Get thee a clawfoot tub!

Laurie deVegter June 1, 2019

You need this. Did you already hear me say this? Oh wait, YES YOU DID!!!

You can get these babies for free (sometimes) and then call the best tub guy in town, Happy, to refinish it for you (PM me for his info).

This baby was behind a friend’s renovation project. Sadly, he was not a believer in the powerful transforming and healing powers of a CFT. However, he gave it to me so I am eternally grateful! ) so he gave it to me! Thanks, Brent!

Here we are after the very sweaty Duke’s Dad and Happy got her into position in the new Master Bath. Isn’t she great!?! I wanted to leave that rustic feel to her and Happy knew just what I wanted. Supremely happy with Happy. He’s a hardworking champ!

Here she is after the GREAT TEAM from American Plumbing went above and beyond to help me get a shower in the new bathroom! They went off site and took the hardware off another old tub and put it onto this ole’ girl! Seriously nicest guys ever - thanks Terrence and Mr. Bryan!

All in all, if you want a CFT DO IT! The nostalgia, charm, and TUB SOAKin is well worth it. Enjoy!

HEAD-ing up the progress....

Laurie deVegter January 12, 2019

Onward we go! After a couple weeks of planning and slowing down due to the holidays we are back on track! Last weekend Duke’s Dad and I got the doors from Pembroke (pronounced “brook,” not “BROKE”), I finished cleaning out the drywall, and he ripped up subfloor in the kitchen so the tile would be the same height in the kitchen as newly found hardwoods in living room.

The physicality of the work is A LOT! I feel like I have some minor nerve damage from 3-4 hours of pulling nails — what a weenie!

Luckily for Duke’s Dad, his friend, Micha was able to come down from Asheville to help for a couple weeks. Micha paired with TT have made a big impact this week — headers have been installed where new windows and doors are going. A new exterior door is hung (major victory for me to see!), and outside openings are blocked off w playwood. I feel so lucky and happy that this GREAT PROGRESS is being made by a lively and fun group…

That and the DENIM-looking tile is down in the kitchen!

I closed on another renovation project with my neighbor December 31st (we start bidding next week) and had a disappointment with the small house community I’ve been wanting to build (CHIN UP!) so I was not at the work site as much as I wanted to be this week but did get to shop vac and clean up the site some (I love a sparkling clean site!).

ONWARD!

Addicted to Demolition!

Laurie deVegter January 4, 2019

LOVE the sound of flooring popping up as I scrape it! SERIOUSLY ADDICTED. Nothing else to report as plumbers and electricians do their thing. We have filled up one dumpster already and getting the exterior of the Mustard Pancake all planned out — new windows have been ordered and now we debate on how to get the most bang for the buck with a VERY SMALL BUDGET.

This is seriously a big test of my budgeting skills. This house is going to need EVERYTHING - updating electrical, adding full bath, renovating one bath, redoing hardwoods, redoing drywall, adding skim coat to ceiling, new kitchen, windows, deck, doors, and ROOF. If we can stay under 50k I am going to be incredibly proud of our team! This is the SMALLEST budget I’ve ever worked with on a house that is in need of the most work!!

The Mustard Pancake - a Renovation!

Laurie deVegter December 10, 2018

Oh boy! My arms are already sore and its only been two days of slinging a hammer. Yes, I am a pipsqueak BUT I do like my demo time. It’s kinda like winter, a time to strip down the layers and get to the meat of what’s ailing you in order to build back. Oh, so deep, meaningful, and (slightly?) annoying, but TRUE!

The Mustard Pancake is ready for a full on FACELIFT, but we are not going to stop there! We are gonna give this ole’ gal the full on WORKS. We’re talking inner-workings, plugs for the hair, an eye-lift, skinlift, and permanant eyeliner and lipstick! Meaning, you will not recognize this 1938 Doll in a couple months.

The Mustard Pancake! She has absolutely NO facial features but we’re going to change that!

So far, I’ve been pleasantly surprised to discover that we indeed DO have hardwoods under layers on linoleum. I was FOOLED to thinking it was gone somehow. Everything else is just garbage done poorly and cheaply. The windows are awful and the crawlspace has been covered up giving way to 40% humidity underneath the bathroom (note to self: never hire the handyman for this house who created a termite highway of EARTH TO WOOD DIRECT CONTACT!!!).

Tondee says, “Just say NO to faux-floating-floors, FOOL!”

FEAR NOT, I have a plan!

I have been inspired by JH Interior Design for some time - mainly the small home she renovated for her family. The loft in her farmhouse inspired my new house design at Thunderbolt & Isle of Hope and the big front porch is what pushed me to realize that the Mustard Pancake could actually shine by adding a bit of farmhouse flare and some depth to the front facade (i.e. add a deep porch that wraps around!).

Inspired by JH Interior Design Oregon Farmhouse

Day 1 - we got flooring up and stacked and Day 2 demo began on bathroom. Day 2 was quite hysterical when I thought I’d cut the water off the the refrigerator and low and behold, it was NOT CUT off and I had to repeatedly run buckets of water outside while my friend, TT, came over to cut the water to the house w an oversized wrench. OMG - water everywhere!