Finally … The Lake House Revealed

Do you remember the Lake House? You might have to dig deep into your memory for this one. It’s been a while since we’ve visited it! In fact, the homeowner moved in before Christmas! Somewhere, in the busyness of life I forgot to share the final product with you.

So, finally, here it is…

Just in case you don’t remember, because it’s been forever, these are the changes we made.


You can see the original kitchen off to the left. Most of that wall was closed in and that became the laundry room and a pantry.

This is the new kitchen! The original sliding glass doors remain. (You can see them just to the left of the sink.) The door adjacent to that is the new laundry room, formerly the kitchen.

I’m not sure what this open area was in it’s previous life, perhaps a dining room and/or another living room. We converted it into the new kitchen and dining room. You can see just a little bit of the fireplace in the next room.

Removing the wall that used to divide the two spaces shown above really opened things up. The garden window above the sink was a new addition.

The homeowner opted for birch butcher block countertops. These were ordered from Home Depot and you can get them in a variety of sizes. When Ikea discontinued their solid birch tops, it wasn’t easy finding a suitable replacement. I just wasn’t happy with the quality offered by some of the other companies. To be honest that made me just a little nervous when I ordered these. Because Home Depot has a great return policy, I decided to give them a try and boy was I glad! They turned out beautifully!

We sealed them with pure Tung Oil mixed with odorless mineral spirits. I like the Real Milk Paint company’s tung oil, but to be fair, it’s the only pure tung oil I’ve ever used so I really don’t have anything to compare it with. I order it through Amazon because I have a Prime account and the shipping is free. After the oil has cured, the tops are completely food safe.

I prefer tung oil to polyurethane because it can be touched up so easily. If one little area is scratched, burned or otherwise damaged, it’s easy to just reapply oil to that section. A polyurethane finish would require the entire top to be stripped and sanded before applying the new product. Hardwax oil would have been a good alternative to tung oil as well. You can read about hardwax oil here.

For this project, I simply applied the oil with steel wool, let it sit, then applied more to any dry spots. Eventually, the wood couldn’t absorb any more oil and the oil just sat on the surface. When that happened, I’d wait half and hour and then wipe it dry. After 24 hours, I’d do it again. Somewhere along the line I lost count, but I think I applied 5-6 coats of oil. The homeowner will need to re-oil it when it starts to look dry or when water fails to bead. I love the way the countertops turned out!

The homeowner, Amy, chose these stones for the master bath tub surround. Each little piece is an actual natural rock! For ease of installation, the stones are attached to a mesh background 12″ x 12″.

Though she’d never done anything like this before, Amy rolled up her sleeves, donned latex gloves and went to work hanging stone. Impressive!

In order to enlarge the master bedroom, we removed a bathroom and closet. An adjacent bedroom was used to create the new master bathroom and walk-in closet.

I wish we had pictures of this new master bedroom with furniture in place so you could get a sense of just how big this space is. Eventually that opening to the bathroom will get a custom barn door. We just have to finish building it!

This is one of the two new bedrooms that used to be the garage. Again, without furniture, it’s difficult to get a sense of just how big these rooms are.

When it came to the flooring, Amy chose the Life Proof Walton Oak luxury vinyl plank from the Home Depot. This is a great choice. At only $2.99 a sq ft it provided the look she wanted with the following features:

  • 100% waterproof planks have rigid PVC core and durable wear layer
  • Pre-attached underlayment; No Acclimation Required
  • Can be installed over Concrete, Tile, Vinyl, or Wood
  • Click-lock, installation
  • Lifetime residential warranty.

I think it was the perfect choice for this house!

When I started this project, I’d known Amy for a while. We’d visit at soccer games and chat briefly if our paths happened to cross. For me, one of the best things about this project was developing a new friend. Amy is an amazing, strong, resilient woman. I’m blessed by her friendship and thankful that it won’t end with the end of this project!


The Lake House Update – Almost done!

Remember a couple of months ago, I introduced you to the Lake House? I’m excited to say that its coming right along!

Today, as I write, the electrician is hanging light fixtures and installing new outlets and light switches and the floor is going in.

We are in the final stretch!

 We’ve done the work of creating a layout that will work well for this family by removing and moving walls, creating new bedrooms, moving the kitchen, creating a new bathroom, replacing the roof, and updating the plumbing and electrical systems.

Since the last update we’ve done the following:

  • Framed in the new master bathroom and closet
  • Framed two new bedrooms in the area that used to be the garage
  • Installed drywall
  • Insulated the new bedrooms and added insulation to the attic for greater energy efficiency
  • Removed the wall between the living room and the new kitchen
  • Both the interior and exterior of the house have been painted. In a later post we’ll talk about choosing white paint. If you’ve ever painted with white, you know there are about a gazillion different whites!
  • The roof is brand spanking new, with hail resistant shingles. This was an upgrade, but we are prone to hail in this area and these shingles qualify the homeowner for a discount on her homeowner’s insurance
  • The electrical service has been updated and the electrician is doing the electrical trim work
  • The plumbers completed all of their rough-in work
  • I added shelves and hanging bars to the closets and made sills for the new windows
  • The bathroom window glass was replaced with safety glass

Now, we get to start adding all of the fun finishing touches, the things that will give this home it’s style and personality.

The homeowner chose a farmhouse look for the interior. We’ll achieve this by using white paint, gray trim, white shaker cabinets, bronze faucets and light fixtures and a mini-galvanized steel backsplash. To complete the look, we chose a rustic, wood, vinyl plank flooring.

This flooring is amazing. It easily clicks together, can be scored and snapped with a utility knife, installs over wood, concrete, tile and vinyl and is suitable for use in basements, has a built in underlayment, boasts a lifetime residential warranty, is waterproof and resists scratching. Wow! Amazing!

