6.29.2012

Our Turn - garage

Busy last couple of days and days to come!  Spent yesterday priming the "living area" and today levelling the concrete floor.  All I can say is it's essential to have a support system when attempting any diy of this scope.  There's no way I could've completed painting yesterday had Mum not come over to watch the boys and there's no way I could've done the concrete on my own today without Dad (hubby's at work).  So much help from others as well - play dates, neighbours pitching in with painting and friends just helping in general either with the project or playing with the boys.  There's only so much TV babysitting I'll subject them to before feeling very guilty.


Anyway, I definitely got a work out in today and carried a total of 1200lbs with all the concrete bags from A to B to C.  I think we did a pretty good job and decided that once a job like that is done you've become really good at it compared to how you first started out.  Next floor levelling (if ever) will be easy peasy.


Well time to take break and pay some attention to my, also wonderfully supportive, children.  Maybe we'll make some brownies and do a craft or something.  I feel a little adrenlin still kicking from the project so I don't feel the need to hit the sofa...yet.

Prime coat - done!

 Map out where the concrete needs to be poured (I layed down a 2x4 to find the dips) then use a primer suitable for concrete - once very liquid to seal the concrete then another coat to make a tacky surface for the concrete to adhere to - concrete will not stick to concrete alone.

 We used 7 bags for the low parts, the whole floor would've taken about 12, but the store had run out of concrete so that's ok

 First fill a bucket with 3.8 litres of water

 Add contents of 50lb of levelling concrete

 I look a little dopey, but don't forget your dust mask unless you like sucking in micro particles

Mix it all for a good 5 minutes

Have handy Dad pouring while I work on next mix up as you only have 15 min to work with this stuff - 2 people is essential

ooooh

Before - all gnarly and pebbley

After - all smooth

Not too shabby for a couple of first time self levelling concrete layers!  We'll soon find out when we start laying the vinyl plank on Sunday...how bad could it be?



6.23.2012

Almost There...

The guys have been very busy getting all this siding up!  The weather has been horrific considering it's the 3rd day of summer. I'm talking wind, heavy rain and COLD!  I'm not impressed at all and am seriously thinking of moving to Australia at this point.


So many details to consider...I bought all the door knobs and locks today and I felt a little confused at first about what I needed where and what a lock all looks like when it's installed.  I ended up with kit for the rear door, a keypad for the garage door and various others for the interior.  I really wanted black for all exterior hardware, but the price tripled so for the garage I'll keep it as the matt chrome and save the pricey black for the main house, it'll look fine.


So here is the garage after week 4.  I won't show the interior as it's basically the same but with mud coat 2 trying to dry.   Should be ready for us to get in there and paint and start flooring on Wednesday.

 Lower part is the colour, top bit is just primer but they ran out of my pre-painted boards.  Belly band is in and waiting for cedar shingles.

 The amount of painting is epic!  That fence is looking horrific (although in great repair thanks to a family fence fix day).

 No idea when they put in the replacement window - the first one sent didn't open (picture).

Poor Olivia doesn't quite know what to do with herself... raining outside and inside is quickly closing in with packing up.

6.20.2012

Drat

Waiting for first layer of dry wall mud to dry...our plugs can't take the heaters running so it's taking it's sweet time drying on it's own with one heater going and, up until today, damp, chilly weather.  Curses!

6.15.2012

Painting Beginnings

Picked up 10 gallons of various paints for various needs today.  Took in a detailed list to the paint store then did my grocery shopping as to not rush them.  Adds up, but a very kind neighbour just offered us his membership discount for the store we shop at which will get us 40% off future purchases - how nice, now THAT's why we love our neighbourhood!  I'll take him up on that offer on my next big purchase.  


I don't think the dry waller was here today, nothing looks any different, but the guys installed the interior doors and did a threshold as well as started work on the exterior with the lower belly band.  There's a fan drying something out in there now, should that be on for 2 days???


After they left I got a go on the sill painting.  Just two long boards so not very time consuming.  The rest of my weekend will be painting up the trim work.  Come on sun!  I think it will rain at least Saturday though which is unfortunate.

 10 gallons worth or primer and paints
 Trim work is pre-primed, love that!
The final colour choices...
General Paint's 'seaweed' (garage body and belly bands), 'barkchip' (sill detail, porch floor and perhaps fence) and 'wicket' (house body) with can white for trim work
I did think of more of a British Racing Green for the sillwork, but then remembered just how much I like to change up colours so a more neutral was selected - I'll have fun with colour on patio furniture and that kind of thing.

