamboo floors in the living room, dining room, and hallway.

7. Cork flooring in the bedrooms

The paint plan for the living room and dining room is going to be a rich, chocolate brown since both rooms receive a lot of natural sunlight. Now I realize that such a saturated color may backfire, but I'm going to give it a shot. I can always repaint.

The Bathroom: The During part 3

2011-01-22T07:35:00.000-08:00

This will be my last post of the day...

With the floor and shower tiled, it was time to put in the toilet and start constructing the custom and faux wainscoting

The panels are primed trim pieces nailed to the dry wall

new toilet and continuing progress with the paneling

adding the finishing touches to the paneling and the paneling opens up the room which is a serious bonus

Personally, I think the paneling adds so much visual interest without being busy. It feels like the house is gaining back some character.

Previously, there was a old, cast iron soil pipe located to the left of the toilet. The pipe was replaced and my dad was able re-dry wall without popping that corner back out.

I love the way this looks, but I knew with the location of the window that privacy was an issue, and I was already on a tight budget.

My house lacks storage in every way possible, so as a creative solution my father suggested buying 3 12 inch base, kitchen cabinets with shelves and stacking them on top of one another next to the bathroom door. They fit perfectly in the space and will still allow the door to open properly. I will use these cabinets to store cleaning supplies and other bathroom goodness.

I'm super excited to have a dual flush. I've wanted one since I lived overseas in the Middle East. They are very common place there.

As I mentioned early, the placement of my window creates a privacy issue. You can see right in the shower and is low enough, that without blinds it makes going to the bathroom an embarassing moment. So, in order to save money and not wanting to rely on having to draw the blinds every time I need to use my bathroom, I (well, my dad) frosted the window using a frosting spray paint. Instant privacy for under $8. Shazaam!

My original plan was to buy a vanity with storage, but with the storage cabinets by the door it allowed me to buy a pedestal sink which I really wanted. It offers more height than the previous sink which I had to hunch over to wash my hands. This sink also doesn't take up a whole lot of floor space and that helps to keep the room feeling bigger.

I added light above the sink with this four light fixture. I currently have to find a mirror, a cabinet for above the toilet for addtional storage and some bathroom hardware for towels and a toilet paper holder. But I'm glad that the greatest chunk of work for this room is now complete.

The Bathroom: The During part 3

2011-01-22T07:07:00.000-08:00

The new dry wall had been taped and mudded and the new tub had been installed. Now it was time to lay the flooring to put the tile down in the bathroom. I choose to use the same tile on the bathroom floor as I did in the kitchen and use the same paint colors to tie some rooms together.

And I have to give my dad full credit here for working on my house on his days off. The finished product of the bathroom has been my vision but it would never have gotten there without my dad. Don't worry people, my dad has been getting many new tools and gadgets in return...

New cement board

I know the photo isn't the best quality but the white tile is marbled with light gray and it opens up the room

It's starting to look like a real bathroom again

Instead of putting in another surround, I choose to do subway way tiling all the way to the ceiling

Subway Tile in Snow White from Home Depot at $0.25 a tile

I choose not to use spacers so the grout line is thin and the grout I choose to use, though not pictured here is Snow White

Tile grouted and shower head put in, this made me smile

Once the bathroom is totally complete I will have to use a real camera because I love my shower fixtures.

The Bathroom: The During part 2

2011-01-22T06:45:00.000-08:00

Reconstruction...

New light with vent relocated towards the center of the room and to cast more light into the shower area

New dry wall, new insulation

new plumbing

relocated the vent from the baseboard beside the toilet to in the wall between the sink and the toilet

a new tub for just under $100

new shower fixtures and relocating the shower head higher on the wall to accomdate taller people

The Bathroom: The During

2011-01-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Several months after buying my house, my dad and I were ready to get started on my bathroom. And so the demo began...

The old plaster walls came down and the floor came up

The old tub is on its way to retirement and the old surround came down without much fuss

A blank canvas for new dry wall

Who knew such a small room could make such a big mess

The toilet will be replaced as will the sink, fixtures, lights and I'll add custom storage.

Relocate the vent, add a light and night light, fix the leak in the roof

New storage, custom storage cabinet inserted in the the previously wasted space besides the door

More mess, but I was never so excited to see such a mess before in my life...Now it is time to rebuild.

The Bathroom: The Before

2011-01-22T06:23:00.000-08:00

In the beginning there was this hunter green and beige nightmare that I called a bathroom.

Complete with faux tile-like paneling with a floral pattern circa 1980

And a dingy tub and surround that made me squeamish at the thought of having to bathe in there.

