Another cool countertop idea

I just got back from DC last night at 11:30pm and slept in this morning before turning on the saturday morning HGTV shows.

Carter Can featured concrete inspired quartz composite counter tops made by Caesar Stone that are so pretty. Everything Carter does is green, so he's always a great resource.


The conference was great but the highlight of my trip was staying with my friend Sarah who has a different cable package than I do. Which means the Do-it Yourself Network. I've never seen DIY, heard about it... used their website... NEVER seen anything on there. I'm a 100% believer. I'm trying to figure out how we can switch to another cable carrier or how much it would cost just to add their channel because it was so super helpful, you have NO idea! This whole show was about building closets, and I think we all know about my closet disaster experience... Which, let me just say again... I was told there was a window behind that wall.... How hard can it be, right?

Best Green Bathroom idea EVER

In looking around for other green bathroom solutions I stumbled across this.
Pretty cool huh? talk about reduce and reuse! I wonder how hard it would be to do this yourself... hurm...

Countertop Redux

I spent last weekend with friends in Wichita for a conference and met up with my friend Chad's wife who is an architect. She had several good ideas for how I could layout the master bath.

I also had a great conversation with my friend Levi who has been doing a lot of work on his own house he's been redoing. His countertop suggestion was 100% concrete. But his suggestion was never to spend over $40 per sq foot. Every estimate has been in the 60's or 70's per sq foot. Soo thats unfortunate... Given how much we need to do, I'm concerned.

There is a lot to do, but real life has gotten in the way. Since my bff who helped me start to demo the upstairs bath left I've been lazy or out of town. Next week I'm in DC for another conference, hopefully I can get myself into gear once I get back. Until then, I found a bunch of cool stuff to post about, so look forward!

The Countertop Question

Few people know Granite is actually one of the WORST surfaces you can use for your kitchen or bathroom counters because the carbon footprint is SO HUGE. I didn't know... had no idea...

I think our universal fascination with granite countertops is due to the material's tremendous strength and durability, and its aesthetic beauty. Until recently, granite was rarely seen in homes except in beautiful furniture pieces. Now we see it in nearly every mid- to high-end home, and you can buy tiles or order custom slabs at all the big-box building supply stores.

But I have a number of problems with granite and marble materials, and I don't consider many of these products at all "green." First and foremost, granite's extraction does irreparable ecological damage, slicing off enormous sides of mountains and leaving behind altered landscapes and dangerous waste. Granite countertops are gas guzzlers—they create a great big carbon footprint from the energy used to mine, transport, and fabricate rough slabs into beautiful countertops somewhere far away from the stone's original source."

So... understandably I've been looking elsewhere. My options at Lowes are ... laminate apparently. I need to go into the store and ask, however... because they might have other options that aren't on the website. Stone was suggested because it can be reclaimed, or I can look for reclaimed stone... and other recycled materials. One of the most interesting options that was suggested was concrete.

Check these out:

From Concrete Network but they're a little too far away from me... but I love this look!

I actually also found two that had information online and I liked their style Advanced Concrete Designs and Artistic Stone Surface - but only one has emailed me back thus far.

Also an option - Lithistone...?

seen here from Lithistone.net
They're located in Colorado... closer to us... but still a little far away, right? Using local workers is both green and helps promote the state. I'm a fan.
Another option - Ice Stone
From IceStone.biz this is SUPER hawt looking and THEY have a vendor in Tulsa, OK


These guys need better photos that are more detailed and bigger, but another favorite is a company called EnviroGLAS which mixes recycled glass and concrete. Their black version looks pretty much like black granite. Video


Obviously, cost is going to be a major part of this. I hadn't intended to do counter tops but I got a lecture from my mother that if I'm going to renovate the kitchen... I should do it right. To her that means putting in new countertops which would, she said be costly. Little did she know I was going to eliminate granite from any options to begin with.

Ideas? Thoughts? Opinions? Feel free to weigh in any time :)

Windows, doors, and mores

Sorry things haven't been more exciting. Updates this week have included having lots of long conversations with Darren my new BFF in the Lowe's construction department. Darren is a sweet guy, in fact everyone in the store has been so awesome and great at answering my plethora of questions... but Darren and I talked about 30 times in the last few days and not once did he get annoyed!

