giving thanks to carver

We used the long weekend to tackle some large projects and start on some smaller ones. I'll let the pictures do the talking.

new window on the left, old window on the right - plus R-13 Insulation in the walls

new vinyl window (Milgard Style Line)

old aluminum window
using one of our small cars to do heavy lifting (that's sheetrock)

25 pounds of drywall nails, let's get this party started

insulated laundry room

sheetrocked laundry room

This week will probably bring more sheetrock installation and fixing the stucco we had to break through to install the windows. And we are 100% passed on inspection so we can close everything up!

transporting glass and public apology

We've had to get really creative since we don't own a truck or anything that resembles a truck. And yes, the thought has crossed our minds to buy a truck just for Carver. Usually we drive small german automobiles. And since the seats fold down in my coupe, it has been a rockstar at transporting things like copper pipes. Luckily, we were able to borrow a larger german automobile in the form of an SUV to transport our 36"x78" piece of tempered shower glass. It still cuts it close. I've been holding off on finished shower pics until everything is in place. So stay tuned and don't worry, we have been able to shower. If you are in the LA area and ever need custom glass, 55 Glass is amazing and SO well priced. Heart them!

Also, I'd like to publicly apologize for my 11.17 post about failing inspection. Drama queen over here made it sound worse than it is. We are able to get to work patching things up. Looks like this long weekend is going to be all about sheetrock. C already loaded the open walls with insulation. Forget the turkey, I just want to sheetrock.

FAILED

Yes, failed inspection yet again. A couple really minor tweaks will hopefully have us all passed soon. *sigh*

p.s. this is why people do unpermitted renovations (!)

inspection, part deux

I have no picture updates. I know, boring. This weekend, the name of the game was getting everything cleaned up and ready for the next inspection, happening this week. Upon (hopefully) being approved, we will replace 5 windows, take down that funny little wall between the kitchen and dining room and then sheetrock. Once all that is complete we will be ready to move the kitchen pieces from the garage into their home. We're aiming to be cookin' by early December.

I'll have photos of the finished shower soon. We ordered the glass piece, so we'll have to install that and regrout the glass blocks. But other than that, our shower is in action.

keeping it positive

Sometimes it's really hard to keep that glass half full. Especially in renovations where at times it seems like there is no end in site. There's no shower in your future. Or kitchen, either. You ask yourself, do I even remember how to cook? I sure have gotten really good at picking up soup from Veggie Grill and navigating the hot food bar at Whole Foods. We just have to remember we will have a kitchen again (and will probably be tired of cooking on some nights). Our kitchen won't be something an apartment thought through for us. It will be one that C and I built together one step at a time. We are so lucky to have the opportunity to customize our house to our very own standards.

bathroom sneak peak

Just need to grout and give the basalt one last seal

Let's not forget where we came from

unexpected shower remodel

Well, we weren't planning on turning the upstairs bath into a shower until the downstairs was complete. But we've come to find out that when it comes to renovations - and life in general - things don't always going as planned. With no sheetrock on the ceiling under the bath, we discovered a leak coming from the tub. GASP. Further investigation led us to a crack in the tub. Which led us to find out it would cost a lot of money to fix. Which led to the executive decision of gutting the tub and turning it into a shower much sooner than we anticipated. But that's okay. We are going to have a really cool walk in basalt tiled shower instead of the creepy jetted bathtub complete with built in step stool (covered in faux marble, of course). Now, let's take note of a few things in the bathroom, it is dripping in the faux marble, so I'm really excited to get rid of that. We aren't going to tackle the floor or walls just yet, but that will come in time. Originally, I wasn't a fan of the glass blocking on the wall, but I have come to really dig it. Closer look has led us to believe it has to be original which means it was manufactured in the 60's. I find that to be pretty darn neato. And, if it was good enough for Frank Lloyd Wright (a huge fan of glass blocking), it's good enough for me.

So, without further adieu, I'll let the pics do the talking.

jetted tub

end of demo day 1

end of demo day 2

day 3 - replumbed for the shower, complete with new valve

day 4 - sheetocked

day 5 - installed KERDI shower system (this thing's amazing)

Our estimate leads us to having this completed in about 8 days. We'll keep you posted!