Marching in slow progress. We were hoping to be able to move into the house this weekend by our anniversary, but looks like it will be the weekend after that. Not too bad for timeline, though!
Roof is finally all fixed and now I can go and do transcription work from the new house during the day without all that noise.
We tested the radiators this week and they all work with no leaks, thank goodness. Our boiler is really old and we need to decide whether to replace it or possibly invest in one of those ductless split heating/cooling systems. Since the walls are cement and we have radiator heat – puttting in a forced air system is totally out because installing air vents would be a problem. So, it is either new boiler or the ductless. The ductless system would be nice because then we would have air conditioning! So, we need to get an estimate on the cost of that. A new boiler is around $10,000 (super ouch!!), plus another couple thousand for the chimney liner.
This week most of the time was spent on the flooring and coating the counters. The flooring went in pretty easily. I have installed tile, laminate, vinyl and now engineered wood floor. The only floor we haven’t done is hardwood 😀
This flooring has an underlayment already attached to it, so we didn’t have to put that down. The cork planks cut much easier than laminate and we easier to install, although some boards gave us problems for unknown reasons. We did find a lot of pieces with chipped edges, though. Probably a whole box worth, so that needs to get returned.
It took 2 days for us to get flooring in the kitchen and nook areas.
I am loving how the floor looks. I put my chair in there just for fun. It’s not going in there permanently.
I like this floor enough to put it in the little alcove off the living room (we call it the North room) in the future. That is the only room with carpet in it and I really, really like this cork. I like the color. It is very quiet to walk on and cushiony.
Lots of attention paid to the counters this week, too. With the Waterlox, you have to let it dry 24 hours between coats and it needed 4 coats. It didn’t take a lot of time to actually put on the coats, but there is a lot of downtime waiting. We can’t put in the sink or tile until that gets done. I am pretty pleased with how it is looking, though.
Backsplash should be started on Friday or Saturday. Yippee!
Plumbing always seems to be the bane of my existence. The previous owners took the shower handle (why??) and finding a replacement has been the biggest PITA ever.
Plumbing parts are very brand specific and after finally figuring out the brand, we cannot seem to find anything that fits this particular stem. It would really help if these parts were labeled so that it could be matched, but they aren’t. This is one of those things that should be easy, but isn’t and is incredibly frustrating.
We took tonight off from the rehab to do a few other things. After 2 weeks of going down in flames for football picks to start the year, I finally won this week! Woo Hoo! I decided to try something really different:
5 Guys! This was pretty good. You don’t see burgers on the blog hardly ever. I don’t generally like to eat ‘corporate’ meat as we call it, but I wanted to try this. John got a grilled cheese sandwich LOL! I don’t know if I would go back again, but the fries were awesome!
Then it was shopping time. Birthdays coming up in the next week and appliance shopping!
I will be glad when money stops going out faster than it comes in, that is for sure!
You guys have been rocking the rehab! The roof looks great, as does the floor. How nice that you are getting so close to being finished enough to move in!!
On the shower handle, why don’t you just replace the entire unit?
Oh and Five Guys fries are excellent. Luckily I have to travel to Plano (3.5 hours north) to get them… 😉
We are trying to replace the unit, but we only know the brand and not the style. It’s Kohler and the valve that is in the wall only works with certain faucets. That is the problem. We can’t just get any Kohler faucet unit and put it on there. I am crossing our fingers we have the match since we have identified the wall valve because I really don’t want to have to open up the wall to replace that – which would be the absolute last resort.
The house is looking beautiful!
I made your potato chowder today for the three of us and it gets 6 thumbs up, so good!
Yay!
Well I have lots of thoughts today! Just today the guys installed a ductless mini-split system in my house!! It was kind of by happenstance that that happened. I went to look at bathtubs, and asked the guy about an air conditioner that was on sale, and he started going on about the mini-split… and then because of regulations, I was going to have to put an alternative source of heat in my house (besides wood stove) so we did this. It was more expensive than I had originally thought… anyway, today we had this weird cold day, so I can say it works very nicely, and is very quiet! Kind of sticks out a lot farther than I would have preferred though.
