Bye, Bye Winter...Bye, Bye

Well it's time to come out of blogosphere hibernation and get you all caught up on our first winter and winter-like spring here at the Ladder House. We got a bit of snow..............

We never did rent that bad ass chipper I was talking about back in October but we did buy a not so big but still bad ass red chipper with the idea that buying one would be cheaper than the years worth of rental fees we would end up paying in order to finish all that needed to be finished. We had mountains of wood to put through it and after long hours and a couple foot deep pile of wood chips we have a medium size hill of wood to put through the chipper. And we still have numerous trees and bushes to cut down yet. Good investment I think.

And we have a bunch of firewood to boot..........even though we don't have a fireplace anymore.........oh well.

We couldn't tell by the weather but we had some other indicators letting us know spring had arrived here in Northern Nevada. A very loud, very horny, very early rising woody woodpecker became our new roommate and left us with no question as to where all the holes in our fabulous wood siding had come from. Starting at about 6am Mr. Woody would start banging his head against the wall in order to attract any fly(get it) young Ms. Woodies in the area. The first time it happened I thought the worlds most persistent Jehovah's Witness with gigantic hands had set up post on our front door. It only took a couple of mornings to figure out what was going on and it quickly became my routine to run outside and scare him off with a couple of rocks. I can only wonder what our neighbors thought about seeing a very sleepy, fairly hairy man in nothing but his boxers in the front yard throwing rocks at his own house. Comedy gold. Needless to say, we patched up the hole and with only limited protest Mr. Woody left for more hospitable climes.

Before he left though Mr. Woody must have posted a listing on Craigslist because we had new roommates in one of the other holes on the back side of the house. This time it was a young family of hawks. Much quieter than Mr. Woody needless to say. Now you see 'em........

Now you don't...........

But it hasn't all been a'fowl........we have made forward progress. Our good buddy Rebel hooked us up with a great HVAC guy named Chad. He installed a brand new high efficiency heater and will be installing a brand new high efficiency A/C this weekend, not that the weather is nice enough to need it. We really wanted to do the whole radiant heat thing but it was just too expensive. We would have had radiant heat and nothing else done. Oh well, the new heater might not be as efficient as radiant but it comes close and install is way, way cheaper.

Another project we kind of finished and kind of turned into a huge project is in the sunroom. There was a planter box installed inside the sunroom against the outside foundation wall which was a bad install and a bad idea as far as holding moisture and wicking moister into the wood framing of the house. So we decided to remove it.

But during the demo I noticed that the outside wall with all the windows just didn't sound right or feel right when I was bumping the shovel against it. So I decided to pull a few trim pieces and discovered the entire wall all the way down to the plate and the 4x6 posts was completely rotted out. I have no idea what was holding that wall up but not much. I had to call in a pro on this one so I had my friend and construction guru Aaron swing by and check it out. We used a 2x10 and some blocking as a temporary structure support and started ripping everything out. It is now very open.

Aaron will be back tomorrow to frame everything in. We should be able to install a big giant glass and aluminum slider in there and move forward towards that modern open look we love. Eventually the whole sunroom will have a level deck and lots of sun and plants. As a bonus we used two of the big windows from that wall in the holes on the interior that we had covered with plastic. We still need to trim everything out and drywall and paint and all that but the vision is starting to come together.

So there you have it. We are updated. Stay tuned. Promise we'll keep you posted more often.

Ain't No Thang, Just Some Wind and Some Rain

5 weeks ago we were moving in, 4 weeks ago celebrating Christa's 30th in San Francisco, 2 weeks ago celebrating Duncan's 35th and a week ago collecting water in pots and pans. It has been quite a 1st month in the new place.

We had taken a little hiatus from working on the house due to all the celebrating and what not but we were settling in nicely and getting used to living in a construction zone. The weather man said a little rain was on the way so I put up some new trim and weatherproofed the back door as it had leaked during a previous sprinkle. Then last Sunday the storm of the fricken' century rolled in. Good news was the back door was totally leak free, the bad news? The rest of the house wasn't. Turns out the flashing on the south side of the house had totally pulled away so mother nature's wrath was coming right through and pouring into our living room. And sun room. And garage. And loft. And the big elm tree in the backyard lost some huge branches and the trunk split down the middle due to the huricane force winds. So we said screw it, put down some buckets for the drips and went and got the best pozole in town at Los Cuartros Vientos(The Four Winds, funny right ?) and figured we'd deal with everything when the weather calmed down.


