I am now the proud owner of an egress window! More later....
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Progress on the egress window stairwell....
The egress window stairwell is framed in & we began backfilling with dirt. The outside cut through the foundation blocks was done with a diamond tip skillsaw blade. Michael needs to do the same cuts on the inside, and then we need to chip the remaining block depth by hand. Today Wesley & I finished with the backfilling of the stairs after I put in the bottom stair and added more stones. Hopefully by the Sunday night I will have an egress window installed!!!
Foundation blocks had to be cut with a diamond tipped skillsaw blade.
Wesley is a hair shy of being tall enough to reach out of the hole with a shovel full of dirt.
Yes, those are screws in my mouth... don't you love the fashion statement that I am making while working both inside and outside of my studio lol!
YEY! All but the bottom step is framed in in this photo.
Today's early afternoon photo, showing the soil that Wesley & I backfilled this afternoon, along with more stone added. I am going to create a garden in the terraced stairwell, with miniature roses and other English garden plants, as well as any that reflect the purple, white & pink in my studio.
Monday, June 3, 2013
We're installing an egress window after all!
I had been asking for an egress window for a couple of months now, originally enticed by the idea after we began seriously discussing a complete reno of my basement studio space. Originally the hubby did not like the idea (I'm assuming because of cost), but the very day I had completed cutting the foam insulation for the only original window we are keeping in that area, he told me 'you might want to stop'. ARGHHHH! Another case of his 'thinking' without 'sharing' the ideas/thoughts!
He even went so far as suggest that I consider installing a SLIDING GLASS DOOR instead of only a window, due to the cost of a 'custom' window that was 36" by (up to) 60", compared to the price of a slider. After researching the options online through our local big box stores, Home Depot and Lowe's, this idea became awfully appealing, but then I thought "What about STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY of the foundation if installing such a large piece of glass?"..... My concern was correct. We are NOT going to go that way due to the fact that work would have to be done that includes the work of PROFESSIONAL MASON. Our pockets aren't that deep.
Unfortunately, in order to get the version with grills (window pane dividers), I would have to special order it and pay DOUBLE or more of the price without grills..... So we came home with my 36"x60" double hung window (in stock, no special or custom order required). This is larger than what is required if we were to ever have a bedroom in this space, so we are covered in that area. We are looking for as much NATURAL LIGHT as possible but energy efficiency as well, since the whole reason behind this reno is to keep it WARM down there!
As is routine for the past year or so, Wesley is more involved with our family projects both in & out of the home... Note that Michael was able to place the new window just to the west of the large rambling roses and yet we don't have to disturb the climbing roses that are a hair further to the west. Awesome! BTW This is going to be a GARDEN EGRESS WINDOW!!!!!
Proof that Wesley helped with the carpentry prep work!
A fine, red line outlines the size and location of the new egress window! Can you say 'window seat' anyone???
One large hole and a little carpentry work later, this is where we stand. HOPEFULLY we can install the egress opening's framework OR cut the block and install the window tonight. This all depends upon whether we need to enlarge the hole for ease of access for cutting the block, Michael's back, etc.... Wish us well!
He even went so far as suggest that I consider installing a SLIDING GLASS DOOR instead of only a window, due to the cost of a 'custom' window that was 36" by (up to) 60", compared to the price of a slider. After researching the options online through our local big box stores, Home Depot and Lowe's, this idea became awfully appealing, but then I thought "What about STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY of the foundation if installing such a large piece of glass?"..... My concern was correct. We are NOT going to go that way due to the fact that work would have to be done that includes the work of PROFESSIONAL MASON. Our pockets aren't that deep.
Unfortunately, in order to get the version with grills (window pane dividers), I would have to special order it and pay DOUBLE or more of the price without grills..... So we came home with my 36"x60" double hung window (in stock, no special or custom order required). This is larger than what is required if we were to ever have a bedroom in this space, so we are covered in that area. We are looking for as much NATURAL LIGHT as possible but energy efficiency as well, since the whole reason behind this reno is to keep it WARM down there!
As is routine for the past year or so, Wesley is more involved with our family projects both in & out of the home... Note that Michael was able to place the new window just to the west of the large rambling roses and yet we don't have to disturb the climbing roses that are a hair further to the west. Awesome! BTW This is going to be a GARDEN EGRESS WINDOW!!!!!
Proof that Wesley helped with the carpentry prep work!
A fine, red line outlines the size and location of the new egress window! Can you say 'window seat' anyone??? One large hole and a little carpentry work later, this is where we stand. HOPEFULLY we can install the egress opening's framework OR cut the block and install the window tonight. This all depends upon whether we need to enlarge the hole for ease of access for cutting the block, Michael's back, etc.... Wish us well!
