Monday, December 10, 2012
Toilet Seat Replacement
No one wants to sit on a disgusting toilet seat. Today we will be replacing all of ours. (We still have the three that came with the place.) Normally, I'd detail how we do it, but I found a video that does a great job of explaining the process. Watch, and learn:
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Adventures
In another month, we'll have lived in the house for a year.... hard to believe since it feels as though we moved in just yesterday!
There's been a lot of updates in the physical world, and not much time for updates in the virtual world! We've been extremely busy with celebrating the momentous occasions in friends and families lives as of late. While we have been doing a lot of traveling, we still try and make time to work on the house... though winning the lottery and having an endless amount of time would be amazing.
So, the short list of what's been going on at the house...
1. Plumbing issues have continued. The kitchen sink has been fixed as far as I can tell, haven't had any other issues. Our issue now is the drain and pipe carrying water away from the upstairs shower. We discovered a leak, have attempted a few different solutions in sealing it, but to no avail. This issue has caused water to leak in to the downstairs bathroom behind the vanity mirror, making for some soggy dry wall and 2x4s. Also concerning, the fuse box is mounted on the other side of that bathroom wall just below the leaky pipe. Temporary solution, no using upstairs shower.
2. Epic hail storm. Our neighborhood is definitely a prime target for bad storms. In the spring/early summer, we had an intense storm that produced baseball sized hail. Luckily, none of the seven mature trees (I'm talking giant pin oaks that are 35+ years old) had any significant damage, just a fun shower of branches. Our cars were luckily parked inside the garage, so no busted windows... but there isn't any real shielding of the roof when it comes to hail. So we, and pretty much every other house in our neighborhood, got a new roof installed (covered by insurance) and are still finding roofing nails as they wash out of the gutter spouts after a good rain.
3. The taming of the ivy. We have some invasive crawling ivy on one side of the house that's been attempting to attack the foundation of the house... so Lancifer made an attempt to clear it away (which was successful in clearing ivy, but unsuccessful in keeping him free of poison ivy) and we're battling some other unruly over growth in that same area. We're brainstorming what would be placed there if that entire side of the house's vegetation was cleared out.
4. Garden of veggies. We successfully dug up, installed 2 raised garden beds, hand tilled, hand planted, an organic garden. 200 square feet of garden space. The yield was just getting started when 105+ degree weather rolled in and took the life right out of the garden. We were pleased to enjoy some squash, zucchini, spaghetti squash, spinach, carrot, and pumpkin before everything was boiling on the vine. Corn was lost before being able to harvest it. Peppers, eggplant, beans, cucumber and onion all didn't make a strong enough start to withstand the heat. Cauliflower and broccoli are still attempting to thrive... the cantaloupe still has growth but no fruit. That is an entire tale on it's own!
5. Interior design. After a vacation in France, and a little Mediterranean influence, we've really been trying to work on the finer points of the interior of the house. Lancifer has done a great job with his office so far, with the purchase of a beautiful cherry wood U-desk and two book shelves that look quite sophisticated. There's been many new additions as well... including the decision to try our hand at re-upholstering a set of wing back chairs. Refinishing furniture is quickly becoming a new hobby. We've hung some curtains, and I think we're ready to tackle even more!
All in all, owning a home is a challenge... some days a greater challenge then you think you've signed up for, and other days a learning experience that is a welcomed improvement to your living space.
I am not sure what new house discoveries await us both, but I do know there's much more knowledge out there waiting for us! Found this site earlier, plan on looking through it for some general knowledge a little later: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20434090_20863132,00.html
There's been a lot of updates in the physical world, and not much time for updates in the virtual world! We've been extremely busy with celebrating the momentous occasions in friends and families lives as of late. While we have been doing a lot of traveling, we still try and make time to work on the house... though winning the lottery and having an endless amount of time would be amazing.
So, the short list of what's been going on at the house...
1. Plumbing issues have continued. The kitchen sink has been fixed as far as I can tell, haven't had any other issues. Our issue now is the drain and pipe carrying water away from the upstairs shower. We discovered a leak, have attempted a few different solutions in sealing it, but to no avail. This issue has caused water to leak in to the downstairs bathroom behind the vanity mirror, making for some soggy dry wall and 2x4s. Also concerning, the fuse box is mounted on the other side of that bathroom wall just below the leaky pipe. Temporary solution, no using upstairs shower.
2. Epic hail storm. Our neighborhood is definitely a prime target for bad storms. In the spring/early summer, we had an intense storm that produced baseball sized hail. Luckily, none of the seven mature trees (I'm talking giant pin oaks that are 35+ years old) had any significant damage, just a fun shower of branches. Our cars were luckily parked inside the garage, so no busted windows... but there isn't any real shielding of the roof when it comes to hail. So we, and pretty much every other house in our neighborhood, got a new roof installed (covered by insurance) and are still finding roofing nails as they wash out of the gutter spouts after a good rain.
3. The taming of the ivy. We have some invasive crawling ivy on one side of the house that's been attempting to attack the foundation of the house... so Lancifer made an attempt to clear it away (which was successful in clearing ivy, but unsuccessful in keeping him free of poison ivy) and we're battling some other unruly over growth in that same area. We're brainstorming what would be placed there if that entire side of the house's vegetation was cleared out.
4. Garden of veggies. We successfully dug up, installed 2 raised garden beds, hand tilled, hand planted, an organic garden. 200 square feet of garden space. The yield was just getting started when 105+ degree weather rolled in and took the life right out of the garden. We were pleased to enjoy some squash, zucchini, spaghetti squash, spinach, carrot, and pumpkin before everything was boiling on the vine. Corn was lost before being able to harvest it. Peppers, eggplant, beans, cucumber and onion all didn't make a strong enough start to withstand the heat. Cauliflower and broccoli are still attempting to thrive... the cantaloupe still has growth but no fruit. That is an entire tale on it's own!
5. Interior design. After a vacation in France, and a little Mediterranean influence, we've really been trying to work on the finer points of the interior of the house. Lancifer has done a great job with his office so far, with the purchase of a beautiful cherry wood U-desk and two book shelves that look quite sophisticated. There's been many new additions as well... including the decision to try our hand at re-upholstering a set of wing back chairs. Refinishing furniture is quickly becoming a new hobby. We've hung some curtains, and I think we're ready to tackle even more!
All in all, owning a home is a challenge... some days a greater challenge then you think you've signed up for, and other days a learning experience that is a welcomed improvement to your living space.
I am not sure what new house discoveries await us both, but I do know there's much more knowledge out there waiting for us! Found this site earlier, plan on looking through it for some general knowledge a little later: http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/photos/0,,20434090_20863132,00.html
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