Food was more important than getting pictures of all the buckets but this is the aftermath.



Called the roofer Monday morning. He came out, looked at it and had new flashing up by Thursday afternoon. The only problem is that some of the underlayment that is supposed to waterproof the roof is deteriorating badly so more repairs are in order but the roofer took off to go surfing in Mexico so a tarp will do until he returns. Another $5oo or so and we should be as watertight as a duck's butt.

As far as the water damage goes there really isn't much. Most of the drywall that got ruined we were replacing anyway and we're living in a house with just subfloors so no need to worry there. A little clean-up and life under construction goes on.

I also had a friend come out and drop the damaged elm tree. It was split enough that it was coming down sooner or later whether we liked it or not so I figured it better come down where and when we wanted it to. It was big enough and close to the house enough that I wanted a pro to drop it but to save money I handled the cut-up and clean-up myself. I do love my chain saw. And since I was out there I figured might as well take care of everything else. Two days of chop wood, carry wood.

From this:



To this:



To this:

We are going to rent a big, bad chipper in the next couple of weeks and turn it all into mulch. Figured it would be a good idea to keep all the biomass on the property and improve the soil for when we get around to building our dream yard. Also, the chips should keep the mud at bay this winter. Don't want Lola to end up looking like those African warrior dudes that cover themselves in mud from head to toe before battle. Though she may end up looking like that no matter what we do. Now we can get back to work on the inside of the house........Oh, brother.

Ready for Move In

GOOD NEWS...it's time to move!!! Since so much has happened since the last blog, I will try to get you current without the expert as I have him working hard at the house while I blog...I love this new house stuff!

Knowing the loft would be our bedroom and sanctuary for the next year, we decided to focus a lot of our attention on this room. The window seating and carpet had to be removed and the annoying squeak had to be fixed. So with the help of Duncan left hand and Duncan right hand...the work began. He was able to remove the seating and carpet and with the help of a friend learned how to remove the cross braces that were causing the squeak. He then sanded the sub-floor, swept and vacuumed so we could start moving in...or so we thought...

Duncan and I both agreed that we needed to open it up a bit more. Ok, so really it was Duncan's vision and once I saw the potential I agreed; but that's neither here nor there, the important part is that this is probably one of the first projects we've done that have helped us move towards our dream home. With a modern vision for railing that will tie in with the staircase, this is by far going to be one our favorite details about the house.

One project down...too many to go...

Still a work in progress, both bathrooms were taken apart, valves replaced, sub-floors coated with primer, cleaned, sanitized and put back together. The bathroom remodel sits high on our list, but for now they are both functional and ready for toiletries.

Another project that needed to be done prior to move in was the double layer of drywall in the dining room; so in one weekend Duncan was able to remove the top layer to reveal several holes in the bottom layer...he was thrilled about that...

But it wasn't anything a good patch couldn't fix.

Another detail, once completed, that will rank in our top 5 is featured in the above photo; but the vision and work is all Duncan and so I will leave this one for him to blog about. With that said, there is really only one project left. A project that started as necessity and turned visionary...

Drywall that needed to be replaced will soon be windows and instead of a view of the current 70's hot tub room...a green room view from all four sides. A perfect end to our pre-move in remodel and the start of a moving weekend. So from here on out we will officially be Cashill residents!

So, sorry for the long hiatus but things have been a little busy lately. We have a lot to update though so here it goes.

Been trying to work up at the house as much as possible. And despite a few weeks of continuous work we are still in the demo phase of the project but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Things are looking good and going back through the pictures for the blog really shows a big difference. It now seems like forever ago that we had this ugly wood paneling in the loft.

Which is now gone.

The big rock wall and pedestal behind the wood stove proved to be the biggest challenge yet. It doesn't exactly help that I'm not the biggest fan of ladders. One crumpled on me when we were remodeling the bar and I haven't liked them much since.
But I went to town with a roto-hammer outfitted with a chisel and a lot of bruised knuckles, mortar dust and shaking ladders later...........

