ok ok ok...one more thing....

we had one more project to do and decided to call in a specialist to get it done.  the mission: to create a bar in the dining room [no, we're not drunks, just thirsty]

we needed a contractor to create a custom built-in cabinet who would:
- work long days [and into the night]
- for a discount price [maybe even free]
- to get the project done in 6 days [did i mention it was custom?]









so we flew Jenny's Dad in from LA for a week.

John is a self-taught carpenter/electrician/plumber who was more than game to lend a hand in building the cabinetry.  We agreed upfront that its a "team" thing and we're all going to put in work to make it.  and we all did.  but SOMEHOW he ended up doing most of it ;-)

we saw these built-in cabinets at a friends' house recently and decided to cop their style.  its simple & bold and practical....we just needed to know how to make it.

so we sent John a picture.  and a diagram of what we wanted.  he diagnosed it and sent over an extensive home depot shopping list:  Large sheets of Poplar wood.  Long pieces of galvanized steel pipe.  biscuits {what the hell are those?} dowels.  and glue.  LOTS of glue.

we saved some time in the process by buying the lower cabinets from IKEA.  we liked the stainless steel door fronts and the fact that they didnt have to be built from scratch [though sometimes it feels that way with IKEA shit]  we also got the countertop from IKEA, though it came in two separate pieces that had to be cut & joined together [break out the biscuits!]

once the cabinets were anchored to the wall and the top was set, we began to build the open wood shelving that was to sit above it.

on its face: pretty easy, right?  measure some shit.  cut some shit.  glue some shit.  paint some shit.  done.

ummm....yeah.  notsomuch.

first of all, when you really examine a house, any house, you will see things that are not what you thought they were.  as in: its hard to build a cabinet flush to the wall when the wall isnt straight to begin with.  not to alarm you, but thats just the way it is just about everywhere.  and its only off by fractions of an inch.  but over a 10+ foot section of wood, that makes a big difference.

the shelving was to be built in two pieces: the interior/cubbyholes were first.  the "face" frame was second.

i'll skip the boring details on all the measuring, cutting, re-measuring and re-cutting we did, but somehow, miraculously, we were able to chop down all the large pieces of Poplar into sections that were glued together one at a time.

[How John was able to run all that wood through the table saw without chopping his fingers off, I'll never know.]

all the sections were held together by large metal clamps that John sent our way the week before [they were the key to the process....and the biscuits, too]

once the backside was built, we began the same process with the "face" frame and then fit it all together

then, all of a sudden, we were in a good place.  we painted all the shelving with a few good coats of semi-gloss white and let it dry for the night. so we decided to let our hair down for the night and head out for a much needed break before the final stage of the work.  it just so happened to be halloween, and as you can see, we had a good time.

the last stage was to fit the face frame on the cubbyholes.  we rented a nail gun from home depot for the occasion.  we actually rented alot of stuff from home depot.  some which were real rentals, and some items that we returned after we realized that we didnt need to keep them forever {"SHHHHHH"}

after some spackle and touch-up paint, it was done!

5.5 days.  200+ man-hours.  1 case of beer. and 48 biscuits later.....we had ourselves a built-in.  and a damn good-looking one too.

after John caught his 1st class SouthWest Airlines seat back to LA, Jenny and I finished up adding the cabinet doors, molding, and wine racks to finish the installation.  the wine refrigerator arrived a couple days later and that officially completed the project.

now all we need to do is stock the bar.  No help needed on that front...I think we can take things from here....but a HUGE thanks to John for making this happen.  We owe you a cold one [and maybe a little bit more]

Thoughts from the rear-view mirror [part I]

so, we've reached the end of the line with the contractor....his work is done [save for some odds and ends that will pop up in the the first year]  and he's been paid.  we definitely got the most value for the dollar in the deal....we worked closely with the crew to upgrade a bunch of things along the way [bathrooms, kitchens, lighting] and used every nook and cranny inside of this 110yr old house to create 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms, a hi-end kitchen, rear deck, a good amount of storage, and a fully separate basement rental unit.  We're really pleased with how it all turned out.

in the end, though the process took about 40% longer than expected [thanks to the bank, the city, and to a lesser extent, the contractor],

and cost about 20% more than quoted [thanks also to the city and in a large part US]

but it was 100% worth it.

the real estate junkies around here can tell you what a victorian rowhouse goes for in DC in ANY condition....its not cheap, and depending on where its located, could sink your budget before any work is done.

but if you DO find a good deal on the "shell" [or similar] you'll need to get a plan together for fixing it up and making it yours.  in our case, we were able to live in a comfortable spot away from the construction mess the entire time and visit the site daily to check on progress...and we didnt move-in until everything was [almost] all done...this is called a "civilized renovation" [and its what keeps relationships intact]

other circumstances dont allow for that.  some people have different timelines and budgets that force the issue of the move-in date.  so you'll need to live amongst the dust/debris/disarry.  an extreme example:  our neighbor across the street has been in the middle of a renovation for 2.5 years and has spent cold winters with only a small space heater to keep him from freezing.

