We finally closed on a new house! I haven't been posting because I haven't been sewing. I posted about a house where I was going to have a sewing room on the main floor with big windows, but that fixer upper deal fell through. :-(
BUT, we found an even BIGGER house and with a little wheeling and dealing we were able to buy a 2 year old home with more space than the fixer upper we were looking at (and more than twice the space we currently have!) and our monthly payment went up only $110!!
I am SO excited to get moved in... Oh, and while I won't be getting a main floor 11x12 foot sewing room with big windows, I will be getting a 14x16 foot mancave (also known as a sewing room) in the basement! The basement is unfinished, so initially my mancave will have only two concrete walls, but it'll be mine! I can leave Betsy and the Queen out all the time. The Treadle will have a home and the Red Eye can come out of her table and see the light, and my unnamed Featherweight (Yup... I got one!) will be able to be on display and used as well. And of course Leonidas, who is still naked with parts in boxes will be out where I can see him again. It'll probably be Christmas break before I can really work on him again, but I'll finish him before 2013...
I have also been VERY busy with school. For those who may have missed it, I have gone back to school to get my Masters of Divinity, and I'll earn a Masters of Ministry along the way! This has been a complete exercise of faith for me, and if you'd like to know more, click on the bible on the right side of the page near the top to read my other blog. (You could follow it too if you'd like to see all of my updates on that front.)
Pictures of the new house and mancave will come soon. First we are going to clean the carpet, and finish painting a room, and then we'll move in!
Exciting Times!!
Until Next Time,
Paul
Showing posts with label House. Show all posts
Showing posts with label House. Show all posts
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Thursday, August 2, 2012
I'm Back... Kind Of...
Wow, I can't believe July 4th was the last time I posted anything here! Life has taken a few crazy turns since last I posted... So here is a brief run down of all that is happening...
My wife and I listed our house. We have had several lookers, but no offers yet. We find it funny that the feedback we are receiving is all positive, but they didn't like one thing or another about the house that they could have seen on the listing. For example, one couple indicated that they loved the house, but they would have to spend to much money carpeting the house because they really don't like hardwood floors. Then WHY did you come look at a house which clearly states, "Laminate Wood Floors Throughout!" Did they think we were kidding?
Another family came through and decided it was too small for their growing family of 5... Well DUH! 1,500 sq feet and 3 bedrooms should have told you that. Did they really need to come walk through the house?
Frustration aside, we are having an open house this weekend and we should see some traffic...
We also made an offer on a house! Woo Hoo! I am too excited, but we are dealing with a bank so response could take some time. This house has been on the market for a LONG time, it is in need of some pretty major repair, but if we get it, we will contract out most of the repairs and have it completely done by the time we move in.
Which brings me to my reason for posting today... I need some advice. When we move (whenever and wherever that may be) I will be getting a sewing space. It may be large, it may be small, but having a space where I can keep a sewing machine, iron board, and cutting table set up at all times was my only requirement for any house we looked at. If we get this house, the room will be 145 square feet, on the main floor of the house, with two large windows! (Now you all understand my excitement for THIS house!)
Here's my question. What color should I paint it? It will have an Oak Hard Wood floor and it will be open to the rest of the house, so it will be fully visible, which means I will have to keep it neat and somewhat clean, but I'll display my machines, etc. in there and our desk will reside in the room as well. It is also Oak. Oh, and I bought a white sewing machine table for "Lolita", my big Singer.
So, Give me ideas, help me design my sewing room... First step, Paint It. And if you have links or Pinterest Boards for Sewing Space Ideas, PLEASE SHARE!!
Until Next Time,
Paul
My wife and I listed our house. We have had several lookers, but no offers yet. We find it funny that the feedback we are receiving is all positive, but they didn't like one thing or another about the house that they could have seen on the listing. For example, one couple indicated that they loved the house, but they would have to spend to much money carpeting the house because they really don't like hardwood floors. Then WHY did you come look at a house which clearly states, "Laminate Wood Floors Throughout!" Did they think we were kidding?
Another family came through and decided it was too small for their growing family of 5... Well DUH! 1,500 sq feet and 3 bedrooms should have told you that. Did they really need to come walk through the house?
Frustration aside, we are having an open house this weekend and we should see some traffic...
We also made an offer on a house! Woo Hoo! I am too excited, but we are dealing with a bank so response could take some time. This house has been on the market for a LONG time, it is in need of some pretty major repair, but if we get it, we will contract out most of the repairs and have it completely done by the time we move in.
Which brings me to my reason for posting today... I need some advice. When we move (whenever and wherever that may be) I will be getting a sewing space. It may be large, it may be small, but having a space where I can keep a sewing machine, iron board, and cutting table set up at all times was my only requirement for any house we looked at. If we get this house, the room will be 145 square feet, on the main floor of the house, with two large windows! (Now you all understand my excitement for THIS house!)
Here's my question. What color should I paint it? It will have an Oak Hard Wood floor and it will be open to the rest of the house, so it will be fully visible, which means I will have to keep it neat and somewhat clean, but I'll display my machines, etc. in there and our desk will reside in the room as well. It is also Oak. Oh, and I bought a white sewing machine table for "Lolita", my big Singer.
So, Give me ideas, help me design my sewing room... First step, Paint It. And if you have links or Pinterest Boards for Sewing Space Ideas, PLEASE SHARE!!