We talked both about windows and siding. I got an estimate from a great contractor Darren suggested that is an installer Lowe's uses and we are looking at a few different products. When I look at windows I want the most energy efficient I can get for the price. But I also want them to look pretty spiffy too. There are a few options but I think I'm going to go with the middle of the road on efficiency. They are a tiny bit more, but my estimations gave me about $200 per window and with PaPa's discount doing that middle of the road gets us right there. The lower end is $160 so if we want to save we can always go with that... but I really want to do the right thing here. This can save us so much in the end.

They are the Thermastar double hung by Pella

The pic to the upper right is the style our neighbors chose - which I kind of like.. Its a little bit Craftsman style, but I probably wouldn't put the grid thing on the bottom. The cost actually also includes screens, which is awesome, since all of the screens on the south side of the house are shredded. No... seriously... I will have to post pics of that.

I don't think I'm going to have much room in our budget but I REALLY want a new back door. The one we have is literally falling off, its a miracle we haven't gotten broken into because I think someone could probably break it down if they really wanted to. The one I want is white, has a nice window, but the blinds are ... get this... BUILT IN! EEEE!!!

And a normal storm door. My grandfather thinks we're already at an upgrade because the door we have now isn't made of wood and doesn't go SMACK when you let it close. Its actually metal and every hail storm it still stands... somehow.

So... here's my question to you, dear readers... On the south side of the house we have this two windows that are exposed to a huge amount of sunlight. And they've been pretty well taken out via hail damage, rain, time, and other such things. Someone suggested putting an awning over them. Something like what's on the left - which is super cute. Is it practical? Is it effective and efficient? Does it help protect against full sunlight and the elements?

What are some other options or alternatives?

Ideas? Thoughts? Recipes?

Master Bathroom Design Dilemma

I posted photos of the master bathroom and all of its horror.... but the major problem I have with that bathroom is that its about 6 feet by 8 feet in size. Long bathroom... not a lot of room. The bath tub/shower is about two feet from the vanity and sinks. This makes things pretty tight and impossible to turn into a true master bathroom.

Behind the bathroom (which is to the north) is the furnace and a linen cabinet that is accessible from the hall way. To the west of the bathroom on the other side of the wall is the hall way from which that linen cabinet is accessible. From within that hall way there are two hall closets both about 4 feet deep.

My mother's suggestion was to move the furnace because evidently furnaces should be in the center part of the house to be the most efficient in heath distribution. But one estimate on cost from a heating and air company proved to be totally unrealistic coming in at about $27,000. Another company came in and told me it was a total waste of time and money because I could just build into the hall way. I'd anticipated that, but it them limits the closet options for the "piano room" which I've now put a bed in for use as a guest room or sitting room.

I drew up some plans with a neat program I got in the back of a bathroom book I found at Lowe's. The book was $20 but like I said... software! If I break down the wall between the current bath and hall as well as the wall between the two hall closets and create a wall linking everything together - you basically connect a 6X8 foot space to about a 6X7 foot space.

My dilemma is how the heck I create essentially a Jack and Jill bathroom with a large tub, separate shower, two vanities, and a toilet and moving the least amount of plumbing.

Click to make larger

The quick fixes

This is the before photo of my grandfather's bedroom. He chose the color... a little too much for me :) but its what he wanted.


Kitchen we installed a new ceiling fan that puts off more light, removed the awful flowered wallpaper on the soffit and painted it red. The red actually matches the color in my grandmother's dishes that are in the cabinet. On the actual wall I put up a beige wallpaper that looks like bricks.

Before Photo



Before Photo

Before Photo - the coolest thing about this room is the door there. You might remember from the original photo that there was a giant mirror, well once we removed the mirror to freshen up the trim, doors, molding etc... we found that the original owner of the house had signed behind the door. SOOO cool so we kept that part, and I hope to find one of those frames you can put around stuff like that... put a plaque on the wall or something neat.
Before Photo




Paint color is something I can't remember but I can find it on the sample and share later. The linens in the "piano room" which is now a guest room of sorts were on sale at Target. All of the wallpaper has been removed, plaster patched, and painted. Molding, trim, and doors have been painted with a high gloss white. And you can't see on the built ins in the Living Room but the knobs are these great crystal knobs I got from ebay for like $2 each.

