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!