overall, renovating a house from tip to tail in 9 months is actually very fast for a first-timer, residential homeowner who doesn't have a frikkin clue as to what they are doing.  And now that the smoke has finally cleared and we're actually living there FOR REALZ--- I'm just starting to realize that.

would I recommend this to anybody else?  yes.  but with a KAJILLION caveats.
[perhaps i'll list them in a later post]

and perhaps a mental health evaluation.  you gotta have your mind right.  its not for the faint of heart.

beer helps too.

but if you get through it, it'll be a good feeling...a damn good feeling. to have a place to truly call your own.

The Grand Opening

well....I can finally say that we're "done"

though you're never really done...we've gotten rid of all the dust and cleaned the joint up enough to make it presentable

so now its time for you to come and check us out.

date: 11/20
time: 4pm until
email me at: terrance3000@gmail.com for the rest of the details


til then...


-TG

Green Thumbs

1 Saturday.   11 hours.  and a dream.....

thats what it took for our front yard [aka: the warzone] to get an extreme makeover

mind you, its only a 12ft x 12ft spit of dirt [if that]...but it sure had alot of goodies hidden in the dirt.

old bricks.  concrete chunks.  scrap metal.  and LOTS of oyster shells [you got me on that one]

we started with the idea of just turning over the soil and planting some greenery that could make it through the fall & winter.   then spread some much around to cover it up.   no grand plans, just a desire to get rid of that nasty dirt patch in front of the classy new joint.

but its never that easy is it?

in the end, we...

 - shoveled about 1000 pounds of dirt.  
 - excavated 200lbs of bricks and various debris
 - removed several iron bars embedded over a foot into the ground
 - transported 300lbs of new stone and concrete from home depot [where else]
 - constructed a trash can "pad"
 - built a retaining wall
 - dropped in 8 hearty plants for the winter and a couple dozen dutch tulips that may or may not grow [thanks either way Elizabeth!]


I think that you can see by the before and after pics, it was some overdue work, but I'm looking forward to no more Saturdays like this

more pics here

Settling in....

so, we've finally moved in!  crazy.  really crazy.  its kind of hard to believe b/c when i take a look around I can still see each corner of the place in its former condition as clear as day:  the moldy carpet.  the massive holes in the rotted floors.  the bombed-out kitchen.  the NASTY basement.

but now its all transformed.  and it looks damn good [if I do say so myself]

the last couple of weeks, have been as intense/busy as any other during the process because you just want to start LIVING.  get that sock drawer going.  where do the spatulas go?  have we tried the dishwasher yet? where's the TP?

all ho-hum decisions, but they are the ones that you have to make so you can continue the "settling in"

I'm looking forward to the weekend when we can kick the feet up on the couch and just chiiiiill.  maybe watch the Jets march on their road to the Super Bowl.  I'm aiming for week 11 [lets hope we're still in it]

here's some pics from recent weeks, its not quite ready for "the big reveal" but I'll keep posting stuff up until then

Gluttons for Punishment

an old house has so many charming things in it that can be salvaged.  a door.  a window or its frame.  fireplace mantels.  We've actually been able to salvage all of the above and its works pretty well with all the "new" around it

the last item up on the salvage list was a old radiator.

originally, the plan was to salvage 3 of the 6 old radiators in the house.  now, the dont work anymore [they cracked on the inside] but they look really cool and I wanted to keep that flavor around

*notice I didnt say "we" on this one...because this was definitely an "I" thing ;-)

as time went by and we saw how hard it was to strip those old doors, the goal went down to two radiators....then just one.   [someone was getting their way....hmmmmm]

so we/I went ahead with stripping the thick layers of lead paint off of the old radiator.

we found that it was about 100x harder than the doors.  You see, radiators have a ton of nooks and crannies that you just cant get to [at least not easily]

and did i mention that it was heavy?  yeah.  like 450 pounds worth of heavy.  every time we moved it our lives [and toes] were in danger.

the chemical stripper wasnt working, so we switched to a manual method [which proved to be the breakthrough moment]: a heavy wire brush on the end of a high powered drill!   it was, at the very least, a much more manly way to take paint off a heavy metal object [no disrespect to our stripping fluid with the fresh citrus scent]

so after 2 weekends [spaced about 2 months apart] we finally finished the radiator.  and it looks great.  the old details really came out once the power drill method got going.

next came a fresh coat of metallic spray paint and then creating a "platform" for the radiator to sit on from one of the original old wood joists.  [more salvaged material!]

take a look at the finished work here

Full Circle

this past weekend, I had an unexpected meeting...and it was kind of cool.

