Gravy's Spoon

Nursery

2010-06-08T17:27:00.000-07:00

Nursery is almost done! Since my last post, I put in insulation in the ceiling and walls and the drywall has gone up thanks to the guys at DryMex. While my dad worked on framing around the window sills, I lined both closets with cedar strips and then we tackled building steps up to the door to the outside deck.

The steps were no small feat, after completely cutting them incorrectly, we referred to google to find the correct way to measure them and luckily had enough of the 8x10 left to do 3 step supports. We were able to get those in and then the steps themselves. It was nice to be able to easily get out to the deck where saw was, as opposed to my normal running leap. My sister Gillian also came and helped with priming the walls and ceiling for me.

After the parents left, during the following week I finished with the risers of the steps and then adding the trim to the windows and closets. Then began the choosing of wall colors. I defauled to Natalie and bought some test vials of the paints. The green we wanted for the wall was too dark, so I went back and bought two different lighter variants of the green. I decided to do the top 1/3 of the walls a light green and the lower 2/3 a slightly darker tint. The ceiling is almost a sky blue. The trim I kept to a standard glossy white which matches our bedroom and changing room's trim.

Thanks to my friend Rob who was kind of enough to let me borrow his classroom's projector, I also began the mural. It's based off a Natl. Park poster from the Ranger Doug website, with some tweaking to get it to fit the space. TJ and Brendan helped helped me trace the outline, and now it's only a matter of painting between the lines!

Long overdue update

2010-03-28T14:07:00.000-07:00

Trying to get better at keeping this thing updated, especially since now we're doing some more work.

Our dressing room outside the bedroom is basically finished. We had wallpaper put in and installed some large ikea wardrobes. Wardrobes were very difficult thanks to some slight mismeasuring on my part and their shear size, they are about 90"+ tall. That was a few months ago and we finally just got the doors to go on them. Should be putting them up this week.

Nursery is next big project to tackle. Mom and dad came down last week to help out with that, as well as my brother-in-law Jim. I had already gutted the room (it's the one below where the tower was) and the leaks had been fixed, it was just time to get moving on everything else. It was tough work due to nothing really being plumb or parallel, but we were basically able to frame out 90% of the room for drywall. We also did a bunch of the electric and dad installed a light to the outside lower deck.

Tower is gone

2009-10-12T19:14:00.001-07:00

Our contractor removed the tower today! Now there's a gaping hole in our roof and 4" tall pile of rubble on the lower roof. Let's hope it get's fixed before the rain comes Thursday.

Roof Deck

2009-08-09T17:33:00.000-07:00

The roof deck is officially gone (before, during, and after pics to come)! These rains have been dumping quarts of water into our back bedroom and it has to stop. Was able to patch some more visible possible leak areas, we'll have to wait until the next rain to see.

A wedding and some other weekend distractions coming up, but we'll soon have to tackle the tower and tearing that down so we can redo the whole roof. yay!

Floor in the Batcave

2009-07-27T20:28:00.000-07:00

In preparation for Natalie's sister's visit we have to get the batcave done by friday. Done being everything including some new furniture. Plumbing guy comes tomorrow to hook back up the radiator so we made a mad dash tonight to sand down the horrible floor and throw a coat of floor paint down. Pics to come and more details. Now I'm zonked and ready for bed.

More progress

2009-07-18T13:13:00.000-07:00

Last update of today, I promise. Here are some pictures of the new windowshades - I customized some funky colorful shades I bought from Ikea. They are in our first floor dining room, kitchen and our current bedroom. Also, there's a picture of the platform we installed where the rose bush used to be. Gail and I tackled this last weekend. It was a lot more work than we thought it would be! Jesse built the platform and we made it fit.

Batcave Bedroom

2009-07-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

New slideshow to view progress in Batcave Bedroom.

Analytics

2009-07-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

Jesse showed me the other day how to view the analytics for our blog. Interestingly enough, we've got people all over the country looking at our blog! Case in point, we have viewers in Traverse City, Michigan, and I don't have any friends in Michigan... weird, huh?