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Insulation, dry wall & framing materials are all ordered...
and will be delivered TOMORROW WOO HOO! I was really disappointed that Lowe's no longer rents trucks from our location, so I have to bite the bullet and wait until it is delivered tomorrow. Therefore, I have reopened my yard sale for a few hours today to make a little more money toward the cost and pass some time. Have a SAFE & happy Memorials Weekend!
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Old carpet, carpet padding, and two, yes, TWO layers of tile are gone!
Wesley also helped, even though he is also fighting allergies. Last weekend he even had a fever and his sore throat, which I believe is from the sinus drainage, knocked him down, so I kept him out of school on Monday. He has been feeling much better and tomorrow is their (rain day from today) Track & Field day at school. He is VERY excited about that... He is participating in 4 or 5 events including a relay. That should be interesting, and be fodder (sp?) for SEVERAL scrapbook pages lol.
I have been planning my annual Memorial weekend yard sale for months, and after purging so much during the Organizing FUNdamentals class through BPC, I am adding my SCRAPBOOK PURGE to the sale; Michael apparently forgot... he is planning to start installing my floor on Saturday... He'll have to wait until 3pm for my help. I had planned to do most of it myself, but oh well... I hope to have the floor insulation and underlayment done by Monday! Wish us luck!
Friday, May 17, 2013
New 3 Birds goodies are on their way to me & DOWN come the WALLS! YEY!
I have received my shipment confirmations from HSN so I should be holding the wonderful new goodies in my little chickadee wings within a few days... Woo hoo!!!!
We didn't get ALL the walls down last night, but they are about 2/3 complete. Wesley's soccer practice was replaced by a make up game that was rained out earlier this season, so the work was interrupted a bit, plus I had stopped the demo around 2 pm when I discovered that a previous owner HAD installed some insulation. I didn't want to remove the entire wall in case Michael wanted to keep it and only paint over it. This is the only wall that is not covered in that nasty textural material that always reaches out and grabs the skin from your hands as you approach it, so it could have been painted instead of removed if we had wanted.
I'm glad we are removing it as planned, because the installations they had done were very poor. Not only are all the trim pieces barely attached, easily popping off the walls & ceiling with very little effort, but the insulation panels are literally 'scabbed' in.... bits and pieces were used in several places, and even the adhesive they only used in SOME areas of the wall wasn't holding onto the insulation either. Even the framing (whose pattern doesn't make much sense either) is easily removed! Michael had anticipated that it would be a bear to remove the nail-gun-driven attachments but he has easily removed them with a crowbar! YEY for us, as this is making the demo go very quickly and SO VERY easy compared to what it SHOULD have been.
I do wish that they would have done a higher quality job in terms of the insulating that they had done though, as that would save us a fair chunk of money if we didn't have to replace it all. Also, the basement walls are not entirely insulated, only a portion of it, so we have to insulate the remainder as well. The floor is not insulated at ALL, so between those two situations, that's why I've been freezing down there for the past 8 years.... onward and upward we go. It can (hopefully) only get better from here lol.
We didn't get ALL the walls down last night, but they are about 2/3 complete. Wesley's soccer practice was replaced by a make up game that was rained out earlier this season, so the work was interrupted a bit, plus I had stopped the demo around 2 pm when I discovered that a previous owner HAD installed some insulation. I didn't want to remove the entire wall in case Michael wanted to keep it and only paint over it. This is the only wall that is not covered in that nasty textural material that always reaches out and grabs the skin from your hands as you approach it, so it could have been painted instead of removed if we had wanted.
I'm glad we are removing it as planned, because the installations they had done were very poor. Not only are all the trim pieces barely attached, easily popping off the walls & ceiling with very little effort, but the insulation panels are literally 'scabbed' in.... bits and pieces were used in several places, and even the adhesive they only used in SOME areas of the wall wasn't holding onto the insulation either. Even the framing (whose pattern doesn't make much sense either) is easily removed! Michael had anticipated that it would be a bear to remove the nail-gun-driven attachments but he has easily removed them with a crowbar! YEY for us, as this is making the demo go very quickly and SO VERY easy compared to what it SHOULD have been.
I do wish that they would have done a higher quality job in terms of the insulating that they had done though, as that would save us a fair chunk of money if we didn't have to replace it all. Also, the basement walls are not entirely insulated, only a portion of it, so we have to insulate the remainder as well. The floor is not insulated at ALL, so between those two situations, that's why I've been freezing down there for the past 8 years.... onward and upward we go. It can (hopefully) only get better from here lol.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Two new ESTATE Collection by 3 Birds products are on HSN.com
More beautiful products are available from 3 Birds on HSN.COM, and are of course, already in my shopping bag lol. I will patiently wait until next week to see what more they have in store for me.... or us! The gorgeous stamps are recognizably coordinated with the beautiful papers from the Estate Collection paper packs and are, therefore, headed for my home asap. More beautiful gems are also coming to join my stash of 5 other bling sets from 3 Birds! Happy early Mother's Day to me.......
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