A car pulled up in front of the house and stopped to look.  I didn't think much of it, but after a minute or two, I decided to go out and  see if I could help the onlookers.

There were two people in the car...a man and a woman.  The woman asks "do you live here?"  I told her that we had just moved in.  She immediately responded: "I used to live there!!"

She stepped out of the car and introduced herself...Portia was the name.  Her husband was Andrew.

They were very excited about seeing the place back in action.  Knowing that the house was vacant for the last 15 years, I asked when she last lived here...

her reply: "1996"

she went on to tell me that she lived there for about 18 years, moving in around 1978.  There were 7 kids raised by a single mom that lived there over time.  And the place was falling apart slowly even as they lived there.  By the time they rolled out in '96, the roof was leaking, the carpet stank, and the place was lookin pretty ragged.

sounded kind of like they way I saw it the first time [about a year ago]..just as 15 years of neglect and squatting!

they asked if I could take them on a tour of the renovation.  I said "of course"

I showed them all the new things that we did with the place and you could see that they were just floored.  It shocked them that this place could shine again.

Portia recalled which room the boys stayed in and which one was for the girls.  they had only one bathroom for the whole family.  and the rooms were small. But, as many families do, they make a way.

and so it comes full circle.  The current resident meets the last resident of the house..albeit almost 2 decades apart.   Pretty cool.

The [not so] Big Dig - PART II

The big dig went off without too much of a hitch.  I cannot confirm or deny that we had the proper permitting to actually dig the hole that we did, but once a hole is dug, you can make it all work out with the city permit office.  Its a much different permit to acquire to dig a hole near the foundation than it is to "restructure the staircase and entryway" in an existing hole...[wink]

In the end, we made it work, and it came out better then expected.   Plenty of room to move large furniture and appliances in AND it doesn’t feel like a dungeon of an entrance.  

check out the pictures

Iron Man

 As any good commander knows, you need to cover your rear flank.  And you need a way for the movers to get that big plushy couch in too.

For those who have been following all the updates, the "action" in the neighborhood happens in the alley.  99% of it is just annoying shit like dumping trash and taking a piss.  Not physically threatening, but something you want to keep away from your own yard.

So I called my man Leko.  He does ironwork.  I asked him to get me a gate in the rear of the house. [aka the smallest parking spot in DC]  and we also needed some new steps for the front entrance [they were destroyed when we dug the hole for the new basement entrance.]

They did good work.  The fence is sturdy and offers just enough space to park the mini-cooper.  

Just enough.

And the new stairs helped get that big plushy couch in.

see them work here.

If you can't say something nice....

this is a story about Washington Gas.

I have refrained from mentioning them [or any of the utility companies] to date, since I was afraid of jinxing the process…I was also afraid of the .00001% chance that someone sees this and screws me over somehow.   That’s what their speed of service and customer relations practices can do to a man.

The Washington Gas story ended yesterday, Friday 9/4/10

It began on Wednesday 4/12/10

Allow me to explain.

We needed to do some work on creating a new entrance for the basement [for the rental apartment]  and the plan was to coincide that project with moving the current gas line. [the old gas meter was inside the basement on the wall…the new location needed to be on the exterior of the house]  my contractor suggested a solution that would have “streamlined” the process and lessened the paperwork etc.  but it was expensive.   Thousands more.  So I decided to call the friendly folks at Washington Gas to see how they could help.  I should have taken some advil before I picked up the phone.

It actually started out well.  We made an appointment for them to come by to take a look.  They gave me a quote.  [it was much cheaper…but far from free]   and we made a date to do the work of moving the gas meter from the inside to the outside of the basement.

On a side note: this job would not get us gas service, merely set us up to then request gas service.  That’s part II of the saga.

So they come and dig up the front yard.  Move the meter.  Run a new line to the house.  No sweat.  Except for the fact that they run the new line into the wrong spot [i.e  where the future steps to the basement apartment will go] 

Then they gave me the bad news.

We couldn’t receive gas service until we got a new line from the street.  The old steel line from the main meter hasn’t been used since 1996 and was corroded.  Strong possibility of a gas leak.  Not good. He thought he could even come back LATER THAT DAY to do that job. Ha

2 months later [and several dozen phone calls]

.....a new crew shows up at the house to dig a new hole.  They proceed to tell me how much the last crew fucked up the last time.  They fix the feed line and the location of the line into the house.   30minutes.  All done.  We’re NOW on our way to getting gas service [and hot water]

so we call for the gas meter.  They actually show up 4 days later.  Amazing.

1^st guy – comes by.  Talks my ear off for 45min.  he finally leaves, but yet I have no gas meter.  Why?  Need one last inspection sticker.  TG is annoyed. but not surprised.

2^nd guy – comes by.  Tells me that my plumber has done shoddy work [whatever] he finally leaves, but yet I have no gas meter. Why?  I need all my gas appliances hooked up and need an extra shutoff valve to the stove.  TG is angered. but not surprised.

