So close...

Forbo Marmoleum Click has been installed. We purchased it locally at M&Z Carpets. If you're local, we highly recommend M&Z. The subfloor is concrete, so we used a trial-on leveling compound to even out some spots here and there. We went with Floor Muffler as the underlay/vapor barrier -- found a great deal on it on ebay where a guy was selling a complete roll and some left-over from his project, which was just enough to cover our kitchen and this bathroom.

The Marmoleum install went fairly well, although it was some tight quarters in there as you can see. There are only nine full-size squares in the floor (out of approx. 20) -- so cutting and fitting was essentially all we did. Like any project, it will go a lot smoother the next time.

Just need my plumber-uncle to attach the cast-iron flange to the drain pipe (pouring molten lead into a half-inch gap is not exactly a DIY project) and we're ready for the toilet and sink install.

The long-awaited reveal will follow.

six fourteen

six fourteen, originally uploaded by defythegray

Half Bath Update v3

FYI: Pic taken after the bottom half of the wall was grouted. I never got a pic of the finished wall before covering it with plastic to protect it from painting and an unexpected plumbing project (which is currently in progress).

Our first venture into tiling is complete and was, in our humble opinion, a success. Prep work is extremely important when it comes to tiling -- use the wrong adhesive for your tile and substrate, or the wrong sealer, or the wrong procedure (especially as to timing of steps) and your entire project could be jeopardized. We're not big into thoughtlessly throwing money around, so I did a bunch of reading, and searching, and more reading over at the John Bridge Forums. I can't thank all the pros and experienced DIYers over there enough. Their archives are so extensive that I didn't even have to start my own thread -- all of my questions had been previously asked and answered. And I learned a ton along the way about general techniques, procedures and various products.

We chose a tumbled marble stone that had a stacked-stone look to it. The long and narrow stones came pre-glued onto 12"x12" mesh sheets. We first found the tile online at the Natural Stone Outlet and were literally shocked to walk into our local tile store a few days later and find that they had just recently started selling it. The local price was about $3 per sheet higher than the Internet price (even with shipping), but given the economy and this paradigm shift in my mind that I don't have to absolutely get the lowest price on every single item I purchase and that service really does matter to me, I was happy to give the guys at Gipe Flooring & Wall Covering our business. And they were great in answering my questions, letting me test some things and generally helping me out with some miscellaneous materials along the way.

Unless you drop a comment asking about something specific, I won't bore you with the step-by-step on hanging, grouting and sealing our stone. I wouldn't even know where to begin. I will say that it takes a ton of time and patience. I'm short on the latter, so much gratitude goes to my extremely patient wife for helping and putting up with my little rants during the process.

One recommendation I will share is that you consider purchasing your own tile saw for a job like this. I actually got a great deal on a mid-level clearance model at Home Depot, and would highly recommend the Husky THD 750L to a DIYer -- they are practically giving them away right now!! It's just that the job will take more time than you expect, and you can't rent a saw very much longer than a day or two before the costs start to equal out. And the last thing you want to be doing is rushing around making cuts with a tile saw. Plus, we plan on using tile in our kitchen and main bathroom renovations, so at that point, the costs of buying outweigh that of multiple rentals.

We're on to an unexpected plumbing job -- replacing the toilet flange -- and then need to finish up the electrical, install the flooring, get the new fixtures in there and then finish up all the little details. I'd love to say that the next time we check in, we'll have the reveal, but I thought that when I posted a month ago -- so we'll make no promises. Hopefully sooner than later.

Half Bath Update v2

Sorry for neglecting you, but we've been busy. It's amazing how much time a small half-bath can take when you only get a few hours of work done one or two nights during the week. I've been putting in some major weekend hours (between mowing and other household chores), but it's still a slow process.

As you can see, we finally closed up the hole between the half-bath and the mudroom. We're excited! Our cats, not so much. I should be able to finish the drywall this week. Our tile has been ordered and should be here in about two weeks. Need to order the flooring this week, as well as some accessories. Stay tuned...