On top of all of that it’s available in a variety of colors and it looks great!

This particular floor is the Lifeproof, Walton Oak and you can find it at your local Home Depot.

It you want a low maintenance floor, this is a great choice!

We are all chomping at the bit to get this finished, but there’s still a few things left to complete before we can get the Certificate of Occupancy.

These include: 

  • Set kitchen cabinets and bathroom vanities, 
  • Hang tile in the master bathroom and repair tile in the other bath. 
  • Have the final plumbing work completed
  • Lay the flooring
  • Install the trim
  • Hang siding
  • Finish the final electrical

It’s been fun watching the transformation of this house. I love seeing the house morph and change into something that will meet the needs of this family, that will become their home, full of laughter and life, a place where kids and grandkids will gather and where memories are made.

Stay tuned … I’m hoping to have this completed in three weeks so the family can get moved in and settled before Christmas! 

Finally Done! When a Tenant Damages Your Rental Property Part 3

Drumroll please! It’s taken a while, but it’s done! The damaged rental house is finally ready to sell. Well, mostly. I still have to put the remainder cabinet pulls on the kitchen cabinets.

When the tenant vacated the property, I was shocked and appalled at it’s condition. You can see what  the house looked like here.

Slowly, with a lot of elbow grease and more than just a little bit of money, it started to improve. For a list of repair items as well as some progress update photos, just click here.

But now, I’ll let the finished photos speak for themselves. 

In Part 2 of When A Tenant Damages Your Rental Property, I was trying to make a decision about the kitchen countertops. I finally made the decision to go with quartz, but when I tried to order them, I could not find anyplace that could have them done in less than 5 weeks. I did not want to wait that long!

I was lamenting to a friend and his reply was, “Well, figure it out kid.” So, because I’m impatient and because I rarely back down from a challenge, I did!

Floor and Decor sells un-fabricated quartz pieces. I purchased two pieces of quartz and did the fabrication myself. Actually, I had some help. That stuff is heavy! I purchased a handheld, wet tile saw and a diamond blade. I used that to slowly cut the material to length. For the smaller countertop, I also had to cut along the back length because the counter is not a standard depth. I used a 4″ grinder with a diamond blade to make the corners. This part was harder than I anticipated and I cut almost cut too far into the corner.

I used an over mount sink so I could not have to cut a hole for the faucet or polish and finish the edge of the sink hole. In the end,  these countertops were more money and a lot more trouble, but well worth it!

Letting this house go is bitter sweet. I see the landing on the stairs where I found Abigail asleep with our dog and a blanket one morning. I see the kitchen where Katie made loaf after loaf of homemade bread when she had her own little bread business. I see the garage door. Joseph shot hundreds of hockey pucks into a board leaned up against it. I see the bedroom that was once Alia’s and the radiator where Anna sat and did school work.

This was our home. We celebrated birthdays, opened Christmas presents and lived the holy amidst the mundane. Yes, letting go is bittersweet. But I’m glad we did the work to fix her up again. My friend Kathi reminded me recently reminded me to choose joy! So I rejoice in the life we had here.

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Rising From the Destruction – When a Tenant Damages Your Rental House Part 2

It’s been a couple of months since the tenant vacated the rental house. If you missed that story, you can read about it here. Though I’ve had a lot of irons in the fire and progress is slow, work is progressing and it’s starting to feel like the end is in sight. The goal is to have it on the market by October 1st.

To date, the following work has been completed:

  • All trash and debris was removed and disposed of
  • The house was cleaned, cleaned and cleaned again
  • Exterior trim was painted (though we still need to touch up in places)
  • Much of the interior has been painted
  • Kitchen cabinets and appliances were removed
  • Bathroom sink and toilet were removed
  • Bathroom wall paper was removed
  • Wood floors were sanded and refinished
    Normally, this would be the LAST thing I do, but in this case, it was completed very early in the remodel. The flooring guy is good, which means he’s busy. It just so happened that his family’s camping trip was postponed, creating a little window in which he could do these floors. If I’ve learned anything doing this kind of work, it’s to be patient and flexible!
  • New flooring in the basement
    We used vinyl planks. Because they are economical, easy and quick to install and waterproof, they were a perfect choice for the basement
  • Steps were sanded
  • Holes in walls were patched
  • Active water leak where the dishwasher used to be was addressed
  • Grass was planted in the front and back yards
  • New kitchen flooring
    We used stick down vinyl tiles with grout. They look really great and install easily. Still, I would not have chosen this product if it weren’t for the radiators.This house still has the old, cast iron radiators and a boiler. I LOVE them. They create the softest, nicest heat without drying out the air.  But, when it comes to flooring they create a real headache.Thicker flooring would have required me to remove the radiators. The added floor thickness would have required adjustments to the plumbing that supplies the radiators. Not even my plumber wanted to touch that! So, vinyl tile!
  • New flooring in the main bathroom
    This room got the vinyl tiles as well for the same reasons.
  • Broken glass was replaced
  • Broken window frames were repaired
  • Swamp cooler was replaced
    If you’re from the arid Western US, then you’re probably familiar with swamp coolers. If you’re climate is humid, you may not have ever even heard of a swamp cooler. Swamp coolers are a very efficient method of cooling in dry climates. Essentially, a fan blows air over pads soaked in water, lowering the temperature up to 20 degrees.I love this method of cooling. It’s simple, efficient and economical. It also adds a little moisture to our dry air. As an added bonus, unlike the refrigerated systems that require all doors and windows to remain shut,  it works best if a window is cracked just a little bit.
  • New ceiling fans were installed
  • The kitchen received new cabinets

Master bedroom. I left some wall paper in the closet because it’s original to the house and I like it.

Master

Master

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 3 – Notice the missing window! It’s been repaired and needs to be reinstalled.

