Labor of Love
- Posted by Shaun on October 11th, 2006 filed in House, Photography
- 6 Comments »
I think I’ve said it before, but one thing I’ve learned and continue to be reminded of is that owning a house is a job. One that costs you not only hard labor, but money as well. $120 + 2 hours of climbing around an attic = one bathroom vent fan that doesn’t make noise.
This month, 3 gallons of stripper + 1 pressure washer + 3 cans of CWF + countless hours of applying chemicals and scrubbing = a slightly nicer looking porch. It’s a bit darker, which is nice, but it also doesn’t have all that gray, weathered wood anymore.
I’m pleased with the overall look of the porch now, but I’m not sure that the effort was worth the benefit. I spent days applying stripper and hand scrubbing every inch of the porch. After a couple days of this I decided to break down and borrow a pressure washer. I can’t even think of how long it would have taken to finish by hand.
After a thorough stripping (of the old finish) and cleaning I began applying the CWF finish. I ended up doing the floor twice just to get the color tone right. This was almost as time consuming as stripping, but we had to be a little neater.
Thankfully, I had some help. Mike helped with some of the stripping and Amy helped apply the finish. I really didn’t want Sue smelling the fumes too much being pregnant. It’s better to be safe. This coming weekend I hope to install some lattice with dad’s help. A little something to finish off the porch and keep leaves and large critters out.
A month or two ago I took some time to quickly lay out some bricks to make a small flower bed, and get some mulch down to keep weeds to a minimum. Ever since my neighbors keep coming over to say how nice it is. It feels good to hear it, but it really isn’t much. I haven’t even leveled out the dirt yet. It’s kinda lumpy. Oh well. They’re easy to impress. Now I just have to decided if I should continue this brickwork in other places around the yard. Only time and my wallet will tell.
While I had the camera out I decided to take a few pics of our new dining room set. I took the time to clear off the everyday clutter, but didn’t take off the table cloth and pads. If I get ambitious I’ll take them off and take pictures of the nice finish. I think it stays nice because of the pads. They’ve taken a beating.
Finally a place for all those dishes we have.
Ignore the mismatched chairs. The previous owner refinished two of the six. Now we get to refinish them all!
The most well used piece of the set is this server. The sides flip up to make a longer surface.
Last and definitely least, our fireplace. This is one of our next adventures. I can feel it already. We’re hoping to put it to use this year. We have somebody coming over to clean and inspect everything on Monday. I’m crossing my fingers. If all is well we’ll be able to get a nice fire going this winter.
Amy started us off nicely by giving Sue a nice fireplace rug for her birthday. It’s supposed to be fireproof in case a spark jumps out onto the floor. It looks nice though. The rest of the fireplace (doors, mantle, and the wall) really need some attention, but that is a project for another day. If it is functional, I’m happy.
That’s all for now.
October 12th, 2006 at 10:34 am
holy smokes, you’ve been busy! nice job on the porch. and, by the way, when it doesn’t rot & fall off of your house in the next few years, that’s when all of your work stripping & sealing will be worth it. i’ve seen deck work that just warps, curls up & splinters away to nothing, and yours won’t do that.
the brick work looks very nice around the roses. i find that yard improvements i get a hankering for in the spring when everything starts blooming. i know that next spring i’ll be digging ugly bushes out of my front yard, stirring up the dirt, removing old mulch, and redoing the entire area.
the dining room set is beautiful! love it.
that will be awsome if the fireplace is functional. very nice rug too, good choice amy.
October 12th, 2006 at 11:42 am
Two words: necessity and nagging. Nothing gets done without both in full force.
With the weather getting colder it is getting ever closer to “too late to finish the porch” and we needed to get it done before winter. A little something to help it weather the snow, etc. I’m still dealing with the dam bees though. They keep eating their way into the wood! I’ll close up the latest hole and hope for the best. Damn bugs.
Brick work: had to get it done because the weeds were growing better than the plants. Figures. The guy who owned the place used the ground up leaves and sticks that everybody brings to the dump, for mulch. It’s more like fertilizer to weeds.
October 13th, 2006 at 6:49 am
nice job!
only in pics and movies.
I love the fireplace. I have never seen one in real life.
October 13th, 2006 at 9:59 am
@aline: Thanks! Fireplaces aren’t bad, but the real ones (that burn real wood) can be dangerous if you don’t use them correctly. They also have a tendency to add a smoky smell to the room, although, it’s not always strong and many people like it. I can’t wait to light the first fire. It’s definitely cold enough today: 30ºF (-1ºF) this morning!
Most new houses built now (in US) seem to have gas fireplaces instead of the old fashioned wood ones. They’re less dangerous, more efficient and less work. To me they look okay and can easily warm up the room, but they’re just not real. They never sound like a fire and the fake wood always looks the same.
October 13th, 2006 at 10:06 am
wow!! the porch looks fantastic! and the rosebed looks so pretty..it really brightens up that area. and i love love love the dining room set…the server definitely looks like it would come in handy.
you guys are doing such a great job on that place. so much had work, but it must be such a good feeling after you get each project done. 8)
btw, i see you have the goldish fireplace and set and screen, but if you’re ever interested in having a black set, ger and i have one that you can have. we got a nice black set and screen for christmas last year, but then we just got the pellet stove and can’t use it anymore. let me know if you might be interested.
October 14th, 2006 at 8:25 pm
@sarah: Thank you for the compliment. Dad is helping to install some lattice on the porch this weekend. We’re 80% done. I can’t wait. It looks much nicer. I’ll post some pics when we are done.
And yes, it feels really good to get things done. It’s tough to keep in mind that we’ve only been here 7 months and making the house “ours” and filling it with stuff and kids will take time. Everyday it feels more and more like our place.
I’ll let Sue know about your offer. The toolset you see in the pics were left by the original owner.