pr0star - A Renovation

First week of February

2012-02-04T21:56:00.002-07:00

First week of February, a set on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The renovation moves down to the basement... more descriptions are attached to the photos.

December - January 2012

2012-02-04T21:55:00.002-07:00

December - January 2012, a set on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
The upstairs Renovation is now pretty well finished. Now if i only could get the furniture the way that i like it...

What's Wrong?

2011-12-12T13:21:00.000-07:00

I think because I got a lot done last weekend, this weekend was bound to be the weekend of "oh, crap!" And it was. My plan was to finish the bathroom while my mom worked on baseboards. Well, everything was going smoothly, i was putting the taps and shower head in the bathroom. I was missing one of the adapters for one of the tub taps. So i moved on to putting up the shower curtain with no nail putty, the putty was expired. What about attaching the vanity drain to the P-trap? It's not lined up. OK, how about the mirror? Oh, the mirror was scratched. The only things that went up without incident was the two towel bars and the bathroom door. I went to Rona twice to return and exchange that day. As well as i went to totem and home depot to pick up a couple things that i didn't want to at Rona. I'm so sick of Rona. If you don't buy Rona products from Rona, then you are ok, but Rona seriously needs to at the workmanship and quality of their product lines. I've returned and exchanged many things because they were either broken or damaged coming out of the box. I mean i spend time looking at the boxes, making sure they haven't been open or the product hasn't been tampered with or was a previously returned item before i buy them. So these items that i bought and returned/exchanged, must have been new and damaged in the box. #fail on Rona's part.

Lights On

2011-12-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a good weekend for work. Finally my mom and I got the refrigerator connected to the water line without it leaking all over the place. It's silly how frustrating it can be and how joyous it is when you turn the water line on and it DOESN'T leak. Amazing.
My mom, the appliance genius, also installed my dishwasher as well.We haven't test run it, but I'm sure it's fine (fingers crossed). I've almost got all the new light fixtures up. The kitchen is done, living room, and hallway lights are installed. It's funny how much brighter the lights are compared to the pre-1970 light fixtures that are everywhere. The chandelier in the living room is sooo much brighter. I can actually see at night and on the cloudy days. That place was so reliant on natural light. Natural light is awesome when it's sunny, but not so great when it's cloudy and snowy.
Yesterday I went and got some baseboards, with some help from my parents of course. I can't wait to put them in. It's really going to finish the whole place. Then maybe I can finally move-in.

November 26 Pics

2011-11-28T10:46:00.002-07:00

November 26 Pics, a set on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Click the Pictures to see Descriptions

Slow....

2011-11-24T11:05:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like you work so hard yet you get nothing accomplished. I've felt like that this past week and weekend. This week i did finish the master bedroom floor, but right now it's been all about filling in the edges where there are gaps to big for a baseboard to cover. Unfortunately this takes a whole lot of time because it requires cutting long pieces of floor board as straight as you can.
I'm not a professional, i don't have all the tools and benches, so i do the best i can. It's funny though how an old house has changed so much. For one, the walls aren't straight, so pieces that are pretty straight don't always fit properly because the wall isn't exactly straight.
Yesterday though, i was trying to finish the last row in the hallway, which goes into not one but two closets. I've called this spot, the asshole piece. I've been trying to plan how i'm going to get these two last pieces in because there are corners and two doors to worry about. I've already wrecked one board trying to hammer it into place. So now it's back to the drawing board. This piece may need to be cut in half to fit it correctly. The other problem is is fitting the end piece in, because it also has to go into the closet too! SO FRUSTRATING. And head scratching. We'll see how it goes today, for round two.

November 15 Pics

2011-11-18T10:29:00.003-07:00

November 15 Pics, a set on Flickr.

I took some pictures a couple days ago! Almost done all the floors! I can't believe we're going to be done soon!

So Close I Can Taste It!

2011-11-15T08:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I have blogged at all about the reno!
A lot has been happening, and with most of the floors in (all of which i've installed myself), the place is almost looking like a home again, instead of a construction zone. I only have the master, half the second bedroom, the rest of the hallway, closets and the landing to put flooring in! Also the bathroom is almost complete. The tiling and grouting and wainscotting is complete. All that there is left is to seal the grout and install the toilet and vanity! Very exciting. Today, the bathtub refinisher is coming, and soon i will have a brand new-looking, white, bathtub!
My appliances also came on the weekend, and they are also ready to be installed after my mom and I put the backsplash in the kitchen! It's soo exciting! i can't wait!
I'm in the homestretch now! Looking for furniture hasn't been as fruitful as i like. I think most of stuff is going to be coming from ikea, hahaha!