Bedroom 3

Kitchen floor

Kitchen in progress

New kitchen cabinets. I used 42″ uppers rather than the standard 30″. They look so much better with the high ceilings.

Dining room. I could not get an accurate photo of the wall color. It’s much more similar to the color of the kitchen walls.

Looking from the dining room into the living room.

The bathroom is coming along

If that sounds like a lot, it is, but it’s not quite finished yet.

  • We still need to install the kitchen countertops.
    I’m trying to decide between granite, quartz and good ole’ laminate. There’s actually a laminate, available over the counter at Lowes, that looks great! But, for only $900 more, I can get granite or quartz.Granite or quartz would definitely be more desirable for buyers, but the laminate would allow me to finish the kitchen immediately. That definitely has some appeal!Ultimately it comes down to value. Will the addition of the granite bring enough additional money upon the sale to justify it’s use. That’s the question I’m trying to answer.In some houses and areas, it most certainly would, but I have to take into account this area and the buyers likely to purchase this house. Honestly, I’m just not sure. I’ve reached out to my long time friend and realtor for some insight.
  • The backsplash needs to be done as well as some tile work around the stove
    The tile around the stove needs to be replaced. The old tile is in good condition but just doesn’t match the design.
  • Some of the kitchen walls still needs some patching and paint touch ups.
    Initially, I’d planned to put in two additional cabinets so we didn’t repair that wall. When I got the cabinets into the kitchen, it just felt too crowded. Now we need to go back and deal with that wall, as well as some areas around the cabinets
  • The bathroom vanity and toilet need to be installed
  • A new floor will be installed in the laundry room, after the painting is finished
  • The third floor still needs some drywall work and paint
  • Stain needs to be applied to the steps, then sealer
    I’m planning to stain the treads and paint the risers.
  • There’s still quite a bit of trim that needs to be painted
  • One bedroom needs carpet
  • Basement walls need patched, the paint touched up, wall paper repaired, trim added and the red wall painted
  • A couple of  the windows we repaired still need to be painted and reinstalled, and there’s quite a few other windows we still need to paint.
  • The back door needs replaced
  • The rail at the back steps needs to be welded. My 16 year daughter offered to do it for me! I’ve never mastered welding. The fact that she can do it is just about the coolest thing ever.  Someday when I master Instagram that will be a #proudmama
  • There’s a dozen little things, like hanging a mirror in the powder room, curtains in the living and dining room, and replacing the front door knob. At the end, it’s all those little things that make me want to pull my hair out! 

It’s the final stretch, but the end is in sight!

 

 

 

Introducing … The Lake House!

Lake Beckwith

A few weeks ago, I told you I’d be starting a new project for a client. I am so excited about this project and equally as excited to be working with the homeowner. Amy is a beautiful, strong lady and it’s my privilege to be able to create an inviting home for her and her daughters. 

Though the house is not located on a lake, I’ll call it “The Lake House” because a picturesque lake lies just to the west. 

Here’s  a peak at the list of things we’ll do to transform this house:

  • Upgrade the electrical service
  • Remove a wall to create a great room.
  • Move the kitchen
  • Create a new laundry room where the kitchen used to be
  • Remove an existing bathroom, a walk-in closet and another closet in order to combine two bedrooms and create a larger master bedroom
  • Creat a new master bathroom and a walk-in closet
  • Convert the garage into two bedrooms (after leveling the garage floor)
  • Build a new detached garage
  • New exterior and interior paint
  • New roof
  • All new flooring
  • New appliances
  • Some new lighting
  • New hot water heater
  • Update the existing bathroom

Whew!

It’s a big project, but I’m confident we will create something amazing for Amy and her family. Keep scrolling to see the progress. Just keep in mind, it gets worse before it gets better! 

See this wall? It’s nearly gone. The drywall has bee removed and the electrical wires that used to be contained within the wall have been disconnected.

Below is a photo of what it looks like now. The framers will remove the 2 x 4 framing  and support the expanse with a beam. An engineer calculated the load requirements and specified the size and type of beam as well as the necessary support posts.

While we’re at it, did you notice the floors? The carpet was removed, then the floors were thoroughly cleaned, cleaned again, then sealed with BIN primer. This house had strong pet odors, but that stuff is amazing. I recently wrote about it here.

Here’s another view of that space.

This is what the kitchen looked like when we started. This space will be converted to a new laundry room and the kitchen will be moved.

This is what the old kitchen looks like now.

The master bedroom and another bedroom were separate by a bathroom, a walk-in closet for the master bedroom and another closet. These walls were removed to enlarge the master bedroom. The plumber will finish removing the old plumbing visible in the photo below.

This is a picture of the smaller bedroom, looking into the closet. Obviously.

And this was taken from the same bedroom, looking into the space where the closet used to exist.

The green arrow points to the smaller bedroom. A new bathroom and walk-in closet will be created in this space. The blue arrow indicates the former location of the smaller closet. The old walk-in closet is indicated by the red arrow, and the black is pointing to the former bathroom.

Finally, this gives you an idea of what this will look like when it’s done. In the second photo you can start to feel how open the main living space will be.

If you’re wondering what’s next, the plumber will demo the old plumbing, the electrician will start the service upgrade and we are waiting on the framers to come and create the new walls. The exterior is being painted now and the new roof will go on in 10 days or so. So often, with construction, we just hurry up and wait, or start and stop. Much like raising children, it develops patience!

Next week I’ll give you an update on the Adam’s house rental. It’s really coming along and should be able to hit the market in just a couple of weeks!

The Absolute Best Primer for Pet Odors, Stains and Glossy Surfaces

Years ago, when I started buying investment real estate, a more experienced friend said that a smelly house was the smell of money. This is especially true when the odors are pet urine. It’s an immediate turn off for would be buyers, and understandably so.

