Up to something

Well, if you know me in "real life" as opposed to only this blog-- (heck you might even gather it from the blog too) I am always on the go. 

I can't sit still for the life of me. Even more so besides a financial slump since being let go, sitting around the house twiddling my thumbs kills me! The way I am fighting it is by seeing that this is much needed time and opportunity to finish a zillion and one projects around the house-- while creating more project along the way!  Ah never a dull moment! 

So needless to say, I am up to another "overhaul" of a room  in my house. While I won't reveal which room or the specifics of what I am doing, I will give you a couple clues to keep you guessing. 

First off, what do you like better? White and Grey stripes (I realize the image on the left might look like dark grey/light grey stripes) OR the image on the right which should be more of a monochromatic Grey on Grey color scheme? 

Secondly, a handful of these are slowly but surely being turned into something wonderful. What is it you ask? Oh, you'll just have to wait and see! 

Now off and running I go as I let the suspense sink in and begin to eat away at you. Stay tuned! 

Desitin disaster

The other night I was relaxing watching some TV and puttering around on the computer with my latest addiction Pinterest... all of a sudden I hear a noise coming from a couple rooms over. 

Let's just say, don't let this sweet face fool ya! 

Peyton

So I go into the room the pups are in to discover dog puke everywhere. I'm immediately like "What the heck?!?!"....

Turns out, this happened: 

Yes, sweet loveable spazzy Peyton got  into a tube of Desitin diaper cream and proceeded to eat the entire thing. Granted, she's been known to eat vaseline before--- but Desitin?? Really Peyton?! 

Needless to say, peroxide to the rescue to further induce vomiting  I cleaned up the mess in the other room and kept Peyton in the bathroom overnight post peroxide. She's been back to her ususal spazzy self since. 

She sure knows how to push mama's buttons! Between jumping the fence constantly (Something she learned from her younger sister Gracie) and eating random stuff, and digging endless holes in the backyard.. yea she's a special one for sure! 

Just glad we didn't end up at the emergency vet.

Tiny Change

This past week I've been on the hunt for additional storage solutions and how to maximize the space in my home. Some do a spring cleaning... I do a spring cleaning and fall purge. I've been going room by room, going through each box, bin, piece of furniture etc and pitching unused unneeded items.

My focus was the kitchen. I've been starting quite the collection of house plants, seedlings and cuttings lately. Once upon a time I wanted to be a botanist or horticulturalist... I've been getting back into those hobbies lately. (Amazing what free time on your hands does!)

Anyways, so my windowsill in the kitchen has been cluttered with several potted plants etc. Time to build a shelf above. I did a simple shelve from 1x2 pieces of wood with a sheet of plywood cut to fit on top. The shelf was screwed directly into the sides of the cabinets.

With the shelf, the windowsill was cleared, I can still open the window if needed etc too.  Of course, I still need to paint the shelf, but at least it's up and functioning.

Have you made any tiny changes to your home lately? Sound off below.

New Commode

 So when it rains it pours right? Amiright?
Right.

So a couple weeks ago I had a major plumbing backup happen. Toilet  tub, you name it, it was backing up. It was fixed almost 24hrs later thanks to Rotor Rooter.

In that time I noticed that the toilet was leaking under the house as well.. My house has a crawlspace and thankfully the bathroom is located on an exterior wall that overlooks the back yard.. So I was able to go to the backyard, look under and see water dripping. I thought, "Well gee, isn't this just great?!".

After this backup, I also noticed the toilet seeping water from underneath. A clear indicator that the wax ring was going.. So I called Henry Plumbing. They previously replaced both of my outside spigots and so far is the only plumber I've used in town.

When I called about my concerns, I was told that the City of Savannah had a voucher program for FREE low flush toilets for residents that have homes prior to 1993. Ka-ching! My home being 1946 definitely qualified.

I was directed to the website to fill out the application form, within in 5 business days I had a lovely voucher in the mail. I went to Sandpiper Supply one sunny afternoon and scooped up the new toilet.

Michael from Henry Plumbing came to install-- while I could've most likely done this myself, considering I didn't know what was causing the leak underneath, I thought it was better for the pros.

First order of business was to remove the old commode.

 A good ol' sawzaw was used to slice the unit in half for easier transport. As part of the voucher program you had to bring the old unit to the local landfill so it could be crushed and used as road fill.

 Once the toilet was removed, I was left with a very nasty looking wax ring, and flange.

 It was discovered that the flange connected to the cast iron pipe going under the house was completely rusted and unattached. Michael went to the supply store and picked up a new flange.

 Once the flange was in place, the new wax ring went on.

 Much better already!!

 The new bowl was set in place followed by the new tank. The hose was connected, water was turned back on and it was tested. No leaking under the house, no leaking from under the toilet. Woot! The replacement of the flange corrected the under the house issue.