Not a whole lot....

2011-10-31T12:44:00.000-06:00

So i didn't get a lot done at the duplex per se, but i did fill in a hole (after 2 attempts, needed some of the mesh tape)and laid down a couple more floorboards.
What I did do was go shopping.

I did buy a couple of these track lights for the kitchen to replace the pair of dim swedish ball lights. I did like them, they were really growing on me, but one of the cabinet doors hits it all the time, so alas, there time is over.

This little beauty is my new chandelier and main light source of the living/dining room area. I think it's going to be stunning over a dining room table. I can't wait until these lights are up. It's going to be a lot nicer then random light bulbs hanging from the ceiling.
I also looked at some tiles for the kitchen back splash. There's nothing yet that i've gotten as a sample that I LOVE, but i guess that means more shopping around. Today i'll probably go check out Rona, as i've already been to two Home Depots, and i don't think i'm going to go to any tile places... already spent enough on the tiles in the bathroom. Hopefully, today, i also get to finish painting the inside of the fridge space... even though nobody is going to see it, but whatever. My mom thinks i should do it, so i probably should.
I may also take a stab at cleaning the shop vac filter. The one i bought came attached to the top of the shop vac already. I've already taken it outside and beat some of the dust out, but i think i actually need to wash the filter, but i don't want to wreck it.... any ideas?

Cabinets

2011-10-27T10:29:00.003-06:00

Cabinets, a set on Flickr.

Here are some lovely poictures that were taken of my cabinets before the coutertop was installed. So Pretty!
Also, i just wanted to throw up a link for installing laminate floors. Click here for a really helpful how-to for DIY-ers.

Getting Back on Track

2011-10-24T11:33:00.003-06:00

October 23, 2011, a set on Flickr.

Saturday was soent scraping tiles and re-tiling the bathroom wall, as the adhesive was bad and didn't dry, as mentioned in the last post. After all that hardwork, I'm finally moving forward.
Almost finished putting up the wainscotting in the bathroom, but i'm missing just a few more panels to complete the wall.
On Sunday I started the floors! Woohoo. Not as bad as i thought it was going to be. Once you get the first few rows in, it gets easy. There's enough weight to the floor that it doesn't move around so you can just click in a board and keep going. I wish i had better pictures to show you, but it was dark outside and i only had my blackberry. Didn't know that the flash was that bad... it seems so bright, but i guess not.
Going back again today to lay more floor. Tomorrow my countertops come and then i can (maybe) start laying floor down in the kitchen. It's so nice when things start going in the right direction again. You should have seen the state of the plywood where the floors are now on Saturday. They were covered in tiles with wet adhesive and dust from sanding the stuff that did actually dry.
So nice!

Bathroom Update

2011-10-13T09:51:00.001-06:00

Bathroom Update, a photo by pr0star on Flickr.

Via Flickr:
Yay! Look at the backsplash in my shower. Looks wonderful, thanks to my mommy. The cabinets in the kitchen have also been going up as well. All good! The cabinet guys are supposed to be done by lunchtime today. Pics of those to come.
The bad news: the tile adhesive (different from what was used on the pebbles, bordering and floor tile) isn't drying. It's going to be a joy taking off the tiles and scraping the crap adhesive off. ...just when I though things were coming along.

Crunch Time

2011-10-03T14:26:00.000-06:00

It's crazy to think that my cabinets are being delivered this week, and installed next week! There's still so much to do, but things are almost done, and we (as in me and my mom) are getting to the end. My mom has been installing the tile in the bathroom, and she's so good at it, i don't know what i would do without her. My budget is also a bit in the red right now due to my kitchen extravagance, lol!
So all that's really left to do is get the plumbing ready for the cabinets, finish some of the electrical outlets, put the floors in, finish tiling and grout the bathroom, as well as all the other stuff with actually getting the appliances in the house. I need to get some new pictures up of the former wall and the bathroom tiles. Looks soo good!