Adventures in the past month

2009-07-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Like Jesse said, we've been really busy over the past month, but not just on house-related work. One thing that lost me a few days was that Bean ran away. She got out the back door into the alley and was gone for a few days. We flyered the whole neighborhood and went door-to-door. I was so distraught over the thought of losing her - I've had her for 10 years, and I love her to death! Anyway, a neighbor called to let us know she had Bean cornered in her backyard, and we went up the street to pick her up. She was disoriented but glad to be home. I think that she and Puddy are even getting along a little better now! Needless to say, she is now wearing a collar full-time.

We also had a couple weekends away - one beautiful weekend camping with friends in the Adirondacks (it was 6 hours each way but well worth the peace and quiet) - and July 4th weekend in Fenwick Island, Delaware with friends Jim Mather, his bro Chris and parents. It was nice to have some time to relax between all this housework.

More work getting done

2009-07-13T18:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a month since the last post but that doesn't mean we haven't been somewhat busy.

We got new windows installed (see gallery) in the batcave and the TV room by our guy Ryan. He did a nice job and tomorrow he'll be fixing the seams that the other dry wall guys did. Hopefully this is the start of a nice working relationship.

Tore the middle room apart last week (see gallery). Two walls had two layers of drywall on them and half the ceiling had drywall. It was nice to see some of the electrial work that i need to replace as well as a few lengths of (hopefully) dead knob and tube wiring. Had my friend Brendan help me bring down the one wall while I bagged up the drywall. Lo and behold, behind the one wall we found a fork sculpture that the previous owner had left hidden behind the drywall. I've yet to take it out because I swear it looks like he built it in there. Please email me if you know any Scott Pellnat collectors out there, i'll give them a good deal on shitty artwork! I ended up taking 11 bags of debris and drywall to the dump the next day. Thanks again Brendo for helping out and taking the pictures that you'll see in the gallery.

Mom and Dad showed up on Saturday to help out. Natalie and Mom cleared out the back area and installed the mini-deck I made for the grill to sit on (pics to come hopefully). Sister and fiance showed up to eat my pizza and watch us work. Dad and I trimmed out the windows in the batcave and even made the secret door area look pretty.

Work so far

Drywallin'

2009-06-11T15:15:00.000-07:00

Been a while since the last update, but that's not to say we haven't been busy or been having problems.

We've gotten the drywall completed in the Bat Cave. On a recommendation, I got Brian and Drew to hang and finish the drywall. Not to happy with their final output, the seams are really rough. I'm having them come back to smooth them out, but we'll see how that goes.

See a bit of the process below. I hope to have some after pics up soon.

drywall

Framing the Bat Cave

2009-05-23T21:49:00.000-07:00

Dad came up to help with framing the batcave up (Before pics to come). I had already purchased the materials at the Depot that morning and luckily found a parking spot right out front. Dad was able to pass up the forty plus 10' and 12' 2x4s up to me through the window. The 8' 2x4s I just carried up the steps.

Since we had to move the radiator, I opened up the valve in the basement and attached a hose so it would empty out in the floor drain. Going to the third floor, I used my radiator key and opened up the air valve. It took about thirty minutes to drain the whole house. Near the end, the water was a chocolate brown from dirt and rust. A radiator is heavy! The thing must weigh 250+ lbs. Through some struggling we were able to move it out of the way.

We were able to get half of the room framed out today. The windowed wall took a while and the wall with the radiator pipes also took some time. Definitely some frustrating moments, but I feel like I'm learning. Tomorrow we finish up.

Washer and Dryer, Part III

2009-05-21T10:07:00.001-07:00

After a relatively easy return at the Sears Outlet and the help of TJ again, we have a new washer and dryer in our basement! I still need to wire the dryer in and hook up the exhaust line.

Washer and Dryer, Part II

2009-05-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

Tonight we decide to move the washer down and that we will return the dryer and hope either to get a similar load size one that fits or suck it up and just get a smaller dryer that doesn't really match.

TJ came by today and after a few cigarettes helps me move the washer to the basement. We plug it in and hook up the water and give it a whirl...the water fills...a noise is made...then nothing. The washer isn't spinning or agitating. We are crestfallen. After all of this work and frustration the thing is busted!

