Bring on the Wind and Rain

A couple days ago I posted how we were hoping to finish laying down the water barrier on our roof on Sunday afternoon.  Well, the roof dried nicely and we started working on the last half of the roof a little after lunch.  My dad came over too, and with his help we were making really good time.  We were watching the clouds and the radar and knew that we were in for some rain, so although it was a bit hot we tried pushing through to get done before the rain came. 

As we were unrolling the second to last row to get it placed to stick down and nail, I heard a strange noise coming from the same side of our house as our A/C.  I went to check to make sure the A/C didn't have something land on it while we were working and discovered it was off.  So where was the noise coming from?  The road about 50 yds from the edge of our house.  It was pouring down rain on the road!  Ahhh!!

We tarped the portions of the roof that weren't done, as quickly as we could.  We stayed up there for a couple minutes to make sure that the tarps wouldn't get blown off (it was pretty windy).  Needless to say, when we got down from the roof we were soaked!  So what did we do?  Took off shoes and socks and hopped into the pool of course.

We were not able to finish the roof on Sunday as we'd hoped because we had so much rain we knew it wouldn't dry fast enough to get done before it got dark.  See why in the video.

Can you say toad-choker?

So I got up early Monday morning and untarped the roof so it could dry (again). 

Sunrise from the roof of our house.

We were SO close to being done before the rain came.

A couple hours later we were up on the roof finishing the last two rows. 

So nice having it D.O.N.E.

In celebration, we went out for dinner last night.  As a band of strong wind and heavy rain came through, we just sat there and took our time, because we didn't have to worry about tarps flying off our roof.  So nice.

View we saw in parking lot looking in direction of our house after dinner.

It's Raining Pavers

That was fun...

As we're wrapping up dinner before hubby leaves for work tonight we notice the wind picking up (obvious precursor to heavy rain).  Hubby decides to go onto the roof to make sure our tarps are holding up.  A couple minutes later Son and I go outside to check on him and watch a paving stone fall off our roof.  Son and I run into the house to get our tennis shoes on (we had on flip flops) so we can go and help him.  As I'm running back outside I get a text from hubby that he probably sent at the same time I was running into the house.  It said "Help watch falling stone."  That was an understatement.  I think we had 7 pavers fall off the roof and the tarps moved and uncovered close to 1/4 of our total roof.

It took us over 30 minutes to get the tarps back on in a semi-useful way.  Unfortunately, the pavers falling may have ripped some holes in the tarps so we're praying that we don't end up with a lot of wet wood from that (hubby finished replacing the bad wood yesterday).

In additional to putting the 7 fallen pavers back on the roof we added 18 other pavers that we had sitting next to the garage.  All those trips up and down the ladder with pavers... I had my leg workout for the day.

The good news... we talked to a roofer this morning and we've decided that we're going to do a little more prep work but we're going to have the roofer put on a metal roof.  By doing a bunch of the work ourselves we're going to get a metal roof for pretty much the same cost as having someone do all the work involved in installing a metal roof.

The bad news... we have at least 1 days work before we can have the inspector come to look at the roof.  After we pass that inspection we can put the stuff down that waterproofs the roof again.  The weather today called for a 20% chance of rain.  Friday and Saturday it's 40%, and Sunday it's 80%.  Did I mention hubby has off Sundays and Mondays so we were hoping he could work on the roof Sunday and get the inspection on Monday? 

Please pray for us... That no one will get hit by falling pavers, that the tarps won't leak, and that we can get this done soon.

Luigi to the Rescue

As my regular readers know, we purchased our home almost 2 years ago.  At that time, we knew we would need to make some fixes.  Some immediate (replacing stained carpets).  Others over time (adding a ceiling inside the garage to make it cooler in the summer).  It was a short sale, so it's to be expected.  Then there's the matter of personal taste issues that can be dealt with either as things go on sale or break.  The kitchen is one of the biggest and more expensive personal taste areas we wanted to deal with.  With money being tight, all projects have been put on hold unless something breaks.

Well, we've been limping along 2 things in the kitchen and I finally got fed up with it and hubby agreed it was time to deal with them.  The first thing that needed to be addressed was a cast iron sink.  The problem (besides I didn't like the color) was that the coating was chipping which caused rust to form when water came in contact with it.  Considering we are speaking of the kitchen sink, it comes in contact with water on a very regular basis.