Progress and Setbacks

2011-09-21T10:33:00.000-06:00

My mom and I started tiling the bathroom last weekend. I didn't realize how long it takes just to set the tiles. On saturday we only set the tiles for the bathroom floor, which took us about 4-5 hours to do. This weekend we will start the shower walls and maybe grout the floor. It's nice to have a patch of floor that is no longer just plywood. I am so sick of looking at plywood floors.
Now, onto the setback. My contractor decided to back out of taking my wall out citing lack of experience. Fair enough, but it would have been nice to know a lot earlier then finding this out on Monday. My cabinets are to be installed in 3 weeks yesterday and it's crucial that this is done before hand, and i would also like to start putting in my floors. Luckily, my Dad has a framer who may be able to do the job (fingers-crossed).

Recharged

2011-09-14T10:56:00.000-06:00

Alright, so i'm back from vacation. Tiles are picked up, and my mom and I are going to be tiling the bathroom this weekend, AND (hopefully) the wall in the kitchen is coming out! Yays! My cabinets are coming October 7, and being installed the following week, and hopefully my appliances will also be delivered and ready to go, because so far, 2 out of 4 of my appliances are in.
Priorities for the next month include most importantly, getting that wall out of the kitchen, finishing the main bathroom and installing the laminate floor. Everything after that should be easy-peasy.
I dunno if any body out there reads these posts or what, but i need some advice about setting my tiles. I bouth some thin set mortar in the bag, however, i heard it's easier to use the stuff that's already pre-mixed. I never know who to listen to, but joe blow at home depot might be trained to say one thing over something else, and actually knows nothing about the projects and or the products he sells. Any tips or suggestions?

Stepping Back

2011-08-18T22:00:00.000-06:00

Oh nos! I'm leaving on vacation! So nothing is going to get done in the next two and a half weeks. Although, since my last post, the cabinet guys have come in to do measurements, sent out the order and i have put down my deposit on the cabinets. Yay! Pretty much whenever those get in, i'm moving in. Even if i haven't put my floors in, i'm moving in.
Also, i had to take back my shower-tub faucet *tear* on the weekend because it didn't fit where the existing taps fit. Aww... made me so sad. Just when you thought all the problems were solved.. excitement bubble burst. So i ended up going back to the store, and with the advice of my hand man we're going to use the existing hot-cold taps, drain and overflow, and just replace the spout with a diverter for a hand shower. So unless i find the perfect hot-cold taps, this is just going to be the way that it has to be, because i really don't want to rip through the wall.
So, hopefully when i come back, i'm refreshed and ready to install floors! See ya soon!

Bath and Shower

2011-08-08T21:10:00.000-06:00

So this is the shower head / tub faucet i decided on. I bought it at Rona today, however I'm not sure if it's going to fit onto where the existing taps on the bath tub are right now. It's driving me crazy that i just can't go and check right now! Tomorrow, tomorrow i will go and check it all out. All I can hope for now is that it will fit, and will save my money and Graham's time stalling a shower head and plumbing line through the closet.

August 6, 2011

2011-08-06T22:33:00.003-06:00

August 6, 2011, a set on Flickr.

Finally now, the plywood can completely dry now that the leaky toilet is gone. I also tore out the vanity, however, there were no shut off valves so my Mom and I took the old sink fixture and attached it back to the pipes so we could turn the water back on.
Now, for the tiles

Lesson Learned

2011-08-05T11:35:00.000-06:00

So if you're renovating your kitchen, don't do what i did and start picking your cabinets after you've gutted and painted. Go pick them out first. Typically it takes anywhere from 6-8weeks to have any ordered cabinets to come out to you. And when you factor in designing and shopping around for cabinets and buying appliances, because you need these measurements before designing, start even earlier!
Don't be like me, and gut your kitchen before even thinking about cabinets. Because now i'm sitting around with an empty kitchen, and it's probably going to stay empty until mid to the end of September. Boo!

August 2, 2011

2011-08-02T22:20:00.002-06:00

August 2, 2011, a set on Flickr.

Pictures of the No longer North Wall of Kitchen!
This was actually torn out a week ago, but i still have no picture.
There's one from inside the kitchen, and one from the outside