Rock and pedestal are gone. But of course there's no way to save the drywall underneath so that has to go as well.
Working on borrowing a scaffolding system from a friend so I can put new drywall up. But we might run some electrical first since the wall is already open.

I know we tore down and took a lot of material out of the house but I was actually surprised we filled a twenty yard dumpster.


Christa's been hard at work as well. The steamer works great for removing the wallpaper.

It hasn't all been tearing everything apart though. I had to take everything out of the bathrooms (toilets, vanity, everything) so I could rip out the old lino and particle board underlayment. Since I had everything out I decided to replace all the valves and seals and make sure everything was leak proof and working properly.

Then we put down a good thick coat of primer and put everything back in. It's a temporary fix but it will work for now. Eventually we'll do a full remodel on both the bathrooms but we need to actually move in sometime in the next couple of weeks so wish us luck...............

Christa's free reign to blog!!! Ok, I know...yes, with Duncan's approval.

What a beautiful kitchen and dining room, right?!? Absolutely beautiful....and the construction commences. It no longer looks like this, but thought we would just let you know what it looked like at one time, because we're cool like that.....So on to the outside....for now. Duncan has this huge fixation with his chainsaw and removing every green shrub that may posses spiders, mice and or ants, huge benefit for me, however, may increase the internal home tempature...hummmm....spiders or heat. Bring on the HEAT!!!

He's a maniac, maniac....sawing like he's never sawed before!!!

And, just when he was on a role, one cottonwood and juniper down (ok with the help of some professionals)...

total chipper malfunction...bummer! So two weeks later and a lot of clever attempts to remove the blades, still no chipper. So when there's no work...

it's all play! Look closely. Ok so back to business. It may seem like all fun and games, but we really have a lot of work to do. And, although it may seem like we haven't made a dent, we really are trucking right along! But that's another story, by an official blogger, I'm just here to highlight the memories along the way. So at 9:30 I'm signing out for the night with love in my heart and Wheaties in my bowl. Goodnight to all!

Work.

Yeah, lots of work.



New siding is definitely in our future plans along with a new roof. What kind of person would put that '70s Tahoe style wood paneling up and top it with Spanish missionary roofing tile. Not exactly the best look. We know we want standing seam metal roofing for sure. Looks great and lasts forever. Plus, I really think the long lines of the roofing will really compliment the structure of the house. And it will go with almost any siding we decide on. Researching those options now. Maybe stucco, maybe Hardy Board, maybe Ipe. We want something that looks great, has long durability and if it can add some R-factor we'd have everything.



I don't know if the people that lived here before us were swingers, terrorists or pot growers but they were sure concerned with privacy. Bushes and trees everywhere! The worst part is that everything was planted completely happenstance. Trees under trees with a bush in between. No rhyme or reason. We plan on keeping some of the older trees after a good trimming but most stuff is coming out and going into the wood chipper for mulch to improve the soil. The worst is the spider bushes out front. Those are going for sure.



More work inside the house. Nasty old carpet needs to come out!



When I got to pulling the hallway carpet I discovered lino and particle board underlayment underneath. Great. About killed myself yesterday getting that stuff up. I found cutting the lino with an exacto in 2 or 3 square foot sections and using a big ass pry bar was the only way to get it up. That's sweat equity right there.



So there's a small sample of what we got ourselves into. Lots more to come. Drywall work, finish work, windows, doors, floors and more. Sounds daunting doesn't it? But you know what? At the end of the day there is a real sense of satisfaction. Standing back and looking at what got accomplished in just a few hours is a really gratifying feeling. Now back to work!

The Beginning...............

So, Christa and I bought a house. But not just any house. We bought The Ladder House.

It's big and it's crazy but we love it. And we definitely have some work ahead of us. Lots of work. But the neighborhood is great and we got it for a steal. The first time we saw it we knew it would be perfect for us. The Ladder House is one of those houses that isn't right for 90% of the people out there but is just the right fit for a select few. Here's hoping we are in that select few and I don't turn into Tom Hanks in the Money Pit. That would be bad.

So stay tuned here and see how it all turns out. We have some great ideas in mind. We want to be eco friendly when possible but aren't going to live and die by carbon footprints. A little modern, a little hip, a little cozy and entertainment friendly and I think we'll be happy. The Great Ladder House Project is underway!