Half Bath Update

It goes without saying that the half bath is not yet complete.

Material choices, however, are complete. Next on the list is framing out the medicine cabinet, doing a bit of re-wiring and venturing into the realm of minor plumbing work -- moving the water line for the new toilet and tapping into the existing water lines and drain for a utility sink to be placed in the mudroom.

BTW: For those "keeping score" -- this picture is taken from the mudroom looking into the half-bath.

Half Bath Demo

After completing most of the outside projects, its time to turn our attention back to the interior of the house. Half Bath demo is underway. Always good to remember where you started:


The wall "treatment" you see here is not wallpaper; it's a thin wood paneling. Now you would think that after having cleared the space of its existing lavatory contents, I'd simply be able to set a few nails and pop the paneling right off. Of course you'd be wrong. The paneling was actually glued (i.e. liquid nailed) to the studs and furring strips set midway between each stud. And not just spot glued here and there -- we're talking full length thick beads. Needless to say, it turned what should have been an hour job into more.

Most of the final material decisions will be made here in the next week or so -- still trying to decide between glass, ceramic or a stacked natural stone tile for that back wall and waiting for some samples. That decision will effect the floor color choice, so its a bit of a waiting game. In the meantime, we'll do as much drywall as we can and we'll be opening up the wall on the other side of the bathroom in order to put in a drain for a utility sink to be installed in the mudroom.

Special thanks to my Uncle Bruce, a plumber by trade, who stopped by the house yesterday and got us set with some great insight on all of the plumbing and A/C in the house. His expert advice will go a long way in making our mid-century house as efficient as it can be without replacing every major component in the house. A few tweeks here and there, installing an electric water heater to save the oil furnace from running year-round, and moving a thermostat for improved heating performance, among others.

fake

fake, originally uploaded by defythegray.

Raised Flower Bed

How great is it when you actually finish a project on time? With a little help from my dad (and a gas-powered auger), we were able to finish the raised flower bed this past weekend.

Angie and I had previously cleared the sod where the flower bed was to be placed. The bed itself is 48'L x 2'D -- so it was a good bit of work on every level.

We got the structure itself completed on Saturday. We used 2x4 Trex Brasilia Cayenne (special order from local lumber yard) and 4"x4" cedar posts. I went with the Trex because of its duribility to the elements (without the chemicals of pressure treated lumber). It's a good bit heavier (and flexible) than wood; but it cuts and is fastened pretty much the same. Here's a nice close-up shot of the product.

On Sunday we prepared the bed for planting. After replacing the sod, upside down, we added a layer of compost (shown below) and topsoil. We'll allow that mixture to settle for about a week before planting.

More pics and details on the process over at Kingswood Redux's Flickr

Props: Inspiration for the project from redneckmodern
and Drummond-Revere Home "Restovation"

Sowed

The results of about 3 weekends of work -- the garden is planted. Not much more needs to be said -- unless of course you drop me questions in the comments. We changed things around since last year. One of the major changes is in the weed control department. If you don't have hands on experience, just trust me when I say that your major battle in any garden is weeds.

Our "boy" Ed Smith recommended a layer of newspaper on top of a freshly weeded bed covered by grass clippings (free) or straw (not free). We went with a mixture. Grass clippings covering the majority and we used straw on the main walkways for greater durability.

I guess the other major change is that this year we went with landscaping fabric around the plants instead of the black plastic. Although the plastic does a great job on the weeds, it doesn't allow water to pass through -- so that will help with watering and such. And the newspaper/grass clippings/hay will also help hold mositure in the soil.

The next project will be to finish the raised flower bed. The materials are being delivered this week and I hope to have a good portion of it completed by next weekend. I'm excited to try out the Trex -- its a composite product made of a unique combination of wood and plastic fibers. Super durable and a bit easier on the earth than pressure treated wood.