I had tight quarters and an outdated look to deal with, but above all, this bathroom had potential

Plans Change part 2

2010-10-31T14:52:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the photo uploading for blogspot has changed and wasn't allowing me to upload more than one picture in my entry. Or perhaps I'm "photo uploading" challenged.

As I was saying, new sink. My fixtures remain the same. I'm going with Price Pfister sink and shower fixtures in the Hanover collection.

This is the vanity light fixture I'm looking at by Portfolio.

I've invested in a new tub, the old one was disgusting and I will be purchasing a new dual flush toilet.

Plans Change

2010-10-31T14:47:00.000-07:00

I'm back at work. School is back in session and I have a large class this year. Progress on the house has been slow, but still there is progress.

The last entry I posted was about the bathroom and the renovation is still underway. My father completed gutted the bathroom and I'm glad he did. We uncovered many problems which we were able to fix, including a leak in the roof above the bathroom.

The pics for the renovation will come soon, I'm hanging on to them for now, low cellphone quality and all.

That being said, in the two months or so since I lasted posted, I've had time to think or rather rethink some of my plans for the bathroom.

It all started with a conversation with my dad about putting in a 36" vanity to maximize storage in my bathroom. As my dad was handing the new sheet rock with his friend, Joe, a very realistic point was brought up. Joe pointed out that, though a 36" vanity would fit, I would be decreasing the free space between the tub and wall in which the vanity would be placed--thus crapping the already small bathroom.

Honestly, I already walk into things as it is, why increase the probability? So, after much thinking and brainstorming, I'm nixing the vanity altogether. Instead, I will be going with a pedestal sink.

I will be going with this sink--Kohler Acher in white from Home Depot.

Bathroom: The Plan

2010-08-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

The kitchen is still underway and I am refraining from putting up pictures just yet. I figured I would share my plans for the one and only bathroom in my cozy abode.

The tile, wall, ceiling, and trim color will be the same as the kitchen.

Since the bathroom is small, I want to create the illusion that the room is open and airy. I'm hoping that installing custom wainscoting painted white will do the trick.

I would like the wainscoting to come up to shoulder height rather than waist height.

OK now with the pictures. I've already pretty much picked out the vanity, the medicine cabinet and the over the toilet cabinet (because this house has some storage ISSUES).

This is the bathroom vanity I planning on purchasing at Lowes. It will cost around $198 plus tax.

This is the matching medicine cabinet. It costs $88.

This is the cabinet for above the toilet. It costs the same as the medicine cabinet (or just a little under, I need to double check on Lowes.com). Now, I'm not entirely sure how the dark cabinetry in the bathroom will look with my current color scheme, but I'm thinking that with the wainscoting a white vanity and cabinets will just be too much white. Contrast can be good, I hope.

The bathroom vanity fixture has glass globes which are similar to the globes in the ceiling fan to the kitchen with swirls of white in them. This fixture is about $42 at Lowes. There is a three light fixture with the same globes and a straight bar, however, I do not not how much it costs.

I am going to do white ceramic subway tile in the shower/tub similar to the one that Sherry and John @ http://www.younghouselove.com/ did in their full bathroom.

Imagine via younghouselove.com

I'm not settled on the fixtures yet. I still need to wander the isles of Home Depot and Lowes before I make a decision.

There is also a new toilet in my future. I would like one that when I sit down, I don't feel like I'm free falling before my backside hits the porcelain throne. I'm 5'8" so the key here is reasonable height of my bathroom vanity and toilet.

This lovely little number is currently in the bathroom and I feel like hobbits inhabited this house prior to me.

Oh and don't you just love the hunter green trim and beige and floral wall "tile" panels? Me either.

The trim will be replaced as the current trim has about 7,000 layers of paint from probably the last 6 decades, and--let's face it--I'm not that patient to strip them, sand them, then repaint them.

I've already got the demo underway. That wall currently looks like this:

Most of the wall panels have been removed and I still need to break down the old plaster so that new walls can be installed.

On a side note, my father finds it funny that I've removed the bathroom door, but I maintain it was getting in my way of destroying things (it didn't close properly)...and I just couldn't have that.

Alright, that's all for now. I'm off to be a couch potato.

paint, tiles, and fans...oh my!: Kitchen progress

2010-08-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

My father and I have been underway finishing the kitchen. Yesterday we put two coats of paint on the walls and I'm so excited to finally see the color I picked out up on the walls. Here are some pictures of the kitchen progress, and yes, I know I need to get a real camera. For now, I apologize for the lack of detail on my cellphone camera.

Despite the quality of the picture, this color is fairly accurate in this photo. My Dad cut in while I attacked the walls with the roller.

