Superman

Some pictures of the heating ductwork, going up into the second story and beyond...

 

 

The ductwork had to be run from the basement, up to the first floor rooms, then up to the second floor rooms, via the attic space. We lost half of a closet and the linen closet on the first floor, and we lost a closet on the second floor.

 

This is the heat register coming into the second floor bathroom, through the ceiling.

 

This is an alternate attic access hole, we had to cut in, because we used the main access for the hot and cold ductwork to the attic.

 

Hot and cold ductwork coming up from the first floor, through this bedroom closet, and up to the attic space.

 

Here we are in the attic. Flexible, insulated ductwork is used to span the entire second story in order to heat two bedrooms and a bathroom.

 

The duct for the second story bathroom.

 

Running the flexible ductwork through the attic...

 

This is hard and dirty work, and thank goodness I know Superman personally. After ten years together, my sweetheart still surprises me with the things he can do.

 

Tomorrow, he changes his HVAC hat back to his plumber's hat, and the next day, he will put on his electrical engineer's hat. Then he'll drywall, hang doors, fix screens, screw, nail, hammer, and ........

 

I gotta get him a cape.

 

 

Doorknobs, Heating, and Painting

 

Here they are... The doorknobs. Eight hall & closet, and six bed & bath. Bed & bath need locks and hall & closet are simple knobs., and all of these simple knobs cost two hundred dollars ! Yikes.

 

No project in this house has been simple... of course, the original knobs on all of the doors are from 1949. I'm sure they were amazing in 1949, but they are miniature sized, with no locks, and just not practical today. So, after we remove the knobs, we must drill a bigger hole for the modern knobs.

I will keep the old knobs and try to find someone who wants them...

 

The guys were busy today. They ran the heat up to the second story. Big, big job, and there was a little swearing. But, it's done !!!!!

This is Terry trying to feed the ductwork up through the closet, to the upstairs closet where Bob is maneuvering it into place.

 

This Bobby, just working his magic...

 

What did I do today? I painted the bathroom. I used some leftover Seafoam Green paint from my old bedroom. Actually, it was called Caribbean Sea, but it's still Seafoam Green to me, and it matches the tile perfectly. Money Savings Alert !!!

Then I used up five gallons of White paint, hitting various window frames, closet doors, bedroom doors, door jambs, ceilings... you name it, I was a painting fool.

A lot of time was spent filling cracks and holes and terribly damaged window frames.

And I haven't even gone up to the second story yet..........

Running...

I've been busy, but it has little to do with house renovation. It seems we wake up running. We run to the rehabilitation center, we run to mom's house to get mail and other odds and ends, we run to Home Depot, we run to the grocery store, we run to get gas; and not to mention, one of us runs to work every day. The funny thing about the running is that we are not actually running, we are sitting in a car, in traffic, for hours on end. We have suddenly been filling up the gas tank, three times a week, at fifty dollars a stop. And this is quite jarring for a family who normally gases up the vehicles once a month.
Today, I drove out to the rehab facility to visit mom, then drove across town to collect her mail. When Terry got home from work, we drove out there again to set up a TV for her, then we drove to Home Depot, to the project house, back to home home, then back to the project house, and then home home again.
Relevant to this blog... I did paint a couple of window frames and started painting the bathroom, Terry put in the kitchen faucet, and we hung some smoke alarms. Not much getting done. I did, however, buy two hundred dollars worth of doorknobs. Eight hall & closet doorknobs, and six bath & bedroom (locking) doorknobs. All of the doors need to have larger holes drilled for the knobs, since the current knobs are tiny little, sixty year old knobs with tiny (not modern size) holes.

 

This is our next big challenge, seems small, but it really is a challenge. These boarded up window inserts on the garage doors were sixty years old, and need to be completely replaced. They broke out the rubber inserts and the glass. Google search... find me this answer............

Drano really works !

 

Oh my gosh, this might not look like much to most folks, but to me the water going down the drain is the savings of hundreds of dollars. The kitchen drain seemed hopelessly clogged. I was ready to call Mr. Rooter out, but we decided to throw some Drano in there, and left it overnight. Miracle of miracles, after a few swift plunges there was a giant swoosh, and away went the clog. Thank you Drano.