No one wants to live with foul odors in their homes, and for many buyers, addressing the cause can seem overwhelming or impossible.  It creates an opportunity to buy a house at a discount and increase profits. Thus, “the smell of money”. 

Currently, I have two renovation projects under way. You already know about the rental house damaged by the tenants.  I call it the Adams house because it’s located on Adams Avenue. (If you missed that post, you can find it here.)  The other is an extensive renovation/remodel for a client. I’ll share more about that soon. The two houses are as different as can be, but they have one thing in common. Both reek with the smell of pet urine. 

The first step in addressing this problem was to remove fouled carpet. In my client’s home, we removed all the carpet and the odor still persisted. I could not identify any clearly stained areas in the subfloor. I have a nose like a bloodhound so I started going through the house room by room in an attempt to find the source of the odor. 

Client’s family room.

After eliminating two bedrooms as suspects, I sniffed parts of the living room floor on hands and knees. Nothing. 

If you’re imagining me crawling around a dirty floor and stopping to smell it from time to time, your imagination is spot on. Yes, I know it’s gross! This is the unromantic part of the job. When I talk about renovation, people tend to imagine the fun stuff. You know, Joanna Gaines staging a now beautiful home. Yes, that’s part of it, but there’s a lot of dirty (and smelly) work between now and then! 

I made my way to the family room. Under the carpet was old 12” flooring tiles likely to contain asbestos. As a result, the new floating floor will be laid right over the top of the old. A careful visual inspection showed an area, right in front of the fireplace that could have been the source of the odor. 

So, back to my hands and knees. I didn’t have to get too close before I knew I’d found the source! Cleaning and sealing should solve the problem. 

Adams house steps before the carpet was removed.

In the Adams house there was very little carpet, only the staircase and one bedroom. The other floors are wood, concrete, or vinyl. 

We removed the carpet from the bedroom, and again, though the odor improved, it still persisted. I never even thought about the steps until I was sitting on them, cleaning the railings. The smell seemed stronger and sure enough, that carpet was soaked in urine as well.

Yuck! I hurried home to shower and wash those clothes. With all of the carpet removed, the odor improved immensely. 

I’ll clean, then sand and stain the steps, but the bedroom floor was cleaned and sealed. 

There are many opinions for sealing odors, but BIN primer by Zinnser is the absolute best! BIN primer is a shellac based primer with superior stain blocking, odor blocking and adherence properties. I love this stuff! 

I first discovered it twenty years ago. I was on a very tight budget, but desperate to give my dated kitchen a facelift. The cabinets were dark brown, wood grained laminate. They were hideous! I did not think paint would adhere well to that surface, but paint seemed the only affordable option for changing the look. 

That’s when BIN entered my life and it’s never been the same. 

It turns out that in addition to it’s many other benefits, BIN will stick to anything, even glass, tile and laminate. It solved my kitchen dilemma, but I would learn that it’s also exceptional at blocking odors and sealing stains. 

Shellac actually comes from female lac bugs. Crazy huh? Lac bugs live in India and Thailand. The female secretes a resin which she leaves on the trees in which they live. The resin is scraped from the tree, then heated and strained to remove bark. It’s then poured into large, thin sheets and allowed to dry. Once dry it’s broken into flakes. The flakes are ground up and dissolved in ethyl alcohol for use. Shellac primers must also have the naturally occurring wax removed. This is referred to as “de-waxed shellac.” Removing the wax allows other coatings, such as paint to stick to the primer. 

I could go on and on about shellac and probably bore you to tears.  In addition to creating an exceptional primer, before vinyl, shellac was used to make records.  It’s been used to mold trinkets and jewelry, stiffen ballet pointe shoes, and even as a coating for pills and candy. 

I guess I’m kind of a nerd, but I find it absolutely fascinating that something excreted by a bug gives us something so useful and versatile! I also realize that not everyone is as captivated by bug resins as I am. So, if you want to know more about shellac, it’s history and uses, just click this link. 

For the rest of you, just know that BIN primer is the best primer for sealing odors, blocking stains and adhering to shiny and glossy surfaces. 

Adams house bedroom floor sealed with BIN Primer. It should have been applied a little thicker. Normally one coat is sufficient, but in this case, we’ll coat it again.

There are only three downsides to BIN primer:

  1.  It has a strong odor. This is because it’s not water-based. Fortunately, as it dries the odor dissipates and it dries fast. 
  2. It’s runny. Unlike most thick odor and stain blocking primers, BIN is runny, making it a little messy if you aren’t careful.
  3. It’s relatively expensive. At around $42 a gallon, it’s roughly twice the cost of other high quality primers. Still, it’s well worth it.If you need to block odors, including pet, cigarette smoke and fire smells, nothing works better. Imagine sealing a pet odor on a floor, covering that floor with new carpet only to the find the smell returning on humid days. You’d wish you had spend the extra 20 bucks!Similarly, if you need to adhere to a glossy, smooth surface, or hide difficult stains, this is your product. 

For less challenging projects, such as painting over a dark colored wall, I like Kilz premium, or Zinsser’s Bulls Eye 123. Both are excellent primers.

Kilz Premium. An excellent primer.

Adams house entry walls. Tenants had painted chalkboard paint and burgundy, two hard to cover colors.

Adams entry walls Kilz premium primer. Excellent coverage!

(Please note this contains an affiliate link by which This Place I Belong can profit. However, I never recommend a product I don’t believe in.)

If you aren’t concerned about stains and odors, don’t want to bother with primer at all, and want a stunning finish, just reach for a jar of a Maker’s Studio Rescue and Restore paint. No priming needed, even on slick surfaces. You can learn more about it here, or purchase it here. By the way,  A Maker’s Studio is offering a free 12″ x 12″ stencil with the purchase of 3 chalk art paints for a limited time. 

Where to start when a tenant damages your property.