The paint is lighter in this picture, but I also got some of my brand new backdoor in the pic. Shazaam.

After the tile is done, my dad and I will be adding white base boards and crown molding to the kitchen.

I also still need to put trim around the doors and windows, but at the moment, I am not worried about that.

Inbetween coats, my dad installed the ceiling fan I chose from Lowe's ($73).

I love the globes on this ceiling fan, they are a frosted glass and they have swirls of white in them.

Here is a closer look, sorry again, about the quaility. I'm going to have to borrow my dad's digital camera.

And today, my dad installed the floor tile (whole tiles anyway). I was in charge of passing him tiles and spacers.

I will be doing bamboo flooring in the dining/living room and hallway so I plan to put a bamboo threshold rather than a metal threshold piece.

Thursday, I will rent a tile saw and the tiles that need to be cut will be installed. Tomorrow and Wednesday, I will be finishing cleaning my classroom, that's another post for another day and I'll be posting pictures of that journey.

Kitchen, kitchen, kitchen....

2010-08-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

In a few short hours, I am finally going to paint the walls in my kitchen. Fixing the kitchen has been a thorn in my side and I honestly have to thank my dad. If it weren't for him, I would have no choice but to hire someone to come in and fix the floor, the doors, window, and god knows what else.

Here are the problems we've had to address:
-The kitchen floor sloped 3/4 of an inch from the outside wall towards the cabinets.
-The basement door, the outside door, and the one window in the kitchen were all improperly framed. When I had the inspection done and the inspector when to open the window, the top half of the window slammed down almost taking the poor man's fingers.
-The floor was still not level after properly supporting the floors. So we had to lay different size plywood and floor patch to level out the floors before we could lay down cement board.
-Getting down to the hardwood floors was an adventure. Underneath the butt ugly beige tile was a level of sub flooring, then a layer of asphalt tiles, then a hardwood floor that was in poor condition. Some sections had to be cut out and plywood put in its place.
-Spackling(sp?) took far longer than I expected and the giant tub I bought that my dad thought would be enough for all of our spackling needs, was used entirely in the kitchen.
-The vents in the house pop out of the baseboard molding, so my dad relocated the vent higher up into the wall.
-The kitchen was gutted of all cabinets, so I had to purchase all new cabinets, sink, and fixtures.

The good news is that since the kitchen was pretty much gutted, I get to start with a blank slate, and despite the problems I've encountered, I'm really not complaining. At times I get a little frustrated because I hoped to be further along, but it is what it is.

Here is the plan for the kitchen:
-My whole color palette has been inspired by sea glass hues (aside from the living room and dining room which will be painted a chocolate brown). So the kitchen walls will be painted with Glidden's True Turquoise and the ceiling and trim will be painted with Glidden's Dove White.
-I've purchased white base and wall cabinets from Lowe's along with my sink and fixtures.
-Yesterday I purchased a new fridge, stove, and microwave all in white and they will be delivered next Sunday.
-Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday my dad and I will be laying the tile (which is a porcelain tile that has a white and gray marbled look)
-My dad is installing the 52" ceiling fan I purchased from Lowe's.
-I'm hoping that by this time next week, I will have the cabinets back in and my appliances hooked up and the kitchen will finally be done.

Pictures to come soon.

Front yard: 1 month later

2010-08-21T16:10:00.000-07:00

Thought I would share how the landscaping in my front yard is faring...
-Quite a few of the lavender plants have died.
-Evil tree rats continue to dig up my mulch.
-I have many mystery plants springing up on the right side, but none on the left.
So without further ado...
Window boxes before:

Window boxes now:

I still need to remove the wood that runs across the window box so the rectangular pots sit in the window boxes rather than sticking out.

Here is the front lawn after a month:

Wahoo and a Hutch for a STEAL!!

2010-08-16T17:24:00.000-07:00

I have a follower, Newlyweds Paradise! Yay. Thanks guys.

So the other day, I went to Red, White, and Blue a local thirft store with my Mom. Let me tell you, that place is hoppin'.

As I perused the isles for nothing in particular, I happened upon this hutch, which I purchased for $30 (yep, you read that right 30 buckaroos):

I did take out the drawers when my dad and I moved it into the Master Bedroom

Right now it is a diamond in the rough and a funky and mucky green color, but I have a plan.

I was inspired by a similar project on this blog via http://www.younghouselove.com/

cabinet redesign

The mucky green will be replaced by a bright white and the blue fits perfectly in my color scheme. I think the only thing I will forego is putting a textured wallpaper in the back. I'm debating on whether or not I will replace the hardware with more modern pulls or vintage pulls. I haven't decided yet.

