Indisposed

Honestly that is how I felt after this project...at one point during this project I ended up on the floor in the fetal position. Pro tip: don't smell old pipes that were once connected to a garbage disposal. 

Upon our home inspection we learned that the garbage disposal under the sink was not working – we purchased the home as-is but included an inspection clause just to make sure that there were not any serious structural issues or other significant problems that we would consider “deal-breakers” to give us a chance to walk away from the sale. The broken garbage disposal was not deemed a deal breaker and after some research we determined it was something we could tackle on our own. After determining that the reset button did not fix the problem and after trying to use a hex wrench to get the blades moving we decided to replace it and do it on our own.

We first did some research on what kind of disposal to purchase and ultimately went with the Badger 5

 (find out more about the disposal and listen to their sounds here: Insinkerator)

It was determined to be an economical choice while also not being the loudest disposal on the market – honestly I don’t really care if it is loud or not. At Home Depot they have buttons you can press where it mimics the sounds of each make and model. They all sound the same to me except for the model that is the most expensive which is pretty quiet but really I could care less since it is a garbage disposal.  I can’t justify spending hundreds of dollars on a garbage disposal.

Also most garbage disposals, including the one we purchased, come ready for hardwiring into the house but the old one we removed had plugged right into an outlet in the cabinet so we purchased a kit to turn the disposal into a plug-in kind. I figure we will eventually hardwire it but in the interest of time and money it plugs in for now.

After getting our disposal delivered (we ended up buying it online to save a few bucks) I watched a guy install a garbage disposal step by step on youtube at least twelve times. 

Once I felt comfortable and somewhat confident I told RC it was time….

The first thing we did was remove the old one which was actually the hardest part – finding that to be a common theme at this house. The pipes were totally stuck and would not loosen for us to remove it. After spraying copious amounts of WD-40 (the BEST invention EVER) on the pipe joints and borrowing a pipe wrench we were finally able to get the old disposal off.  That is after I was in the fetal position on the kitchen floor sobbing uncontrollably because I was upset it wasn’t coming off. I was having a bit of a rough week...

Once it was off and out from under the sink and I threw it in the garbage (literally I threw it which helped get rid of my pent up aggression against the project) we went step by step with the guy in the youtube video. I of course had the laptop in the kitchen on the floor- seriously though the guy makes it look super easy. We installed it and had it operable in about 30 minutes. It actually works – pretty well I might add – and we are still married so I guess we can count this project as a success.

It is amazing how much smoother these projects go when you have the right tools...guess who got a pipe wrench for Christmas?!? When it comes time to add a dishwasher I think we might need to remove it to connect the dishwasher to it so I am glad we now know how to do it and have the proper tools.
I wish I would have captured more pictures - this was a 2 man job so I didn;t have the ability to take any progress shots.

This is one of those posts where I like it put it out there that we are not professionals but most of the time we learn how to do things around the house by doing a little research and watching some youtubes to realize that we are capable...and so are you. Like I always say, if you can read directions you can probably do it!

Folding Laundry

When we first moved into our home the basement was an apartment of sorts – we think this is the case because the closet had been converted into a quasi-kitchen with a fully functioning garbage disposal. I’m not sure why but it totally grosses me out that it used to function that way. One of the first things RC and his dad did was pulled out the counters that were down there and got rid of the garbage disposal – it was not something that anyone could or should reuse. It was gross – mainly because it wasn’t hooked up properly. They then moved the washer and dryer that was in the bathroom into the closet that was always meant to be a laundry closet except all the doors had been pulled out so it was just totally exposed.

It would have been fine to leave it exposed with some trim and storage solutions inside the closet but it was just noisy. I took this project as my own since I had huge problems with the noise that our washer and dryer make. Back in September (yes it has taken me this long to complete the project and blog about it) I bought bi-fold doors to replace some of the broken ones and to install where there wasn’t one.