Porch is fixed

I didn't take pictures of the before and I really should have because it was pretty bad. We took down the rotted wood about 3 years ago and the porch has sad in horror for that long. Finally for my birthday in May I was asked by my step-dad what I wanted for my birthday... I said "I really want someone to help me fix the porch..."

In September he finally agreed to help.

The biggest and most concerning part of this was that I felt like the porch was sagging where the strip of rotted wood (stud) was as a result of the water that seeped through the skylights several years ago. Even after the new roof, of course that part wasn't fixed. So the suggestion was to better prop up the boards and put in more secure wood. So we jacked it up with a jack and then put in the boards.

From there it was just about putting up the plywood, and then the trim pieces. We opted for larger trim pieces which I plan to paint the accent color we use when we get the new siding.

New wood ceiling - and recessed lighting in two spots on the porch. One above where the stairs are and one above where the porch swing will be.

New screen door - which is from my parents who were getting rid of theirs - and a new porch light which we of course got form Lowes.

What it looks like from the street... ignore how awful the house looks we're hoping to fix that, but you can see how awesome the lighting looks as its dark.

That's PaPa sitting on the porch
Details:

Light fixture: BRONZE Portfolio outdoor wall light from Lowes. This is a great light, but I didn't notice anything designating that it was Bronze on the box and from the photo on the box it looks black. With the black storm door I need to probably spray paint it but it looks ok for now.

Neighbor selling his house

I just drove by our house a few days ago and saw that our neighbors at 403 is selling their house. My grandfather says they are asking $304,000 which I think is WAY overpriced. Our other neighbor on the opposite corner had a really hard time selling theirs at $250,000.

This is a great house with a lot of potential but appears none of it has been upgraded. Floors in good shape and I know they've worked hard to restore the molding to its original finish and patch all of the plaster, but the kitchen is a disaster. Old tile on the floor, old tile on the counters, needs updated appliances... and the house in general needs to be staged.

But its a good old house. I particularly love the authentic art deco bathroom. I left them a comment because most people would renovate and make it into a beige wonderland but I'm glad they left it in keeping with the time of the house. From the site:

403 Oak Avenue -- A Yukon Historical Home built by Tom & Gladys Kroutil in 1928 • 3,750 (MOL) square feet on three floors • formal living and dining rooms • Completely remodeled kitchen • 4 bedrooms • 2 full baths & 2- ½ baths (one in garage) • Complete restoration • Storm windows • Updated electrical wiring and plumbing • Hardwood floors throughout completely refinished • Lawn and flower bed sprinkler system • Detached 3 car garage with ½ bath easily convertible to full bath • Carport • Large backyard deck • Fishpond • Central heat and air -- The home was built by one of the founding fathers of the City of Yukon, Tom Kroutil. The structure has a long and interesting past. Our home is listed as an official, “Yukon Historic Home” by the City of Yukon. -- The price is $304,900. -- If you are an interested buyer, please call (405) 830-2994 or email us at 403oak@gmail.com. Enjoy the pictures!

bathroom remodel

Very exciting adventure the bathroom... The nasty half bath I showed you earlier this month has been totally redone. It began with pulling off that awful wood paneling. What we found was a wall that was nearly falling down on the outer wall ... where the water damage was. The ceiling was bad too.

When we pulled everything out, toilet, sink, general junk, we started off with the hammer to the wall. The wall with the most damage was the only one we took down. The second I hit it with the hammer a HUGE chunk of the wall came down. It took about 3-5 big swings to get an entire wall to come down.

Working with the plaster was the hardest. I wanted to patch things and then texture the wall but I guess you can't do that with plaster, because the second I put water into it I could spear it around a little and then it would harden again. I ended up just adding as much water as I could and having it run down the wall. Ultimately I discovered that joint compound was the best way to create that more modern texture that worked. But I did try that stuff you get in a can.... I don't recommend it... EVER.


Inspiration for bathroom:


This is from HGTV's top ten most beautiful bathrooms which you can see here


Let us begin with the floor :) First time I've ever laid tile..... ever! This was difficult for several reasons. First ... let me highly recommend taking a class at Home Depot. I wish Lowes had classes like this, but they don't.