The second issue?  The kitchen faucet.  It's been leaking for about 2 months now.  We found a way to make it stop leaking, but it was a pain to remember.  Again, when we bought the house we knew the faucet had to go.  Not only was it installed wrong (the handle wasn't lined up the way you would expect it) but it wasn't the style we liked.  Unfortunately, the kind we like is apparently not made anymore.

Original sink and faucet. 

Chipping and rust on old sink

But we lucked out... we found one at a yard sale for $5!  We had to use a few parts from the faucet we removed, but it's working GREAT!

And the sink?  Well we got that when my Aunt and her boyfriend were moving across the country.  Hubby found it sitting loose in their shed after they had moved out.  Hubby figured it might come in handy in the garage some day (once we get water out there).  When I realized it was the right size for the kitchen, I suggested he rethink its destination.

I'll be honest, he was a bit reluctant.  Then I told him it was what I wanted as my Loot Day gift and he gave in.  Having my dad here to help didn't hurt either since the old sink was probably 100 lbs.

Sink is out.  Had to make the hole a little bigger.

 And we found a few added benefits of the new sink and faucet too.  The drains in the new sink are offset enough that plates don't plug the sink.  While replacing the sink we also purchased new drains and stoppers so the sinks actually plug correctly (the water used to drain out in about 5 minutes).  And we also discovered that the old faucet wasn't letting much hot water through.

We also used the opportunity to change the "handles" in front of the sink.  The previous owner had black handles everywhere but right in front of the sink where they were yellow white.  My guess is they were all white at some point, but they couldn't reach those to switch them without removing the sink, so we did it while we had the sink out.  And all this for $40 and a few hours of hubby and my dad's time.

And for all his reluctance, he's actually enjoying the new sink and faucet too.  Now if only I can get him back in the habit of doing dishes on a regular basis again ;-)

New sink and faucet.

So what do you think of the end result??

Beauty is a Beast

As my regular readers know, in March of 2012, we bought a short sale that needed quite a bit of work.  In addition to the typical things (like paint), we've had to replace a pool pump, do lots of tree trimming and yard work, and clearing out junk that the previous owner left behind.

Wow!  Looking at these pictures, 

I forgot how much she left behind in just the front hall.

Another thing we had to do was to remove all the carpet in the house.  The previous owner had cats and she let them do whatever they wanted all over the house.  Needless to say, that left some nasty carpet.  Add to that the fact that the cats had flees and the carpet had to go.  Immediately.

So before we actually moved in, we spent 2 months (on the weekends) ripping out all the carpet and installing laminate flooring in all the bedrooms.  We decided that we wanted to tile the hallway that had been carpeted, but that wasn't as urgent since we wouldn't have furniture in those areas to move around.

We took a few months to find tile that would work on Craig's List and at the local Habitat for Humanity store, and then hubby got to work.  Slowly.  He's done tile before, but this time was different.  He wanted to make a statement.  And he was doing it on the diagonal which meant more cuts.

But I think you'll have to agree, it turned out very well.

Coming in from the front door (that we don't use)

Such detail

Grouting = almost done = big smile

You know what I just realized?  These pictures were taken before the trim was put back, so it looks even better!

And how long did it take from the time we ripped out the carpet till he was done?  About 16 months.  But beauty like this is worth the wait.

One Year Later

It's hard to believe that one year ago today we closed on our house and became official long-term Florida residents.  For those who don't know, we purchased a short sale that needed some work.  When we bought the house, we had all kinds of dreams and aspirations for what we were going to do.  Then money got tight.  And now that we are starting to make money again, our time is getting tight.

To say we haven't made it very far into the list would be an understatement, but we've gotten a few things off the list.  So here are pictures of what we've done over the last year.
Before pictures are posted first.

Front of house

Still more work to be done, but making progress.

Family / Dining Room

Yes it was left completely furnished.

Hallway

Perfection (and laying tile on the diagonal) takes time.

 Bedroom 2

If only the room would stay this clean all the time.

Bedroom 3

Another room that just doesn't stay this clean.

Master bedroom

Pool

Pool pump died right after buying the house = green pool

New pump = beautiful blue water.

Part of the yard

This is really the same area.  We removed an old fence and vines.

Gratitude Challenge - Day 14

Today I am thankful for Craig's List and it's ability to help us make progress on our house.  Yesterday, we picked up a few pieces of furnture that help us complete the set for our master bedroom.  Less than a week ago we were sleeping on a mattress directly on the floor.  Now we have this.

Headboard, night stand, & dresser were purchased off Craig's List.

The dresser and trunk in the corner of this picture were left by the previous owner.

