What a difference a year makes - Gillespie style.

I meant to do this post at the end of November, as the 26th marked the first anniversary in our home.  But that didn't get done.  Then I meant to do it in December... fail, again.  So, I was determined to get this posted to mark the New Year!

James and I gave ourselves 2 years to try and get this house into shape.  And I can confidently say I think we are over the half-way mark.  Our wallet definitely is.  Pretty sure there isn't one room that is totally complete... but it's definitely better than it was.  We've accomplished large task such as flooring, flooding and kitchen; now we can focus on individual rooms, furniture, decorating and details. 
The early photos are scarce - most of the good ones were on our laptop, which was stolen.  So we'll just have to make due with what we've got!  But it does make me appreciate this sweet little blog and the memories I do record on it.  So here we go.  NO judging... like I said, it's not done.  And I'm not sure it ever will be....
Here's to 2012 - May the sweat-equity stay steady and the real estate market get off it's knees!

 This is a photo of James crying like a little baby, because he has no idea the world of mess that we are about to get ourselves into.

 I found this one to be the best.  What they don't tell you on those DIY shows: Sure you can save money by doing it yourself - but you spend all that extra dough on the tools to get the job done.  As renters, a hammer and a screwdriver were pretty sufficient - now we own Home Depot.

 

Kitchen Update

Just a couple of blurry photos to show we are on the downhill swing of things.  Cabinets are completed, most appliances installed and countertops come next week.

Now it's clean-up time... and no more strangers in my house all day.

Kitchen Progressss

And we are on our way.  Ceilings, plumbing, electrical, walls and floors are done.  Next up - cabinets.

Mighty Men (and Mom)

Did a little kitchen cleaning on Sunday. 

Remember the before?  These photos are from when we bought it and the kitchen was spotless.  After living in it, we found out the appliances were close to useless, cabinets inefficent, major leaks in the ceiling and a massive draft came in under the counters on the window side.

So we knew it would be a demo-project.

So as usual, my parents saved the day with their muscles and helped us out all Sunday.  Dad and James ninja-fied the interior as mom and I made a million trips to the dumpster.  Baby momma couldn't carry her weight as much as normal, but my mom stepped up and hauled a few extra loads in the name of her granddaughter.

Here's what we have at the moment. 

Can't wait to show you the after photos!

Opossum Duty

Saturday morning as Gus and I were taking our morning stroll we spotted this creep sitting on top our neighbors patio wall.

This view is from our front door, after I screamed for James to come outside.  It was obvious that there was something wrong with him; as we had a few visitors walk past him over the course of a couple of hours and he never moved.

We have our fair share of feral cats running around, but wildlife is definitely lacking in our neighborhood. 

The Dust is Settling

I'm back in my own home.  After almost 2 weeks of hotel stays and mini-vaca's; I slept in my bed for the first time this weekend.  And it was glorious.  Due to the plumbing disaster we had in June, we definitely had to have some work done on the house to make it livable.  So we decided to bundle some more additional work at the same time for a major 2+ week work session.  Not going to lie - it made me cranky; very cranky.  Especially when you have those days when you just want to come home from work and put something comfy on and watch TV.  But instead there is an inch of saw dust on the sofa and the stairs have been removed from your bedroom.

But... that is all past now.  James get MVP in the husband category.  Upon my arrival Friday evening from a work trip - he made sure my poochie was back home, the house had been cleaned and even had all the laundry done!  On top of working a very busy "Mary Kay Convention" week.  And best of all, there was no man in my house named Ricardo kicking up more dust.

Here's a "During" photo of our stairs.  Can you say Tetanus shots?

Limey

I bought a lime tree this summer and my first lime dropped.  It was a tiny, little guy, but it still tasted like a lime! 

Maybe someday they will be big enough for a thirst quenching margarita.

Holy Guac

It's June already?!  Where the hell did April and May go?

I'm exhausted just trying to think of the last few months.

As you may have noticed, I haven't been posting many pics of the casa lately.  Mainly due to the fact that even though we complete (what feels like a big) project it really doesn't make that big of a difference in the entire scheme of things.  BUT this past month, we've really been making progress and it feels good.  We've got plants on the patio, paint on most of the walls, new furniture and wood on the floors!  I still don't have fully complete pictures, because the place is far from fully complete... but hey, it's getting there!

Here are a few photos of our progress:

New TV console via IKEA

(I swore I'd never buy furniture there ever again, but these lockers were perfect and exactly what we wanted and stayed within budget.)  Notice floors are still cement in this picture.

James and trusty Levi pulled up all the old Pergo flooring on the second floor.

 Our lovely relaxing Memorial Day weekend was spent with Ricardo, laying down this beautiful wood!  First and second floors are complete!  We'll conquer the 3rd floor in July.

 Living in a cluster for several days... can make a cranky family.  That's for sure.  This here is my dining room.  But it's done now, so we're back to normal (whatever that is).

DIY TV

As James and I work toward renovating our home, we've (I've) developed a little concept towards those DIY home renovation shows.  Let me explain the differences between those shows and REAL life renovations.

1.  You don't have some tv personality telling you how much money you SAVED by doing it yourself.  You just have to figure you saved something, anything.  Anything?

