Our heating issue is a saga in itself.
Dave thought we would be using bat insulation. Because our studs are a weird size we felt we needed to build out every single one of them. This has added an enormous amount of work for us.
Dave also thought that he would hire this company in Pennsylvania to create a duct design for us. We did that and he gave us a great design and designed it within our constraints. The name of the company is Comfy House and they did a good job. This work cost us under $500 but we thought it was well worth it.
The problem is, we changed our minds - on the the insulation and on how we were going to heat and cool the house. They aren't kidding when they say changes cost money. Read on.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
COLOR MY WORLD
Again I had the panicky thought of what if I screw this up? My clean piece of paper (home) and I'll pick the wrong colors.
After meeting with Bruce (see previous post) I realized that he was looking for what kinds of colors we planned on using in the house. I thought I had been thinking of pale yellow and maybe a little blue but I wasn't sure and didn't want a French kind of style. I have never felt comfortable with color but I seem to usually be able to put things together fairly well. But now...I just didn't know.
I went to Border's and found a book that I love. It's called THE COLOR SCHEME BIBLE by Anna Starmer. It has saved me. This is how it works:
The book is in sections by color. For example "Pinks." Then each page in that section has a description of the colors and what they are drawn from. But the best part is it gives a base color (like for walls), say Cranberry, and then gives you suggestions for complementary colors. For Cranberry it gives you dusky pink, soft stone, sage green and black. It also tells you where you might use these other colors (on the walls, furnishings, fabrics, etc.).
Dave and I agreed on a scheme for most of the house. We are going with an ivory with complementary colors of pebble, fern, green leaf, and orchid. The den, which is mostly Dave's creation is going to be in forest, celery, soft fern, and dark forest.
Again, by picking our color scheme we can move on to other things with this focus in our minds.
After meeting with Bruce (see previous post) I realized that he was looking for what kinds of colors we planned on using in the house. I thought I had been thinking of pale yellow and maybe a little blue but I wasn't sure and didn't want a French kind of style. I have never felt comfortable with color but I seem to usually be able to put things together fairly well. But now...I just didn't know.
I went to Border's and found a book that I love. It's called THE COLOR SCHEME BIBLE by Anna Starmer. It has saved me. This is how it works:
The book is in sections by color. For example "Pinks." Then each page in that section has a description of the colors and what they are drawn from. But the best part is it gives a base color (like for walls), say Cranberry, and then gives you suggestions for complementary colors. For Cranberry it gives you dusky pink, soft stone, sage green and black. It also tells you where you might use these other colors (on the walls, furnishings, fabrics, etc.).
Dave and I agreed on a scheme for most of the house. We are going with an ivory with complementary colors of pebble, fern, green leaf, and orchid. The den, which is mostly Dave's creation is going to be in forest, celery, soft fern, and dark forest.
Again, by picking our color scheme we can move on to other things with this focus in our minds.
WHAT"S BEEN GOIN' ON...
We're not just letting the corn grow (though it is and has tasseled out almost overnight).
One of the things that was overwhelming me the most was the lighting options. I literally searched thousands and thousands of lights online. One of my problems is that I'm a little indecisive. The other problem is is that I like many things and many styles. I have a hard time focusing. I was all over the place.
I was scared. I equated this fear to looking at a blank piece of paper and being expected to write something exceptional. My new home was a blank piece of paper. I didn't want to screw it up.
Dave and I get along really well. If you don't you should NEVER undertake a project like this. It will certainly be the death of your relationship. I kid you not. But, just because Dave and I get along really well does not mean we don't get upset with each other and our predicament. Yes, friends, we are in a predicament.
Even though the lights are the last thing you hang, you have to know pretty early on where you are going to hang those lights and where you want outlets and switches. An electrician can't do his work if he doesn't know where to do it. Long before you know what style or paint you might choose, you may have to figure out what style of lights you want. Woe is you who doesn't have a clue. I didn't have a clue.
So Dave and I had a battle. He was home on a Friday as a vacation day and he was meeting with a contractor. I took a half day of vacation and was thrilled to come home and work along side Dave. Instead we argued. I left in a huff. It was over lighting and how we were having such a problem deciding what to do. I became rather childish (okay, I admit it). I took the car and left and said I would be home later. I let the car take me where it would.
The car got to the end of the road and said, "Turn left and go to the lighting store in Newark. Turn right and go to Tuthill Lighting in Brighton." The car went right.
I drove to Brighton, about 35-40 minutes away in the Rochester area. I had seen their Web site (www.tuthilllighting.com). I walked in the front door and was greeted by Bruce Bellwood, owner. His family has owned and operated this store on Monroe Avenue since 1924. I figured they were a good bet. It's one of the best decisions I made.