Garden Fence

[Insert lame excuse for not posting more frequently]

Despite a "recent" post about the half-bath and kitchen being next, we've temporarily moved outside in order to prepare the garden for planting. We have this pretty cool stainless-steel fence that the previous owner of our home left us. It was less than sturdy, so we needed to replace the wooden border around the garden that helped hold the fence in place -- railroad ties were originally used, but had pretty much rotted and allowed the rebar holding the fence to sag. We opted for fence post instead of the RR ties.


Fence post (repurposed) is leveled and holes have been drilled where the rebar will sit.


Finished project. Fencing is connected to the rebar with rebar ties. We'll eventually replace the other 3 sides, but I think that will happen gradually over the next 3 years.


BTW: The reason you see the ground all torn up there in front of the fence is because we're putting in a raised flower bed. When the flowers are fully grown, they will help to create a natural cover to the otherwise unsightly fence. As you can imagine, more info on that project to follow.

[Problem::Solution] Light Switch

Problem: Existing light switch is too close to the door frame; thus making it impossible to install the door trim without cutting an unsightly notch out of the trim.

Solution: Move the light switch to create more room for the trim.


1. Install the new switch according to building and electrical codes in your area.


2. Next you'll have to cover the hole left from the original junction box. Depending on your wall material, there are a number of ways to do this. I'll address the drywall method I like best -- it makes use of scrap peices of drywall you have laying around and doesn't require any taping. Measure the opening you need to close and add about an inch to each side. Transfer the measurements and cut out a piece of drywall accordingly.

3. Using the back side of the piece you just cut, transfer the measurements of the opening itself to the center of the larger piece. Score the lines with a knife a number of times but don't cut through the paper front . Break away the edges carefully, leaving the paper, and use your knife blade to scrape away the remnents of the drywall substance, leaving only the paper front. Your end goal is pitured above. Note that I only have three sides to work with because the fourth side will sit against the new box.


4. Apply drywall mud to the flaps of your drywall and carefully sit into place. Cover the enire piece with mud. Remember that most of the area to the right will be covered by the door trim and the area to the left will be covered by the switch plate.


5. Sand the patch and apply a thin second coat if necessary (and sand accordingly).


6. Prime + 2 coats of wall paint + door trim + switch plate = finished project.

State of the Remodel

Alright...

So I'm dubbing this post as our State of the Remodel address. It's not gonna be as formal as a speech, but it will bring you up to date on what's going on around our place.

As you've probably already noticed, I added the ReduxList to the sidebar. That kinda gives you an idea of where we've been and where we're going. You should know up-front that the last three items on the list fall into the long-term catagory -- so don't be checking back here every week hoping to catch pics of me putting up Hardie panels or anything!

The winter (and its accompanying darkness) put a major hamper on the remodeling efforts and our motivation. That and the fact that we made the big push over the summer to get the major grunt work completed -- just kinda felt like we needed to take a break of sorts.

But as the Pennsylvania weather begins to accept the rites of Spring and the light of the day continues to push back the bully of Winter, our spirits are feeling refreshed, renewed and ready to (continue the) remodel.

We're in the middle of replacing the majority of the base and door trim in the house. The kitchen and half-bath await on the horizon. We've got tons of ideas for both and really just need to sit down, consider them all, make some initial decisions and start getting some quotes on various materials.

We did pull the trigger the other week at IKEA (we need less violence-related figures of speech, don't we?). As I've mentioned before, it's not exactly right down the street, so when we go, we go prepared. We picked up a small table and two chairs for the kitchen. I had combed the website and discovered the new LILLÅNGEN bathroom system (after getting the heads-up from Creede over at GrassrootsModern). Luckily I had written down the names and prices of everything we wanted, b/c they didn't even have it displayed in the store yet; but I was able to find a knowledgable associate at the self-order computer desk who located everything we needed (after another associate told us they didn't have the new stuff yet!!).