 With the new commode in place and up and running, I took the old to the landfill along with my disposal voucher. Now all that's left to do is caulk around the base..

 A small yet needed update around the Casa. What's been a replacement around your home?

Glazing Cabinets with Chris Walker

Last week I had the thrill and the joy to work with Chris Walker from C.N. Walker Designs.
We had met on the site of Extreme Makeover Home Edition: Savannah in November of 2010.  He like the rest of us volunteered time and energy to the build. He was responsible for several painting projects for the home, including but not limited to spraying the fireplace mantels I designed for the home, finishing tin ceiling tiles to be in the home's kitchen.. and he joined several of us in a midnight long session of white washing brick in the master bedroom amongst other things. You can view pictures of the home from the build here. Needless to say, thanks to the mighty power of the internet and Facebook, we've stayed in touch.

He contacted me about a month ago saying he'd have a project coming up. I was all for it!
So with a little caffeine in the system we hopped to it. The homeowners are in the middle of major rennovations. What began as, "Honey, we really need a new roof." Turned into a whole house renovation. Down came walls, up came the roofline and a second floor addition to the home as well as a complete new kitchen, flooring, interior paint colors etc etc. You name it, they are doing it. While they have enlisted the help from a contractor, the homeowners are also doing a majority of the work themselves-- and raising 3 young kiddos. Kuddos to them! I thought I was roughing it with myself and 3 dogs.... Nope, throw kids in the mix and a non functioning kitchen (no appliances yet) and wow!

Ok, enough chatter.. On to the project!

The cabinets were custom made out of Jessup GA and were coated in a lacquer finish. That right there saved us a step or two, or three. =)

The main kitchen cabinets began as white.

The kitchen island began as a latte brown color. 

Chris has the process down to a science. He uses his own concoction of glaze mix. Adding more or less color per the client approved sample. It's an oil based product that adheres to the lacquer finish and is durable. This process is not just getting glaze in the "nooks and crannies" like pieces you see at Home Goods, etc. It's fully brushed on the piece and then lightly wiped off using cheesecloth to keep the marks and the appearance of wood grain. Most sites for glazing use rags or just get in the corners of a piece. This technique and approach is way better in my opinion. The finish it uncanning.

Once the cabinet doors dried and set up for 24hrs, they were re-attached and the hardware was put back on. 

The backside of the island had corbels that will support the counter top over hang. They looked so great with the glaze capturing the details! 

 As you can see, we were working in a tad bit of chaos...

The process dragged into three days just with the amount of prep to do like taking down all the doors, glazing, allowing to dry and putting them all back up. It'll look great once the kitchen is 100% put back together. Hopefully the homeowners are happy with the outcome. 

It was great to work alongside such amazing talent and to learn something new. I also came to the realization in the process that I fully, whole heartily enjoyed working hands on like this. It's made me realize that I need to pursue something definitely hands on for my next employment endeavor. Still not sure what that will be.. but perhaps I need to dive into my own business venture?? Not sure I'm ready to make that jump yet. We shall see. 

Have you ever glazed furniture? If so, how'd it turn out? With new skills in place, I am looking to refinish my bedroom set soon.

It doesn't matter if you're black or white

My front porch railings that is....

My railings have driven me crazy for a while now. Since I find myself with a little more "free" time these days, I figured I'd spend the day painting them. I've had a big burst of energy lately and ready to bust out many projects that have been on the back burner for a while now.

They don't seem so bad from a distance, but once you get up close it's a different story. 

See what I mean?? Prior to the sale of the house, these were quickly painted... Enamel/oil based paint was not used and the rust has since bled right through. Time to freshen it up for fall.

I spent a couple hours prepping the surface. I bought a steel wool type attachment for my drill and went over the railing with that. I also used a flexible metal putty knife to scrape any loose paint..Then I taped off all areas that were to be painted.

I decided that while most of this was to be done by hand, spray paint would come in handy for all the scroll  work and make the process around the door easier. So glad I had some spray paint on hand!

Before actually going to work on painting the railings, I sprayed them with a rust inhibitor product or "Rust Reformer" as it is called. I coated only the really bad rust areas with it and it helped to further prep the surface for new paint.

For the spray paint I used RustOleum's Protective Enamel Spray in Gloss Black. For my brush on application, I used their Protective Enamel oil based paint. I made sure to get a good quality brush--made for oil based paint, and a container of mineral spirits for clean up.

Once the area was prepped I started first with the area around the door and spraying it. I figured by late afternoon I'd have to go back inside the house-- so it'd be nice if this area was dry by then. (I had my backdoor unlocked too so I could come and go through there if needed). The application went on smoothly. Or as smoothly as it could. I quickly had wiped down the frame etc with a damp cloth before applying the spray paint. I was careful about drips, but it doesn't seem to matter what I do, I always tend to drip when using spray paint. Go figure! Thankfully a quick swipe with my finger lessened the appearance. Phew!

