3 September 2014
Week 4 Completed
It's been another full week of renovations. Sorry I'm a few days behind on my weekly post - the week ran into the long weekend, which meant a large chunk of time for Carl and I on site.
At this point the end is becoming within sight (not to be confused with "in sight"!) so I'd say we're over the "hump" of the project and are starting to see parts of the project completed.
Last week the painting continued during the day, and during the evenings Carl and I worked at getting started on laying the laminate flooring.
The flooring companies make it sound so simple to lay your own flooring...
"You can definitely do it yourselves - I did my 3,000 sq. ft. home in 1 day with just 3 people!"
"This stuff is so easy - you'll have it done within a few hours"
Not quite!!
Mind you, once it's an area of just wall-to-wall laying without any special cuts or doorways or floor vents in the way, the rows do indeed go very quickly. But getting started was tricky as the first row was in the kitchen, and the plumbing pieces needed to be cut out.
Not exactly close to being done even one room!
And then we hit a bump in the floor. Literally.
The transition from the kitchen to the dining room was higher and we needed to level it out somehow.
So, the evening stopped and we spent the following evening buying some self leveler and spreading it over the uneven areas of the floor.
Here's Carl mixing up the bag of self leveler...
And then pouring it into the gap where the dining room half-wall used to be...
Then along the "hump"...
In the end it just made the hump wider, so we ended up doubling up the cork in the dining room. It's not exactly perfect, but it's better.
We poured it around some of the doorways that have settled over time and were lower...
But - the flooring definitely makes the house look and feel more like a home. It's an incredible transformation! By Saturday noon we were done the kitchen and dining room.
But, of course, starting that room was no simple task either, as the flooring needed to tuck under the fireplace. Carl and Brad rented a special saw to cut the bottom 1/2" of the brick and in 1/2".
But, when it was done, it looked like a custom build!
The next project I tackled was building the Ikea kitchen cabinets. I'm proud to say I did it all by myself! (Can you tell I have a 3 year old?! MiniMan #1's favourite phrase lately is "I do it myself!")
I had a few hiccups along the way, but once I got the first one correct, it was pretty smooth sailing.
Ikea gives you such a false sense of accomplishment - "look at what I just built!" So silly...
But it's true, I built the kitchen cabinets!
As for installing them...
Well, that's another story...for another week...because it didn't exactly get done in 1 day!
And finally, an update on our floor leveling project. I think we finally completed it the best we could.
Carl and I picked up a 2x10 and then Carl and Brad chopped it up into lengths that fit between the joists. They glued and screwed them to the joists as they jacked up the wall one section at a time.
The wall in the foyer sits in between joists, which is a bit odd of a construction, but it made the whole foyer floor sag. The extra support underneath actually did make a noticeable difference under that wall.
Now it's ready for tile! The vinyl in the picture will be replaced with tile, and the laminate will cover the parquet. Hopefully next week...
And, we carry on!
Alicia
At this point the end is becoming within sight (not to be confused with "in sight"!) so I'd say we're over the "hump" of the project and are starting to see parts of the project completed.
Last week the painting continued during the day, and during the evenings Carl and I worked at getting started on laying the laminate flooring.
The flooring companies make it sound so simple to lay your own flooring...
"You can definitely do it yourselves - I did my 3,000 sq. ft. home in 1 day with just 3 people!"
"This stuff is so easy - you'll have it done within a few hours"
Not quite!!
Mind you, once it's an area of just wall-to-wall laying without any special cuts or doorways or floor vents in the way, the rows do indeed go very quickly. But getting started was tricky as the first row was in the kitchen, and the plumbing pieces needed to be cut out.
By the end of the evening, we were this far in the kitchen.
Not exactly close to being done even one room!
And then we hit a bump in the floor. Literally.
The transition from the kitchen to the dining room was higher and we needed to level it out somehow.
So, the evening stopped and we spent the following evening buying some self leveler and spreading it over the uneven areas of the floor.
Here's Carl mixing up the bag of self leveler...
Then along the "hump"...
In the end it just made the hump wider, so we ended up doubling up the cork in the dining room. It's not exactly perfect, but it's better.
We poured it around some of the doorways that have settled over time and were lower...
But - the flooring definitely makes the house look and feel more like a home. It's an incredible transformation! By Saturday noon we were done the kitchen and dining room.
On Saturday afternoon I tackled the grass outside (lawn maintenance is one of my "tasks" in our marriage, but I swap it for folding laundry!)
While I cut the lawn, Brad came over once again and helped Carl begin laying the laminate in the family room. This was a tricky room because the kitchen is on the other side of the wall, and when you get to the doorway both floors need to join together. They spent all afternoon and evening working on the floor, but successfully completed it! It looks great as a seamless transition from one room to the next.
But, of course, starting that room was no simple task either, as the flooring needed to tuck under the fireplace. Carl and Brad rented a special saw to cut the bottom 1/2" of the brick and in 1/2".
But, when it was done, it looked like a custom build!
**************
I had a few hiccups along the way, but once I got the first one correct, it was pretty smooth sailing.
Ikea gives you such a false sense of accomplishment - "look at what I just built!" So silly...
But it's true, I built the kitchen cabinets!
As for installing them...
Well, that's another story...for another week...because it didn't exactly get done in 1 day!
**************
Another job we had completed this week was the railing.
Jake Campbell from Campbell's Woodcraft has been amazing, and the craftsmanship is superb! We are so pleased with this piece!
**************
And finally, an update on our floor leveling project. I think we finally completed it the best we could.
Carl and I picked up a 2x10 and then Carl and Brad chopped it up into lengths that fit between the joists. They glued and screwed them to the joists as they jacked up the wall one section at a time.
The wall in the foyer sits in between joists, which is a bit odd of a construction, but it made the whole foyer floor sag. The extra support underneath actually did make a noticeable difference under that wall.
Now it's ready for tile! The vinyl in the picture will be replaced with tile, and the laminate will cover the parquet. Hopefully next week...
And, we carry on!
Alicia
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