Chance Enjoying the Day

My Brother's dog, Chance, taking the time to take in a little sun... -J

(Photo by Jan)

Mowing Lawn = Great Workout

I got the chance to mow the front and rear lawn of the house today for the very first time! No edging this time around, because it was too darn hot! -J

(Photos by Jan)

Light Bulb Moment!

While removing leftover thin-set and mortar via chisel and hammer, I thought to myself, "There has to got to be a better way!!!" So, seriously, I just googled, "Easy way to remove old thin-set from concrete" and I found out about a nice tool called a scarifier... which led me to concrete floor grinders! Who knew?! So, I contacted Home Depot's (located in Manassas) tool rental desk and asked about renting one (by the way, they are the only location in VA to offer one for rental) and found out the one they have was out of commission (of course!), but they referred me to Capital Tool Rentals who offered a gas powered type for about $200. Steep! Did I really want to spend more on prepping the ground, than the actual total cost of tile needed for the project?!
So, as a last resort I contacted Sunbelt's Tool Rental office and they have an electric type for $70 daily! Awesome! I have a feeling I won't be holding chisel and hammer for this project anymore :)

Jan

(Photos by Jan)

Tackling the Kitchen Tile

With the big help of my Brother Bryant, we were able to remove all of the old tile from the kitchen in preparation of some new tile to lay down. Seriously, if you are thinking of removing tile from a room and believe it to be too hard of a job to take on... you're probably right... it's messy for sure! But with the help of a tool called a Chipping Hammer... your worries will disappear relatively quickly after your first chip into that tile... a Chipping Hammer makes a big job like this seem all the more easy... see for yourself.

Time: 5 hours

Tools: Chipping Hammer, gloves, goggles, mask, ear protectors.

*Chipping Hammer was rented from Home Depot for the day. Total cost? $68!

-Jan

(Photos by Jan)

Project #3

Well, I wanted to start tiling in the upstairs half bath, but my best friend Arch thought it would be wise to hold back and decide on whether or not a shower would be going into the room or not... I say, "yes!" So, we're going to hold back on tiling, but got a start on ripping up the old tiles...one tip: "Wear a Mask!" And yes, have now started a 3rd project...

(Photos by Jan)

Project #2

Have not yet fully completed project #1 (Isn't that the way it always goes?), but have started to tear into the kitchen... was able to get the wall and base cabinets out of the way, with the help of my Brother Bryant and his friend Tom (wouldn't have been able to do it without them!). It was a lot of hard work, but as you can see, it certainly does pay off... and just so you know, I was able to find a good home for the cabinets and upstairs bathroom vanity... Craigslist is a wonderful site for "Do-it-yourselfers!" Enjoy the pics :) -J

(Photos by Jan)

Photos of The House 2

Photos of The House

I might as well label these photos "Before," because there will definitely be "Afters."

-Jan

Water Heater

Was having the hardest time getting the water heater to light, but with the help of a friend we were finally able to get it going... we now have hot water! Such a small thing makes such a huge difference!

-Jan

Project #1

I realized under the bland carpet flooring of the upstairs bedrooms and stairs, were beautiful hardwood floors! Yes, they were in pretty rough shape in some spots, but nothing a little elbow grease, sanding and new stain couldn't fix. I started by pulling the carpet and padding from the room, which will soon become my office.

Helpful tool #1: The blue "mini crow bar," I purchased from Home Depot this morning, has already come in handy... great for plucking carpet/padding staples and ripping out the baseboard/moulding. So small, but big use! About $4.

I figured I would start with flooring projects, moving from room to room, to get things started.
I'm a little nervous for when it's time to remove the old tile from the kitchen... I've heard it may be difficult, but luckily for me there are great tools (chipping hammer) for the job!

-Jan

(Photos by Jan)