2.  What you don't see in the background is 50 other people helping on this project.  When James and I are lucky... my dad is helping and my mom is eating Red Mango in the background.

3.  They always have the right products, materials and equipment.  You never see them wasting an hour running to the flooring store for more grout.  And if they do, it's one of those 50 other people who are just standing around waiting to order everyone sandwiches.

4.  No project is complete in a weekend.  None.

5.  Everyone's happy.  (Lies)

This photo has nothing to do with renovations, but is still awesome in itself.



Sneak Peak

A sneak peak at the new entry floor.  Should be finished by next week.  And yes, that is a stack of tile... ready to be slapped down.  We're half-way there (with the entry floor).

Whatchadoing Wednesday

We've been busy, I promise.

PATIO

The previous owner had a hot-tub on our spacious patio and tiled the area around it.  So when the hot-tub was removed, there was a weird lay of tile. 

Before

See the dark blue brick in the left corner.

After

We pulled it up.  There's still some glue we need to chip away, but it looks much better. 

Gus, you are so handsome.

Before

There were minimal weeds that I pulled in preparation to plant something nice.  Still working out that plan, as I'm not quite the horticulturist. 

After

 But the patio does look much more presentable and we are enjoying spending the sunny afternoons out there.  (Hurry up spring, I'm craving you bad!)

FRONT PORCH

Minimal work, but it made quite the difference.

I researched the hardiest (semi-good looking) plant to put in the new pot we bought for the front door.  Please everyone say a tiny prayer that I may be able to keep these 'mother-in-law tongues' from dying.  If not, I'm going to be the weird lady who puts fake plants in a pot on the front porch.

This is the fabulous new door-bell plate that took us a week to install.  Sometimes the smallest projects can ruin a marriage... thankfully, James and I decided a door bell plate was not worth it.  We re-convened days later and the finished product looks really nice and polished. 

And we also have this old speaker system at the left of the door.  It doesn't work, but I didn't want to take it off and try patching the stucco.  So I spray-painted it bronze and it definitely hides much better than the bright nasty gold it was previously.

I know they look small, but as new homeowners... every project we encounter is normally our first.  Which means it usually takes twice as long and double the frustration.  BUT we are learning so much and are really proud of our accomplishments, even if they are weak. 

New Sconce

I've mentioned James and I are trying to be very cost conscience on all renovations for our home.  We've also been trying to stay on track with starting all renovations on the first floor and working our way up to the bedrooms.  We'll, I've been eyeing this sconce for a while and really wanted to put it on the 3rd floor landing.  It's not that pricey, but it jumps out of our schedule.  So, I decided that I could sell some 'junk/other people's treasure' on craigslist and only use that mula for the sconce.

Well, I sold my last item last night to get me over the top (including shipping) and I'm going to order my sconce today!  I totally felt like a kid again, working and saving to buy something I've wanted all on my own.

Because that other check I get twice a month sure doesn't feel like its mine :(

 

We'll post pics once we get it installed.

Whatchadoing Wednesday

Well, we've been moving and grooving but our progress doesn't always show up in pictures.  PLUS, we're trying to do most of our renovations with cash, so that slows us down a bit.  BUT today, we've got photo-worthy updates.

BEFORE:

This is in our master bedroom.  The weird little balcony/library opened up all the way to the 1st floor over the entry, leaving the master with very little sound control.  James and I go to bed at different times and I could here the television from 2 floors below.  Plus, the area was just weird and wasted.  So we (the contractors) closed it in and created a great closet.

DURING:

I wanted the skylight to stay over the entry and not in the closet.



Since we extended the floor a few inches, we were able to put a can light over the front door.  Really makes the entry so much warmer.

AFTER:

We took the doors from the kitchen (which we were going to remove eventually) and put them up here, so we saved a little cash and all our doors still match.

Now all I have to do is paint it.  I really love it and think the ROI is going to be high.  I can't hear the TV at all anymore and it really gives the master bedroom a more cohesive feel.

Yah!

Now on to the next project!

Whatchadoing Wednesday

Minor tweak this week. 

We had no where to put our trash/recycling/dog station.  And that desk was stupid.

So James got rid of the desk.

We also went to IKEA and bought $200 worth of stuff... trash cans, hangers, hooks, laundry baskets... etcetera, etcetera, ectetera. 

Whatchadoing Wednesday

ATTENTION:

There will be no Gillespie update at this time.

Due to me being in Syracuse with lots of snow and the other reason being that we did nothing on the house last week.

It's the holidays.  We deserve a break.

Get off our backs.

Get off my back.

NO you!

Alright.

Merry Christmas Eve Eve Eve.

Whatchadoing Wednesday - Cont.

Finally found time to upload my camera (we don't have Internet yet at the house, so simple task of uploading photos to a blog is not as easy)

BEFORE:

We actually really liked this fixture, but this is one of our only spots available for a ceiling fan and I love the efficiency of a ceiling fan more than the look of the globe fixture.  Craigslist here we come.

AFTER:

James is becoming quite the handyman.  He doesn't come by it naturally, but he's trying so hard!  Nice job dear.

The perfectly timed demo of the living room floor.... uggg.

My poor little tree.

Look at the DUST.  I was not a happy camper.

This is a picture of me staying out of the way.