In the market for a house?

2010-08-08T13:32:00.000-07:00

My sister and brother-in-law's house is for sale. Check it out.

Sister's Home for Sale

Just an FYI

2010-08-05T18:10:00.001-07:00

No matter how hard I try, my spell check and verb tense check stinks...really. As a teacher, I feel like a slacker.

Floor Woes and some pictures

2010-08-05T05:01:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my dad and I went to Lowes to pick up the tile I picked out for the floor in the kitchen and the bathroom. We needed a total of 150 sq ft. total for the two rooms.

I chose a white and gray marbled porcelain tile at just under $2 a tile. Not bad and I'm happy with the tile I choose since the kitchen and the bathroom were the only rooms in the house where I was undecided about the flooring.

However, I haven't been able to start the flooring in the kitchen as my dad found that the floor was still not level. There is an inch pitch from one side to another even after the entire floor has been raised and supported. So, my dad and I ran back out to Lowes and purchases plywood in 3/4" and 1/2". We will put the plywood underneath the cement board. I'm really hoping this is the solution to the problem and that we can get underway with the floor in the near future.

Here a few pictures from the demo in the kitchen:

This was after the top layer of tile was removed...I was optimistic that there was hardwood under the tile sub flooring. I was wrong.

There was a layer of asphalt tile (?) underneath the top layer of tile. Then the hardwood floor, which was in fair to poor condition at best.

All those little specks on the floor? Yea, those are some sort of sub flooring nail. It took me about an hour and half of scooting around on the floor and pulling them will pliers.

At this point, I just really need to watch my budget. The unexpected costs of fixing the problems have been eating into what I saved, so I may have to wait on certain projects until after the school year starts.

Ok blogspot, work with me, not against me

2010-08-03T06:03:00.000-07:00

trying to repost the pictures that didn't post before

Front Yard is finished

2010-08-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been finished for weeks now, I just haven't posted many pictures. I really need to get a good digital camera. Right now, I'm using my phone and uploading my pictures on facebook then saving them to my computer. I know there has to be an easier way, I just don't know what it is yet.

But without further ado, the front yard:

The yard in progress after the sod cutter and laying out the design of my plants

And in case you don't remember what I started with...

lots stubborn and mostly dead grass, overgrown weeds, lots of uneven terrain.

And for some reason, blogspot will not let me post a picture again from a previous post. So look at the picture in my header. That is before, the landscaping begun.

My house was the sore spot of the neighborhood, well the lawn anyway. Until I bought it my house was unoccupied for about a year, which means the landscaping was left to run wild.

My now neighbors, and I don't blame them, complained to the township about the lack of care on the property. The township came in and did some weed wacking and nailed the shed in my backyard shut (where they broke the trim off one of the doors and garabage cans, a saw, and some other things mysteriously went missing) sometime in mid-June.

I closed on my property at the end of June. You know what the township did, tried to hit me with a lien of $800 dollars for grass cutting and "debris removal".

I wasn't about to pay that, so I called the health department and when they didn't call back, I went knocking on their door. End result, I got it dismissed. Go me.

Soon to come: Kitchen Renovation

I've got a lot of pictures to catalog...

Question

2010-08-01T06:44:00.000-07:00

Is there anyone out there who can help me spruce up my blog or point me in the right direction. I really want to make it a little more sophisticated and just an FYI I'm really not that technologically saavy so if the help is in laymens terms, you would forever be my hero.. Any help would be appreciated.

Not much to report on the home front, I spent most of this weekend spraying the numerous amount of weeds that are poking through my new landscaping in the front yard and fixing the holes the evil neigbhor squirrels keep digging. Just so you know, I hate squirrels, the are evil little tree rats.

Unexpected Snags

2010-07-30T05:04:00.000-07:00

Well, to say I haven't updated in a while is an understatement. I will be uploading pictures soon, though I think I am going to hold off at least for the time being as they are all about the demo process.

I will probably upload my photos and do room by room.

Right now, I have to wait until my father finishes resupporting the floor in the basement. There are some sagging issues and it seems that other ones keep popping up. It's fustrating not really having the experience of the reality of owning your first home but I am getting there, slowly.

So, that being said here is what I am currently working on:

-I used a weed wacker for the first time ever.
-Picked up a lawn mower from my sister and my brother-in-law. It was a freebie. Score!
-My dad mixed and poured concrete in the basement, I tried to mix and pour concrete but the only thing I succeeded in doing was making a mess.
-I need to purchase Lolli (sp?) columns to help support the floor in the basement.
-The tile floor in the kitchen is removed.
-Tried removing the vinyl floor in the bathroom only to find there is two layers. The top layer has a thicker peel and stick layer which likes to break off in little chunks. The second layer is thinner and it is adhered directly to the sub flooring.
-I have made an executive decision to replace said sub flooring--if only for the sake of my sanity.
-I have repeatedly tried to remove the base boards without the electrical outlets in my house by myself. I succeeded in only one tiny section.