Stunned, I slowly made my way through the house, carefully stepping over trash and debris as my eyes surveyed the damage and squalor.

Doors had been ripped from the kitchen cabinets. Drawer fronts were missing. The mahogany countertops were badly damaged. There were holes in the walls. Window sashes, broken and devoid of glass hung from the windows and broken glass carpeted the floor.  The bathroom sink had sustained a couple of cracks. Entering the bedroom that once belonged to my son, I caught my breath.  The smell of pet urine was suffocating. And filth. Everywhere filth.

This is the old girl a few years ago.

It took a minute to get over my shock and horror at the condition of my house, and a few more to set aside my anger at the tenant. Ok. That’s not quite true.  The truth is, I’m still angry. It’s hard to understand how someone can treat someone else’s property like this.

I’ve had rental units for many years now. Early on, I was too trusting, too naive. I assumed that everyone was good and would treat my properties the way I treated homes when I rented.

This is her today.

I quickly learned that this just isn’t the case. So, I got better at screening tenants. Even so, sometimes a bad one slips through the cracks. As a landlord, I know this is a possibility. Never-the-less, when it happens it makes me angry!

For a while now, I’ve been contemplating selling this house, so when confronted with the mess and destruction, my first reaction was to find a buyer and sell it fast. Repairs take time and that amounts to lost income. Our real estate market is really hot.  In fact, while we were evaluating the damages, a neighbor stopped by to ask if we’d consider selling “as-is”. Tempting!

Damaged cabinet. Notice the mold in the open area. She removed the dishwasher and simply bent the copper supply line over, allowing water to seep out.

The kitchen, after most the rotting food, and pet messes had been removed.

One bedroom

Broken glass

Living room. This could have been much worse.

When I set my emotions aside and evaluated the situation, I realized that I spend a lot of time and money looking for damaged houses to fix and make a profit. So, why would I leave money on the table this time?

I was simply having an emotional response to an ugly situation. Doing the work to restore the home will bring a higher selling price and greater profits. It just makes sense, and dollars too!

Walking through the house again with a camera and notebook, I started making the repair list. Later, I would assign dollar amounts to each of these items and then get to work.

Some of the original woodwork. No, I did not choose the paint color and yes, the “art” was scratched into the plaster walls by the tenant’s children.

Simply cleaning made a big difference in the living room.

Dining room looking into the living room.

Living room looking into the dining room.

Having made the decision to renovate the house, I started getting excited. I really love this house. It’s a 1911, brick Craftsman, and  she still retains much of her period charm. The deep woodwork, though a little shabby, is beautiful still. The wood floors are original. I even love the old radiators!

It’s the kind of house that can work equally as well for a young family or for empty nesters. Having served us well for many years, first as our family home, then as an income property, she’s earned the right to  a make-over and I’m excited to give it to her. I’m also excited to share the process with you!

Someone asked me how I even start with a project like this. Here’s what we’ve done so far:

  • Created a master list of work to be completed.
  • Removed most of the tenant’s trash and debris, and there was  A LOT.
  • Removed the urine soaked carpet from the bedroom.
  • Cleaned everything that won’t be removed.
  • Removed some of the kitchen cabinets. I’ll leave the base cabinets until new cabinets arrive because we use that sink.
  • Removed the old, dirty microwave hood and cleaned the stove and refrigerator. These will likely end up being replaced with new appliances.
  • Scheduled the electrician to come evaluate the wiring.
  • Started prepping the walls for painting, although I don’t want to do too much in case the electrician needs to open walls to pull new wire.

We’ll have to invest time, effort and money, but in the end it will be worth it, and well, I love the process!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hardwood floors: 3 reasons you should ditch polyurethane finish, and what to use instead 

Two weeks from today is April 21st. Normally, it would be a day just like any other day. But this year, April 21st is the day my clients will be moving into their newly renovated home. For over two months, I’ve been knee deep renovating their old house. I’m excited to share that project with you, but because we are in the final push right now, we’ll have to settle for just a sneak peak.

Client’s floor – rustic white oak finished with WOCA hard-wax oil and no stain

When we started, the living room, like many old-house living rooms, had wall-to-wall carpet. The carpet was old and dated, but because it was high quality and still in good condition, the clients considered waiting to replace it.

Then, we had to cut into a section of floor in order to access a concrete footer. The carpet was rolled back to reveal solid, white oak floors. To home renovators, this is akin to winning the scratch off lottery! It’s not enough to completely change your life, but it will put a bounce in your step for a couple of weeks. I don’t play the lottery, so I’m really just imagining here, but you get the point.

Sometimes, old wooden floors are damaged or stained, but these were perfect in spite of worn and peeling finish. We eagerly peeled back the carpet in the breakfast nook and found the same flooring!

Client’s rustic floor

Solid white oak with 2 3/8” planks are such a classic floor. For years, this was standard flooring. As an added bonus, it’s still available today, even in the more rustic grade that matched the existing floors. My flooring contractor installed new, matching flooring in the kitchen, then sanded and finished all of the floors creating one uniform, stunning floor.

After locating the material, we had to decide on a finish. Most hardwood floors today are purchase pre-finished with a slight bevel at the edge. The bevel is necessary with pre-finished floors because it creates a transition between boards.

Unfinished flooring is sanded, stained, and then three coats of oil-based polyurethane are applied. Oil-based poly is generally considered to be slightly more durable than water-based but because it can yellow over time, most flooring contractors offer a water-based option as well.

Client’s floor

This is the most common way floors are finished today. But, it’s not the only option and in my opinion, it’s not even close to the best.

Three reasons to ditch polyurethane:

1. Plastic. Polyurethane is essentially plastic that sits on the surface of your beautiful, natural wood, creating a barrier between it and you. This barrier does protect the wood, but it looks and feels like the plastic that it is.

