Well, a lot has been done.

We're getting somewhere. The dishwasher and my kitchen sink got hooked up today. Yay! That means I get start cleaning off the piles and piles of dust that clings to my kitchen stuff. So. Much. Dust. Josh did it on his own too, so he's pretty proud. Electrical AND plumbing. What an amazing man.

I've been decently busy too. I've got pictures on the wall. The floor has been mopped many a time. There are curtains hanging. The bathroom door is painted. Flowers planted. Oh! And I went to Ikea.

 Towel Racks. And a toilet paper holder! I definitely took toilet paper holders for-granted all my life. They're so nice to have.

 My flowers! I've been waiting to plant these for a week now. Silly weather. I like them a lot.

 The start of my picture wall. It'll get bigger, just you wait.

 My curtains! We bought these way back in November. I think they look great. And it looks like home.

I did not get the shelf I intended. In fact, there was almost a break-down in the middle of Ikea. The shelving unit I thought I wanted was not the right color. It was a purpley brown and it would have looked silly next to my vanity. But I really needed a shelf. We cut out sooo much storage upstairs. A shelf was much needed in the bathroom. My mama said "Keep calm, dear, we'll find something." (That is definitely a paraphrase... but it was to that effect.) And we did. The shelf moms said would probably work. It's moments like these when it is so obvious why we love and need our mamas. She saved me from public humiliation. She found me a shelf. And in fact, she saved me monies, which is always really nice. I built it myself. I'm quite proud. Although if I'm being honest, most anyone probably could have built it. But I'm still proud.

My Ikea shelf on the left. The drawers and doors were separate. I should actually give Josh some credit, he screwed them in the shelf for me so they wouldn't wiggle. He also helped me move it. He's a great set of muscles to have around.

We've hung curtains. Hung towel racks. Insulated. Drywalled. Painted. Plumbed. Electricalled. Mopped. Laughed, cried, smiled, cheered. We're moving in this week guys.

Actually this time.

Ignore the messes in the following pictures. I know it's bad. We actually got it cleaned up after all the picture taking took place.

How Josh Views Our House. (What? There's more to this renovation thing than pretty??)

Here, my friends, is a guest post by my lovely husband who, before this, has been uncharacteristically silent, although much talked about. Apparently when I'm away instead of getting some work done, he writes things about insulation. I'm not going to lie, some of you might find this boring. But he's really into it, so bear with him. (If it's really horrible you can think of/empathize with me and how often I am forced into to converse about get to hear all about how energy efficient our house now is. But he tries hard, works hard and he has a really pretty face, so I keep him around.) A bit of it might be overlap, but you can hear it from his non-whiny perspective. Oh, and I took the liberty of commenting twice, which you're probably not supposed to do on someone's guest post, but I felt I could be given a little more leniency because he IS my husband and what-not. One of the comments isn't even sarcastic or anything. Enjoy!

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Guest Post!  This is Josh writing to tell you all about the guts and mechanics of our home.  To me, finishes are nice but the exciting part is what is inside the walls, in the attic and all the systems that keep a home running and habitable.

The walls:

Our home was built extremely well by someone or some people in 1957.  It has a solid frame, the backbone of any house, but when it comes to energy use, it fails miserably.  With no vapour barrier and very little (or sometimes no) insulation, our home would have been a great help warming up medicine hat all winter as our warm air leaked out. 

So we decided that we would gut the entire upstairs walls, removing one inch of drywall, cement and plaster, pulling out nasty dusty old insulation and installing mineral wool insulation called Roxul.  This has an R rating (R being the measurement of resistance to heat transfer - the higher the better) of R14.  This was a huge improvement of the R4 that we took out.  We also installed a vapour barrier which stops cold air from leaking in and heat from leaking out. 

Altogether, this was the most labour intensive part of our whole house redo.

The Attic:

The building code of Canada requires vented attics to be insulated to at least R40 but R50 is recommended for our climate in Western Canada.  Our attic had R4, just like in the walls and in one spot, there was nothing at all.  Heat was just flowing into winter air for over 50 years. 

Fixing this was not fun because it included putting attic baffles up for proper venting and putting a vapour barrier over the whole attic which also turned out to be a 100% unfun couple bonding experience for both Ashley and myself.  This was all prep work and we had no clue what we were in store for when we actually blew in the insulation.

Saturday March 31, I went to Home Depot in the morning and rented a blower machine (just an auger with a really loud fan to blow the insulation) and about 60 bags of cellulose insulation (in contrast to the more standard fiberglass.  The price was almost the same but in my opinion, cellulose has some things going for it that I like.  1) it’s made from recycled newspaper.  We could actually read some of the words from some bigger pieces.  2) it settles (which you need to account for) and stops airflow better than fiberglass and 3) it has a higher R value per inch which is what we wanted.

So we blew in this stuff and man did it make a mess.  In the attic with the hose, it was like being in a blizzard for 4 hrs.  Outside on the ground, Ashley was mashing up bags into the auger which wasn’t as messy but still lots of work. (Curtis definitely took over mashing for me. I felt like I could not, in good conscience, leave that unmentioned.)