 

 

Everyone wants beige paint. I think the lady at the paint counter thought I was nuts when I handed her three color swatches of different but similar paint colors. Kevin wants "Wheat Bread" in his room, Sandy wants "Potters Clay" in her room, and I want "Doves Cry" in the living room. All of them in a Light Beige, Grayish, Brownish hue. I am just thankful that Sandy gave up on the Dark Purple!!! Ready for some major painting, but first I have a lot of cracks and radiator holes to fix...

 

While at the Home Depot, I got lucky and found the perfect replacement cushion for my favorite patio loveseat glider. 25 bucks, and it's thick and cushy. Now, if it would just get nice enough outside to enjoy it...

 

Can't wait for my baby Crabapple to bloom. It was thwarted last year by the weird Spring we had. I look forward to the beautiful pink flowers (and I'll miss it when we move).

 

MOM UPDATE:

Moved her to a rehabilitation facility today. She is recuperating from some pretty rough surgery, and still needs nursing assistance and some physical therapy. She is doing much better and getting stronger in preparation for some more surgeries.

 

Carry on...

 

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

 

Bad pictures, but we hung some drapes in the dining room, and they are awesome.

 

Put in new toilet seats, and they have self closers on the lids. Coolest thing ever, except that I can't slam the seat down anymore when Terry leaves it up. Hmm...

 

We got the toilet fixed, patched some holes, hung some smoke alarms, bolted the laundry tub to the floor, replaced some window screens. and a few other city inspection requirements.

 

The kitchen sink and the bathtub remain completely clogged, so I am going to become good friends with Mr. Rooter on Monday.

 

Carry on.

Bathrooms, Small but Complicated...

 

Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital. Three East Garden Lounge. I'm not quite sure what or who this spacious area was designed for, but it is a ridiculous waste of space. My mother has been in the intensive care unit, after a grueling surgery and touch-n-go recovery. I spend every second with her, not lounging in here, and as you can see by the emptiness, no one else is using this space either.

Anyhoo... Mom was finally moved to a regular room, and is recovering from her surgery.

 

I did not go see her today, but I called her to check on her regularly. Today, we went to the house, and to Home Depot...

Bob isn't coming for a couple of weeks, to work on furnace stuff, so we are on our own. We decided to focus on one thing at a time. We will be focusing on the bathroom.

 

Here is Terry working on the plumbing under the new vanity. Of course, nothing is simple, as the vanity is offset, and so is the plumbing. A nice challenge for him. He was mad.

 

The vanity looks great except the pipe is leaking underneath, it needs to be anchored to the wall, and the doors and drawers are all out of whack from installation. We'll work on that tomorrow.

 

This is a lovely, brand new, high end toilet. I'm not sure if HUD put it in or the previous owner, but all three toilets in the house are the same and they all still have the manufacturer's stickers on them. That said, it doesn't work !!! We bought a new kit for it, but spent quite a bit of time fiddling with it. Still having issues, and just another time consuming, "little thing" to keep working on tomorrow.

So, here's the shortlist of our weekend bathroom fixes...

Fix the pipe under the vanity, mount, and caulk

Get the toilet tweaked

Hang the new showerhead

Replace old bathtub stopper and drain

Fill in gouges in window wood molding, and paint

Install ceiling fan

Cut out tile to fit mirror, and hang mirror

Move electrical for vanity lights

Install new vanity lights

Hang window treatment

and last but not least...
figure out what to do with the giant hole in the wall left from the radiator !!!!!

Ugh.

No Time

Spending too much time at the hospital, with mom, to spend any time at the house. This weekend, I plan on doubling down on the house...

Robin Needs a Portal

 

Window guy is here !!!

 

This is the nasty fogged window I couldn't wait to get rid of.

 

I am so happy, I could jump for joy. Now my favorite room, the dining room has a beautiful window, and a beautiful view...

Must give a shout out to GENEX WINDOWS in Macomb County. Great service, great price. They also repaired the garage windows and a broken bedroom pane. Now I can check window repair off my city inspection to-do list.

*

 

Now, for the Mom update...