Details:
Tile: American Olean was about $4 per sheet took 15
Paint Color: La Fonda Mirage from Valspar (I think but I'll confirm) 1 gallon $25
Sink: Not the exact sink - this was the one I wanted, but we found this other one that was similar and on sale for $100 less. Lesson 1: check the sales. Sink = $100 (no seriously)
Faucet: Price Pficer - Actually got on sale for $45
Mirror: Zenith - no idea why its so expensive on this site but we paid $60 for it in store.
Light Fixture: Portfolio - was on sale for $30 at the time in store.

Final - although I hate the cabinet its too big/tall there is a great corner one at Target I want but I ran out of money :(

Going Green

Hello again!

So a big part of this project is about going green and greening my grandpa's house. Its a great old house build in the late 1920's and the second floor was put on in the 1930's. Not a time when energy efficiency was the standard. The windows and doors aren't sealed, indeed its amazing they are still in the wall, and there are pretty big gaps even with storm windows on the outside.

As a result my grandfather usually has months in the winter when his gas bills are over $300 sometimes over $400 - and that's keeping the temperature at below 70. He's got an electric blanket and an electric space heater and that helps too but then his electricity bill is over $200 too.

In the summer its worse. There is very little insulation in the house or what is there wasn't installed in the most efficient way. In the upstairs room (that I use as my room) the attic was built out into the roofline for a beautiful HUGE room. The problem is that the sun beating down on the roof makes the walls hot during the summer, and the windows in that room get pretty much full sun all day. Its impossible to air condition!

So a big part of this renovation is making it more energy efficient. Once we get to the point where we're doing the major renovation we're looking at new windows, siding with insulation underneath it, new back door, sealing all of the plugs, putting in a tankless water heater, new furnace and A/C unit for both floors, energy efficient appliances, and finally everything we put up or do if we can do so in a greener recycled way.

Lowe's has a neat little pamphlet my grandfather brought me that basically lists out all of their energy efficient materials, LED Certified stuff, and ways to get that energy saving tax credit. I've been doing a lot of reading and studying to figure out how best to do this and stay within our budget. It isn't easy being green :) At least its not easy to fit it into our budget, but I'm going to do whatever we can.

Photos of the Worst Day EVER

These photos are of when I first came back to Oklahoma to my grandfather's house and saw the disaster... There aren't many photos but it shows the worst of the worst... the day we cleaned the kitchen we found mouse poo in the cabinets and some kind of yellow substance dripping from the toaster oven. And stuff EVERYWHERE!

This was the only decent room - the dining room. But this is the room he use to close all the doors into, so the furniture had mold growing on it because all the moisture would just sit on it. It was relatively easy to clean off, though. And despite my mold allergy as long as I took some Cleariton and wore a mask I was ok.

The Kitchen

Laundry room and back door entry - very crowded full of all kinds of junk
This is the MOST disgusting! Its the half bath that he uses to wash his hands. In the garage he prints part time - so he comes in covered in ink and washes his hands off. Thus the black stuff everywhere.

Also - the house has TONS of pecan trees around it - TONS so the leaves fall and fill the gutters.... and he doesn't clean them out. When they fill out water can't run off into them and properly drain out so they slosh over and run along the house ... or in our case ... INTO the house. This bathroom has a lot of water problems where the rain has washed into the ceiling and between the brick veneer and house, saturating the walls.

You can also sorta see in these photos the white wood paneling flecked with gold.


This is the "piano room" so called because it has the piano in it... the piano isn't in tune.. also this room has become a storage room for a multitude of junk... some of which is mine like the chase and the 50's bar stools and bar table I used in my apartment in the Bay Area for a dinning room table.

This is technically the master bedroom, but he doesn't use it as a bedroom, its actually used as his TV room and office
Disgusting master bathroom - this is the bathroom my grandpa uses





Mouse poo in the cabinets

These photos are of when I first came back to Oklahoma to my grandfather's house and saw the disaster... There aren't many photos but it shows the worst of the worst... the day we cleaned the kitchen...

This is the living room also not that big of a disaster, just a lot of bugs and dead bugs.