2. Polyurethane scratches. With the addition of aluminum oxide, modern polyurethanes are more dent and scratch resistant than their predecessors, but the fact remains, they will scratch and dent. You’ve probably seen those hazy, white spots on the hardwood floors under chair legs, or milky tracks at the desk where the chair has been pushed in and out too many times to count.

Those are thousands of tiny scratches in the polyurethane.  Felt applied to the bottom of legs can help, but it does not prevent scratching because dirt can still find it’s way under the felt pads and it’s the dirt that creates the scratches. It acts like sandpaper.

Admittedly this floor has multiple issues, but you can see the tiny scratches in the poly finish. They are a result of pushing a desk chair in and out.

You’ve seen the dents too. Maybe a kid dropped a heavy glass. Or, if your house is like mine, an over-zealous dog ran across the floor then tried to stop only to slide into the opposite wall leaving a nice, deep gouge in the floor.

These things are just life and my life is too full and too busy to worry about damaging my floors.

3. Difficult to repair. When poly finishes do get worn or damaged, and they will, they are difficult to repair. You can not simply repair the damaged area. The entire room must be emptied of furniture. Before the new finish can be applied the existing finish must be scuffed, if the damage is minor, or sanded off in more extreme cases. It’s time consuming, messy, invasive and costly.

So, if you don’t want to use polyurethane on your floors, do you have other options? Yes!!

Client’s rustic floor

Three alternatives to Polyurethane floor finishes.

1. Wax. Our grandmothers used to wax their floors. Wax floors are warm and inviting. Their soft, buttery finish gives the wood a beautiful depth that simply glows. They are, however,  difficult and time consuming to maintain.

2. Penetrating oils. Penetrating oils are oils that harden when exposed to air. I’m most experienced with tung oil, a penetrating oil pressed from the nuts of a tung tree.

As the name implies, it will penetrate into wood then polymerize into a solid. This strengthens the wood and provides protection against water. It’s most often combined with other ingredients and labeled “Tung oil finish“, but can be used in it’s pure form.

Pure tung oil used to be difficult to find, but thanks to Amazon, you can order it here. It’s an exceptional product for sealing floors and because it’s food safe when dried, it’s also great for countertops.  When using it in it’s pure form, I mix it with a little citrus solvent, (also available here, at Amazon) to help it penetrate a little deeper. I’ve used tung oil on both countertops and floors and for many years it was my favorite finish.

 

Mahogany countertops sealed with pure tung oil

Birch countertops, lightly stained and sealed with Pallman Magic oil, hard-wax oil

Tung oil, tends to result in a fairly matte finish. However, with multiple coats and buffing, you can achieve a nice, soft sheen.

One of the best attributes of penetrating oils is the ease with which repairs can be made. Unlike polyurethane, oil can be reapplied to worn areas whenever needed. It is not necessary to strip the entire floor. If the floor should be dented, scratched or otherwise damaged, the area can be lightly sanded and re-oiled.

My floor: engineered, wide plank, european oak with stain and hard-wax oil

3. Hard-wax oil. A couple of years ago, when installing floors in my house I stumbled upon a product that was new to me.  Hard-wax oil has been widely used in Europe for many years but is just starting to gain traction in the US market. It combines penetrating oils with waxes to create a superior finish. The oils penetrate and strengthen and the wax provides extra surface protection.

As American consumers learn about this product, it’s becoming easier to find. Some premium flooring stores are starting to carry flooring that has been pre-finished with hard-wax oil. It is now my favorite floor finish, hands down.

4 benefits of hardwax oil finishes

1. The finish. Hard-wax oils tend to create a matte finish, similar to that of tung oil, however, several brands will create a nice, soft sheen with proper buffing. This is that soft, rich, buttery finish that will remind you of grandma’s floors. They are silky smooth, without the plastic feel, tempting one to ditch the slippers and run around in bare feet.

2. Ease of Repairs. Repairs are performed in the same manner as penetrating oil. Simply lightly sand the damaged area and apply more oil. This is perhaps the best feature of this product. I love, love, love this!

My floors take a lot of abuse. I have kids, dogs, dirt, mud and snow. Oh, and ducklings. Yep, yesterday Anna bought two ducklings. Eventually they will find their home in the coop with the chickens, but today, they are running around the kitchen, on the wood floors, while Anna watches over them.

Ducklings on my stained, hard-wax finished floor.

Did I mention my floors take a lot of abuse? I wasn’t exaggerating! If the finish gets worn or damaged, I just apply oil before I go to bed at night and in the morning it’s as good as new.

3. Hard-wax oil dries and cures quickly. Most hard-wax oil products call for two coats of finish. My favorite product, Pallman Magic Oil dries enough to receive the second coat in 4 hours and light foot traffic is allowed after only 12. Oil-based polyurethane and many penetrating oils require extensive dry times between coats, and the oils require numerous coats to achieve good protection.

4. It’s environmentally friendly. Hard-wax oils have little to no VOCs. Regardless of where you stand on the environmental, political debate (I tend to be fairly conservative) I think we can all agree that fewer harsh chemicals are probably a good thing.

There are, however, some downsides to hard-wax oils. If you like shiny floors, you would not be happy with hard-wax oil. It simply will not product a high-shine finish. I actually prefer a satin/matte finish. I like the look better and I find shiny floors harder to keep clean as they show dust. Still, this is a matter of personal preference, and those wanting shine should stick with polyurethane.

Hard-wax oils also require periodic maintenance. It must be reapplied from time to time. The frequency depends primarily on how hard you use the floors. Floors with lots of dirt and traffic will need to be re-oiled more often. I tend to re-oil my floors about every year and half. I do not move the furniture, I simply apply oil to the worn areas. Hard-wax needs refreshed more frequently than polyurethane, but the process is much more affordable and less invasive. Still, if you are not willing to perform occasional maintenance, you will be frustrated with this finish.