Getting them to fit in the car was quite comical; it is a good thing that I was the only one in the car because another person would not have fit. After I got them down to the basement I wondered what I got myself into because I had no idea how to install these things and was hoping there were some really good directions included with the doors. I figured I can read and follow directions (much like I did when I replaced the fill valve) and in no time I would have fully functioning bi-fold doors concealing my laundry area. Once I got the door in place I couldn’t figure out why it kept struggling to open against the carpet. A good hour later I realized that the pivot joint that keeps it in place can be adjusted to raise the door up or down to avoid carpet resistance. Once I figured that out my door moved like butter.

For a few weeks I left them unpainted just to make sure they were working properly. The doors themselves come primed not painted so I finally painted them - just gave them a few coats of Behr pure white. The final step was adding some decorative hardware – the door kits come with these ugly wooden knobs and I liked the look of the brushed nickel ones we had already put on a similar closet upstairs.

Finally the basement looks less like an unfinished cold place and more like a little room where I can happily fold laundry. I actually don’t mind folding the laundry – the worst part is definitely putting the folded clothes away.

Just Nuke It!

I was so excited to share our kitchen makeover that I neglected to share the story of the over-the-range microwave that is now part of our life. It took some time to convince RC that we needed it but eventually he agreed.
When we first moved in the kitchen was still rocking out in all its 80s glory. It had a hood vent above the stove and it worked great but it had not been cleaned once until the day we moved in and I removed years of grease off the front. The hood was white metal and some of it was chipping off from age. At first I thought I would spray paint the hood stainless steel to match the appliances but I was nervous it would look worse than it already did so I just lived with it and secretly hoped I would evetually get an over-the-range microwave.

Then after we updated the countertops and the cabinets the hood vent stuck out like a sore thumb and it had to go. I finally convinced RC that it would clear up some counter space in the kitchen and would look better than the hood. I showed him countless pictures and even some demo kitchens at Home Depot and when he finally said okay I did a happy dance in the Home Depot appliance department and after a few strange looks the guy asked us if he could help us – I excitedly told him which one we wanted. I had already done the measurements and found one that fit our space perfectly and lucky for us it was on sale that day.
One problem was this…we had not removed the existing hood yet and we were pretty sure that there was not a grounded plug in the cabinet. This meant that HD would not install it for us. We had a feeling this was going to happen and were not surprised so we told them to just deliver it and we would install it ourselves.

I watched 5 different people install them on you tube and it didn’t look that hard and I convinced RC that it was easy since I had seen someone else do it (I can be pretty convincing). The nuker was delivered and it sat in our kitchen for a few weeks until we mustered up enough courage to remove the hood vent. RC and his dad removed the old vent and he installed a grounded plug inside the upper cabinet.

Once the plug was in I used the template that was included in the microwave to install the mounting plate and attached it via screws to the bottom of the upper cabinet. That was the fun part…I think we ended up drilling 12 holes before finding where they actually matched up to the proper hole in the microwave. I promise I drilled the holes right where the template told me to. Unfortunately we don’t have any pictures of this process because it took both of us to get this microwave in place – it was a lot harder than it looked on youtube.

Now that it is up I can’t imagine how we ever lived without it and now I have more counter space where our old one used to be. For more details on our kitchen makeover go here.

CABS are here!

Couldn't help myself on the title since this post is about how I truly transformed our 80's cabinets and brought them to 2011. I thought I would announce its transformation a la Jersey Shore. For those of you who don't know what I am talking about...google it.

You hear that kitchens sell homes – well that was not the case for us. Our kitchen was just not our style but thankfully we had an open mind and were able to see past its imperfections, including the washer/dryer that was right next to the refrigerator which we turned into a pantry. At first it looked like this:

Then we moved in all our junk and it looked like this...not much better and now missing an oven.

Then we removed the fruit tiles, upgraded the floors and replaced the countertops. Yet it all was still looking a little more outdated than I had dreamed of.

At first we thought we would just replace the cabinets but then I couldn’t decide on what I wanted and had a hard time justifying removal of the cabinets as they were still in good condition – they were just ugly to look at. I lived with them for as long as I could stand and then I was inspired by Young House Love to paint the cabinets, they painted the cabinets in their home and I knew that paint was the solution to my problem as well. Those people are amazing.