Here's kinda what we're thinking for the half-bath:

We really like the tile shown with the sink for the small wall that is directly behind the sink and toilet. The other walls will simply be painted, so we'd like to do something creative, material-wise, on that wall. I've considered a mid-gloss floor or floor tile from IKEA, a sheet of Formica, rubber tile, poly-coated OSB panels and corrugated sheet metal (maybe sprayed w/ a high-gloss automotive paint)...just to name a few.

Any thoughts? Ideas?

More on all of this as it happens...

Remodeler of the Week

And the award goes to...


Baz at Atomic Indy, who is doing a nice renovation of his mid-century modern home in Indianapolis. He has almost completed his kitchen and recently turned to his readers for input concerning finish options for the back-panel of his kitchen island.

He had originally used birch ply to finish the back-panel, but later questioned his decision. So he worked up two alternative options in Photoshop and put it to a reader vote. It's a great idea that I hope to use at some point; and please know that your comments are always welcomed here at Kingswood Redux. I voted for the orange treatment, as did the majority of others, and Baz wasted no time in bringing it to fruition. The finished result is featured below.


Be sure and check out the rest of the progress over at Atomic Indy.

Solar Shades

The installation of our window shades is one of those projects we finished a few months ago, but had failed to blog about...until now.

Much like everything else, we considered a lot of different options and materials for our window shades. In the end, we decided we liked the look, function and benefits of solar shades. We ordered color samples from a number of online stores, finally deciding on roller shades from The Shade Store. The two main reasons that pushed us to buy from The Shade Store were the fact that their shades were available in different densities (which allow for more or less light to enter through the shade), and because all of their shades come with a silver metal ball-chain pull (as opposed to the plastic ball-chain pulls that are more widely available).


We decided on the 5% fabric for the front windows, due to privacy (those windows face the street) and the fact that they get the afternoon sun. For the dining room windows we chose the 10% fabric, as there are less privacy concerns (windows face the backyard) and they get the less-intense, morning sun. Additionally, both maintain our view of the outside when closed. The Shade Store has a neat feature on their website that shows the difference between all of the fabric densities, but here, for instance, is the view out our front windows:

Are you thinking about solar shades and have questions?
Drop us a comment.

Morning Star Redesign - Part Two

Picking back up from Part One...

We decided to tackle the work itself on two different weekends -- we installed the laminate wood flooring one Saturday and then completed the remaining work on the following Friday evening (6-10pm) and all-day Saturday (9am-10pm). A rotating cast of volunteers (and their tools) provided all of the labor needed. I'll walk you through the changes below.

Click-n-lock laminate went down the first Saturday -- and it dramatically improved the look of the waiting room by itself.



Fast forward to the next Saturday. After prepping the space the evening before, we dove head-first into the major remodeling tasks. First coat of trim and wall paint are up! Also note that, after removing the ceiling tiles, the drop-ceiling grids were spray-painted white (they were originally brown).


My wife and I installing track lighting. And don't overlook the ceiling itself -- the white grids not only lightened and modernized the space, but they actually gave new life to the ceiling tiles themselves. We had originally planned to either buy new ceiling tiles or paint the old ones, but in the end, it wasn't even necessary (and we were thankful for the time and money savings we realized).


And now we come to this...the "after" photos!

Custom-built brochure rack pulled all the brochures together in one, neat space. The cabinet did the same for the free items.

The stereo was moved from the wall to the curio and the speakers mounted on small corner shelves near the top of the walls (not shown). The upper doors got new hardware and were covered with Gila privacy film to hide the stereo and other items stored inside. The bottom doors were removed to make room for a dedicated space for books and toys for kids.

The removal of the stereo and cork board opened up room to bring in a mirror and original photography donated by a member of the design team. Oh...and how could I forget the new chairs from Just Cabinets.

Finally, the new sheers and curtains (handmade by another design team member) finished off the redesign perfectly by softening the row of oddly-shaped windows.

Morning Star Redesign - Part One

I recently had the privilege of serving on a design team tasked with the responsibility to redesign the waiting room at Morning Star Pregnancy Services. It's a local non-profit that reaches out to many young women facing unplanned pregnancies. Thus, our task was more about bringing life and inspiration to the space, rather than just a decorative or cosmetic make-over.