Though the showroom was not terribly large, I felt they could do anything. I know they could by their Web site. Bruce immediately simplified my problems. He said you need to think of only three things in each room, not what style or what fixture.
Think:
1. Ambient lighting - lighting the general area of the room (ceiling, perimeter, etc.)
2. Task lighting. Where in the room will you need to have light to do things like knitting, sewing, reading, etc.
3. Accent lighting. Mood lighting, anyone?
Bruce said that once you figure out that stuff, the rest is easy. It makes you focus which I needed desperately.
Bruce gave me several lighting catalogs that I could borrow. He also said that as a service they can take our floor plan and digital pictures and load them on their large-monitor computer (which was sitting on top of a large table in the showroom with chairs all around). Then he could walk through each room and we could all make decision together.
I asked the inevitable because money is pretty tight right now. "How much does this service cost?" Bruce's reply was, "Nothing. I make money on my products." I was sold.
When I got home, Dave met me with a smile. Bruce and lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. I hoped Dave would agree that we should use Bruce and Tuthill Lighting. He wholeheartedly agreed and even called Bruce the next day to set up an appointment to meet with him.
What Bruce needed -
1. A floor plan.
2. Digital pictures (even with the house in studs).
3. A text file or document that explained what we liked and disliked, what our thoughts were on color schemes and why we had made some decisions we had. This was not as hard as you might think because we had already figured all that out before we started this project.
I was able to email everything to Bruce by that Sunday. Our appointment was that Wednesday. It was quite fun. We sat at the table and there was all the information I sent Bruce up on that large monitor. He walked through our house with us as we talked about each room and how we would use the rooms. He made suggestions and got us thinking about things.
The next step
What Bruce asked us to do before our next appointment was to walk through every room and pretend we were living there and go through the motions of turning lights on and off, figure out any mood lighting, and how people move through the house, including the entrance, stairs, baths, halls, etc.
This was not an easy task. I believe it took Dave and I three hours to do this but it was well worth the effort. We realized we needed fewer lights than we thought which saves us money. We realized that in a couple places we still aren't sure of the style and so we are using light fixtures we already have until we can be sure.
At our next appointment with Bruce we got to go through lights and decide which ones we wanted to order. This was the fun part. Again, we sat at the table and looked through all different lights on the Tuthill Lighting Web site. We were able to refine our choices and placed and order for several fixtures. Even Bruce was excited about some of our choices. We left a down payment of half the total and are excited about our choices.
NOTE: You may believe that picking lights this way would be expensive but we compared prices and felt the prices were very comparable AND we got this great added services. We also got some very interesting fixtures that we will be proud to have in our home.
NOTE2: One of the other things Bruce suggested and we feel was a good thing was to put dimmers on everything except lights in cupboards and closets. It really does make sense and it saves quite a bit of energy.
One of the things that was overwhelming me the most was the lighting options. I literally searched thousands and thousands of lights online. One of my problems is that I'm a little indecisive. The other problem is is that I like many things and many styles. I have a hard time focusing. I was all over the place.
I was scared. I equated this fear to looking at a blank piece of paper and being expected to write something exceptional. My new home was a blank piece of paper. I didn't want to screw it up.
Dave and I get along really well. If you don't you should NEVER undertake a project like this. It will certainly be the death of your relationship. I kid you not. But, just because Dave and I get along really well does not mean we don't get upset with each other and our predicament. Yes, friends, we are in a predicament.
Even though the lights are the last thing you hang, you have to know pretty early on where you are going to hang those lights and where you want outlets and switches. An electrician can't do his work if he doesn't know where to do it. Long before you know what style or paint you might choose, you may have to figure out what style of lights you want. Woe is you who doesn't have a clue. I didn't have a clue.
So Dave and I had a battle. He was home on a Friday as a vacation day and he was meeting with a contractor. I took a half day of vacation and was thrilled to come home and work along side Dave. Instead we argued. I left in a huff. It was over lighting and how we were having such a problem deciding what to do. I became rather childish (okay, I admit it). I took the car and left and said I would be home later. I let the car take me where it would.
The car got to the end of the road and said, "Turn left and go to the lighting store in Newark. Turn right and go to Tuthill Lighting in Brighton." The car went right.
I drove to Brighton, about 35-40 minutes away in the Rochester area. I had seen their Web site (www.tuthilllighting.com). I walked in the front door and was greeted by Bruce Bellwood, owner. His family has owned and operated this store on Monroe Avenue since 1924. I figured they were a good bet. It's one of the best decisions I made.
Though the showroom was not terribly large, I felt they could do anything. I know they could by their Web site. Bruce immediately simplified my problems. He said you need to think of only three things in each room, not what style or what fixture.
