Adventures at The Bunny Manse

Dad was asking about the budget and how we're doing so far. Initially we had a total budget of about $350k for the house. As we negotiated the purchase price up and found more information about what the house needed that budget went to a maximum of about $415k. As of today, we anticipate spending around $400k or ~$111/sqft. As a comparison, Oakwood cost us $90/sqft and we sold for $106/sqft and the new owners are doing all kinds of neat stuff we dreamed about doing. So far we're under budget in a couple of areas, within budget but ahead of schedule in some (which can also be read as over budget...) and just going to be way over in a couple of key areas. Our original plan including making a temporary kitchen that we could live with, but would be massively overhauled within a year or two. Instead we decided to do it right the first time and enjoy it the entire time. To this end, our temp budget for cabs, appliances, and counters, was initally $5,600. However, that's g...

Going to meet with Robert from Accent Floors today at 11:30 to go over the floors! What I thought last night was a lingering and incredibly powerful 2nd coat was indeed the final coat applied in the afternoon yesterday. I kind of love contractors who finish early and yet accomplish the job fully.

 Harris cleaned and created fire in our Warm Morning heater. Lucky for us the 65,000 BTU natural gas heater with thermostat and blower also comes with pilot lighting instructions.   We're both a little trepidatious when it comes to gas, but so far we're doing ok!      

  We're cleaning out the storage unit so that currently our stuff is in our apartment, in long term storage, or is at the house. Soon, it will be with us or long term storage.   Madeline's room will be used to store things from the apartment, once we're moving things up there. Bill pulled many nails and swept up in here. Now begins the battle against dust.             this is the bedroom across the hall from Madeline's room. Storage unit is being emptied into this room right now. Surprisingly less in the storage unit than we thought.         Here's our kitchen!         That will soon enough live here. Yes, I know, need to touch up some paint there...         And another gratuitous floor shot!             This will be our bedroom when we move into the house. Madeline calls it th...

The crew from Accent Hardwood has my key, so I peeked in the window at lunch. At least the first coat of poly is now drying on the beautiful oak floors!

  We drove down to Ikea on Saturday to finalize our kitchen order. Alice was awesome, figured out cabinet placement and told Harris what extra to build and how to hack the kitchen. Because of their current promotion, we're getting the side cabinet and the microwave basically for free.  Spend $3500 get 10% off, spend $4500 get 20% off. So if you're already at 3500, anything else you add is free.  Math is fun.     All of this is getting delivered on Saturday, so we should be good to get it installed after the floors are finished.

We have, at most, 21 days to get the house ready for us to live in. To this end.... Thursday : Accent Hardwood did the rough sand in suite and kitchen. Here is Madeline feeling the floor in the suite Laid 70% of new dining room floor. Madeline being a silly monster ballet girl Then David Glick, Rob, and Alvin prepped, primed, and painted the remaining two wood rooms we found downstairs. While wandering around I saw this little bit of graffiti. Wonder who Black Chicken Billy (or perhaps Boy) was/is. Today, Friday Accent Hardwood is there finishing the floor in the dining room. Century Slate is there fixing the flat roof leak and patching the two remaining holes in the slate roof at the ridge. On Saturday Harris will be laying the subfloor in that giant hole in the kitchen while I take Madeline to the Farmer's Market and Cameron's birthday party. While she's at the party, I'm going to sears to pick up the applianc...

the floor guys showed up to lay the new floor, the painters to finish painting two small rooms that we forgot about, and Harris woke up early to make a family omelet after a very happy birthday!

It's pretty funny. Harris doesn't check the blog, so I can write all about what we're up to here and it will still be a surprise! Starting around 6 tonight people are going to start coming by to wish him a happy birthday. We're having pie pushers, BBQ, meat, brownies, beer, and ice cream. Most all of this has been procurred in the past 12 hours. Madeline and I strung lights in the trees before leaving for work this morning and took all of the non-fridgerated stuff on up there too. After work, I swing by the apartment to pick up last things, then go up the street to set everything up. And if you're reading this and want to stop by, come on, there's plenty of food and ice cream :)

Taking into account comments, good ideas, and original plans I think we have a new contender. No, before we hadn't thought about where the microwave would go or the trashcan. :) Originally Sara had us putting the range on the chimney and running counters all around it. We couldn't figure out how in practise that would work and started dreaming about dual ovens and cooktops in counters and all sorts of things that are fancy and pretty, but not really needed for how we live now or plan to live later.    This one gives Harris a gas cook top and me a convection oven. Dual fuel from bosch and we're both happy.     It also creates two separate work stations on either side of the range and will fit around the door that will exist for the next year, but not forever. I like that this way we're not building out something that will have to be torn out in 12 months. I really really hate that.   ...