3^rd guy – comes by.  Tells me that he can get me set up TODAY.  Sounds great.  Asks me what kind of stuff I need natural gas for.  I tell him: a stove, a tankless water heater, and a gas fireplace.  He says that the meter he was going to give me wont fit on the equipment that’s outside the house.  The same equipment that the gas company installed once I told them what I had in the house.  TG is incensed.

but not surprised.

WTF?

He leaves without giving me a meter.  Says a guy may come out later to fix the problem.  Yeah. right.

4^th guy – wakes me up the other day while im out west on vacation.  Its early.  Real early.  I was confused with his offer to turn my gas on without asking me for an inspection sticker, appliance load, BTUs, or any one of several other things I don’t know shit about. 

He tells me he’s going to turn on the gas and of that was ok.

So I said “cool”

And now we have gas.  And hot water.

Yay.

And I went back to sleep.

pics here

Pepco is here! Hooray electricity!

UPDATE---MOVING IN....

hey all...its been a hectic week as we prepare to MOVE IN this Monday [8/30/10]

the house is mostly done...touch ups still to come....the kitchen still needs some lovin....but Mr. Pepco is scheduled to come on 8/30 to give us juice, so we're coming in right behind him

stay tuned....

New/Old doorknobs...

this one was all Jenny....
after spending 10 weekends in a row stripping old doors of toxic lead paint, they were finally primed, painted and hung by the crew.  all we were missing was the hardware: knobs, locks, and strikeplates.  since the doors were old school [and were already cut for the old-style locks], we decided to go old school on the hardware too.  the original doors, had original handles, but most of it was too far gone to salvage.  and there wasnt enough of it that matched.

so then came Jenny to the rescue.

through the power of Ebay and her usual persistence, we obtained 5 sets of 100yr old door hardware [and some other odds and ends that people threw into the packages too.  anyone need a crystal door handle?]

the result: REALLY COOL doorknobs that give the new place some more of that old-time flava.

check em out

We didnt forget about the basement....

the basement is key...its going to be an income-generating rental unit.

so the idea is to make it [almost] as nice as the upstairs....
as spacious and open as possible  [check]
a nice kitchen [almost check]
a large bedroom [check] and
wood flooring [check]

we've devoted more resources recently to getting the upper levels ready, so the basement is moving along at a slightly slower pace, but not too far behind.  yesterday, they finished up the wood flooring...it looks great [even if its only a synthetic-factory-blend of wood like products]

looks pretty good to me!

New Front Door....

we finally have a new front door.  and its GLORIOUS  [pics here]

for the first time, i walked out of the house and used a regular old key to lock the door.   no padlock. no heavy chain.  pretty cool, I think.

and: you may notice the transom above the door that was written aboiut waaaay back when.  looks real nice in the sunlight.

the only kink in the plan is that we dont have any front steps yet, so I had to do a superfly snooka jump off the door threshold onto a not-so-stable plywood platform.

safe: no.  liberating: sorta.  exciting: definitely.


pics here

The Finishing Continues....

here are some photos of the trims, doors, moldings etc.  all the finishing work is coming along very well.  I'm a huge fan of the crown moldings against the brick.  looks sharp.

The [not so] Big Dig

so we've mentioned having a second entrance to the basement through the front of the house.  Waaaaay back in the day, the house actually had a front entrance, but it was closed in for some dumb reason.  so now we're going to bring it back to its past glory [and it gives us the most important piece for the income-generating rental that we have down there]

we've been waiting MONTHS to get started on this...mostly because we wanted to do it after the utility companies did their thing...but we could not wait any longer! [and yes, that means we still dont have gas or electric]

so we started digging.

a few jackhammers and truckloads of hauled-away dirt later...we have a nice sized hole that will eventually have steps and a door to the new apartment.  pretty cool.  see it here.

Kitchen Preview

the kitchen cabinets are going in now....we still have a few adjustments to make with them before the countertops, hood, and shelving can be installed, but they are looking GOOD so far.  I like the rich color [i mean, i chose it, so of course it like it!]

peep the preview HERE.

The Haves...and the Have-nots...

we've had a little break in the posting action, but not because we ain't been doin nothin!

quite the opposite.

we're about 2 weeks away from the move-in date...and its both exciting and frikkin scary.

some things are done...others are not.

for example:

We DO have: wood floors [pictures here]

We DON'T have: electricity

We DO have: working toilets [pictures of the new bathrooms here]

We DON'T have: natural gas

We DO have: a backdoor entrance for the basement apartment

We DON'T have: a frontdoor entrance to the basement apartment

so, yeah, we're making progress in alot of areas, but  still waiting on others.  the crew is working double-time to get it all finished, and its looking GREAT.....but there's just alot to do.

we're keeping the faith though.  and since we kind of have a hard "out" of jenny's place at the end of August, delaying things is NOT an option [one more thing we don't have!]  but we'll be close enough to start setting up and continue working on the little things until we're "done" [but are you ever really done?]

keep your fingers crossed for us...we're gonna need it

All the pretty colors....

its FINALLY looking like a house!  we got paint....