Including the mattress, sheets, dressers, etc...we furnished our bedroom for less thank $200.  I do plan on upgrading our curtains soon but that shouldn't add that much more.  Perhaps another Craig's List purchase in the making?

We've also found tile for our hallway on Craig's List.  It's too bad Craig's List can't help us find extra time in our schedule to get more things done, like getting said tile installed.

Florida = Visitors

I know fellow Floridians can relate to this, but living in Florida means you have visitors particularly in the Winter.  My in-laws visited us in the rental house in January.  My parents visited in February.  I can't say I blame them.  They are from Iowa and Virginia respectively and temps in Florida are a break from the monotonous cold (it is why we moved South).

What I wasn't expecting was for everyone to visit us again in May.  My mother-in-law came for a little over a week while my father-in-law was on a business trip (Again, I can't blame her.  I don't like being home alone either).  What was really surprising was to get a call from my parents asking if they could stay for a little while.  They were half way to us and wanted to surprise my daughter for her birthday.

Who are we to turn away family!  So we had 3 visitors at our house at the same time (while it was still under construction).  We were able to get one of the bedrooms done just in time so that we could squeeze everyone in.

What our visitors may not have expected was that we put them to work while they were with us  :-)  My dad was put to work by my husband almost every day doing things in the yard.  They cut down a few trees, pulled lots of weeds, and removed some of the stuff the previous owner had left behind.  Just about every evening, all the adults (and occasionally the kids) were out doing work in the yard.  

My mother-in-law also did a lot of cleaning inside the house.  You see, the bedrooms all had blinds that were covered in mildew.  Needless to say, opening your windows and letting all the Florida humidity in the house and then turning on the A/C is not a good idea.  I am amazed at how clean they are too!  I had considered just buying new ones, but now I don't have to.

We weren't all about the work though.  We did play some too.  We swam in our pool a few times (great way to cool off after all the yard work) and we all went to the beach too.

One thing I know is that, those few days of working with others has given us a bit of a kick in the pants that we needed to get more things done.  It's been really nice being able to check things off the list.

Anyone else want to visit?  We could really use some help putting up some gutters and creating drainage ditches for the torrential rain we get occasionally ;-)

Sinking In

What. did. we. just. do?

Yep.  It's starting to sink in that we just bought a house that needs some work.  Don't get me wrong, I like doing the work.  It's a bit of bonding time for hubby and me, and I'm finding that our kids like it too.  In fact, I had trouble finding things for them to do today while we were there (it was our first trip there since buying it and we still don't have many tools and such there).

I think what I'm finally realizing is the enormity of all we have to do.  I've worked up a list of things we want to get done (some before we move in and some at some point in the future).  I'm also realizing all that we have to do to get out of the house we're in too.

I'm definitely realizing how important it will be to spend the night on occasion.  That's why I just ordered our Internet service.  What computer guy can spend time away from the Internet for very long?  Doesn't hurt that it's FIOS (For those of you who know my hubby, you know how excited he was when he found out we could get FIOS).  We've also bit the bullet and gotten cable TV.  Among other things, we will be getting local channels (for me), Animal Planet (for daughter), and Science channel (for hubby and son). 

This is the first time we've paid for TV service in almost 2 years so it's definitely a treat.  What's amazing is that FAST Internet, cable, and phone at our new house is cheaper than just moderately fast Internet at our current house.  Gotta love competition's effect on pricing.  Now all we need is a good TV  :-)

Memories

Yesterday, hubby and I did some serious work on the camper.  We ended up taking out the table and chairs and all the carpet in the main area.  As I was ripping out the carpet I was reminded of our first house together. 

Right after we got married we ended up renting a 3 bedroom, 1 and a half bath house.  We were renting it from my old church so in exchange for a cheap rent we were asked to do some improvements to the house.  One of which was to pull up the old carpet (which was hiding beautiful hardwood floors).

Tomorrow we will be putting in Pergo flooring in the areas we took the carpet out.  This brings back some memories as well.  When I was 8 months pregnant with my first child, I helped hubby put down laminate tile.  We ended up having to redo that floor a couple years later and put down Pergo.  We spent a couple nights doing that while the kids were asleep.

To be honest, these times when hubby and I are doing "home improvement" types of things are some of my fondest memories.  Even though the carpets have been GROSS and laying Pergo is a sweaty job, it's been fun.  We've had some interesting conversations and some funny mishaps.

I'm hopeful that we can do more in the future.