I would say this was the biggest project we've tackled. At first I thought I wanted to keep them dark to complement the floor, but I came across a number of kitchens that totally fell in love with white cabinets. I finally got the guts to go to the hardware store to pick up the materials after looking at 12 million kitchens with white cabinets to make sure that I liked the look. I figured if I hated it I could always change it – this has become my new motto.

After painting the cabinets I could not be happier. They really brighten up the kitchen and someone even thought we bought brand new cabinets! I am so glad I did this and it was a lot less expensive than a whole new set of cabinets and with those savings I think I will buy these shoes I have been lusting after.

Materials needed to paint cabinets (or any wood surface):

1. Screwdriver to remove existing cabinet doors
2. Sander and sandpaper (I used 60 grit to start and finished with 100 grit)
3. Oil based primer (I used and loved Kilz)
4. Semi Gloss Paint (I used Behr Paint and Primer in one)
5. Foam roller – I liked the look of the foam roller best after experimenting with brushes and other rollers. I also bought rollers in different sizes and liked the smaller one I think it’s a preference thing but I liked the control that came with the smaller roller (it was 4”)
6. New hardware (if you want to change out the existing). We had ugly brass looking hinges and we swapped them for brushed nickel hinges and handles.

Tutorial:

1. The first thing I did was removed all cabinet doors and numbered them so I would remember where they go when I was ready to put them back up.
2. I then removed all the hinges - I would also suggest removing all the hardware if you have handles as well.
3. Clean the doors to make sure to remove any grease or other substances that might be on the cabinets (TSP or soap and water works great for this)
4. Sand the door down to remove any finish they might have on them. Ours were Oak and had a slight finish on them so it was easy to get to the bare wood. When sanding be careful to keep your sanding even so that you don’t end up with waves in the wood.
5. Apply a coat of the primer on the doors and let dry. If using a foam roller like I did, be careful not to roll too fast or push hard as it will cause bubbles in the paint.
6. While the doors are drying you can start on the cabinet boxes following steps 4&5. You really only need one coat of primer. Note: even though I used paint and primer in one I am glad that I used the oil based primer as it gave the paint something to adhere.
7. After the primer has dried apply the first coat of paint to the doors and then the cabinet boxes. Let the paint dry between coats and they will need about 3-4 coats.
8. Add the new hardware and re-hang the cabinet doors. We let them dry for a week just to make sure they would not stick shut.

Lessons Learned:

·Oil based primer does not come off the roller, your skin, or anything else with just water. You can use mineral spirits to remove the oil based primer but it smells really bad. A coworker told me that vegetable oil will take oil based primer off your skin (that was after he commented on all the remaining primer that was ALL over my hands and legs). I ended up just throwing away the roller that had the oil based primer on it and started over with a new roller for the paint.
· Patience is a virtue…3-4 thin even coats work so much better than one heavy drippy coat. Trust me on this one – I ended up sanding and starting over on one door.
·We didn’t have any hardware/handles on the door front so we had to create holes for the handles we chose. I did a lot of measuring and created my own template for where the holes should be drilled into the door (I later found out that they sell templates like this at the hardware store). However, I liked that my template was based on our doors and I made it out of some cardboard so it was free. I would provide a picture of my template but my camera with pictures of this was lost.
· Re-hanging the cabinet doors is definitely a two person job; one person to hold the doors and the other to screw it into place. I tried to do this all by myself while HB was out and it ended up in a massive meltdown. I was very happy to have the extra two hands.
·Don’t skip the primer step even if you are using the paint and primer in one. Cabinets go through a lot (ie food spills, opening and closing many times a day). The primer will give the paint a good base to adhere to and will help with durability.

I love coming into the kitchen to see this now instead of those ugly fruit tiles.

A side by side view of the before and after - makes me love it even more. This is taken with the same camera too - what a difference!

A special shoutout to my main man RC for enduring my insanity and tears and everything else in between - couldn't have finished this without you.