That’s so interesting that the cork floors are cushiony to walk on. I think the hardwood floors are hard.
That stove you pictured looks just like mine. But mine is a GE. The local appliance store really likes GE, and he gives me a good deal on them, so now all my appliances will be GE (when the new ones come.
Well, you sure are moving right along. I will be so happy when my kitchen looks as finished as yours does!!
Well damn, I have much thoughts now. I’ll have to email you about the system.
The cork isn’t ‘squishy’ to walk on, but definitely not hard like tile or hardwood. It’s unusual.
Lori, at my knitting group(!) today, a few ladies were discussing finding rare plumbing parts for old houses and one of them said she found an ace who knows parts like the back of her hand and can find anything. Her name is Mary Simpson and she has worked at Keidel Pumbing ( in Cincinnati OH) for 38 years. Maybe you could call her. If they have the part but won’t ship, I could run over there and get it and ship it to you. Mary in Cincinnati
Thanks for the tip and the offer! This isn’t a rare faucet per se, since it was installed about 15 years ago. It’s just matching the correct trim to the correct valve.
Lori, your rehab is looking awesome so far. Am loving watching it come together. We have ducted which we use for cooling and it is fantastic. We have only heated the house a few times and it worked very well too but I don’t know if it would retain heat as well as the boiler system (that’s those metal things against the wall I am guessing). I suppose you have the fireplace to help with that. Hmm, heating advice/comments from someone who lives in the subtropics. Oh dear….
Yeah, I think it is a bit different in the winter here than the subtropics LOL!
I’ve enjoyed seeing the transformation of your new house into Radiance Manor! Your hard work is really paying off!
Regarding the cork floors, do you think they would work over cement slab? I love the look of hardwood floors, but wood + cement seems like it might be too hard and cold. Yours look amazing!
You can use the cork over cement. You just need a moisture barrier film underneath like poly, which they sell in rolls at the home improvement store.
You guys are doing wonderful with the house 🙂 happy soon to be anniversary and birthday too 🙂 loving watching the house rehabbing 🙂
Thank you!
I think I would have just replaced all the shower plumbing at this point! Everything is looking so great. I know you’re anxious to get moved though so the wait is hard.
We like a 5 Guys burger once in a while. They actually remind me of a good old-fashioned home cooked burger. And you are correct about the fries – they are so good. We actually have to get 2 portions (which means leftovers) because I like the spicy ones and Mr. Helen does not.
That would mean tearing everything out and that is a project for the future (way future).
I have that same exact stove! Although I dream of a gas stove, which I haven’t had for 20+ years. When I win the lottery and redo my kitchen, I’ll get a gas stove and a pizza oven! 😀
Have a great weekend! If it makes you feel any better, my football picks have sucked ass so far this year – I am hoping to redeem myself this week!
Hey Lori, I really like those floors! Our kitchen floor is shot–it came with big vinyl tile, which are cracked/peeling. Did you have to remove the baseboards to install it?
If you don’t remove the baseboard, you can use a 1/4 inch shoe molding to cover the edges. We need to add the shoe molding still. You have to have a tiny gap between the flooring and the wall because it is a floating floor and will expand and contract.
I love the look of the flooring, too! I wish I wasn’t such a messy person in the kitchen. 🙂
I also love 5G fries, but I find that after 10 or so, I’m feeling the grease. For this I am grateful. LOL
LOVE how the house is looking & coming along – it is going to be amazing!!!!!!!
Hubby likes 5 Guys!!! 🙂 I like the fries crisper so not a fan of the fries & not a burger person so never tried that!
Floor is looking good Lori! The kitchen starts to look great, love what you did to it.
Happy to see you did take a little break. We don’t eat burgers out often either. I think I visit McDonalds or Burger King only once a year and by the time I have finished the meal, I’m good for the next year LOL Too much fast food for me and not satisfying at all.