Jenny and I spent a fair amount of time looking over paint chips and deciding what goes where.  after the tug-of-war was over ;-)  we let the crew know what to do.

it took them just a few short days to spray the walls with a few coats of paint and completely transform the house.

no more of that spackle/primer look.

say hello to:  "Silver Birch" "Slipstream" "Wheat Bread" and "Gentle Rain"

its just lovely.

AND: if you take a good look at the pics, you will see those old doors that we spent MONTHS stripping.  well, they are finally done and the crew primed + painted them as well.  they look really good.   it was worth the effort.

Brick Facelift

so we've got a decent amount of exposed brick in the house.  2 fireplaces, the entire east wall [from the entry to the top of the stairs] and one of the walls of the master bedroom [it goes up about 12ft too]

for years, the brick was covered in heavy plaster and mortar to hold it up.  the downside is that you couldnt see it.  the upside it that it was preserved in almost pristine condition the whole time.  so once we did demo, you could see the potential of what lay behind those old plaster walls.  just before they paint, the crew scrubbed off the remnants of the old stuff and brought out the true color of the brick.

it looks frikkin awesome.

all they have left to do is get a coat of polyureathane on the face to keep the brick dust from coming off and we're in business...i know, i know...i tried to not "over-do" it on the brick...but it just looks so damn GOOD.  it will go well with the painted walls [almost done!]

Our first "housewarming gift"

well....not really.

i got a call from my contractor Andre early one morning the other day.  which is unusual, since I'm the one who usually does the calling.

he tells me that there's a bunch of trash in the backyard next to the alley...so much trash that the construction crew cant get into the rear door [which is currently the only way to access the basement]

i tell him that I'll come over to check it out and make a beeline to see what all the commotion was about.

i can see why they were concerned.  there was a TON of trash!

mattresses.  desks. tables. chairs.  kids toys.  and a baby crib.

its as if someone was forcibly evicted from their apartment and they needed to get rid of their stuff so it got....

all dumped at my house.

motherfuckers!!!!

the crew wasn't going to move it, so i had to reach in and move it all solo....enough to at least un-block the stairway.  but before i did that, I called DC police, which, as you would guess, had nothing to offer to the situation.  i moved the stuff that morning and had a trash hauling dude pick it up the next morning.

i didnt really want to get it picked up so fast, because the culprit may think that this is a great place to put some shit and get someone to take it away for free.  but i also wanted to show my neighbors that WE MEAN BUSINESS  and wont tolerate that kind of crap.  it looked terrible, so we had an obligation to clean it up in a timely manner.

its a new day on Q street, partner....a new day indeed.  so....thanks, but no thanks, for the housewarming gift.

Prime-Time!

so, once the drywall is up, its time to spackle and prime.  get the old trowel out and spread that mud around dem grooves to make it all real smooooove.

i did happen to learn that theres a mixture of art, science, and patience when it comes to this stage of things.  you need to apply the mud, then let it dry a little....then put some more on...wait a little longer....etc. etc. etc.

so it takes a few days to get it right.  and they did.  so it all looks GREAT.

check it out here.  the ceilings won't  change much in color, but the walls will....they just got through with that today, so I'll post pics of that real soon [once I return to DC...currently in Cali-forn-ia]

next up: painting.  then wood flooring.  and THEN: we can actually start planning the move-in date

Betcha didn't know: we're also kitchen designers

so...we saw this kitchen in some fancy-ass magazine or something a few months back.  pretty cool open shelving concept.  but, like many initial ideas, they fall by the wayside as time goes by and the final decisions are made.  but not this one.  it kept its strong appeal up all the way, so we decided to find out a way to get it done.

upon showing this picture to several kitchen people, most of them said "ummmm....we can't do that....and we're not sure who can"

in our minds we're sayin' " SOMEones done this...why cant we?"  lets keep looking.

so then we got some quotes.  MASSIVE amounts of money.  and time.  no thank you, kind sir.

finally we decided: why dont we do this ourselves?  lets just find the shelves and mount them up on the wall.  maybe Jenny's Dad can give us a hand or maybe my construction crew can do it for us.

so we looked at Ikea, West Elm, Pottery Barn etc. etc. etc.  for some pre-fab shelves that can hold some weight and look good doing it.  easy installation is a must, too.

ummm...that wasnt going to work either.  those shelves are meant to hold pictures and candles....not plates and pots.  lets try again.