I opened the panel in the front up via the secret safety latch and take a look. Everything appears normal, the belt is attached and all the wires are plugged in. I think the motor is just busted. We'll see tomorrow when we take it, and the too big dryer back. Grrrr

Washer and Dryer

2009-05-17T20:01:00.000-07:00

We went to the Sears Outlet in Newark, DE on Sunday. Got ourselves a GE washer and dryer with all the trimmings. I measured the depth, both were 25.5" (We only have 26" to get down to the basement)

After a horrible meal of the worlds smallest crabcake sandwhich in Newark, we returned home with the truck full of our new buys. Moving them into the house was a little rough but we made it without too much getting angry at each other.

Of course once we get them into the house, i realize there's a part of the dryer that I didn't see in the store that sticks out an extra 3". This dryer is not making it down the steps at all. Washer looks like it will make it as planned as long as I knock a board out. TJ and Anna came by to inspect and watch Natalie and I look angry and frustrated at each other.

Electricianery 101

2009-05-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Ma and Pa Spacco came up today to help. After a stop at the Italian Market to grab some olives and cookies they arrived to help Natalie and I out. Natalie had a Girls Rock Philly event to attend to at the Kinetic Sculpture Derby so she had to head out early.

I put Mom to work digging out the old rose bush in the 'back yard,' basically moving debris into a bucket and having me dump it in the back of Dad's truck.

Using my plumbing skills from earlier in the month, I soldered the new pipe fixtures for the hot and cold for the washer. We had some problems getting the flux to pull the solder, apparently we didnt clean the surface well enough.

Next up was wiring! Dad taught me how to wire up the 220 outlet for the dryer and how to get it into the fuse box. It wasn't as bad as I thought and I'm confident in doing it myself later.

In the batcave we were doing some checking of the old wiring and brainstorming drywalling the place. At some point in us poking around, we lost power to half of the master bedroom and the batthroom. We have no clue what happened. It looks like sometime this week I'll be running new wire from the basement up to the second floor, yay!

Shout out to our Buyer Agent Dave Lombardo

2009-05-01T16:41:00.001-07:00

Hey friends in Philly, if you are thinking that you might want to buy a house, please give a call to our Real Estate agent, Dave Lombardo, with Century 21 Advantage Gold. He was so helpful throughout the process and explained everything to us really carefully, and answered all our silly questions. He did such a good job for us, even when we were running into snags in the buying process. We both recommend him very highly, and can truly say that he is now a friend. Thanks Dave - now you have your face up on Broad Street, AND on Gravy's Spoon!

Weekend of April 25-26

2009-04-27T21:40:00.000-07:00

Jimmy and Gail Spacco came up again this weekend to help with the house. This time Gillian, Jesse's sis, joined in to help. Now we have clean windows - the better to enjoy our natural light! Jimmy did so much to fix little logistic issues - doors that didn't work, leaky plumbing traps, and Jesse continued to clear all the rest of the junk out of the basement.

I got home from a work trip in Chicago mid-way through the weekend but was able to enjoy some of the lovely treats they brought up - a frittata and fruit for breakfast, garlic shrimp with sweet potato hash for lunch, I missed the mac-and-goat-cheese dinner but I hear it was spectacular. I can only aspire to host a meal as great as one at the Spaccos'. Just wait until I get my grill!

Our new home, Part 2

2009-04-21T20:30:00.000-07:00

After we negotiated the price of the house post-inspection, it was time to wait... and wait... and wait... for the appraisal. When the appraisal finally came back (2 days before original closing date), it came with a laundry list of issues that the FHA insisted needed to be immediately resolved before we could get the mortgage. These issues included (but not limited to): Covering at least a dozen open outlets and capping unsafe light fixtures, putting a banister all the way around the to roofdeck, removing a wall from the middle bedroom, fixing a cabinet in the kitchen, making the stairs to the basement safer (by installing a handrail and moving the door).

The seller would not help with these fixes, but granted us access to address them in order to keep the deal moving forward. We enlisted the help of a terrific contractor (I would recommend, contact me if you want his info) and resolved the issues. We ended up closing on the house on Wednesday, April 8th, exactly 2 weeks after the original closing date, and on the last day of our interest rate lock (good thing because we locked in a killer interest rate).

Then the celebration (and the work) began!