Hard-wax oils certainly aren’t for everyone. There is still a place for polyurethane, but when it comes time to do your floors, at least consider the benefits of a hard-wax oil finish.

Greenhorn Farmhouse Interior Part 2 and the Finale

Finally. Finally. I’d reached the point where I could start putting this old farmhouse back together. Because it was an old farmhouse, I wanted it to feel like an old farmhouse.

Exterior before

Exterior before

Exterior after

Exterior after

The first order of business was to get the cabinets ordered because it would take a couple of weeks for them to arrive. I ordered Shaker White kitchen cabinets from RTAcabinetstore.com.

RTA stand for “ready to assemble” and means that the cabinet parts would come in a flat box and require assembly. The assembly process is relatively quick and easy and can result in significant savings. I assembled these in my living room, while hanging out with the girls and watching tv!

Next, I ordered the flooring because again, it would take time to arrive. I chose a hand- scraped, birch, engineered hardwood from Build Direct. Because this was an investment property, I needed to stay mindful of the budget, regardless of whether I kept the property or sold it. The engineered product allowed me to stay within budget, without sacrificing beauty and style, and would be installed after the painting was complete.

Then … the walls. These were a mess! Several were damaged and would need new drywall, as would the new walls we’d constructed.

The kitchen ceiling had one of those drop down systems. You know the kind. The typical office ceiling with the metal frame and the rectangular panels, complete with built-in fluorescent lights. This definitely didn’t fit with the farmhouse motif!

Kitchen ceiling before

So, down came the ceiling. I was expecting some damage,  but I wasn’t prepared for what we found. The ceiling was simply the bottom side of the attic floor boards, 2 feet higher than the old ceiling and covered with a thin, painted fabric. It was torn and sagging in places and some of it had remnants of old wall paper.

I was thrilled with the higher ceiling, but it desperately needed a new finish! Rather than drywall, I opted for bead board. This was consistent with the breakfast nook ceiling and really, nothing is more quintessentially farmhouse than bead board.

When it came to the actual bead board, I had several options. Solid bead board planks with a tongue and groove is a nice product but costly.

MDF paneling is  economical but flimsy. It would have been fine for walls, but because it’s thin, I worried about it sagging over time if used on the ceiling. Who wants to go to all of this work only to have it droop and sag down the road?

Plywood bead board, on the other hand, is economical, quick to install, and thick enough to prevent sagging. At nearly 3/8” thick, it’s sturdy enough for a ceiling and the end result is virtually indistinguishable from the costlier solid planks.

The kitchen ceiling, bathroom ceiling and pantry walls all received this material.  In order to really tie things together, I used it to wrap the kitchen island as well.

Bathroom bead board ceiling

Bead board wrapping island

The remaining walls and the living room ceiling received new drywall. With the drywall hung and taped, I decided to apply a skip trowel finish to all of the walls. This was time consuming, and I’ll admit, my shoulder ached a bit by the time I was finished, but a knock down finish just didn’t fit with the house. This finish made the walls look and feel as if they’d always been there.

Skip trowel drywall finish on the wall

Now it was time for paint. I purchased over half a dozen color samples and painted swatches on the walls in all of the different rooms. I had a couple of different shades of white and of course, some variations of greige. Greige is that trendy color that falls somewhere between grey and beige.

In the end I chose Dove White by Benjamin Moore for the wall color. I love this white because it’s warm, with just a tiny hint of cream so it doesn’t feel stark and cold. For the trim I used Simply White, also by Benjamin Moore and I decided to carry these colors throughout the house.

My parents and aunt and uncle graciously offered to help with the paining and boy was I thankful! Many hands really do make light work and besides, these people are just fun! Tell me that doesn’t look like fun!!

My dad! Yes, he loves Elvis. Still to this day!

For the countertops, I used solid birch tops from Ikea. Sadly, they no longer carry this product … a sad fact I discovered when trying to buy it again for my latest renovation.

I did consider granite. Granite is, of course, beautiful and durable and for many years it, along with marble and quartz have been among the most sought after countertop materials.

But, I’m partial to wood counters. I’ve been using them for nearly fifteen years, long before you could even buy them. (Back then I had to make my own.)

It’s not that I’m opposed to those other materials.  I once bought a truck load of old Carrera marble slabs that had been removed from the walls of an old bank in Dayton, Ohio. The marble was covered with drywall mud and paint, but under all of that was pure beauty. Granite, quartz, marble and even laminate have their place. It’s just that in this old farmhouse, wood simply fit better.

Ikea didn’t have the birch tops wide enough to accommodate the island so I purchased two pieces, used my biscuit joiner and glued them together. When they were dry I sanded them, cut them down to size, cut the opening for the stainless steel, under-mount sink and stained them a light warm, brown. I finished them off with hard wax oil.

I’ll introduce you to hard wax oil in a future post. For now, suffice to say, it’s durable, easy to apply, easy to maintain, environmentally friendly and simply beautiful. It doesn’t get any better than that!

The addition of a new island light fixture and stainless steel appliances finished off the kitchen!

Kitchen and breakfast nook

Breakfast nook after

Kitchen after

Kitchen after

Kitchen after

For the bathroom vanity, I purchased an antique sideboard and fitted it with a sink and faucet. This economical alternative to a pre-made vanity gave the bathroom unique character and beauty. New lighting, a new cast iron tub, subway tiles for the shower surround, new toilet, and the bathroom was checked off of my punch list.

Bathroom vanity

Subway tiles, new fixtures, new tub – eventually it got a Battenburg lace shower curtain, but I failed to get a photo.