 

This woman went through a five hour surgery yesterday to place stents in her legs, to improve circulation. It was rough, as her blood pressure was wildly erratic and the doctors were worried she might stroke or have cardiac arrest. We were at the hospital all day, and paced, and worried. She woke up full of piss and vinegar... just like her normal old self.

This is her in the intensive care unit. She even has the where-with-all to hide from my camera lens.

Hopefully, tomorrow they will move her to a regular room.

 

My sister Sue flew in from North Carolina for the occasion, and she must be crabby.

Love ya Susie !!!

 

Our next house challenge is a clogged kitchen drain that requires a professional. Terry and Bob tried all they could, but something is terribly wrong.

 

 

So, tomorrow I will call Mr. Rooter and expect the worst, but pray for the best...

 

 

This and That

 

New kitchen faucet, still in the box. Can't install it yet. The plumbing is completely jammed, gonna have to call a plumber on this one...

 

New bathroom vanity. Can't install it until we figure out where the heat is coming up, trim away base tile, and re-do plumbing...

 

This is the sink from the bathroom. We are going to take it back to our current house and put it in the basement. Right now we have a toilet, and that's it, so an added sink will help with resale value. Call it a half bath in basement !!!

 

Last weekend I painted the putrid Green dining room, this weekend I painted the ceiling bright White. Great contrast, and totally in love with this room, not sure why, I just love this room...

I also threw down some peel-n-stick tile in the little half bath upstairs. Small job, cheap project, big impact. This little bathroom is going to be one of my favorite places. The toilet flushes like a dream, and there's a view.

*

And here's the view...

I can watch over my compound, and, it's hard to see in the picture, but that's St. Clements Field off in the distance, where lot's of Summertime activities will happen, I hope...

 

Here's another good project in my future. This awesome bookcase sits in the middle of the upstairs landing. I'm not quite sure what I will make of it, right now it's a mess of peeling paint, but I will think of something...

 

Once again, the guys were doing serious labor today, while I was doing decorator stuff. They finished running ductwork through the basement. We now have heat and cold air ducts to the bedrooms, bath, and a fully heated basement. Still have to run heat up to the second story. Ugh. I think we are all subconsciously putting off this arduous task.

 

Must give another shout out to that amazing brother of mine. I watched him put together a tangle of heat and cold air ductwork as easily as I would bake a cake. I wonder if he could bake a cake... probably, he's such a butthead.

 

Now, on a serious note, an update on Mom. Surgery is scheduled for Monday. They will be putting stents in her legs to improve circulation, and also taking off parts of her toes that have turned gangrenous. We'll all be there for that, so no new house news for a few days after that.

 

Carry on.

 

 

Love You Schmoopsie Whoopsie

The last couple of days have been tough. I've been at the hospital quite a bit, so the house project has come to a screeching halt. There were lots of tests for mom yesterday, and meetings with the Vascular surgeons. Complete arterial blockages in both legs and arms cause big problems.
Today, they performed Doppler studies, Echocardiogram, stress test on the heart, lung function, and who knows what else, to see if she's strong enough for surgery. In the meantime, she is strung out on so many drugs and painkillers... it is hard to watch. Tomorrow, more tests, and then maybe some decisions on treatment.
I did, however, stop at the Home Depot today, on my way home from the hospital. Brought home a lovely bathroom vanity and new faucets for the bath and kitchen. Very excited and will post pictures when I get a chance.
Tomorrow, the window guy is coming to replace the foggy dining room window, a broken bedroom pane, and garage windows. I'll shoot over to the hospital after I oversee that project, and honey pie will stay at the house to try and unclog drains.
Speaking of "Honey Pie", he is a rock, an amazing man, and the greatest partner in crime, ever...

House, Mom, House, Mom...

 

This is ductwork, running up from the basement, through the first floor closet, on it's way to the second story. This project is to be continued next Saturday...

 

 

Look... running water. HUGE !!!

When we turned on the water, there was one big leak under the bathroom, but easily fixed. But there are two slow drains to figure out. The kitchen sink and the bathtub drains. We'll try to snake them ourselves, but we may have to call out the professionals on this one.

Right now, my favorite bathroom is the second story half bath... the toilet flushes like a charm.