In the end, when we got our energy audit done, the insulation level was at R70, well beyond code and well on the way to passive house standards (a whole other post).

The Basement:

Our basement was cold, like many basements,  However, we didn’t like that because we wanted to eventually use that space for bedrooms and play areas so cold would not do.  We went from cold conrete walls to R30 walls in one weekend with the help of family and Don and Mike from the church.  We first put up 1 ½’ rigid XPS styrofoam that acted as a quasi vapour barrier and frost wall and then put up 2x6 walls with studs 24” apart with R22 Roxul insulation and then a vapout barrier and drywall. 

Now the basement is warm - which is very nice. 

Thanks for reading this far.  Energy conservation is not everyone’s cup of tea but it is something I like/am very passionate about.  I’ll write more about air sealing and the furnace another time. (Bet you can't wait, right?)

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And now feel free to let me know how much you miss me, love me and want me to commence writing on this blog... like forever.

Couter tops.

It was the weekend for my husband. Which meant lots got done. Aaaalmost enough that we can move in. Almost. 

We did lots of trim. We did lots of plumbing. And we did lots of getting ready to live there. 

On Friday we went and started doing trim, Josh worked more on plumbing and I well, I mopped. Again. 

On Saturday we did more stuff. The same stuff. 

On Sunday I got to play in the sandbox. Score!! Our babysitters went on a vacation, so I played with Caed while Josh worked. Not that he's not used to that... it's basically how this house renovation has gotten done. 

Monday. Dad came home. And dad fixed the plumbing Josh was having trouble with. We can shower!!

They also moved the counter top up. So exciting. I think it looks so great! It was also really, really heavy. Really heavy. I didn't even attempt, because, lets face it, a big slab of concrete does not seem like something I could ever, would ever, want to, be able to lift. So dad and Josh were on it. Yay! 

 Taking a break before the final heave-ho. It was long trip up the stairs. Good work out anyway.

 It looks even better with a tap!

I know I say this every other post. But it's really, actually starting to look like a house. 

I've even been hanging pictures on the wall. I can't plumb, and the shelving required using a big saw thing that scares me, so I avoided that too... that left picture hanging and other fun stuff like that, to so. Floating shelves anyone?! Oh yes. Floating shelves. The unfortunate part about me trying to do stuff on my own is that more often than I'd like to admit, I require Josh to help. Ashley hanging up a floating shelf in the living room - "could you just help me quick to mark out where I need to drill?" "I can't get the anchors in, could you just help quick?" "Can you drill this one... I made the holes uneven, and can't seem to screw it in." "Oh look! Doesn't that shelf look great?!" Oh yes, he put up the shelf. Even when I was doing it on my own he was just standing there cringing. I must make it look awkward, or difficult or all of the above. 

 Ignore the lack of trim around the floor. Do notice - pictures hung, trim around the window, general room arrangement.

 I hung that floating shelf above the toilet without help! Boo ya. There is also a toilet paper holder and a towel bar hung. Not that you can see them in the picture, so you'll just have to trust me.

Have I mentioned how great my kid is lately? Because he played like a trooper in our gross, messy, dangerous house with few toys. He even helped me mop. What a sweetie.

 

Has it Been a Week Already?

Ok, not quite. But tomorrow will have been so I better post now. 

6 days ago we celebrated my baby's first birthday. 3 days ago we celebrated it again. Because he's spoiled. And super wonderful. And moms and tots is on Tuesdays and I thought it would be fun to do one outside. Also, all I ever talk about is our house, so I thought, "Hey, people should just come over and see it." So it was kind of a double win. Not to mention I have the best mom in the world and she helped an incredible amount to make the two parties possible. I would have gone nutty had I done it alone.

My babe turning one was pretty cool. We did a monster theme. Had a few friends and the family over. It was lots of fun. We roasted wieners. And ate cake. And opened presents. And then people started leaving, but the lucky few who decided they enjoyed my company enough to stay (namely family, because they're stuck with me and have to love me no matter what) got to have what I will call here "Super S'mores." And they WERE super. 

Pintrest anyone? Not only has pintrest inspired many small details, and paint colors, and other fun things, in my house, it also has plethora of other, non-house related, ideas. Such as Super S'mores. (Only they mistakenly did not call them that.) The Super S'more, my friend, is a delicious treat. It is all the goodness of a s'more and a little bit more. It is different, yet better. Quite wonderful even.

Curious yet?

Take a waffle cone. Throw in some marshmallows, some chocolate and anything else of your choice, we did strawberries. We also did without strawberries. Wrap it in tinfoil. Melt that chocolate and those marshmallows over a fire. Enjoy. And you will. Because I didn't name them Super S'mores until after I had eaten one. MMMM. Try it. So worth it. SUPER S'MORE! There will be many, many more of those to come this summer. And if you ever decide to trek out to see me, and you stay long enough to make a fire, I promise we will try them.

Also, has anyone seen those giant marshmallow's that they have out and about this year? So fun!! I bought some of those to try too. A review on that to come.

Caed was spoiled like crazy on his birthday. SO MANY GIFTS. He is clearly loved. Thank you everyone who gave him something. You are all so kind to our family.

