Under Construction!!

Our new blog is still under construction, just like our house! Mainly because we have been so busy just trying to get the house into what we consider to be "living conditions". Before we could move in, we had to deal with mold remediation in the basement. That took several weeks, and once we got the all-clean test results we could start doing more. We officially moved in 2 weeks ago, but had lots of little trips over to the old house to prepare it for renters and move over all kinds of odds and ends. Thankfully that part is over! We are in the middle of several projects-

1) Resolving our A/C issue. A week after we closed on the house and started running the air conditioner, we developed a ceiling leak over the staircase. The A/C has a large leak that was causing this. We called the home warranty company and have dealt with three different contractors and opinions on how to fix the issue. We are still working out code issues (our indoor unit does not match the outdoor unit and they should). We also have a really dated and unusual system called a SpacePak that contains small ducts and can be quite expensive to replace.

In the meantime, as the temps are now in the low 90's, we have had to buy 3 window units to live comfortably in the house.

2. Living room renovation. Before:

This project is taking quite a while because it involves tons of painting. The first thing we did was sand down the existing brown lacquered beams and apply white paint.

Next we primed over the dark green walls and then followed up with a light gray-blue color from Sherwin-Williams. We are still working on painting the light lime green trim a nice crisp white color.

Other projects that we have planned for the living room include finishing a built-in shelf/cabinet area (it was oddly just a shelf?), updating the fireplace, and covering the textured ceiling with bead board. "After" pictures are hopefully coming soon!

3. Powerwashing the house and swingset.
Moving Day:

Currently:

and the swingset we hope to get to this week. Plans include a powerwashing and staining the rest of the way (previous owner had sort of done some staining).

We plan to use the same stain as is currently on there.

4. The light fixtures that were half broken and we hope to replace this week:

With this:

Some semi-completed projects that we have done include getting the door bell working and the chime replaced, fixing leaky toilets and broken seats, changing outlets out, installing an updated ceiling fan and painting the playroom for Austin, and a new foyer light installed. The foyer light had electrical issues that we had to deal with, but the other projects went fairly well.

Playroom Before:

Currently:

Eventually we will get window treatments and rip out the hideous blue carpeting, but we will let the cats and kids destroy it a bit more first. So there you have a good (and long) update on the house. There is plenty more I could ramble on or show you, but I probably should get back to painting the lime green trim. :)