The design team met in the space a number of times to discuss ways to make the space more functional (brochure rack, free item baskets, a kids play area, seating) and to develop a general design scheme. We also choose paint colors, fabrics, lighting, flooring, art and other materials. This is the rather blank canvas we had to work with...




We then presented our ideas to the Executive Director of Morning Star. She was excited by our general design scheme and provided some great feedback as to further needs for the functionality of the space. So we tweaked a few things here and there and then spent the next two weeks purchasing everything from paint to new handles for the curio cabinets to the flooring.

Check back in a few days for a follow-up post in which I’ll highlight the transformation of the waiting room. You love the suspense, right?

Wall Blank

Nest . Zach Bulick

Wall Blank is one of the sites on my daily blogroll. It's a site that features one limited edition piece of artwork every weekday that is available for one week or until it's sold out. And the prices are always reasonable. It's a super unique idea that's packaged in an ultra-simple site. I've been following along for about six months now and they definitely carry a wide array of styles and artists.

I think this particular print would look great in our lower living room (a room I've probably not mentioned on this blog before), but I'm just not sure we have the room for it as there is limited wall space down there.

Ikea Hack

I'm the type of person who would go 3 years without a necessary piece of furniture solely based on the fact that I could never commit to a piece that will essentially become a permanent fixture in the house. My wife, on the other hand, is not.

So when we moved into the house back in March08 and found ourselves in need of a TV unit, I was perfectly content to use a sturdy box and begin the long search for the perfect, affordable piece. My wife, on the other hand, was not.

Scene shift. So we find ourselves in the middle of IKEA wandering around looking for a solution, a middle-ground if you will. We settled on the BONDE TV Unit, but only if I could change out the hardware and paint the two front drawers a glossy white. Both parties agreed.

And here's one for the "Don't Try This At Home File"

When we bought the TV Unit, I purchased a few packs of the BESTÅ casters. My plan was to install one on each corner and another in the middle for support. The idea was to get the unit off the floor a bit, add a little character and otherwise compliment our Blu Dot Chicago cocktail table.

From the moment I opened the box and saw the bottom of the unit, I had this gut feeling that it wasn't gonna work. It's not like I was expecting the bottom piece to be solid wood or anything, but it wasn't even solid particle board. (!!!) Rather, it was a thin piece of "sturdy" cardboard with that "waffle" cardboard filler.

But the lure of the finished look that existed in my mind was too much -- so I dived in with a drill bit and some Gorilla glue. I let the casters dry upside down for 24 hours and flipped it over to see if it would stand. Surprisingly, it did. But not for long.

I'll spare you the messy details, but it involved my wife and I tying to save a 165 lb. 32" TV from crashing into the ground when the less-than-soundly-attached casters gave way under the weight of the TV as we were rolling the unit. Somehow we managed to save the TV, but the hack was a bust.

Nonetheless, I was determined to make the casters work. So I purchased up some nuts and washers from the local hardware store and a wide, hollow drill bit. I drilled the holes and fastened the nuts/washers to the casters, hoping to get enough surface area to adequately secure the casters to the unit. Had the bottom been at least a strong particleboard, it might have worked, but the thin piece of "sturdy" cardboard just wasn't strong enough and I had to scrap the idea.

Here's the close-up:


Related: Plastolux's TRÄBY Hack

Where It's At...

Finally starting to get some of our artwork up! It's exciting. And we're pretty sure that our walls are happy to have some company.

First Christmas

First Christmas for Angie and I as a married couple!Which means we get to read the Gospel of Luke account of Christ's birth together, and from the King James, no less!

First Christmas in our home on Kingswood Drive!Which means we get to decorate the house and exchange gifts at the foot of our very own Christmas tree!

First Christmas at Kingswood Redux!
Which means we get to post pictures for you to enjoy!

May the Lord bless you and keep you at this special time of year and throughout 2009!