For the most part, much of the work I am doing is limited until the floor is finished, which is fine I'm currently trying to get my classroom set up for the school year. That alone is going to take me at least a week of putting in a full day of cleaning out file cabinets, rearranging the layout (our caps are removed at we are anticipating having 3 fourth grade classes at 28 each and bonus, I have the smallest classroom.), and making my room functional.

I know, I know not really home improvement but hey, who says you can't branch out in topics?

Well, I'm off. It's time for breakfast, errands, then off to my classroom.

Photo upload trouble

2010-07-16T16:44:00.001-07:00

I'm currently having a Mexican standoff with my phone and uploading pictures. They will becoming soon.

Here is what I've done this week:

Finished the front yard. Can I get an Amen?
Demolished as much as the bathroom as possible without removing the toilet, sink vanity, or medicine cabinet. I've found I like the demo portion of my week WAY too much.
Continued to pack up as many belongings as possible.

I will update with pictures soon.

Progress in the front yard

2010-07-10T12:27:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely the planting is getting done. Yesterday, I spent the better part of the day planting the rest of the left side of the house. My dad rented a sod cutter and cut the rest of the dead lawn. I put some of the sod in the back yard as I will attempt to create my own compost pile.

I still need to throw more mulch down and I am hoping my verbena survives my planting and the heat. I accidentally lost my grip as I was losening it from the plastic pot and as a result I managed to snap off many of the branches/vines/stems. I'm really not sure. Can't you tell I'm a novice gardener?

Right now, the right side of the house looks like this...

Those patches of grass still sticking up are a pain to dig up. I'm also finding weed block buried under the grass and soil which makes the digging an adventure.

The outside work came to a halt today as it rained, so I stuck to tackling the master bedroom and the thousand and one carpet staples. As I look closely I found the carpet staples of at least two other carpets. Some of the staples are stubborn and won't come out, so I am hammering them down as much as possible.

A quick update

2010-07-07T05:19:00.000-07:00

I am making progress in the second bedroom. I managed to pull up most of the carpet staples and broke up the ridiculous amount of floor leveler. I will post pics up later tonight. Also, I will have to post pictures of the front yard. The bushes have been removed and I've planted Goldenrod, Lavender, Silver Grass, and Lamb's Ear. I have to wait until Friday to get the sod cutter as I will not be able to lift it by myself and I doubt it would fit in my tiny car. Until, I am digging what I can manually and in this heat, its the opposite of fun.

Adios Carpet

2010-07-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

Three rooms of carpet ready for curbside

Today my mom and I ripped up the carpet in both bedrooms and on the enclosed porch (which included not one layer of grody carpet, but a second layer of even grodier carpet). The floor in the master bedroom is alright, although I am planning to put cork flooring on top of it. Specifically, Lisbson cork flooring in Dali at Lumber Liquidators.

I also plan to put this in the second bedroom as well. It will all come down to cost in the end, but this is what I would like. I'm in love with the color and natural pattern and it reminds me of a surrealist painting.

I think it will go well with the bedroom color I want: Summer Breeze by Pittsburgh Paints. It is a very light sea glass green color.

But I digress...back to the flooring. In the second bedroom there are some floor issues. Some of the hardwood floor boards have been bumped up due to beam issues in the basement. I will take pictures of it tomorrow as I have many staples to pry up from my carpet excursion today. However, in the second bedroom, the previous homeowners attempt to fix the uneven floor was to slap down a considerable amount of floor leveler on top of hardwood rather than fixing the true problem. As much as I would have liked to move in at the end of August, I may be postponed slightly.

On the porch, beneath the double layer of hideous carpet, are some form of tiling. My mom seems to think its the peel and stick.

Frankly, I was hoping that there would be hardwood under the carpet. Either way I would like to remove said tiling because it has endured at least 10 years without a proper cleaning. I could have filled a sandbox with the dirt I swept up.

I'm really hoping that the hardwood underneath the tile is in decent shape as I would like to stain it brown to match the Bamboo flooring that will grace the dining room, living room, and hallway.

Front of the House

2010-07-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

A New Chapter part 2

2010-07-02T12:36:00.001-07:00

A New Chapter

2010-07-02T12:25:00.000-07:00