Until Next Time,
Paul
Friday, June 22, 2012
What Have I Been Up To?
Scott asked about Leonidas after my last post... Leonidas is now naked and waiting for his new paint job. I have not worked on him at all in over a week.
My wife and I have decided to put our house on the market and buy a bigger home. As a result, we have been doing a bunch of projects around the house preparing it for sale. The biggest project has been our Master Bedroom and Bath.
We have also been cleaning up and clearing out. Every storage space in the house will be emptied so prospective buyers see open storage space, which there is a LOT of. And of course, I still have to go to work every day...
So, here's what I've Been Doing...
I laid tile in the bathroom and the grout was rather stubborn and left "grout stains" (actually just a very fine layer of grout, but VERY obvious, see photo on the left).
BEFORE Excess Grout Remover.... And AFTER Excess Grout Remover.... I didn't want to spend almost $20 for a bottle of stuff to remove the excess grout, so I scrubbed and I scrubbed and after two hours, it still looked like the picture on the left all over the whole bathroom. After I finally broke down and bought the stuff, it took 30 minutes! and look how much better it looks!
I would show you "After" pics of the whole bathroom and master bedroom, except that I'm still not done... Apparently while re-attaching the faucet, I over torqued something and I busted a pipe INSIDE the wall. About 30 minutes after I attached the faucet, and luckily BEFORE I reattached the cabinet to the wall, counter top, etc. I heard water dripping and found it coming through the ceiling directly under the sink in the entryway to the house! That discovery of course, brought a halt to all other work as we had to deal with the leak immediately!
I had to cut open a hole so it would drain and not ruin the entire ceiling in the entry way to my house, but now I have a hole in my ceiling to repair, and I have to have a plumber come in and repair the broken pipe, which somehow stopped leaking, although that is only temporary I am sure...
SO, that is what I've been up to. We meet with a Realtor on Monday to put the house on the market (hopefully everything will be done by then). We have a few more things to do, so there will still be no sewing or working on Leonidas for a while, but that is OK, When we move, I have already secured the right to claim a "Sewing Space"... So I'll be able to make up for lost time!
Until Next Time,
Paul
My wife and I have decided to put our house on the market and buy a bigger home. As a result, we have been doing a bunch of projects around the house preparing it for sale. The biggest project has been our Master Bedroom and Bath.
We have also been cleaning up and clearing out. Every storage space in the house will be emptied so prospective buyers see open storage space, which there is a LOT of. And of course, I still have to go to work every day...
So, here's what I've Been Doing...
 | |
| I don't know what happened to the "BEFORE" pics, but here I have already removed the toilet, the door, and the carpet... |
 |
| The Door needed patching... The corners of the wall needed repair... the light fixture needed to be replaced, and the wall around the shower needed repair. |
 |
When I pulled up the carpet and found linoleum, I'll
admit, I swore under my breath. I HATE pulling up Linoleum. You can see on the right side of the Pic where
I started to remove the linoleum, but while doing so, I found a few tacks and realized the linoleum was attached to an 1/8 inch piece of plywood which had been stapled to the real subfloor. My son suggested just yanking it up. I agreed, so I could prove to him what a SILLY idea that
was... and then in three yanks, we had the whole floor leaning on the
wall!!! (I also have to admit... I hate it when one of my kids outsmarts me...)
 |
| Floor completely removed, nails all securely nailed down... Vanity, Sink and Medicine Cabinet removed... |
 |
| The hole from the medicine cabinet... Also known as THE GREAT CAT MAGNET!!! |
 |
| So I had to cover it up.... |
 |
| My wife and daughters hard at work refinishing the cabinet. First they sanded it down, and then they stained it. It looks very nice. |
I laid tile in the bathroom and the grout was rather stubborn and left "grout stains" (actually just a very fine layer of grout, but VERY obvious, see photo on the left).
BEFORE Excess Grout Remover.... And AFTER Excess Grout Remover.... I didn't want to spend almost $20 for a bottle of stuff to remove the excess grout, so I scrubbed and I scrubbed and after two hours, it still looked like the picture on the left all over the whole bathroom. After I finally broke down and bought the stuff, it took 30 minutes! and look how much better it looks!
I would show you "After" pics of the whole bathroom and master bedroom, except that I'm still not done... Apparently while re-attaching the faucet, I over torqued something and I busted a pipe INSIDE the wall. About 30 minutes after I attached the faucet, and luckily BEFORE I reattached the cabinet to the wall, counter top, etc. I heard water dripping and found it coming through the ceiling directly under the sink in the entryway to the house! That discovery of course, brought a halt to all other work as we had to deal with the leak immediately!
I had to cut open a hole so it would drain and not ruin the entire ceiling in the entry way to my house, but now I have a hole in my ceiling to repair, and I have to have a plumber come in and repair the broken pipe, which somehow stopped leaking, although that is only temporary I am sure...
SO, that is what I've been up to. We meet with a Realtor on Monday to put the house on the market (hopefully everything will be done by then). We have a few more things to do, so there will still be no sewing or working on Leonidas for a while, but that is OK, When we move, I have already secured the right to claim a "Sewing Space"... So I'll be able to make up for lost time!
Until Next Time,
Paul
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