Monday, September 28, 2009

SE VENDE
















It's all done and I'm exhausted. This past weekend was dedicated to cleaning, but I managed to repair the under the stairs storage door hinge and swap all the downstairs "fachevas" (the long bars that slide up and down to lock the doors in place) so they actually fit without scraping.
It's ready to show. The newspaper put our phone # wrong for this first Sunday, but we may get somebody from the on-line viewers. Well, let's get going.

Friday, September 25, 2009

For Sale

It's goin' in the paper Sunday. I'll post a link to the advertisement after pictures have been added . I've been working in Carrasco all week, but Saturday is set aside to clean and shine everything. We're expecting nice weather so it's a good opportunity to capture the great light and get a nice shot of the front.
There will no doubt be a stampede to see the place.







Those last few jobs; a saddle for the social bathroom, a bit of a hole inside the front door, plus trying to improve some decayed marble with plaster and faux marble painting to name a few. And what to do about the condition of main bath floor?



















See how it all turns out on the final post.

Well, the last post before the whining about the sale process begins.

Monday, August 3, 2009

Kitchen with a house




  • As we found it.
  • Tearing it down.
  • Build it new.
  • The product.
































There are still some snags to work out. Attending to details usually reveals more details to attend to, but the end's in sight. The kitchen is
pretty much done.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Bathroom Tile complete-ish





Unless you count the missing tile (look close near the corner cabinet). I am still waiting for two more border tiles, but having a hard time getting them. Small orders get the back of the bus I suppose. I tried to spice up the shower by mixing in some wall tiles. We are still not sure about putting in the sliding shower door. It's a good detail, but most builders leave that for the buyers. I'm not convince yet.
Next, we'll have to see if we can get the old floor a little nicer.

The kitchen came out great. Pictures of that on the next post.
Thanks for reading.

Friday, June 19, 2009

STILL TILING

Hard to believe, but I'm still at it. Just a tiny bit more on the shower and I start to grout the whole mess. I am waitng for more border tile (shy just one piece!), but that's no big deal.
I purposely vary my routine at times, to keep from going insane(er). Some carpentry things or shopping for still needed items. I did manage to find the aluminum corners for the shower wall, but I am missing a part of the front door hardware that is proving more difficult to find. I may have to venture to one of those demolition places that buys and sells everything. They aren't easy to deal with, especially for me.
Janine has come a couple of times to help. She's been putting a tinted wax on the wood floors recently sanded. They'll take a few coats, but are looking quite nice. There's always stuff to move in or out, places to clean. I really appreciate the help and the company. Man, I gotta get out of there.
Thanks for reading.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

...fingers to the bone, almost !

I have spent the better part of the last two weeks tiling. When I quit Friday night, I was in severe pain. It seems the combination of the cement and something they call 'cal' (could be lye or a calcium addative) in the cement along with all the time in the cold water, clicking on the grinder and fitting tile in place had, uh destroyed my finger tips. They were raw and a little bloody. Sometimes I just have no idea what I'm doing.
The tile came out pretty good though. I still have to find something for the outside corners on the shower wall. I am searching for some extruded aluminum channel used for this exact thing. So far no luck.
The kitchen top was installed yesterday and it looks nice. It's black granite and it goes well with the cabinets. The install was a little hectic. Lots of dust, lots of moving the pieces, (heavy, fragile) but in the end it came out well.
My friend Mono is back helping a few hours a week again. Yesterday he got one of the front doors finished and stained. It looks great.
Yeah, it all looks great but will it ever end?

Stay tuned.
Thanks for reading.

some shots of one of the few paid jobs I found here;

  • Shutter repairs.
  • lumber selections
  • bathroom fixtures we bought
  • fixtures we considered
Cheers.















Saturday, May 23, 2009

Cabinets done


The kitchen cabinets are in and they look alright. I'm not sure if this type of cabinet construction is suited for these types of houses. In the future I will make some changes and make them, well less. They felt normal making, but they look gigantic. I have never seen a kitchen like this here. I hope this is a plus when we start showing.
I had to make a crown molding. I used some blocking to hold the cabinets at the ceiling that showed. It was a hassle to make on-site. I set up a makeshift table saw by attaching a circular saw to a piece of plywood and setting it on two heavy saw horses.
I routed the profile in several steps and brought in the big mitre saw to make the cuts accurate.
Two days in all , but it was worth it.
I may put the baseboard tiles under the cabinets today. We have decided against continuing that base on the walls after the cabinets. I just skimmed the rough part by the floor with plaster and will leave it painted. It looks clean and well, that's that.
I may get my friend to work today. If so, we'll try to firm up the front doors. They're enormous and need detailing. Once they're finish sanded and stained against the weather, touch ups and glass and things can be done later.
When I find a camera to buy or borrow I will post some photos of the progress.
Thanks for reading. Later.