Here Comes the Sun

I have always really liked sunburst mirrors but have never really liked their price tags and/or was too scared to buy one in case my house couldn’t pull it off – kind of like how I don’t think I could pull off a look like harem pants. I recently was turned on to Pinterest which is a plethora of ideas and things seen on the internet and you can keep track of all the things you like by creating a “virtual pin board.” I saw that someone had made a sunburst mirror – and I really liked the look of it and upon further review I saw that it was made from shims. If you would have asked me what shims were a year ago I probably would have corrected you and asked if you meant shins - the body part. However, since we have been giving our home the makeover of its life I have come across shims a couple times – they are thin pieces of wood that are used to stabilize door frames or dishwashers (which is what we used them for). I decided to tackle the project since I knew that shims were not expensive and that way if I hated the mirror or my house couldn’t pull it off then I wouldn't feel guilty for not hanging it up.
Supplies:
· Wreath forms made from MDF – you can get these at a craft store like Michaels and I got the 3 sizes they had in stock 6”, 12” and 18”
· Shims – buy these at a Hardware store, they are kept in the lumber area
· Round mirror – I used a 10 inch mirror but kind of wish I had a bigger one (this one was left over from when I was playing around with wedding centerpieces)
· Very strong glue – I used Gorilla Wood Glue since it was what we had on hand and was a really good choice. I am not sure if hot glue would have held up as well.

I was inspired by the mirror that I found at the blog 26 to Life

I actually ended up using the 2 smaller rings because with the largest ring it would have been a monstrosity. I began attaching the shims in a "clock pattern" so they would be even and filling in the gaps like this:

While I waited for it to dry I wanted to make sure that the mirror part was attaching to the shims so I searched the house for the heaviest book I could find and the winner was my tax textbook from graduate school. I remembered it being a lot heavier though when I was in school so I put a weight on it just in case.

Now I have an awesome mirror for our guest room that I really love and looks so much more expensive than it was. Even HB loves it – says it looks awesome and that it reminds him of a sunflower which I love since they remind me of Kansas.

Just Call Me Joe the Plumber

We have had quite some issues with plumbing the last few months… including a cracked shattered tank that required the replacement of the entire toilet twice - not pleased. I couldn’t bring myself to call another plumber to come out and fix our loud toilet (different than the one that was replaced). Every few minutes it would fill the bowl with more water even though it had enough – it was very confused. It was just annoying to me that I would hear water running every few minutes so I took matters into my own hands. After doing some research online I decided the best course of action was to replace the fill valve which is the thing in your tank that rises as water comes into the tank. I’m not a plumber …but I’m not afraid of fixing toilets either. So I picked up this Korky’s replacement fill valve at the local hardware store for $10 and kept it in case HB’s dad (the master of DIY) stopped by.



When I couldn’t take it anymore I asked HB’s dad if he thought I could fix it myself – his exact words “you have a master’s degree in accounting – if you can read the instructions and look at the pictures I think you will be fine.” That was just the encouragement I needed. It took me about 30 minutes to disassemble the old valve and install the new one and a week later it is still working fine; the best part is that there are no more random bouts of running water. Talk about empowerment – I’m still doing the happy dance!

I am putting this out there for anyone who is afraid of repairing toilets – the simple stuff of course. If you can read and understand the pictures then you can tackle projects like this. I promise the scariest part is putting your hands in the water for the first time – well at least it was for me and when I realized that my hands didn’t fall off I kept going (N.B. I definitely got a manicure after). I do however recommend the Korky's brand of plumbing supplies not because I work for them or anything but because their supplies are made in the USA - gotta love that.
See ya old fill valve....

Take Your Seats!

We inherited these chairs from HB’s parents.

Lucky for us they were moving at the same time we closed on our home which meant that we received a Duncan Phyfe drop-leaf table and 4 chairs (I am not sure if the chairs are Duncan Phyfe but I still love them all the same). While I loved the chairs (especially the legs), what I didn’t really love were the blue vinyl cushions. I have such an appreciation for old, well made furniture - truth is if its been taken care of well it can be modernized easily. After watching how simple it seemed on TV to recover the cushions I was ready to tackle the DIY project.