Bathroom before

Bathroom before

Bathroom before

Bathroom after

Bathroom after

With everything else nearly done, I needed to think about doors for the closet in the entry porch and a door for the panty. Using plywood and wood salvaged from the demo, I created a barn style pantry door. I painted the top half with chalk board paint, creating convenient and fun place to write a grocery list then, I created similar barn style doors for the entry.

Pantry door (before laundry doors were painted)

Pantry pocket door, (before door was completely trimmed)

Entry porch closet doors.

Mud room before

Mud room after

Dining room before

Dining room after

Living room before

Living room after

The house was staged using items scavenged from my garage and Voila! It was done! Four months after closing, the renovation was complete. The house sold quickly, with multiple full price offers.

When I signed the closing documents and handed over the keys, it was with mixed emotions. I left the title company and climbed into my car. And I sat there. Just sort of numb. You aren’t supposed to get attached to the houses you renovated.

But, I bought this one thinking I’d like to keep it. I could see my parents there, or one of my children some day. It took a while to adjust to the reality that it was no longer mine.

I’d drive home at night, after darkness had settled, and I’d see a light in the window. And my eyes would strain and my heart would race with concern. Who was at my house? What were they doing?

Eventually, I grew used to seeing life and light and activity there. But when I pull into my drive and see the Greenhorn Farmhouse, nestled among it’s trees and surrounded by the grassy mountain pastures, deer grazing on it’s richness, or sleeping in it’s shade, I smile still.

 

Greenhorn Farmhouse Interior Part 1: 7 repairs and changes to create a better framework

With much of the exterior work at Greenhorn Farmhouse completed, it was time to tackle the interior. Sometimes a house has a great layout, and in those cases, I can jump right in with cabinets, paint, tile, and flooring, etc. But sometimes, there are repairs that need to made and a house might even benefit from some reconfiguration. Addressing these types of issues creates a good framework for adding all of the finishing touches.

This old farmhouse would undergo 7 such foundational changes and repairs.

1. Sub-floors

During demo, the house had been emptied of debris and personal items. Then kitchen cabinets, a couple of old brick chimneys, the bathtub, bathroom vanity and toilet were all removed.

In the now vacant rooms, it became readily apparent that the living room floor sloped drastically in the corner, as did one of the bedroom floors. The kitchen floor had a pretty severe sag as well. I decided that the best thing to do would be to pull up the subfloor and have a look.

I found that the existing joists were not attached to the exterior foundation at all. While they were attached in the center of the room, on the exterior side they were free floating. No wonder the floor was un-level. This was not something I’d anticipated and I was glad I’d built a buffer into my budget.

Eventually, my crew would need to install new joists, joist hangers and subfloor to insure the floor was level and structurally sound. But before we did that, I’d need to address the wall dividing the living and dining rooms.

New sub-floor

2. Living Room Wall

I’ve never completely bought into the open plan concept. Years ago, I was actually opposed to it. I liked having separate living spaces. I think this preference was heavily influenced by the presence of five small children in the home. Having separate spaces allowed me to contain the inevitable mess and chaos more effectively. In recent years the open concept has grown on me, though I’m still not that girl who is always in favor of taking down walls.

None-the-less, in this house, it was the right decision. The living area immediately felt twice as large.

Living room/dining room wall before removal

Living room/dining room wall removed

3. Bedroom wall

Sometimes, a space can benefit from simply moving a wall. Remember, this is an old farmhouse, and as is often the case, the bedrooms were all small. There wasn’t a lot I could do about this, short of building an addition. However, there was something I could do.

The master bedroom had a small jog in the wall it shared with the living room. By pushing that wall out, I was able to gain a few feet in the master bedroom. The actual area gained was relatively small, but the impact was huge. This had the added benefit of eliminating a strange and unnecessary jog in the living room.

Living room wall jog into bedroom

Bedroom wall pushed back

4. Laundry Room

The next task was to build a new laundry room closet. The existing laundry room was too narrow to really function well. There just wasn’t enough room between the front of the appliances and the opposing wall.

If the room were just a little bit wider, the appliances could have been placed on the adjacent wall. As this was not a viable option, I decided to convert the former laundry room into a spacious pantry, and create a new laundry room closet.

I incorporated a pocket door system into the new framing to provide a way to close the pantry without sacrificing floor space. Later, I would build a barn-style door for this purpose.

Framing new laundry room

5. Relocate bathroom door

Before we put away the framing nailer, there was one more issue to address. In old homes, it’s very common to find bathroom access directly off of the kitchen. In an era where adding plumbing was expensive and even considered a luxury, it made sense to locate all the plumbing as close together as possible. As a result, bathrooms were often located right next to kitchens and this house was no exception.

The bathroom door was right in the middle of the kitchen wall. While this could function perfectly well, I really disliked it. So I closed up the door between the kitchen and bathroom then relocated it to the end of the bathroom, near the new laundry room.

Eventually, the stove would sit just about where that door had been.

The stove sits where the bathroom door used to be.

6. Bathroom layout

This was the first step in reconfiguring the bathroom layout. The tub and vanity remained in the same locations, but the toilet was relocated to the area where there door had been previously.

7. Kitchen Layout

Finally, I needed to create a new kitchen layout. When working with floor plans, I still like to start with good old-fashioned pencil and graph paper. Eventually, the design makes it’s way into Home Designer, the 3D design program I use.

Creating a design in 3 dimensions is not only a lot of fun, but it helps highlight any design elements that might not work well. My clients love it too. It helps them see what I see in my mind’s eye.

This design morphed several times before I settled on a layout that I loved. Unfortunately, it involved closing up another window.

This particular window was really more of a pass through between the kitchen and the front entry area and didn’t make much sense anyway. Closing it also provided some wall space in the entry where one could hang coat hooks or place a bench.

Floor plan before

Floor plan after

With the new framework in place, it was finally time to focus on the finishes. Next week I’ll talk about finishes, paint color, tile, cabinetry, flooring, and more.