Jenny did some sleuthing and found a fella that actually makes these kind of shelves.  and they can hold a small automobile.  and they dont cost 50grand.  sold!

since they are custom, we needed to figure out the size of the shelves [length, width, depth, and thickness]

the pictures here show our process.  blue painters tape on the wall and a cardboard cutout to represent the stove hood.  low-tech, but it did the job.

so now the shelves are in production..we've even added lighting to the undersides.  they should be ready in less than 2 weeks.  check out the pics for a preview

Enter, this way

to date, the only way to get into the house is a whacky system that involves a heavy chain, a padlock, and a  rickety wooden door with a few strategic holes in it.  the previous owner used this system to keep the squatters out.  the chain wraps around the wooden door and the security gate outside of it.  a padlock secures the whole mess.  as the potential intruder tries to pull the outer door, the inner door shuts tighter.   kind of a neat little trick i suppose.

to get in [legitimately] you need to remove the padlock, untie the chain, and open the doors.  and thats how we've been doing it so far.

next week, that will all come to an end. we are going to [finally] get a big-boy front door with an actual door handle (!) that will allow us to enter in a more civilized fashion.

so here's an ode to the padlock and chain.  you will never be forgotten.

Drywallin'

so the time has finally come.  we. have. walls.

its kind of a big deal.

ok..it's a RELLY BIG DEAL.

the place is finally starting to look like a house!

very exciting.  the crew worked at lightning speed last week to get it all done.

I'm also very happy about how they left all the holes for my crazy wiring setup.  its all going according to plan, except, the downside is I'll need another whole weekend to do phase 2 of the wiring [wallplates, stripping etc.]  but that comes later

check out the new look of the interior here

UPDATE: here are the phase 2/final photos of the drywall too

Random Exterior photos

since everything looks so GOOD with the new camera.....

Get your Geek on

CAT5. RG6. Quad Shield.  DVI. HDMI.

if any/all of these things sound familiar to you, you might be a geek.

like me.

DC is experiencing a June heatwave.  its been 90+ for days on end.  and in the still not-air-conditioned house on Q street, you can go ahead and add 10-15 degrees to whatever it is outside.

so it was the PERFECT time to pull 3000+ feet of audio/video/computer cable through the open walls of the house!

I had this idea [usually i say "we" but for this one its definitely "I"]  of wiring the house for not just the 21st century, but maybe the 22nd century too.  HD screens all over the place. a universal remote that controlled even the kitchen stove with the push of a button.  speakers that allowed you to play music anytime, anywhere...even/especially when you're on the "throne"...the ability to surf the web while watching a dozen NFL games and a "Teen Mom" marathon.

I wanted it all.

BUT....after a some price estimates on the equipment and labor, I decided that I could not have it "all".

but I could have most of it!  but at a price....I would need to do the work myself. [and recruit some homeboys for the task as well]

so I set about getting on blogs and other sites that told you how to wire your house up for all the latest and greatest stuff.  HDTV. Multi-room audio.  A powerful in-home network.  It was alot to digest.

Then I designed a system in my house that reflected some of those things that I wanted.  No, theres no need to have speakers in EVERY room of the house [but I do have one in the bathroom----ha]

the next step was to buy the wires.  I had several thousand feet of the stuff delivered to my place.  it was slightly overwhelming.

then came D-Day: Installation.  Jenny was planning to sand those old doors we've been stripping, so I wouldn't have my usual tag-team partner to lend a hand, so I had to recruit some new blood.  big shout outs to Darryl and Ian for grinding it out with us in the hot hot heat.

our day went like this: drilling holes. pulling wire. drinking water.  re-pulled wires that were pulled wrong the first time.  drinking more water.   sweat. sweat. more sweat.

i dont think I'll ever forget how hot it was that day.

in the end: we made a pretty good dent on the project.  [which, of course] turned out to be MUCH bigger than expected.  It took another 2+ days to actually finish it

why the rush?  because they were about to put up the drywall, so we needed to get our hustle on to make it before then.

and my reward: another full weekend cleaning up the wires once the drywall is painted...yay!

all the sweaty photos are here.

New Stuff....

so, things are moving rapidly as we get ready to put up the drywall and begin to make this place look like a real house [and not some surreal half-completed construction site]

new things are popping up....like outdoor water faucets and electrical plugs.  new windows. insulation.  brickwork.  exterior painting.

its looking good, bit now the glory is in the details.  lots of decisions to make in a small amount of time..whoa!

pics here.

New Camera!

the pics are going to look MUCH better now because Jenny got a hot new camera for her birthday....and since we're sharing and all, I've been using it at the house.  Check out the latest snapshots below....

New Windows!

