Stories of a Life
Tuesday, December 15, 2020
"Professor" Bob
Sunday, December 6, 2020
Remodeling - Carpet Fiasco
The flooring contractor would have liked to install the hardwood floors before the carpet, but due to the delays with the hardwood, they had to get the carpet installed before we moved in. They said it would only take a couple of days.
They started with the upstairs bedroom. We stopped by that evening after they completed the upstairs bedroom. The first thing we noticed is that the grain of the carpet was going perpendicular to the stairs. Then we realized that they were installing the wrong carpet. They ordered and started to install the Covington, not the Queenstown. After a quick call to the contractor, they stopped the installation.
Since this was about a week before we moved in, we were kind of in a bind. The vendor acknowledged his mistake and was willing to put in the Queenstown, however, it would take two weeks in order to get it in stock and another week to get it installed. We had a big decision to make.
We went upstairs where the carpet was already installed. We looked at it with the wall color and we were satisfied that the colors matched. We got Kevin over and asked about his concerns on the steps. There was already a step carpeted, but we did not like that the grain was perpendicular to the step. So, he came and folded it over the bullnose of the step. Apparently, our steps are a bit thicker than normal, so he was not concerned that the backing would show through when the carpet was put on the steps.
We then discussed that we did not like the way the grain was running lengthwise down the stairs. He told us that since there was a doorway at the top of the stairs, they could easily make a seam there and rotate the carpet 90 degrees. With that assurance, and the deadline coming, we decided to go with the original carpet we chose. They were able to reschedule the installers, and the carpet was in before moving day.
However, the saga does not end there. After the pile of furniture in the downstairs bedroom was moved, we discovered a lump in the floor. We called Kevin, and he came out and tried to hammer out the lump. Didn't work. Finally, the installer was called back, he pulled up the corner of the carpet and fixed the problem.
On the way out, I asked the installer what he found. He sheepishly showed me a small piece of tack strip that he left under
Remodeling - Finished Upstairs Bathroom
With the design complete, the next phase was putting everything in place. All the tile work was done by the time we moved in, but the finishing touches were late. The stone on the half wall and the shower sill couldn't be measured until the walls were complete, and the glass couldn't be measured until after the stone was installed. Needless to say, the glass didn't get installed until the week after we moved in. Too bad they installed the wrong shower door. That took a couple of more weeks to finish off.
Meanwhile, the cabinet maker had to close during COVID so the deliveries got pushed out until after we moved in. (Luckily the downstairs bath was done.) When they finally were delivered, the vanity was half-inch too wide, leading to much muttering from the contractor. They did wedge it in there, so they were ready for measuring the countertops.
They left us a small can of touch up paint for the cabinets which we foolishly left in the drawer of the cabinet. When the countertop installed the counters, the paint can was stuck in the top drawer. Not certain how the contractor got that one out, but I know the can was a bit dented when it was recovered.
The rest of the install went without a hitch, so after the mirror install at the end of July, our master bath was complete.
Saturday, December 5, 2020
Remodeling - Fireplace
The fireplace in the condo was a wood burning fireplace, which while functional, wasn't very practical. There wasn't a real good place to store firewood, so we were kind of limited to those Duraflame kind of logs. It also had this ledge kind of thing where the hearth was floating off the floor. So very 70's. At a minimum, we wanted to put some type of stone on the wall.
Remodeling - Railing
Initially, we were going to paint the railings white to match the baseboards and trim, but after we saw the wood, we decided that it would be a shame to cover it with paint. I asked the contractor if we could have the painters stain the railings, but he said that it would cost us. I told him that I would do it, but he would have to knock some money off the painter's budget.
Next, we had to decide what color of stain, if any, we wanted to use. Our first thought was to come up with a color that would match the floor. Two hardware stores and four different types of stain later, we decided that matching the floor wasn't really going to be possible. The best looking option was to just put a clear varnish on the railing.
With that decided, we put a couple of coats of varnish on the railing and it looks gorgeous.
Remodeling - Main Floor Hardwood
Our contractor recommended LeBlanc Floors, a local company. We had been looking at different hardwoods, but when we visited there, Kevin was very helpful in getting us into a birch floor with a sierra finish from Appalachian Hardwood. What we didn't anticipate is that the flooring was coming from Canada, and when the COVID shutdown hit, the factory closed. It wasn't until mid-May that they produced the flooring, which then got hung up in customs and shipping.
By that time, we had sold our house and had a move-in day of mid-June. We pressed the installers to get the flooring in before then, but unfortunately, that wasn't to be. So, we pushed him on getting the carpet installed. The downstairs bedroom was carpeted, so we decided that we'd move all the furniture that would go on the first floor into the bedroom. As you can see, it was pretty packed.The week after we moved in, the installers came in with their tools and started sanding the subfloor to smooth it out. We tried to contain it as much as we could, but there was dust everywhere. Had to live with the installation for about a week, but once they were done, it looked great.
Disclaimer: I do not get any compensation from any businesses referenced in this post.Friday, December 4, 2020
Remodeling - Finished Main Floor Bathroom
It may be hard to see in the photos, but the mirror has a grey rubber frame around it to conform to the shape of the mirror. When the contractors installed it, they removed the frame because they thought it was packing material. Luckily, we found it in the trash heap before it was taken away.
We went with oil-rubbed bronze fixtures and found some matching grab bars. Don't need them yet, but it's always a good idea to plan ahead.