What a difference! Really Makes the teal door pop don't you think? 

It's similar to this inspiration image I've had pinned on my Pinterest board. 

Source: Elizabeth & Co

Once the door area was complete I tackled the railings.. Pain stakingly tackled them. Talk about having patience! Oooh weee!! I sprayed the top portions of them where they meet with the porch ceiling. That made it a little easier. I still had to contend with all the curly scrolls and make sure all sides were coated. It was so nice to take down all the paper for the big reveal. My address by rights is above the door--- I've blurred it for privacy. --Plus now with so much focus on the door, the address numbers are obviously not centered above the door.. I  will be fixing that soon. 

A few more changes made the entry ready for fall, like retiring my Summer wreath I made back in June. 

I also pulled out the impatiens from the pots and replaced them with some sunny yellow mums. Two HUGE potted palms complete the porch. I received them as a house warming present back at the end of July from dear friends who were moving their family of 7 across country. For the longest time they didn't have a permanent home at my house, until now. Well granted, they still may be moved if they aren't getting enough sun etc on the porch. But for now they complete it, plus every time I walk past them I am reminded of my friends who I miss oh so much! 

So there you have it folks, for around $20 the front of my house has a completely different look. Nothing like a boost of curb appeal to begin a new season!

I still need to paint the fascia and soffit area as well as the front portion of the porch-- which I'll need a much taller ladder for. It's a start though!

Sooooo what do you think?? Have you done any projects around your home lately?

**I have not been compensated in any way by RustOleum for mentioning their products**

Furnace fiasco--long overdue post

Wow, so it's been entirely too long since I updated. LOTS has happened since we left off.. I left you back at the end of June with my furnace issues... Which is what this post will cover. 

Other events that have taken place:

- Spent too short of a period with my nieces pieces in Boston over July 4th. Discovered on my return that my health while visiting her was 100%.

- Had my air ducts cleaned.

- By the end of July, Boyfriend and I were no more.

- A week later after that, I lost my job (beginning of August).

- By the end of August I was told my Dad's Cancer came back. Lung surgery followed and he spent 2+ Weeks in ICU. Finally has been moved into a rehab facility and remains there for now. I visited Chicago at the end of August, partially a pre-planned trip, partially to see Dad as well. 

-I've been working on some sidework lately to pass the time, and finally getting back into the swing of things with house projects as well. 

Stay tuned for lots more posts to come and get you all updated! 

Now to recap on the furnace fiasco......

If you read my previous post, my health was a mess and it turned out to be from the furnace. You can read that post here. 

I mentioned how the metal drain pan under the evaporator coil melted... That gray/silver blob below is the supposed drain pan. 

The picture below is where the high limit switch that malfunctioned was. 

Once the old furnace was taken out, I was left with the closet in raw form. I was super concerned with the damage that was caused. I had a contractor come out to assess and thankfully it turned out the floor underneath the furnace was concrete. AMEN! No hardwood floor damage! Walls apparently were concrete too so the fear of mold in the walls etc was limited to surface. 

This was the cold air return. For whatever reason there was insulation IN the cold air return. Not just wrapping it on the outside. Needless to say it was water logged and contained my infestation of mold.  I immediately noticed a difference once the unit was removed.... Well besides mold there was a temperature difference too. It was in the 90's and I was without AC for 4-5 days! This timeframe allowed the contractor to come in and do his work and for me to Killz paint the closet before the new install of the new unit. 

Rob came from Presidential Renovations  on a Saturday and did the tile installed and also put a drain in the floor. God forbid this ever happens again.. Too with the new install I had a drain pain installed under the furnace with a shut off valve as well. Crossing my T's and dotting all I's. I never want to deal with this issue again! 

By that following Tuesday the guys from Coastal Mechanical came by to install the new furnace and AC unit. 

Don't the new pieces look all shiny?!?! 

The install took all day but was worth it. By that evening I was blowing cool again. 

This by all means was a fluke of how it came to be. In the 35+ years the AC guy had been in the business he had never seen anything like this before. Another reason I am glad to have my home warranty. Granted I still shelled out about $1500 when this was all said and done. Code compliance upgrades were not covered, the new evaporator coil wasn't covered and the work done by the contractor obviously wasn't covered. I still saved a substantial amount tho by having the home warranty in place no doubt. 

So now that I have a brand new AC/Furnace and hot water tank that was replaced back in January, I think all my major house systems should be good for a while! 

Stay tuned for more bloggity blog updates to come. I'm back ya'll!