New windows just going in now....cooooool

Strippin'! [part II]

so we've been continuing to strip those old doors!   even though we found out that stripping old lead-paint doors in DC can only be done AFTER you've taken the safety course or something...ummm yeah.  we'll sign up for the next one.

since the last post, we've switched the stripping chemical we're using from a harsh nasty chemical that made you high off its' fumes to a more serene concoction that smells like an orange grove.  It actually works MUCH better and faster.

we're about 85% done now with these doors.  we just need to finish filling the divots with putty and then sand it down smooth.  the crew will then paint the doors.  we'll also want to get some of that old school hardware for the doors if we can find it for a decent price.

all in all...the best time i NEVER want to have again

New Roof...

so we FINALLY have that new roof. [the first step in getting the new roof DECK!]
it looks good and well-sealed up.  sturdy.  watertight [i hope]
the views are also lookin good.  cant wait to enjoy that outdoor space..July 4th is less than 30 days away, so keep the fingers crossed

let. There. Be....SKYLIGHT!

the roofing guys were there last week and FINALLY plugged in myriad of holes in the roof.  we're planning to be dry for 15 years of so now.  in the process, they cut out a hole for a skylight, which will add a bunch more natural light into the house.  its such a good move.  looks awesome already.

ahhhh, sunshine.

Facelift!

the house has a new black trim on the top and at the base of the windows.  it used to be a horrible shade of green.  but now we're back in black

the rear of the house got a coat of some red-brick paint to match the front.  looks much nicer back there now...here's the before and after photos...the new trim plus the re-pointing of the brick make a BIG difference:

About those squatters....

a  few weeks back, we had some unforseen [but not entirely unexpected] problems pop up with some unwelcome guests at the house.

you see, this place had been vacant since about 1996.  at that time, on that block in DC, you were more likely to find a place to buy crack than a place to grab a latte.  not that there's a starbucks on every corner now [in fact, there are none for about a 12 block radius] but at least the crack is gone!

a residual effect of the drug & crime epidemic was squatting.  nothing much to it: if a house is vacant, you can just bust into it and make it yours!  for free!  pretty cool...[i guess]

as things started to change in the neighborhoods east of 16th street in DC in the late 90's, good things started happening: retail storesm& restaurants opened up.  condos were built. homes renovated.  the drug dealers moved out [just further east] and things changed rapidly.

except for the squatters.

reason being: while ALOT of new stuff came in, not all of it was renovated etc.  sometimes it was hard to track down the owner, so it couldnt be sold.  sometimes the owners didnt want to sell their property to anybody.  but in the meantime, the houses stood vacant....prime targets for squatters.

just like my house.

since the departure of the last tenants in 1996, it stood vacant.  The owner had several houses in DC and wasn't able to keep this one in good condition over the years.  The former tenants decided to come back and visit---often---and broke the windows and doors to get in.  they would drink, sleep, get a fix, turn a trick---anything goes when you're a squatter!

as those folks moved on, others moved in.  the former owner would clean it up from time to time, but the squatters kept coming back.  Even after my first visit into the place, i could see that things had 'changed' on my next visit...more trash, a different pile of clothes, furniture moved.  The squatters were still very much there.

once the house changed hands, our first order of business was to re-secure it.  we took a full walk around  the house and looked for weak spots: old windows that could be kicked in...doors that could be pryed open.

to be sure: there have definitely been some "incidents" since construction began.  broken windows and doors.  more trash.  "#1" and "#2" on the floor...not pleasant.  When you actually own the joint, it makes you beyond furious.  But we chilled.  Went to Home Depot.  Bought more stuff to re-secure the windows.  And also bought a more passive anti-squatter device: a "no trespassing" sign.

cost: $2.99

break-ins since the sign went up: ZERO

sometimes the most vexing problems have very simple solutions.

Flooring...tile...faucets...cabinets...sinks....etc

so now its time to get down to the nuts and bolts.  up until now, its been pretty general in terms of the instruction I've been giving to the crew....the walls go here...the toilet goes there..add a window here.

a pretty limited range of work.

that's all been changed.

I can't say I've ever been an expert on, say, countertop stone, or vessel sinks, but it has hooked me [and jenny] in an instant.  its all-comsuming.  online shops.  in-person.  blogs.
we've only stopped short of walking into random peoples' houses.  [though I have taken some tours of nice places RECENTLY with my agent to get some ideas]


my contractor, Andre, has the right approach: find something you like and STOP LOOKING.  because the only thing you'll find that you like better will cost you twice as much.  he should write a book.

so we're looking still.  granite or marble.  engineered wood or hardwood.  coke or pepsi.

there's a time limit, too. we've only got 7 weeks until we will [probably] be done, and since cabinets and flooring can take 6 weeks to deliver, this is the moment.

find something you like---and STOP LOOKING

we'll see if we can hold to that.

The View from the Top....

so we finally got a chance to get on the roof and take a look at the view.  since we're just off of north capitol street in DC [which runs straight down to the Capitol, about 1.5 miles away] I was thinking we'd be able to see the Senators walking around down there through the windows [with binoculars, of course]

ummmmm, not quite.

the houses across from us are about 12 feet higher, so it doesnt allow for us to see much beyond our block. and there is definitely no view of the Capitol.