Items needed:
1. Fabric (I brought a cardboard cutout of the seat cushion with me to the fabric store to make sure I got enough fabric)
2. Foam for padding – can be purchased at the fabric store (I used ½ inch wide foam)
3. Batting
4. Spray adhesive
5. Staple gun
6. Screwdriver
7. Needlenose pliers

The Details:
1. First I removed the cushions from each chair. If the don’t pop right off they might be attached via screws from the bottom. The best way to remove them is to turn the chair over and unscrew the cushion from the bottom of the seat area.
2. If after unscrewing the cushion is still attached you can give the seat cushion a little push from the bottom to free them. After years of people sitting on them they might be a little stuck
3. Make sure you keep the screws they will be essential in getting the cushions back on when you are finished.
4. Remove the old cushion by removing the old staples first. You can use needlenose pliers to pull out the old staples or use a flathead screwdriver to get under the old staples to pry them free. I prefer the needlenose pliers approach.
5. After removing the old cushion you should be left with the wooden part of the seat. Use it to determine where to cut on the foam first. Use the seat’s shape as a stencil and trace around it on the foam and cut it out of the foam using scissors.
6. Now that you have a foam piece for your seat use some spray adhesive to affix the foam to the wooden seat piece you used as your stencil.
7. Now that you know how thick your seat cushion will be, place the seat (with foam affixed – foam side down) on the batting to trace the batting. This time you will want to make sure that the batting will reach to the wood seat and leave room for you to staple the batting to the wood later. Cut out the batting.
8. Use the staple gun to affix the batting to the wood seat using one staple per about 3 inches. You will be adding more staples when you put the fabric over the seat - and you won’t see the batting.
9. Repeat steps 7-8 with the fabric this time. If using a patterned fabric make sure the pattern is straight before you cut it out.
10. When stapling the fabric make sure that the staples are about ½ inch apart to hold the fabric – if you leave too much space between staples you could end up with a bumpy looking cushion.
11. Put the newly covered cushion back on the chair and screw it back into place.
Here is my chair before and after; a quick and easy solution to make the chairs fit into our home a little better.

A little before and after action so you don't have to scroll back up.

Fruits of our Labor

Kitchens are the #1 most used room in the house – well most people’s homes and we fit right into that category. We like to save money which means more meals at home. For me that meant more time spent staring at awful countertops, ugly fruit motifs and horrendous cabinets – ew. Not the most appetizing sight while preparing meals. I mean seriously…what were they thinking with the fruit tile backsplash?!

I think I lost my appetite again…

Once we finally saved up enough for granite countertops we wanted to make sure everything else was ready for them. First thing to go was the tile backsplash. On TV and in home improvement articles they make the removal of tile backsplash look SOOOOO easy. I thought I would have in done in a mere few hours. Here was how far I got after only ONE HOUR…and a sliced finger.

NOTE: I was taking the tiles off in tact one at a time – which later I realized was stupid since we were not going to keep the tile anyway. So I took the hammer to it.

The Details:

Tools required: Hammer, Chisel or strong putty knife, PATIENCE

I started at the end that was most accessible and placed the putty knife at the edge of the tile (right under that cabinet to the right of the stove) and began to hammer the handled end of the putty knife to wedge it under the tile enough to allow me to pry the tile away from the wall with the flat end of the hammer. This is the best way to do it if you want to keep the tile to re-use. In order to loosen the tile you may need to carefully chisel away the grout around the tile.

If you don’t want to re-use the tile then the quickest way to get the tile off is to simply take the hammer and go at it.

We made sure that the floors were protected from flying debris and if you can’t stand dust you should wear a mask. We should have worn protective eye wear but that was an afterthought – what can I say hindsight is 20/20 just like my eyesight. Another note of caution… tile is sharp so watch your fingers!

With the fruit gone how am I going to get my five-a-day?!

We're Cabbin' It

This is what happens when you get stuck at home without a car…I got bored so I decided to update the look in our bathroom. It is not a big space to begin with and I have always wanted a new vanity but have been too afraid to buy a new one to replace the old one. Maybe someday I will get the guts to put in a new one…

Until we can replace it I figured if I just paint the vanity cabinet white maybe the space would appear bigger and feel cleaner. What do you think?!