Long Weekend - Not a lot done

2011-08-02T11:59:00.000-06:00

So I didn't get a lot done at the duplex this weekend. Surprise, Surprise, right? It was way too nice out to spend the whole weekend inside. And if you know anything about Calgary, you need to enjoy the weather when you can. However, I did paint one room, covered up the god awful green with something a little more dark and calm. I've decided it's a lot better then the old colour. I also went back to home depot to see about some kitchen cabinets. My kitchen is roughly 11x9ft in size. Cabinets, without install, came to be 9000$. Doesn't that seem a little steep? And this is before any discounts, install, or counter tops. Messed up, and my kitchen is tiny. Now I would have received a discount of 1000$, but seriously. The lady estimated install would be about another 2500, and all still without a counter top. Messed up. Oh yeah, and the cabinets wouldn't be delivered for at least 6 weeks. Damn.
So anyways, I'm going to another place, and maybe I'll even go to Ikea tonight, to crunch some more numbers and look at more cabinets. Such a headache. On top of that, i cancelled with bath fitter today. I just can't believe it costs $3600 for someone to put a piece of plastic on top of your old crap. So I've decided to have my tub refinished, and a plumber come in and install for me a shower, and my mom and I will do the tile ourselves. This a new toilet, mirror and vanity will probably cost the same. Yay for more work.

At Home Depot

2011-07-29T16:26:00.002-06:00

So, I'm standing here, at Home Depot, fixing the god awful Green colour I picked for the house. I've got the paint guy working hard for me, and he keeps saying sorry every time he goes back to add a little colour to correct it to my newly picked "modern oasis."
In fact it is my fault for picking a colour in the store. I didn't even take the swatch home to see what it would look like there. BIG mistake.
Well, atleast I'm keeping the paint boy at home depot busy
Edited July 30, 2011 9:23am
The paint guys at home depot did a very good job for me! Excellent cutomer service! Although they were unable to macth both paint cans, the more experienced associate had the idea of combing the paint cans into one big paint bucket. Works for me! Can't wait to get the colour creation on the wall, and test out my other colour as well!
Also, I had Bathfitter come in and do an estimate. Apparently, there base price starts at 3600 for a bath renovation, which really is a piece of plastic going over your existing tub. Anybody know of any other company's in my area that do the same thing?

Renovation Budget

2011-07-29T09:23:00.010-06:00

	Budgeted	Actual	Under/Over
Bath/Shower	$ 2,000.00	$ (1,545.46)	$ 454.54
Kitchen Appliances	$ 4,000.00	$ (3,176.25)	$ 823.75
Paint	$ 150.00	$ (293.24)	$ (143.24)
Flooring	$ 2,000.00	$ (1,204.60)	$ 680.51
Underlay	$ 500.00	$ (120.00)	$ 380.00
Baseboards/Moulding	$ 250.00
Floor Tiles	$ 150.00	$ (150.00)	$ -
Bathroom Shower/Faucets	$ 200.00	$ (21.00)	$ 179.00
Cabinets	$ 10,000.00	$ (16,477.00)	$ (6,477.00)
Backsplash	$ 350.00
Bathroon Sink/Faucet	$ 150.00	$ (88.36)	$ 61.64
Toilet	$ 150.00	$ (177.45)	$ (27.45)
Kitchen Sink/Faucet	$ 250.00	$ (165.90)	$ 84.10
Lighting	$ 1,000.00	$ (79.94)	$ 920.06
Garbage Removal	$ 300.00
Graham	$ 2,000.00	$ (472.00)	$ 1,528.00

Other:	$ 1,550.00	$ (578.18)	$ 971.82
Doors? 500?
Wall Reno		$ (525.00)
Lumber		$ (53.18)


Total:	$ 25,000.00	$ (24,549.38)	$ (517.05)

Budget Left:	$ 450.62

Updated October 14, 2011

Pictures

2011-07-28T22:32:00.003-06:00

pr0star's photostream on Flickr.

Progress from July 2nd to July 22.

Welcome Everyone

2011-07-28T22:29:00.000-06:00

Hello, and welcome to my freshly re-created blog, at blogger. Long time ago, about 4 years in-fact, I had been on and off using this blog in between different personal websites. Since then, i had fallen off the blogging bandwagon and became board of blogging without a real theme or purpose.
However, on July 1st, i took possession of a a duplex, the side in that myself and my parents once lived in about 25 years ago. Now look at my age on the side, and now back here. Do the math... got it?! Yes, i hope you did.
So pretty much i've decided to document the progress of my renovation here. Although i have gotten around to getting some things done, such as pulling out the carpets and baseboards, rip out the kitchen cabinets, removing drywall off of one of the kitchen walls, moved around some electrical and removed 2 layers of vinyl from the bathroom (breathe here), there is still MUCH to do.
Thank you for coming and I hope the next few weeks (hopefully), will be as much more fun then reading this blog, or maybe it is fun.
You decide.