Think:
1. Ambient lighting - lighting the general area of the room (ceiling, perimeter, etc.)
2. Task lighting. Where in the room will you need to have light to do things like knitting, sewing, reading, etc.
3. Accent lighting. Mood lighting, anyone?
Bruce said that once you figure out that stuff, the rest is easy. It makes you focus which I needed desperately.
Bruce gave me several lighting catalogs that I could borrow. He also said that as a service they can take our floor plan and digital pictures and load them on their large-monitor computer (which was sitting on top of a large table in the showroom with chairs all around). Then he could walk through each room and we could all make decision together.
I asked the inevitable because money is pretty tight right now. "How much does this service cost?" Bruce's reply was, "Nothing. I make money on my products." I was sold.
When I got home, Dave met me with a smile. Bruce and lifted a huge weight from my shoulders. I hoped Dave would agree that we should use Bruce and Tuthill Lighting. He wholeheartedly agreed and even called Bruce the next day to set up an appointment to meet with him.
What Bruce needed -
1. A floor plan.
2. Digital pictures (even with the house in studs).
3. A text file or document that explained what we liked and disliked, what our thoughts were on color schemes and why we had made some decisions we had. This was not as hard as you might think because we had already figured all that out before we started this project.
I was able to email everything to Bruce by that Sunday. Our appointment was that Wednesday. It was quite fun. We sat at the table and there was all the information I sent Bruce up on that large monitor. He walked through our house with us as we talked about each room and how we would use the rooms. He made suggestions and got us thinking about things.
The next step
What Bruce asked us to do before our next appointment was to walk through every room and pretend we were living there and go through the motions of turning lights on and off, figure out any mood lighting, and how people move through the house, including the entrance, stairs, baths, halls, etc.
This was not an easy task. I believe it took Dave and I three hours to do this but it was well worth the effort. We realized we needed fewer lights than we thought which saves us money. We realized that in a couple places we still aren't sure of the style and so we are using light fixtures we already have until we can be sure.
At our next appointment with Bruce we got to go through lights and decide which ones we wanted to order. This was the fun part. Again, we sat at the table and looked through all different lights on the Tuthill Lighting Web site. We were able to refine our choices and placed and order for several fixtures. Even Bruce was excited about some of our choices. We left a down payment of half the total and are excited about our choices.
NOTE: You may believe that picking lights this way would be expensive but we compared prices and felt the prices were very comparable AND we got this great added services. We also got some very interesting fixtures that we will be proud to have in our home.
NOTE2: One of the other things Bruce suggested and we feel was a good thing was to put dimmers on everything except lights in cupboards and closets. It really does make sense and it saves quite a bit of energy.
FROM SNAKES TO SNAKING WIRE
I'm up from the basement again. I just helped Dave snake about 40 feet of stove wire from one part of the basement (near the cistern) to the electrical box. Why stove wire, you say?
About two weeks ago our existing stove shocked (electrocuted?) me - up both arms. Scared the daylights out of me. A few weeks before that it had also zapped me but not as bad. Dave was feeling sorry because he knew there was probably a short in the stove. About the stove - it was 1970s-era, avocado green. A Tappan. It had had a good life. We were hoping to be able to use it until we redid our kitchen in Phase 2 of the Hardy House saga. Well, we had to do something.
We THINK we want to do wall ovens and a stove top when we redo the kitchen. The last thing we wanted to do right now was put money into something we didn't feel we would be using in the future. What to do? We went to Lowe's (they seem to be getting a lot of our money these days). We purchased the most inexpensive stove/range we could find. It is a Whirlpool and cost about $350.00 as it was 10% off from $398. We took it home with us where it sat in the barn until last week when we moved it in the kitchen. Dave spent all last Saturday working on getting the stove hooked up when I know he would have rather been working on the house. Of course, I told him if he wanted to ever eat again, I was going to have to have a stove. (I have now been without a stove for about 4 to 5 weeks our of 7.)
NOTE: Whenever you do a major remodel, it helps to have an outdoor grill and frozen meals made up in the freezer that you can microwave. Or, you can just go out to dinner a lot.
Anyway, Dave hooked up the stove and guess what? The new stove was live. Hmmmm. You know what that means, right? The wall wire was bad. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy we became aware of that so we could fix it before we had a fire. See the picture? Not pretty. The aluminum was just breaking off. Dave thinks that as he was working on the house and moving the wire he was braking it on the inside.
So the stove circuit went off again. Dave went to Lowe's who was out of stove wire and was told, "Sir, we can have it for you in about two weeks." No - Dave wants to eat. He also checked The Home Depot. He felt they were too expensive. The cost of the wire was between $1.50 and 1.90 a foot at these two stores. This morning we went to Colacino Electric (another fine Wayne County store) in Newark and we were able to purchase the wire for under $1.00 a foot. We were happy about that.
