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October 14, 2009

V’s Project Updates: The Neverending Story!

It’s been a while since I shared any DIY progress updates… that’s mostly because we lost steam and as a result, things have been going soooo slowly!

Man I want something to be finished!

Knowing that the only way to achieve a finished project is to WORK, my husband Brian and I got busy these last few weekends… and we’ve achieved… a little! Not a lot!!

Take a look at the tent Brian created for me so that I could paint the back door on an extremely windy day… and my pup Simon supervising my work :-)

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And this is what the door looked like BEHIND the protection of my makeshift tent & wind-blown debris guard after one coat of Benjamin Moore’s Sundried Tomato. It’s a beautiful colour… after a few coats! :-)

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How beautiful? Well… take a look at the finished back of the house. Okay ~ first, look at the BEFORE:

[16Feb08] Back Exterior 3

DSC02604It’s just a little house, but I love it!! And the RED DOOR is absolutely perfect!!

Next summer we’ll be building a fantastic deck off of the back door. I can’t wait!! Oh… and the non-matching bathroom window… that will be replaced when we gut and remodel that particular space. OMG! I just remembered that we have to put a vent in the gable’s peak. AND I want another basement window installed directly under the bathroom window…

DAMN!! That means that the back of the house is NOT so finished after all!! Will it never end?!

How about another not-so-finished project?! Geesh!

For those of you who have been following my front-yard hardscaping project, we’ve started the paving stone walkway…

Pavers

 

Looking close at the Almost-After photo above and you can see that we have materials stacked everywhere: paving stones, capstones, sacks of joint sand, walk edge restraints, a few piles of crushed rock, the wheel barrow… it’s a work zone!

Brian did such a fabulous job putting the first couple of sidewalks together – on the right, the section connecting the first set of stairs with the second, and on the left, from the public sidewalk to the first set of stairs.

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DSC02602Here are some closer photos of the two finished walks… both walks match in colour (charcoal), it’s just that the upper walk has been walked on with sandy feet. Also… the black edge restraints will eventually be covered with soil or grass (depends on the area). If you can, please ignore the wall tops – Brian has to rent a special saw so that he can cut the cap stones to fit the curves. Poor Brian!DSC02603

Alright… we haven’t completed all that much considering we have SO MUCH more to do… but it’s something! It’s started!! Of course we’ve pushed the start of this particular project into the rainy months of Fall… we need dry weekends so that we can finish what we started! Cross your fingers for us, please!

Finally… yet another project Brian and I have started over the last few weeks… a project that has a LONG way to go!!

Our basement remodel.

New windows have been installed, and walls/ceilings are being removed – it’s a mess! This mega-project will likely take us the whole winter… one full bathroom (it’s not plumbed so we’ll be digging out the floor in search of the main!), 2 bathrooms a laundry room and a family room. Argh!

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Look at my Grandmother’s poor antique hope chest sitting in the middle of the “rec” (yes, it’s a pun!) room. I have no where safe for it to sit!! I just HAVE to find a safe place for it to sit upstairs… and I have to do that very soon!

And guess what I found out about a week ago… my son is returning to live at home for a few months so we have to find room for him in this chaotic basement! The good news in this… he won’t be that comfortable and will leave soon! HaHa!!

So that’s what’s up with me and my Neverending Projects!

I’m grunting, groaning and complaining about the fact that these projects never seem to end but you know what…

I love it and wouldn’t have it any other way!! Really!!!!!!

sigv

9 comments:

Kat said...

Wow Victoria. It looks like you've accomplished alot! I know it doesn't always feel like it when you're in the middle of it all. The walkways are gorgeous. And I love the color you chose for your door - have you noticed how many new paint colors are named for food? Can't wait to see the basement when you're done. Kathy

Paul Anater said...

Wow indeed Victoria, everything you and Brian are doing looks fantastic. It's good to see your progress.

Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions said...

I love the windows you are installing, Victoria. The walks look great ~ I really like the gray. That always seems to happen ~ we were full steam ahead getting the house ready for the market then kind of wound down as we were hitting our self-imposed deadline. Thankfully, we finished!

janet said...

Looks fantastic Victoria!!! i love small homes, it is what im use to and it takes less money when flooring and such needs replacing..lol Your little home is beautiful and the newly painted door is a nice addition.
hugs
janet

Jen of MadeByGirl said...

WOW ...looks like alot of work...i liek the new color & the red door. I wish we could paint our door and give it some curb appeal.....but we have an HOA....
Jen Ramos
'Cards & Prints You'll Love...'
www.madebygirl.com
madebygirl.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

Omgosh, I can't believe all you and your husband have taken on. I thought we had a lot of projects going. I love the colors on the back of your house and the walk looks great! Bit by bit I'm sure you'll get it done!
marcie

Donna @ Paisley and Perspective said...

Great progress Victoria! I love BM's SunDried Tomato - have used it in a couple of school projects and am thinking of using it myself :)!

I know exactly how you feel about having so many projects underway - it can be overwhelming at times, but you know what, you could never complain that life was boring. I love having another exciting transformation to look forward to.

Good luck on ALL of your projects - those underway and those to come!

puna said...

This looks absolutely beautiful! You must be so happy!

BubBLeS said...

That looks so nice! I wish we knew how to do landscaping, too. Our backyard is lined with big trees, and we have two big needle trees in the front already.. but I've always wanted my very own magnolia.. Guess that's what I'll do this winter, read up on landscaping and find a place for my magnolia!

Can't wait to see how your yard turns out! It'll definitely keep me motivated to pretty up my lawn!

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