 

The view from Mom's hospital room, and the little flower bouquet I got her.

The house project has come to a serious halt, with Mom's Peripheral Artery Disease. She will have a couple of procedures done in the next few days in order to get some blood flow returning to the legs. In the meantime, we have been spending quite a bit of time at the hospital with her.

 

Here's what we've been looking at for hours on end... Hospitals move in slow motion.

Since me and my house renovation genius happen to be siblings, we are both busy right now with Mom's care.

 

and here's a delicious and nutritious hospital meal. YUCK !!!

While Mom ate her slop, me and Bob, and his wife, and my guy, went to the cafeteria for some dinner. We had Cheeseburgers. Not bad.

 

P.S. Forgot to add my weekend project, that I am so thrilled about...

 

This is the awesome color I painted the Dining Room. While the guys fought with plumbing and furnace ductwork, I was busy painting over horrid Green walls. It's hard to see in the picture, but this color is almost Pearl like, maybe a Navajo White. I LOVE IT !

 

House, Mom, house, Mom...

Who Doesn't Love Baseball?

Two guys from the Water Department came today. They came right on time and they worked diligently. I knew there had to be a reason that they were so efficient...
And there it was...
When one of them had some trouble turning the valve, his partner said, "You better make it work, cause we're missing the ballgame".
Turns out, they couldn't wait to get back to the shop and watch the Tiger's opening day...
I just laughed, because I couldn't wait for them to get it done so I could go back home and catch the game.
Go Tigers !!!

Please Give Me Some Water !

Third time's a charm... right? Hopefully. Tomorrow will be the third time I sit in the house from 1:30 to 3:30 waiting for the water department to come out and turn on the water. The first time, they said that we must hook up the meter to the pipe ourselves. The second time, they said that we must have the furnace fully functioning before the water could be turned on, and that was after they had to dig up the front yard to replace the valves at the street. Oh yes, and let's not forget that I sat in the house for the entire two hour window they require for an appointment time, and after they did not show up, I had to drive to the city hall and inquire why they did not show up ( I didn't have the number with me). Funny, they showed up at the house at the same time I returned, which leads me to believe that they were sitting around watching soap operas in the workshop. Too bad, I missed mine, waiting for them. If they do not turn on the water tomorrow, I am going to bring a roll of toilet paper, and set up shop in the city hall bathroom...

Good News / Bad News

Wow, got a great deal on fixing windows. Got a good estimate on fixing fences. Got two great guys to drop the chimney liner, and they got rid of the old TV antenna! Good news, good news, good news, BAD NEWS...
Mom's been in the hospital for three days now, and she is no closer to getting better. She has some severe vascular problems that may require surgery. Since my furnace guy is also my big brother, we are spending a lot more time with mom then we are the house project. We are splitting time between running back and forth to the hospital and running back and forth to the house, for estimates and jobs.
We did have a fun dinner in the hospital dining room, where I found out that my cute and funny sister-in-law likes applesauce on her mashed potatoes. What's up with that?
Tomorrow, I'll call the water department to set up a date for turning on service, and then shoot over to the hospital to take mom home, fill prescriptions, and get her comfortable.
Monday, we have an appointment with a vascular surgeon... and, we have windows being installed.
Project New House / Project Take Care of Mom...

Life Happens...

 

I don't know what Terry was doing today. He was in the basement making all sorts of noise, doing things that I don't understand. The bowels of the house sort of stuff; shut off valves, dummy covers, and open junction boxes ???

I don't even care what all of that means.

With all of the things that need to be done in this house, I decided to make it my mission to rid the dining room of this putrid Green color. I don't even care if the room isn't "ready" for painting, I just can't stand looking at these walls for one more day.

 

I did have to call him upstairs to dismantle this old ceiling fan.

 

Tomorrow, the window guy is coming to give an estimate on my foggy, double pane, dining room window.

 

 

Look what popped up in the garden!!!

 

 

Oops, change in plans. Had to take mom to the emergency room tonight, and they admitted her. She has swollen feet and is in a lot of pain. We'll wait for tests tomorrow.

 

House renovation rules:

Houses come and go,

Family always come first.