So maybe today I will again have a stove.
We THINK we want to do wall ovens and a stove top when we redo the kitchen. The last thing we wanted to do right now was put money into something we didn't feel we would be using in the future. What to do? We went to Lowe's (they seem to be getting a lot of our money these days). We purchased the most inexpensive stove/range we could find. It is a Whirlpool and cost about $350.00 as it was 10% off from $398. We took it home with us where it sat in the barn until last week when we moved it in the kitchen. Dave spent all last Saturday working on getting the stove hooked up when I know he would have rather been working on the house. Of course, I told him if he wanted to ever eat again, I was going to have to have a stove. (I have now been without a stove for about 4 to 5 weeks our of 7.)
NOTE: Whenever you do a major remodel, it helps to have an outdoor grill and frozen meals made up in the freezer that you can microwave. Or, you can just go out to dinner a lot.
Anyway, Dave hooked up the stove and guess what? The new stove was live. Hmmmm. You know what that means, right? The wall wire was bad. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm quite happy we became aware of that so we could fix it before we had a fire. See the picture? Not pretty. The aluminum was just breaking off. Dave thinks that as he was working on the house and moving the wire he was braking it on the inside.
So the stove circuit went off again. Dave went to Lowe's who was out of stove wire and was told, "Sir, we can have it for you in about two weeks." No - Dave wants to eat. He also checked The Home Depot. He felt they were too expensive. The cost of the wire was between $1.50 and 1.90 a foot at these two stores. This morning we went to Colacino Electric (another fine Wayne County store) in Newark and we were able to purchase the wire for under $1.00 a foot. We were happy about that.
So maybe today I will again have a stove.
CHIPMUNKS AND SNAKES! OH MY!
Not only are we being visited by chipmunks this year, but we have seen three snakes which is about 2-3 more than last year. We have had rather damp weather and I don't know if that is part of the problem.
This picture is of a milk snake (at least I think that's what it is). It's pictured in a bucket so it looks bigger than it was. The snake was not in the house but we think the mother may be living somewhere in the basement.
This picture is of a milk snake (at least I think that's what it is). It's pictured in a bucket so it looks bigger than it was. The snake was not in the house but we think the mother may be living somewhere in the basement.
A couple of nights ago, Dave was working in the basement, dismantling the old furnace ducts and he comes into the house where we are living and says, "I knew it! I knew something was going to freak me out eventually!"
As Dave was removing one of the ducts from the furnace his eye caught some discoloration in the corner of the basement next to him. Only it moved. He thinks it was the mother of the snake in the picture. He estimated its length at about two feet.
I was asked for assistance in trying to find it. I was not an eager participant, let me tell you. But being the good wife, I, not too quickly, ventured to the snake pit. We never found her. We are hoping she found her way back outside.
We don't kill snakes we find. We let them be unless, of course, they are sharing our living quarters or seem lost. Dave scoops them up and takes them to the edge of our property and lets them go.
As Dave was removing one of the ducts from the furnace his eye caught some discoloration in the corner of the basement next to him. Only it moved. He thinks it was the mother of the snake in the picture. He estimated its length at about two feet.
I was asked for assistance in trying to find it. I was not an eager participant, let me tell you. But being the good wife, I, not too quickly, ventured to the snake pit. We never found her. We are hoping she found her way back outside.
We don't kill snakes we find. We let them be unless, of course, they are sharing our living quarters or seem lost. Dave scoops them up and takes them to the edge of our property and lets them go.
CHIPMUNKS CAN'T SWIM
Yuck! We continue to have some issues with our cistern (yes, it still exists) and it holding water - not much - a few inches maybe. I just returned from holding the flashlight so that Dave could use the leaf rake to scoop two dead chipmunks from the water. I assume they got in through the sill and dropped into the water, drowning quickly. I hope so for their sake. I cannot believe we used to use this water, even though it was only for a very short time. I am so disgusted. At this moment, Dave is burying the little critters at the edge of the cornfield.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
SWINGIN' SUMMERTIME
The land around Hardy House is beautiful this time of year. The grass is green and this year corn was planted in our field. The corn is green and is growing great. They say, "knee high by the fourth of July," and the corn at Hardy House won't have any trouble surpassing that this year, I think. The trees are completely leafed out and are not dry looking like they tend to look later in the summer as we heat up. There is lots of bright sunshine and lots of shade.
The blog has been quiet but not for want of work going on at Hardy House. We've been busy and with work it just leaves little time for much else. However, read on to learn what more we've been up to.
The blog has been quiet but not for want of work going on at Hardy House. We've been busy and with work it just leaves little time for much else. However, read on to learn what more we've been up to.
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