Monster Cake. The eyeballs were too heavy though. We ended up putting marshmallows up the sticks to make them stay.

 It was also a rainbow cake. Fun!

 Playing with sidewalk chalk while the girls played with the doll house.

 The balloons were one of the best things at the party to play with.

Eating!

 More playing. Melissa (and family) gave us this slide, because they outgrew it. So nice of them. Caed loves it!

More eating!

 Pop up cards are way better than opening presents.

 Every time!

 Getting help opening presents. To be so lucky- three beautiful girls to help you, Caed. I'm quite certain you did not appreciate this as much as you should have.

 Finally getting the hang of opening gifts.

 Bouncy ball from Uncle Cool.. err... Josh

A bouncy cow from Aunty Jodi and Uncle Curtis. So fun!

You will notice there are no pictures of the Caed with his cake (although there is one of him eating cake). We tried to set the cake and him in his high chair, with a messy cake picture in mind... he just cried. So that was a no go.

One more to leave this off. Darci playing in the sandbox beside Caed. (Notice a deliberate "beside" and not "with." Quote: "These tonka trucks are awesome!")

 

It Has Happened

Today is the day.

You have been able to walk for a little over a month now. You would show us little sneak peeks of your talents. You always preferred to walk with someone holding your hand, or at the very least with out stretched arms waiting for you.

Not today. Today you walk. You walk because it’s easier than crawling. And you’re darn good at it too. You walk in and around, over and to, back and forth. You are so proud of yourself.

You’ve done it! You’ve reached the walking milestone.

Now hopefully you will keep your stubborn streak at bay and walk a little more so I can carry you a little less.

This mama is never ending proud.

This, that and one other thing.

So we've been hard at work... and by we I mean Josh. But every now and again I go over and put in some effort. If you were to walk in you might think it's almost habitable. Almost. You would notice that there are doors leaning against walls and empty doorways, you would notice counterless cupboards, you would notice piles of boxes, and let's not even talk about the basement.  

But if you'd been in it anytime in the last 5 months, you would now notice that the floors are nice and sometimes clean, the walls are painted (don't look too close, you'll definitely see scuffs) and there is some furniture cleaned and set out. You would see a babies room starting to come together, and another room that's ready for stuff to be put in drawers. If you took the time to open a cupboard you would see dishes stacked or baking supplies lined up. It's coming friends, the day I actually live in my house is coming.

I've spent crazy amounts of time cleaning. Throwing (literally at times) all our extra stuff in the basement (extra blankets, Caed's out grown clothes, car seats, toys etc, filing that needs to be done, winter clothes and other such odds and ends.) The floor gets mopped as often as I spend time there. Light fixtures are being installed and stuff is being moved in. Dusting is never ending.

My next project is my pantry. If my pantry was ready a lot of the mess would be cleaned up. Who knew I had so much kitchen stuff? Ok, I did, but everytime I move (which, lets face it, is once or twice a year) I'm surprised. But it's my favorite place to be, and I use most everything so I don't feel bad.

If you recall, mudding walls SUCKS. Or I think it does. And I didn't want to mud anymore. Not even a pantry. And how would one get out of this and still make it look nice, you might ask. Well I decided wall paper would work just prefectly. That's right, I said it. Wall paper. No it's not that floral wall paper we put up in the 80's (love you mom, I'm sure the bathroom looked great... even if the one mirror was turned into three). So I headed to Home Depot to see what I could see. (I actually looked at Walmart and Canadian Tire first. I didn't find anything I loved at Walmart, and CT didn't have any.) At Home Depot I found something I liked (with mama's approval), and a purchase was made. 

Before. One coat of mud.

After! Just need some shelving. (And a light... and a door... but mostly shelving.) It still only has one coat of mud.

We also got out enviro audit done. So all work we put in, insulating, new furnace, putting up vapor barrier, a low flush toilet etc. paid off. The guy said he'd never seen so much work done. So we'll get money back from the government. We're also looking forward to the basic savings we'll get on our monthly utility bill. 

Doing the blower door test. Testing how air tight out house is. Lets keep the warm air in and the cold air out... and vise versa in the summer... Also, we want some air exchange so we don't suffocate. :)

I painted stripes in my closet. I was running low on my room paint color, so I thought I'd get exciting and paint some stripes. Josh was skeptical but I assured him that (1) it was going to look great and (2) if it did looked horrible it was just in the closet... he would never have to look at it if he didn't want to. It did look great, of course, but I got to thinking that if it was horrible maybe it would have been incentive for him to close the future curtain that will hang to cover the closet mess. Oh well, can't win them all.

Good right?!

And last, but not least, the concrete counter top adventure has begun. Last week Josh made the frame and started to work on my island counter top. We decide to start with the island because he build temporary counter tops along the wall which we could live with, if necessary. It's a dark grey. We'll do the other ones white (which was an adventure in and of itself to find supplies to make white concrete, but I saw someone who did the grey island with white counters along the wall and decided it was a must have... where would I be without internet?) So there it sits in the basement waiting to be brought up so we can use and abuse it.

 The rebar to keep it strong and together and the cutout standing in for my sink.

  Ignore the mess... it's going to look pretty!