On the B Side

As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, painting of the second side of the house was on the agenda for this year...

Mission accomplished! So happy for progress! :)

I'm also pretty glad that my arms get the winter to recover from the scraping/painting marathon, before we get back to it next year!

Take it Outside

Finally back to working on the house, and have some outside progress to reveal! 

A little reminder, here's what the front side looked like when I moved in (2009):

 

A major improvement (the deck!) was made the following summer, and now this:

We're finally in the process of repainting the siding, and changing it to the grey colour I'd envisioned all along (Behr's Pewter Ring), and I LOVE IT.  So much.  Love how the thick white trim pops now.

Only the front side is painted so far (hence the strategically angled pics!), but we're hoping to get a second side done this year before it gets too cold, and then finish up next summer (basically only two sides can be seen by anyone who isn't trespassing in the yard, so I'm ok with waiting to finish!).

Don't mind the ugly 'under the deck' view.  I still haven't figured out what to put there to screen it - I really don't want to resort to boring lattice, but haven't come up with a DIY alternative yet.  Suggestions are welcome! :)

Tiny Update & Happy New Year!

Now that most of the holiday hubbub is over, it occurred to me that I never did follow up about the front of my house.  I told you about finishing the deck, but at that point that awful front wall was still bare and ugly.  So just to prove I'm not a total slacker (even though I kinda am, since I took so long to post about it)...
 

Ta da!  I finally caught a break in the foul Fall weather (before Winter set in for good) and got it primed and painted.  MUCH better!

And in case you're wondering what all the fuss was about, here's what it looked like before (and why I had to bump it to the top of my to-do list!):

peeling paint

someone's brilliant attempt to cover missing paint with caulk. WITH THEIR FINGERS.

 

Oh, and while I was at it, I finally decided to just throw caution to the wind and remove this 'who-knows-what-it's-for-or-why-it's-there' piece of awesomeness:

And nobody died.


Oh yeah, Happy New Year!

For My Dad: A Deck-laration

O happy day, it's finally finished!!

As I think I've mentioned before, I don't usually like to write about unfinished projects. And currently the front of my house is a bit of a mess as I work to scrape (and repaint, before it gets too cold) a section of it. But at long last, the new front deck is finished, and I've had a special request from Dad (without whom this deck would never have been possible!) to post pics of this project that's taken up much of the past two months of both our lives.
And I can't really argue with him - after so much hard work, it's time to show off the fruits of our labour!

In case you need a refresher, here's what the front looked like when I bought the house:

notice the original deck: tiny, rotten, and utterly useless

I wrote about a bit of an update a year ago (at the conclusion of another long project with Dad), and (drumroll please!) here's how it looks today:

please disregard the unpainted wall! :)

Ooooh... Ahhhhhh....You should see it at night, when light from inside shines out through the slats. Love it!

Since I moved in, three new houses have been built beside mine (all are to the right in the above picture), so one goal with the deck was to maintain a bit of privacy, so that I'll actually want to use this new outdoor space. (It's a good size - the main part is about 9'x11' - so I want to enjoy it!) Another goal was not to look too 'cookie-cutter', or like all the boring decks on new builds like the ones next door. To that end, I designed a railing that I think is a bit more modern and unique, and does a great job of screening the deck from the street and nearby houses.

Obviously I've still got lots of landscaping and clean-up to do (after that wall gets painted!), but this was another major step in converting what used to be the back of the house into a proper front entry. Plans for next year include moving the front door - we positioned the new stairs right in front of where I want it to go!

So, Dad: once again thank you. I learned a lot, and definitely couldn't have done it without you! And now that we're done, you've got to admit - it was at least a little bit fun, right?! :)  Love you!

As for everyone else, what do you think? I really like that it looks unique, but do you think anyone else will (ie. future owners of my home)?  Does it look more like the front of a house now?

Sneak Peek

Here's a glimpse of the 'little' project that took over my life about a month or so ago...

lumber yard? or front yard?

progress!

Fingers crossed that by the end of the coming long weekend, the end of this project will also be in sight!  

 

Happy House-iversary

O happy day, today marks my first house-iversary - I officially became a homeowner one year ago today.  I thought I would invite you to take a little sentimental journey with me, to a year ago, to tell you about how my house and I first got to know each other.  I'll warn you: I'm not known for being particularly brief, but I think it's worth sharing.  :)

Thirteen months ago, I (for unexciting reasons I won't get into here) found myself needing to find a house relatively quickly.  A friend recommended a realtor, I told him what I was looking for, and asked to see whatever was available in my (admittedly low) price range.  (As a first-timer, I wanted a good sense of what that would buy me in my area, so I would know a good house when I saw it) Anyway, as it turned out, the search wouldn't take long - there were only about three.  And this is not because I was being picky.  Unless you consider 'unwilling to spend more than the bank would allow' or 'unwilling to buy an uninhabitable house' being picky.  Anyway, lucky for me, this house was number three (of three!), and I knew right away that it was 'The One'.  What was REALLY lucky for me was that I didn't feel like I was forced to 'settle' for this house.  I love it.  I loved it right from the start.