Doesn't it make the whole space look brighter - one way to help us wake up in the morning...

Tools Required:

Random Orbital Sander – sanding by hand would also work perfectly but I am impatient

Primer – oil based

Paint – We used Behr paint and primer in one to get more cover

Screwdriver – First thing to do is remove the doors and all old hinges and hardware

Tips:

1.       Using a random orbital sander (electric sander)

a.       Make sure that you get the proper grit of sandpaper. The larger the grit (number) the finer it sands. For example, you should use 60 grit to remove paint and/or other thinks you hope to remove from the surface, where 120 grit is fine sandpaper that will help smooth out the surface. For this project I started with 60 grit and finished with 120 grit.
b. Use light and even pressure when sanding - if you are not careful you could end up with divots in your surface

2.       Updating hinges

a.       Find similar hinge styles to those that were previously there. We got rid of the brass looking hinges and opted for a lighter brushed nickel finish. They looked the same just a different color.

3.       Drill the holes for the hardware before you paint. I did not and I kinda messed up the top coat of paint where I drilled the new hole for the new knobs. It wasn’t totally noticeable since the new knobs cover, but it could have been seen if I wasn’t careful. I think if I would have put painters tape over the hole it would have protected better.

4. Oil based primer DOES NOT come off easily from your hands or your paint brushes and pretty much anything else it adheres to. After some googling I figured out you need mineral spirits to remove oil based primer from skin and brushes. It apparently smells really bad - I didn't want to deal with atrocious smell so I just threw out the brush when I was done and left the primer on my hands until it eventually washed off like a week later. People at my office asked me what was on my legs...awesome.

What is Urban Renewal?

You might be asking yourself what is Urban Renewal? Beside being the name of our blog, when you google Urban Renewal you might find definitions like this...

• the clearing and rebuilding and redevelopment of urban slums
  wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
• Urban Renewal is a tribute album to pop singer Phil Collins, released in 2001 in most European markets and in 2003 in the United States, containing re-produced remakes of Collins' songs by R&B and hip hop performers. ...
  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Renewal_(album)
• the acquisition of run-down city areas for purposes of redevelopment.
  www.cyberhomes.com/content/allabout/glossary.aspx

If you are one of the very few lucky people to have seen our house before we moved in you might agree with many of the above definitions...all except the Phil Collins album. I bet they sing "In the Air Tonight" definitely one of my faves.

But really urban renewal is the tag line used by my father who would call and ask what kind of "urban renewal" projects we were up to. My father knows a lot about property and understands that the best return comes from those found in "up and coming neighborhoods" which is exactly where we bought. We thought it would be fun to choose our own upgrades and updates. What nobody knows is all I cared about was the fact that the place had a red front door...always wanted one. Unfortunately in our earlier post with the "before" pictures you don't have the luxury of seeing that there was a doorway at the bottom of the basement stairs for the other apartment and the blue "elementary school carpet" (dubbed by a friend) that was torn up before I had a chance to capture the memories with my camera. HB and his dad tore the doorway off since it was creepy (to me) and unnecessary. Also, since there were beautiful hardwoods under the "elementary school carpet" (seriously the lowest grade of ugly carpet you have ever seen) why keep them covered?

So there you have it, Urban Renewal was born as our tag line for our rehabilitation techniques for this house that was in desperate need.

From the Beginning...

Welcome to our blog...Here you will find the story of our little house in the 'hood. We bought our first home and before we turned 25 (a goal we both shared) and are working to make it feel more like home every day. We purchased this home as a foreclosure and according to our neighbors it was being used as a rental and 14 people were living there (?!).
The Details:

• 1050 square feet
• 3 bedrooms
• 3 full and 1 half bathrooms
• finished basement

From the minute we walked into the house we knew it was exactly what we were looking for. It needed a LOT of work and good thing for us we were ambitious enough to tackle the project - maybe a little too ambitious... Here is our home before any work had started on the gem we now call home.

Home Sweet Home

Living Room

Living Room

Living Room

Dining Area

Kitchen

Basement