Oooooo....hardwood....

We luv our hardwood floor.

It's very graphic, you'll either love it or hate it. We're close to finishing the installation, just the master bedroom, closet, corridor and the stairs (only three of them) left to go.







Coming soon...main floor bathroom, kitchen and doors!

Urban Camping

Yep, we're living ghetto style. In the unfinished basement...don't touch the walls - drywall dust, ya know. Exposed sub-floor, bed sheets for doors, doing dishes in a rubbermaid container...and everyone keeps asking why haven't you been keeping up your blog (because it's kind of ugly right now). Hey, at least we have a working tub, shower and bathroom sink...oh...and laundry!!! Laundry in my own home makes it all worthwhile. Did I just jump back to 1950 for a second there?

The best part about this reno business, is the exotic food we get to try. Somehow, as two educated people, we thought it would be a great idea to order Nutrisystem. 7 days worth of free food on your first purchase, what an excellent idea when all you have is a fridge and microwave! No (shaking my head), no - it's not a good idea. Think airplane food everyday, breakfast, lunch and dinner. I have begun a shrine to the kitchen gods, praying for a quick completion of the kitchen.

So anyways, you want to see photos. Here ya go:

Back tracking a bit: after the big move...for nearly a week, Ben & I stayed at the condo (no furniture, just a foam pad to sleep on and the computer for entertainment). We still needed to clean more drywall dust before we brought the kitty to the house.


Seriously, we are washing dishes in a Rubbermaid container.


Bathroom sink assembly:


Ok, moving on to painting...


Happy primer.


It took three tries to get the right shade of white. This one's a long story, I'm not getting into it now.


I have never in my life appreciated electricity so much. I'm still marvelling at the fact that the lights turn on...just a flick of a switch...amazing. Good job Ben & Ben Sr.


And the start of kitchen assembly...


Dark chocolate oak cabinets. Hardware, flooring, appliances and countertop to follow!

Still annoyed

I cannot be reached right now. Not impressed with Telus. Even with the authorization...there is another issue which "we can transfer you to Telus Mobility to explain"...because whoever I was talking to couldn't explain. So, I've discontinued the number to the old address. I have to wait till tomorrow to get a new number for the cell phone. Hassle.

Annoyed already by the cell phone

I got the fancy phone with the fancy buttons, and a plan I think I understand. Yet, I can't receive a phone call. Telus is blocking the transfer of the landline to the cell phone because I am not the primary contact on the landline. Ben has to waste his time calling them to "authorize" the changes I want to make to the account. Now, keep in mind that I already talked to Telus & Telus mobility about transfering the line last week...they made notes in our account, told me I just needed to go and get the phone. Pain in the arse. So, don't call me...I'll call you...at least until we get this "authorized".

Moved.

We're out. We're out of the condo. Ben is doing the walk through with the new tenants as I type. So...we have electricity, but we don't have cable or phone. As such, I bit the bullet and finally got myself a cell phone, one with all the bells and whistles too. What a great sales person I found. Now I just need to figure out how to use the thing. Those who call me, I transfered our old home number so that you don't need to change your speed dial. Talk soon.

Renter Found!

Yay! Only took one week to find a good renter...they must be good, she brought us a bottle of wine when she came to sign the lease. So, we're packing away all our belongings. The movers are coming this saturday. Here's hoping that we'll have a drywall dust free house, and a working bathroom. If anyone has any good microwave recipes, send them along. I don't expect we'll have a working kitchen for a month or two.

Milestone

This is what our place has looked like, essentially, for the last 7 months or so...


And then this arrived...


28 bundles of it insulated the walls, then poly was stapled to all exterior walls and the ceiling (note: a fair amount of bruising to Ben's knuckles occurred)...


All seams were tuck taped or acousti-sealed, 26 potlights & numerous electrical outlets were cut out and tucked taped...long nights...late, oh so late nights...


And then, 8 month of work was covered up in one day.


Here's the living room, insulated & partial poly:


Living room with complete poly, and tuck tape:


Living room sheeted with drywall:


Kitchen island bulkhead, poly & tuck:


Drywall:


It's a huge relief to have the drywallers working away in there. Every wall is now sheeted, and they've moved on to tape, mud, and sand. We're hoping to move in by the end of the month, however...renters must be found first. Know anyone in Calgary who's looking to rent a 2 bed condo right close to downtown?