It’s been a while!!!
It took some time for the bank to finish all the paperwork on the house we were looking at but eventually we acquired possession of it and are now in a new (to us) home.
During our waiting time I managed to occupy myself with “Farmville” on FaceBook. I achieved the highest level, 70, just prior to our getting the keys to the house but that took most of every day. Now I’m just plugging along with no real interest in the game. During this waiting time we also packed up so many things that the whole little apartment in Chatsworth was so full we could barely move around in it.
The house we purchased had been trashed pretty well by the last occupant, who was a renter, and his dog, a pit bull. That wasn’t much of a concern as we had planned to repaint the whole house and install new carpet, anyway. We changed all the ceramic tile in the house and pulled out the flooring in the kitchen and replaced that with tile, also. The tile, carpet and painting took a bit over two weeks and while that was going on we stayed with Doris’ daughter. Every morning I’d make the three and a half mile trek to our new home to be here the whole time that work was being accomplished. The painters had estimated seven days but ended up seriously underestimating that time. I really think that had they planned the job better they would have finished either on their estimated date or a bit earlier. They really didn’t seem to have any plan and jumped from one little project to another, without really finishing anything. Nice guys but now very good at planning the job.
While I was here to monitor the work going on I accomplished several things. I rebuilt a post holding up the patio roof that the prior dog had half eaten through and also rebuilt and repaired the framing to the door going into the garage where the same dog had half eaten his way into the house. I also had to repair a good portion of the drywall, for the same reason, beside the door. In the bedroom that was going to become (and now is) my office I installed a chair rail but at the height of the average computer table that would be up against it.
A good portion of the time was also spent with Doris and I doing some serious shopping. We needed new refrigerator, stove, dishwasher, washer and dryer, and of course, a whole house full of furniture. The only items we were moving from the apartment were the coffee table and the bed, which would find it’s new home in the guest bedroom. All of the kitchen appliances we purchased are of brushed stainless steel and they really look good in the newly painted and tiled kitchen. We also had all the cabinets throughout the house refinished so the look is nothing like it was before. We still need to find a couple of occasional tables and the love seat for the family room is on back order but we’re almost finished. We also still need to get some curtains for the living room and the guest bedroom. We’re just leaving the windows uncovered in the back of the house. We also need to find two new chairs for the dining room table that hasn’t arrived yet.
We replaced a lot of items in the house also. Every room here has a fan, to help with cooling in the long summer, and those were all changed. Both toilets were changed for newer, low flow, items and we replaced the sliding glass patio door with french doors. I’ll add a few of the “in work” pictures to give you an idea of the extent of the restoration.
Family Room
My base while the work was going on. The internet was connected early on so I had my laptop set up in the garage. Two new computer tables waiting to go in along with new toilets and fans readied for installation. You can also see my espresso machine for morning coffee but you can’t see the small cooler for an occasional cerveza that was also on hand.
The office under renovation. All the little pieces of blue painter’s tape on the wall are nail holes or other things that need to be repaired prior to painting. The chair molding would eventually be white with a milk chocolate brown below and our standard wall color above, which is a cream color with a hint of gold.
The hallway during renovation. These are typical of the whole house during this time.
The kitchen in the early days of renovation. This picture best represents the true color of the walls as they are now painted. The cabinets were refinished in a color between that of the walls and the pure white trip on the baseboards, doors and doorframes. All the window frames and the mantle above the fireplace are also this pure semigloss white. The new 18 inch tiles were in the process of being installed in the kitchen in this picture. This is the same tile that we used in the bathrooms, entry (front and back) and laundry room.
I’ll sign off now and upload some of the later pictures with my next entry. I promise that it won’t be four months before I get to it, probably either tomorrow or the next day.
Hasta Luego y Con Dios Acompaña