Upcoming projects / priorities

2009-04-21T20:14:00.000-07:00

Within the next month or so, these are our immediate priorities:
- Replace 2 windows in upstairs bedroom (Novus Rumpulus*)
- Replace 2 windows in 2nd Floor Batcave Bedroom
- Replace small window in Dressing Room Bedroom
- Re-wire electric in Batcave and Dressing Room
- Re-drywall and paint Batcave and Dressing Room
- Replace the roofs (will require us to remove 2nd Story roofdeck and 3rd story roofdeck)
- Cut down the tower to half size and turn it into an awesome spectacular skylight
- Get the junk removal guys in here (see pictures!) to remove previous owner's truckload of crap
- Clean up the back patio behind kitchen, including removal of rose bush, weird brick planter and tying back the apple tree (which is currently growing to block access to side of house)

Did I mention that this is an ambitious project? I will follow up with the many more projects we have listed and lined up for summer (including a new kitchen)!

* We are currently referring to the bedrooms as follows:
1st Bedroom = Ex-Rumpuli (formerly known as the Rumpus Room), current master bedroom
2nd Bedroom = Dressing Room or Mid-Bedroom
3rd Bedroom = Batcave, probable future master bedroom
4th Bedroom = Novus Rumpulus or New Rumpus Room, future future master suite (when we add a bathroom where the office currently is.

Problems, Part 324,280

2009-04-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

As the resident curmudgeon, it's up to me to post everything wrong with the house and complain about every little thing. Long story short, the dishwasher instead of cleaning the dishes, is vomiting moldy gunk that resembles hairy, wet newspaper onto the dishes. After disassembling everything on the inside and getting elbow deep in it, I think I somehow made it worse. Running the dishwasher again created less gunk, but there was 3" of water left inside. Thank the gods for the wet/dry vac. At least the roof isn't leaking...yet.

Pics of the new place

2009-04-20T15:14:00.000-07:00

Extra special thanks to Brendan for coming back over on Saturday and taking a crapload of pictures! I discovered with delight that it was posted online on Everyblock. I think he did a marvelous job of capturing the natural light which we get in every room. I only wish I had taken the 15 minutes to put on some makeup... but who does that on moving day? Check out the pics.

0420

Weekend of April 18-19

2009-04-20T15:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend, Jesse's parents Jimmy and Gail came up from Maryland, and we got so much accomplished!

Jimmy helped by fixing a lot of little plumbing "mishaps" from the previous owner, patching some spots on the roof, and by cleaning up a lot of the stuff left in the basement. He sorted through the stuff and helped Jesse figure out what to keep, what to toss, and what to sell to the scrap guys.

I also got the rest of my stuff moved out of my old apartment. Special thanks go to Krawldad (Rob) and Brendan for helping me with the heavy furniture, etc., and to Gail for helping with the last of the little stuff - funny how that "little stuff" ends up taking longer than anything else. Now I just need to clean... :-P

Up next - the junk guys come in to haul out the truckload's worth of old junk, doors, wood scraps, dentist chair, kitchen sink (exaggerating, but... you name it, we've got it). We need to have a window guy come in and order the correct size energy-efficient windows, only 5 in total, the rest are done. We'll be getting the dry wall crew in here to do at least 2 rooms (the "batcave" Bedroom #3 and the "dressing room" Bedroom #2. And we continue moving, unpacking, cleaning, etc.

It's a journey!

Our new home

2009-04-10T13:45:00.000-07:00

We signed the papers on Wednesday and began cleaning right away. I wish I had gotten some before pictures right away when we moved in, but I'm planning to take my digital camcorder for a spin around the lilypad within a week or so. We've already made a lot of progress.

The road leading to here has not been easy! We immediately fell in love with the place as soon as we found it; I loved it for the neighborhood and the view, and Jesse liked the unique tower and the square footage. We knew it would be a lot of work, but at the time it was an idea we were really excited about. We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into!

After the initial negotiation, our counter-counteroffer was accepted and we had an inspection of the place. Our inspector was very very thorough (he actually sits on the board that defines inspection standards in this county) and he gave us a long list of considerations. At this time we had to really examine our priorities and decide whether this was the right house for us. We talked about it alot, and also took some days where we would avoid the topic altogether. At the end of our deliberation, we finally decided that for our price range, we were not going to find anything in such a great neighborhood, with so much square footage. The view was just the cherry on top. We approached the negotiation table and got the seller to come down further so that we could afford some of the renovations we're planning to make right away.

More of the story to continue!