Our overall budget for the kitchen is ~ 7,500 (including appliances, cabs, and counters). The reason we're scaling back on appliance buying for now, focusing on waiting for crazy deals, etc, is because our plans have outstripped our budget. We will have a beautiful kitchen with the appliances we want, but we're not going to go into crazy debt to get it there. we're getting the cabinents from IKEA and using their handy 3-d kitchen designer, this is what we've come up with so far. No, we're not painting the walls blue, I just couldn't figure out how to get the woodwork pattern to show up without having it blue.  This is what you would see from where the back door with sidelight currently is   We want a side by side fride with water/ice in the door and a bosch dual convection wall oven on the right cabinet.  The gas cooktop will go under that hood, giving us enough counter space on either side of the cook top. And if you entered from the butler's p...

We have several appliances still at The Bunny Manse that we're going to be using while we hunt closeouts and deals. Like last night, we got a Bosch 24 inch built in stainless steel dishwasher for $550, and a whirlpool washer and gas dryer bundle for $1,300 at Sears. Regular price (I know, who actually pays regular price for appliances) was ~ $3,500 for the three. Now as soon as we move in we will have the ability to avoid the laundrymat and bugs from unwashed dishes. We're searching for a counter depth yet full size fridge and a fancy cooking device. Regular prices on those are about,  oh, say, too much damn money.

The crew has salvaged the pine and oak for replacement throughout the house! And we get to briefly see the original subfloor that was supporting everything. They are going to cover this is floor sheathing and then we'll run the new floor on top of it. Right now we're thinking a red oak, but that might change depending on what we find out in the world. The original subfloor runs diagonal to the room, you can already see the new floor underlayment where there was massive termite damage.

We knew the house had 'help' from the census records and because the service stair exits into the plainest bedroom upstairs. The was also the tangle of wires right by the kitchen that at one point held the call system. In each room, there is also a protruding wire in the wall that is not a light switch. These are the call buttons, or at least, what is left of them   Also, in the center of the dining room floor that was :sob: there was this lovely gadget.   You use it to call for the next course or for whenever you needed the kitchen help to reappear.   It would have been connected to a button or level under the table. When they pull up the flooring, this will be salvaged. Maybe we'll reinstall it so I can ask Harris to bring me glasses of milk.      

Ed finished up the remaining touch-ups on the plaster today! Yaycore! And the gaping hole in the dining room. BOOCORE. Ok, really it's going to be fine. It was just very startling to see when it was so unexpected.   Changes in plans happen. Have to roll with it as best as we can. For my Dad, who is probably the only person who watches my youtube videos :)

Those damn termites had a field day at our Bunny Manse. They ate through joists, girder, subfloor, pine floor, oak floor, and trim.   Most of this damage took place in the dining and living rooms. Our original plan was to salvage as much as possible of the living room floor to patch the dining room floor and other areas of the house. Instead, because the joist damage was primarily in the dining room, we will be salvaging the dining room floor to patch the living room. We'll also in the proccess get the heart pine to patch the kitchen and our bedroom. Trying to display sangfroid about the situation. I almost hurled when I saw the gaping crawl space in my dining room, but it's what has to be done at this point.

We've got Bill and James helping us finish up the last bits of "cleaning" before the home tour. This involves putting junk,OSB, boards into the dumpster, putting metal all in the same place for my metal run, and pulling nails. LOTS AND LOTS OF NAILS. Ed is going to finish the plaster in the hallway this week and then the floor joists get repaired from the termite damage. Tonight we're going to give the outside a once over so that it's tidy and not a trash pile, pull nails in the floors upstairs, and get all of the rooms broom clean. From there, we actually can start cleaning; maybe we'll mop!