What followed was a crazy hectic two weeks - yep, closing day was a mere two weeks after the day I first laid eyes on my house, and only twelve days after my offer was officially accepted (these things are possible if (a) you are certifiably insane, and (b) the house is vacant).

A year ago today, I woke up super-early in the morning, super-duper excited.  It was CLOSING DAY.  I couldn't get that song 'Closing Time' out of my head.  Not that the rest of the lyrics are relevant, but who cares?!  I was excited.

All through the previous, hectic days, through all the lawyer and bank appointments, the house inspection, etc., I kept waiting for it all to feel 'real'.  Everything was happening so fast, reality hadn't caught up with me yet.  But I figured that once I held that key in my hand, that would be the moment.

I went to the house that morning for the final walkthrough with my realtor.  Luckily, he'd arrived first, because what greeted us was a bit of a shocker (major understatement).  The night before, hoodlums had thrown rocks through five of the house's (brand new) windows, kicked in the basement door, and left the other doors swinging in the wind.

We surveyed the damage, and before getting on the phone to start handling things, my realtor handed me the key, saying "here, I guess this is yours". So much for my 'moment'.

Now, in hindsight, it could've been worse, right?  They couldn've set fire to the place, or kicked holes in the walls or something.  Or hey, they could've done it the next day, after I took possession, and my insurance would've been responsible for the damage.  But nevertheless, it was still pretty darn traumatic.

The rest of the day was an emotional rollercoaster, but I was determined that this house was mine, and I wasn't letting some stupid hoodlums ruin MY day.  This was my eventual decision, anyway, after multiple phone conversations, freak outs, and a lot of tears!  (I live alone here, people, and the house is well back from the street.  I think my fear was justified!)

The previous owner called some idiots to come clean up all the glass, board up the windows and secure the doors (I say idiots because they drove massive screws through the solid wood door with the ONLY working lock - you know, the one my key was for? - and left one window uncovered with rain blowing in, and the basement door wide open - yeah, that'd be the one the massive screws should've been used for.  Come on morons, the house is pretty small.  How'd you manage to screw that up???)

Since my moving 'crew' (thanks, guys!) was scheduled for the next day, that night I just moved a few things in with my dad's help.  Included in that first load was a bed, because there was no way I was leaving my house a vacant target for the hoodlums that night.  It was mine, dammit!  

I spent the first night on a mattress on the floor (oops, forgot the bedrails in all the 'excitement'!), with a hammer by my pillow (hey, it was all I had!), and every light in the place blazing.  A memorable day right to the end, though not in the way I'd hoped.

 no, this is not a crack house

Anyway, so I moved in, life started to fall into a routine, etc. etc.  Until, a week later, the hoodlums came back while I was at work and smashed another window and kicked in the basement door, this time tearing it completely off its hinges.  Yeah, that day kind of freaked me out, too.  Welcome to the neighbourhood!  (I should probably clarify at this point that despite how this sounds, I DO NOT live in the ghetto.  This is an otherwise pretty quiet suburban street.  Any neighbours I've talked to haven't heard of anything else like this happening around here.)

So yeah, this time it was on me to replace the window and door.  Again, I'm grateful that it wasn't worse.  The laptop I'm typing on right now?  Was totally sitting out on the dining room table when they broke in the second time.  But nothing was taken, and I don't even think they came upstairs.  Still freaked me out, though!

I spent my entire first month of home-ownership living in a dark, boarded up house, with the wind whistling through the broken windows.  As soon as the final window was replaced, I had the alarm system installed (the first of many unplanned-for expenses, I've learned).  I now sleep much better, and the hammer is back in the tool box where it belongs!

one of many boxes of glass

It was more than six months before I felt like I could safely walk around inside without shoes on because of all the glass (apologies again to the guests I 'yelled' at to keep their shoes on!).  I still occasionally find the odd shard.  And I'm not sure I'll ever want to walk in the yard barefoot, because it's a lot harder to spot it out there!

The hoodlums are still around, but haven't caused any more trouble that I know of.  They still occasionally run through my yard (and yes, at least one time the police were in pursuit...), but I make sure to let them know I'm here, and that I'm watching. Turns out, we homeowners are a rather proprietary bunch.  I care, because it's mine.

So tonight, I'm toasting my first house-iversary with an adult beverage, and thinking that, all in all, it's been a pretty good year.  And, while I type this, as their own special contribution to the celebration, the hoodlums are setting off fireworks in the schoolyard across the street.