6.13.2012

Garage Drywalled

Well after an extremely stressful 4 days of waiting for the bank appraisal of our house plans, I can finally take a deep breath and relax.  All is well and the garage is coming along nicely.  Drywall is done now, just need to wait for the mudding and taping then it'll be my turn to get in there to paint and lay the floor then the electrician comes back to hang the fixtures and voila, interior is complete.  Siding will go up too in a couple of weeks.  It's only been 3 so we're pretty happy.  The kids have adapted to the giant pile of rubble that is now our back yard and know now to wear shoes out there at all times when making their way to the trampoline...their last bit of fun.  


My job while I wait for my labour intensive job is to begin to empty out the portion of the house that is to be lopped off.  I've bagged all my winter and dressy clothes and am trying to for see what I might want to be wearing in coming months.  Not easy, but at least it'll be summer so it's all more compact clothing and easy to move around.  


I'm learning to just relax my shoulders and talk out loud to myself (yes I really do) that everything is going well and just to let the mess be and it will all be paradise soon.   We told the builder my husband would hang the garage light fixtures, he questioned why?  I said well because he can.  The response to that was that "all that sort of thing is already priced out, it will take the electrician minutes to hang them and for him (hubby) to sit back and relax with a beer and just watch it happen."  Good idea, time to let others do things for us.  Hmmm, a taste of how the other half live, I could get used to that!


 No, our window isn't a foot tall, it just hasn't been cut out yet

Eep, imagine trying to install drywall without one of these!

6.09.2012

Two Weeks In

Just when you think it's never going to happen, wham-o, two weeks have gone by, along with heaps of progress.  What a transformation the garage has undergone, love it.  I can totally vision a large craft room/kids fun zone when this is all done.  As well, a nice house for the Mini and motorcycle.  I also thought today we'll have a great place to store bulk of things like toilet paper, and whatever is on sale that we can buy by the mass.    We'll also look into a chest freezer.  I'm a vegetarian, but I know it'd be handy for the rest of the household to have frozen meat handy, I can store waffles and fake meat.


Today my sister came over to help me paint the Hardie Plank, 22 boards in we decided it was a hugely ridiculous thing to be lifting these 12 foot boards over to the spot to paint, then onto the drying rack, then onto the spot to store them again.  I reckon total 45 have been painted out of the 150 that were delivered.  The job will be much easier when they're installed then I can just take a compressor to it and spray it all on.  Maybe I'll hand roll the garage, but the larger area of the house can have a spray...I'm still not going up a high ladder to get the tall bits.  We'll hire someone for that or hubby can take on the challenge if he chooses.  Sometimes you need to give in and hire someone to make life easier...tricky for a frugal gal.
 The system, paint then move to drying racks (see below).  We ended up painting on the patio table to save our back today though.


Well my back hurts so I think I'll call it a day and start packing up some things in the house so we'll be ready for rear demolition day in a few weeks.  Bits at a time will make life easier rather than a big panic when it's time.


 Looky, new doors are in!  
Nice big heap of garbage that I don't have to clean up!!!!



I just love coming across little bits of a house's history - the bottom right shows a minty green colour the shingles were once painted, would've been cute back in the day.  
My cat sure likes to squeeze into that space to get under the house, along with all the other critters in the neighbourhood too I bet.

6.05.2012

First of the Light Fixture Purchases

Here are a few of my first light fixture buys, lots more to come!

 For the garage bathroom, but may end up in the main house upstairs
Ikea, "Sivern" $29.99
 Master bedroom ceiling
Ikea, "Alang" $39.99 (large)
Master bedroom readers
Ikea, "Alang" $24.99

6.04.2012

My World is Crumbling (or Drive, to be less dramatic)

Well this is the scene outside after 1 1/2 weeks into the project.  Plumbing, electrical, framing, stucco removal and excavating all done.  Building portion seems to be going great, but a few issues with the inspector are causing us some upsets, but we'll get through it.


My wonderful neighbours also came over Saturday to help me get a jump on painting the Hardie Board siding.  A big job for one person as each piece is 12' long and about 10" wide.  I can move one at a time, but with their help we could do a 5 piece move at a time.  


Made it to Ikea yesterday so managed to spend a few bucks there for some light fixtures and other necessities. Island living makes Ikea trips and all day affair - up at 6am to catch a 9am ferry, drive for 1/2 hr, shop for a few hours then hop back onto the 5pm ferry to get home for 7:30, phew.  Worth it for the savings.

Pretty sure the house was going to fall apart with the excavator booming away then the chunks being dumped into their trucks...I ended up leaving the house because it was a bit much on the nerves.

View from the back of the garage

New window boxes are in (hope I don't break these ones with flinging rocks from the lawn mower).  Note the patchwork wood project from a previous owner

Patio is gone as well as part of the steps - watch out, that first one is a doozy! 
Middle two gray colours on the wall there are the paint choices

A woman would've moved the recycling boxes BEFORE this was dug up

Some goodies - more on the way when I place an order for furniture - unlike their commercial, strapping wardrobes and dressers onto our car was not an option :)