Step 3: Prepping and painting

With Mark and Ann Marie on their way to visit shortly, it was important to get at least one room finished for them to sleep in. Or at least one bedroom ceiling painted.

The trusty DIY handbook came to the rescue, given that neither Jillian nor Tim had ever painted a room. A trip to Kelly Moore was in store.

After commencing cleaning the walls with TSP, Jillian got started on painting the guest bedroom's ceiling. Meanwhile, Janet helped continue the cleaning process, prepping the master bedroom for painting. The cleaning went better than the painting. Jillian still needed to learn the basics, like when to cut in, and how to roll.

Master bedroom, all ready for painting

Guest bedroom, new mattress ready for the in-laws.

Amateur paint job.

Many mistakes later, she called Elven McKnight. The master bedroom ceiling went much more smoothly with his help.

They even painted the first coat of blue on the guest bedroom walls. All in all, it was a success.

Janet prepped the hallways and the kitchen with TSP. Let the painting begin!

Step 2: Finish the flooring

If you recall, the house was previously carpeted, with some lovely linoleum in the kitchen and bathroom.

After a grand start on the flooring the previous weekend with Jessica and Chris, we needed to address the stickier points of the laminate flooring: doorways and closets. On our first sweep, we went as far as we could down the hallway and into the living room without ripping boards to finish an entire room. With so little expertise using a skil saw, we needed a table saw to do this successfully (not wasting all 30 remaining cases of laminate flooring in practice freehanding a skil saw).

To solve this problem, Jillian and Janet drove to Sacramento to retrieve said saw from Cory. Time was of the essence. The following weekend, Janet and George came to our rescue as we attempted to cross our first doorjamb and finish the kitchen.

All hands were put to work for the whole weekend. Jillian had started washing down the bedroom ceilings and walls with TSP to prepare for painting, following instructions in the ever helpful Complete Do-It-Yourself Manual. Janet continued Jillian's efforts through the kitchen and the hallways, prepping for future painting of the entire interior. Meanwhile, Tim received a lesson in ripping boards as he and George finished the kitchen flooring.

Like most old houses, 719 The Alameda is not square. The walls are not straight. While continuing the very straight flooring throughout the house in one continuous piece, we encountered some challenges. We successfully continued the lines into the guest bedroom and the smaller hallway, though.

Designing a board to go under the linen closet doorjamb was a great challenge the required careful measuring and some skilled cutting with the jigsaw.

When George left on Sunday afternoon for another commitment, Jillian and Tim passed the first trial of their marriage with flying colors: flooring a closet all by themselves. By the end of the weekend, the only parts of the house left to be floored were the bathroom (to be tiled later) and the living room (storage central). Things were looking up.

Step 1: Demolishing the kitchen

Demolition of the kitchen was the very first step we took in the remodel. Our fantastic friends Jessica Pasquini and Chris Hadsell drove down from Sonoma to spend a whole weekend helping us get started on the house. We had a lot of fun hanging out, and learned a bunch from them. Thanks, Jessica and Chris!

When we first toured the house, the kitchen looked like this. Countertop range, dark wood cabinets, and a slightly rusty refrigerator. It felt small and dark.

Chris led the way in removing the cabinets and appliances, starting off with turning off the water and unhooking the sink. He also safely disconnected the range and stove, which were hardwired in. Then, the cabinets were screwed and wedged off the walls. They'll make some great storage in the garage.

The empty walls of the kitchen were a clue that this project could take more work than we initially realized. The wiring was ancient and the light switch was located inconveniently behind our new fridge was meant to go. A few weeks later, Tim and Mark removed the wallboard so that Mark could rewire the majority of the kitchen.

The next step in the demolition was tearing out the laminate floor and the layer of plywood it was glued to in the kitchen. In the bedrooms, it was removing the carpeting, tack strips, padding, and all the pesky staples used to attach the padding.

Chris also taught us how to lay down a floating laminate floor. We started with 38 cases of laminate flooring. We must have gone through 6 just in one day with Jessica and Chris.

We learned to use the miter saw and the skil saw, set up out on the deck.

All four of us helped measure, cut, and knock it into place. We got as far as the hallway into the living room that weekend. It felt like a huge success.

Next: The nitty gritty part of the flooring with Jillian's dad, George.

No Viewfinder - Guest Photographer

While walking through the Presidio with Matt, he grabbed the camera a few times to get back into the No Viewfinder swing of things. Here is the only photo really worth posting. Thanks for your contribution Matt!


Biker.
Taken by Matt Chingos in the Presidio, San Francisco, CA.

Venus Fly Trap

Annie had Venus fly traps when I was growing up and I always liked to feed them bugs. I snapped a photo of this little bunch while touring wineries in Sonoma back in November with Matt, Jill and Jess.

I think you're kind of cute.


Fly Traps.
Taken in Sonoma, CA.

My Friend, Mr. Pelican

Mr. Pelican was hanging out by the Golden Gate Bridge. He let me get real close and take his picture. He says, "Happy New Year!"

(For some reason I'm associating storks with New Year's, and a pelican is the closest thing I have.)






Pelican Series.
Taken at the Presidio, San Francisco, CA.

Cute Doggie!

While wine tasting with Matt, Jillian and Jess in Sonoma, I met this friendly dog Charlotte. She was beautiful and let me take her picture.


Charlotte Series.
Taken in Sonoma, CA.

No Viewfinder Throwback

I snapped these photos while touring vineyards and hanging out in Sonoma Valley with Matt when he came to visit the weekend before Thanksgiving. I love blown out shots that capture something special.




Blur.
Sun.
Taken in Sonoma County, CA.

Get a Christmas Card!

Though you're a quiet bunch, I know you're out there. For this holiday season, I'd like to send my readers Christmas cards. Leave a comment on this post (or another one) and I'll find your address and send you a note. If you don't think I have your address, send me an e-mail with it.

Happy Holidays!


Photo courtesy of 2ndcoming on Etsy.com.

Garden Spells - An Apple in Sonoma

Awhile ago, Jill and I read Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen, a splendidly terrible book that sucks life from your soul like a good soap opera. The book frequently mentions a magical apple tree that, upon eating an apple, shows to you the biggest thing, whether wonderful or horrific, that will happen in your life.

While at a winery in Sonoma, I came across an apple on a vine yard reminded me of this delightful book. It makes me want to take a big juicy bite!


Smapple.
Taken in Sonoma, CA.