BUT: come July 4th, there will be a GREAT view of the DC fireworks show....as well as the "local" fireworks shows that go off simultaneously in the neighborhoods east of 14th street [INCOMING!]

so...the roof deck will be built, and we will enjoy what view we do have...which, in my opinion, is pretty good!  there are plenty of people who have nothing but a brick wall to look out at, so I'm feeling pretty good about our situation.

can't wait to crack open a brew and soak it all in.

feel the pressure...

so we're about 7 weeks out...the walls are about to go and and it feels like the walls are literally closing in.

when they're ripping the place apart, you dont have to make alot of decisions.  just let them take it all out and wait until they start putting it back together.

well, they've started....and now its decision-time.

I cant say that I've ever thought about the trim on the shower handle.  or the size of a bathroom vanity.  the distance between the water line in the kitchen and the nearest wall.  bamboo or maple flooring?  the list of options is endless.

so every single day is dedicated to making these decisions.  trim. moldings. countertops. finishes.  it takes a hell of alot of time.  and i need to consult "the boss" to make sure I dont do something crazy in the process.

im excited about this moment, but also looking forward to looking back at it.  perhaps it will be more fun to tell the story in hindsight ;-)

the beat goes on....

still moving forward at a fast pace....I was there twice last week one day and noticed a big change in just the time between breakfast and the end of lunchtime.  crazy.

the HVAC guys have almost finished their installation.  there are pics of their work here.
the carpenter has also removed and finished the deck on the back of the house.  its now 12' x 8' and pretty tall off the ground.  We're liking it alot.  it also acts as a canopy for the car...almost a carport.  good deal.

the electrician has prepped for the electric inspection, which is due to happen in the next week.  there is a circuit-breaker panel now and more plugs and switches in the junction boxes.  just a few more touch ups and they will be set for inspection.

the plumbers have spent the last 2 weeks jackhammering through the thickest concrete known to man to dig up the 100 year old cast-iron sewer pipes.  now that they're replaced with PVC, they need to be inspected as well, and then they can cover it up with new concrete.

because of the basement being dug into a half-dozen trenches, some of the electric and HVAC work has been delayed, but once the floor is repaired down there, it will only take them a day to get caught up and have it inspection-ready.

7 weeks left [I think]
now the real work begins.

Definitely Excited

I gotta say....im feelin pretty frikkin good about where we're at now. Its definitely a long process but looking more and more like the best choice every day...cant wait

On Cash Flow....[updated]

so...we had to pull some maneuvers to get things up and running full-speed again...some pain was involved.  it also involved some persistence.  but the end result is: we're finally getting some Donald Trump-style service in getting the bank money!

ok, kidding....but its MUCH better than before.

here's how its' goin down these days....

step 1: I'll call the person at the title company a few days ahead of the request.
step 2: then the inspector comes out to sign off on the work.
step 3: Next, you call the lender and tell them the request is coming.
step 4: the lender then gets the info from the inspector and packages that with the info from the title company and sends it to the bank.
step 5: once it gets to the bank, its actually a quick turnaround [assuming im not a deadbeat on the mortgage]

step 6: then they fedex me a check.
step 7: which goes right to my contractor [and his subcontractors]
step 8: ....and the cycle continues....until we're done....

luckily, I'll only have to do this twice more.

Keep on movin...Keep on movin don't stop no!

things are fast and furious.  money's flowin.  STUFF. IS. HAPPENING.

the the pictures are HERE.

here's a rundown of the current activity:

Plumbing = 80% done.  currently, they are digging down through the concrete floor of the basement to extract the 60+ year old main pipe that leads out to the city sewer line.  the old one is rusted and full of dirt [at least I think its dirt]. they have finished the rough-in plumbing [everything behind the walls] on the top floor and main floor.  they just need to hit the both kitchens [main kitchen and basement] and the basement bathroom.  some minor additions and touch ups are all that's left after that. They are expected be done Friday 5/14.

Electric = 90% done.  they have wired the entire main level of the house, save for a few spots in the kitchen.  they need to finish the basement and then they are done with this phase of their work.

HVAC = IN PROGRESS.  they just started today.  it should only take them 2 days to finish it up.

Other Progress:

1 - the rear deck has been torn down, to be replaced with a new one.
2 - once the rear deck was removed, they laid down a fresh layer of concrete in the rear to serve as our parking pad [good for one very small car...like Jenny's Mini-Cooper]

what's next: the roof [finally], rebuilding the back deck, and wiring the house for Audio, Video, and internet [which I'll be doing with an assist from my brother, Ted, who's coming down from NY]

and: a sign of the end stages coming near: we're ordering the bathroom fixtures [sinks, tubs, faucets etc.] so they can be installed next week.

on and on to the break of dawn....