How sweet of them to remember.

 

Garbage Day (2nd Annual?)

Hey, look what I just found in the woods and brook beside my house:

Ok, ok, I know - another boring post about garbage.  But here's my point:  People who litter are selfish and lazy.  Please don't be one of them.

Signs of Spring

Look what I found, peeking out of the ground beside my house!

(I actually hate these things (hence the obvious lack of care around them) - they're tiger lilies, and the place is overrun with them . But still. SPRING!)

Buds on the lilac bushes, and a brilliant blue sky.



Birds everywhere (all of whom managed to elude my camera)

And yes, even the inevitable garbage in the brook, waiting for me to get out there and do some Spring Cleaning (remember garbage day last year?).


Even though the yard actually looks pretty desolate right now.


Even though I know that we probably haven't seen the last of the snow, yet.
Even though it's technically still Winter...

Spring is definitely on its way!

Snow fun? No fun.

What did I do today? I shovelled. This:

For the second day in a row.

I can barely move my arms. And winter has barely begun!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

OK, here goes. This post has been a while in the making, mostly because I'm not a big fan of admitting 'failure'... and that's sure what this project felt like. But it's DIY reality, and it had a happy ending, so here it is! :)

I have a back porch. It has a roof. If you've seen any of the pics of my backyard (like the snowfall one below), they're taken from directly under this roof. Anyway, when the main roof and the front and back porches were re-shingled shortly before I bought the house, someone decided it'd be a good idea to only do the job half way. They redid the shingles, but didn't install any flashing in the space where the roof meets the wall.

Or a closer view:

I don't know if these pics are doing the gap justice. It was big, and causing problems. I really shouldn't be surprised, because I'm finding that so many things have been done in a similar manner (half-assed). But hey, I'm always up for a challenge, so I figured I could make it right.

I did lots of research, and gathered the requisite tools and supplies to install step flashing to keep water from entering the gap. I scheduled the assistance of a ladder-holding friend (thanks, Mish!). I found myself a bright, sunny day. I even got up there on each side of the peak and ran the circular saw along the roof line, to get enough of the shingles out of the way to get the job done (this was step one, and my first ever experience using a circular saw. My advice? Try it on solid ground first. But, hey, I got it done)

And then I hit a wall. Well, figuratively, at least. Basically, what I discovered that day was two-fold:
1. No matter how much I might wish otherwise, I do not have the arm strength of a man. Not even an average or somewhat wimpy man. That arm strength was a requirement of this job that I didn't anticipate.
2. I'm just not cool with working on that kind of angle, at that kind of height. The pics don't really tell you how high up I was, or how steep the roof angle, so just trust me: it was bad. Not bad for someone accustomed to such jobs, but bad for someone like me who's not a huge fan of heights to begin with. Add to that the wobbliness inherent in using a ladder at that height and...

End result: I eventually had to concede defeat, and call in a handyman. Thankfully Mish (the ladder-holding friend) knew of one who could get the job done. So here's what it looks like now:


In the future, the plan is to make it look a little prettier with a piece of wood clad in aluminum (white so it blends with the siding) but for now, the water has stopped pouring in the gap, so I'm happy. And hopefully this'll never happen again:


Yep, that's rain water that leaked into my light fixture through the roof/wall gap. Pretty, isn't it? Not so much. There was also a lot of water in the section of my basement that's directly underneath, and I hope it's gone for good, too.

Take a Number

The originals that came with the house:

But now that I've got a ladder (thanks, Kijiji!)...

I was finally able to put up my fab new house numbers! They're floating numbers, but (thanks to some awesome cutting and drilling help from a friend) I mounted them on a piece of reclaimed (aka garbage) acrylic which I frosted up just for the occasion.

LOVE them! They're just the first step in overhauling the look of the front of the house (remember this post?), so stay tuned!

HGTV - Design Dilemma

On a whim, I emailed HGTV a few months ago when they were looking for outdoor design dilemmas... Well guess what? They featured my 'dilemma' (and my house) on their website this week!

Have a look:

http://www.hgtv.ca/BLOG/archive/2009/08/19/outdoor-design-dilemma-with-carson-arthur-when-back-of-the-house-is-actually-the-front.aspx

What do you think of their suggestions?

Kicked to the Curb

Yep, I must still be high on spray paint fumes! Here comes another fun one:

After an eventful evening last week involving a soccer game, a trip to the ER, and a couple of stitches - yikes! - my friend Mish and I took a little detour on the way home to do some curb shopping (when we happen upon a neighbourhood's garbage night, we can't resist!).

Look what I found:
They're a little weathered, but they're cute, and small enough to fit on my deck, so I figured I'd help them out with a bit of glossy paint to ward off the elements (the fun colour choice was just for me!)

There, they should last a while longer now!