Where was I?? Oh yes, rehabbing. I never even got in a Friday What’s Blooming post! It’s just been a bit busy around here 😀
Now that we own the house, it was time to see all of the unknowns about the house. This house has had no water, power or gas for over a year in it, which is a little scary. So, these systems will get tested slowly.
Friday was probably the most frustrating day. The electrical was turned on Thursday, and that went well. We had the water turned on (only cold right now) and found broken pipes right away. I figured we would have problems with either the electric or the water, and hopefully not both. Turns out it was the water.
We capped one leak and tested the water again and got water pouring out of the ceiling in the basement. John was pretty freaked out, but my last rehab had broken pipes, so it wasn’t terribly surprising to see that. Unwanted, but not surprising. We pulled down some of the ceiling and found that leak, which was just the line to the outside, and we were able to close that off with the shut off. We were pretty tired that night and called it a day. Not a great start.
We took a ride Saturday morning. I have to tell you that my insomnia has been terrible all week. I have been getting about 5 hours a sleep for the past week and it is really taking its toll. I took a picture and noticed how tired I look LOL
Saturday was spent fixing pipes and me pulling some carpet. There is only carpet on the stairs and hallway upstairs. It was really, really nasty.
I knew there was wood under it, but didn’t know what shape it was in. Finally something good!
Once the leaks in the basement were fixed, we started opening the shutoffs to the first floor powder room. I do have to say that the bathroom smelled really, really bad and it turns out that someone left a ‘present’ in 2 of the toilets. I have an iron stomach, but this almost made me lose my lunch. The not fun part of this, I have to say. Anyway, the toilet needed a new wax ring because there was a leak, so while John continued fiddling with plumbing, I took off the toilet and cleaned it.
By the way – buy stock in disposable gloves because stores are going to need to restock 😀
Got it put back together and we have a functional bathroom! Felt good to have some success.
Wallpaper removal in this room some time in the future. It’s everywhere!!
Rehabbing work goes in fits and starts with progress. Somethings go way faster than expected and some things you just can’t believe how long it takes. Like removing this microwave. Someone had cut the power cord to this as well, so it wasn’t even functional.
For real, this took over an hour to get out. We had some instructions we found online, but it was missing a key point of hidden bolts. Then we finally got it out.
Sunday was a ton of wallpaper removal for me, along with putting cold water into the upstairs pipes and testing those, which haven’t leaked that we have found, thank goodness. We also filled the hot water tank, even though we don’t have the gas turned on, at least the tank doesn’t leak.
Here are some nicer pictures. This was our snack on Sunday. John was out and brought back coffee and a cookie to split. Eaten in our dining room 😀
This is the view of the garden from the dining room:
I can’t wait until I can get out there and work. I don’t know if I will get much done this fall in it. Depends on how the inside goes.
I did the kitchen video the other day, here is the dining room and living room.
I really wish I could just take some time off from work to get stuff done, but I don’t get paid time off and with owning 2 houses and $$ needed for rehab, it’s going to be evening work on the house (or daytime if I run out of work!). I’ll try not to make the blog completely about the new house, but we will be eating, breathing and sleeping it for a bit 😀
You and John did a LOT over the weekend! I hope the water pipe issues are over now. My evenings this week are free, so I hope I can get over to help with the wallpaper….since I didn’t get over to help you today!
It feels like a drop in the bucket, though 😀
Wow – you have been super busy over the weekend!!!
I would have been grossed out over the toilet thing, too – glad you got it all under control!!!
Some people are just nasty.
I love seeing house stuff on the blog…even explaining your thought processes helps me. mary in Cincinnati
Haha – I don’t think I can explain my own thought process!
Oh my…you are brave to be dealing with all of that stuff! The video won’t play on my kindle 🙁
Not brave, really. There are things we hire out for, but this stuff is fixable by us so far. We will be having a plumber come out and give us a new house shut off valve. That we most certainly will not be doing ourselves!
you two are so so so freakin impressive.
video works here!
Thanks!
You two worked hard this weekend! I suppose that’s how it will have to be for a while though. I think your floors look decent – I’d choose wood floors over wall to wall carpet any day.
Ugh on the wallpaper. And boy did they seem to like stripes.
That is how it is going to have to be for a while, but I also need to remember to take time for myself (and John). That’s the hard part 😀
I don’t understand why people cover floors that are gorgeous with carpet. I get that with a damaged floor people don’t want to spend the money for refinishing, but carpet is just nasty. It’s so unbelievably dirty underneath.
I am always amazed by how much you can home do – both of you but you are amazing Lori!!!
Stress & lack of sleep – I get that!!! 🙂
HUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Anyone can do this stuff, it just takes some practice and a lot of reading!
I think you look pretty good for being tired! 🙂
Hurray for those wood floors!!! I’ve been watching Fixer Upper on HGTV, and have been so impressed when they sand down the wood floors and refinish them. Nice that you’ve got them to work with.
Here’s hoping for less surprises along the way – eek on the plumbing leaks! Nice big rooms, though – love the videos.
I was hardly able to keep my eyes open there LOL! We biked to breakfast on Sunday and I was pokey slow.
I hate the plumbing leaks. I swear the bane of my rehab existance is plumbing stuff. Every single time.
This reminds me of the house my folks rehabbed. It was an old farmhouse that had been converted into a school and then sat around. There were side-by-side his and her bathrooms, the kitchen upstairs (complete with 2+ year old fridge contents), and was crawling with mice. All the walls were ripped out, the foam insulation removed, and new wiring put in. Took years to get it all fixed up (hard with animals and 6 people living in it) but it was just beautiful when it was done. The floors in that one picture remind me of that house. sniff 🙂
We only found a couple dead mice so far. LOL! Lots of dead bugs, though.
I love hardwood floors. Pixie is not so fond of them as she likes to roll around on the area rug 😀
I love the rehab posts! I just wish I was as handy as you! 😀 Hope you get some sleep this week – I wish I could give my gift of sleep to people who need it. I slept 9 hours last night. 😀
I’m looking forward to reading about your rehab progress too. I think you do yourself a disservice when you say “anyone” can do this stuff. There is a mental fortitude involved that not everyone has, to say nothing of some of the physical requirements. I’d come help peel wallpaper if you were just a tad closer though. 😀
You got a lot of work to do on the house Lori but it is such a beautiful house, it’s worth it. And I don’t mind if the blog is about the house, I love seeing the progress. If I lived closer I would come and help you or sent R. to help you because he’s more the handyman than me 🙂 I would provide the coffee and meals.
And disposable gloves: use them for every cleaning job in my house, love them.
Wow that is a lot of work! I know it will be amazing when you are done.