Weekend #7 - May 8-9

Weekend #7 was more of the same...removing wallpaper in the bathroom and off the ceilings and skim coating.  Scott and I worked on Saturday and Sunday.  Nan and Pap were there for a little while on Saturday to repair some downspouts. 

We had left the front room nearly untouched until this weekend.  We used it to hold some of the remaining furniture and just stuff that still remains at the house.  We spent the weekend finishing this room, scraping the ceiling and getting the bathroom done.  Lots of skim coating and sore upper bodies.  😊

Scraping the ceiling in the front room proved to be a bigger challenge than we could tackle.  Much of this room was paint on the plaster.   We took down as much of the paper as we could, but this room ended up with more paint on the ceiling than the other rooms.  

More quilt square wallpaper in the bathroom!  

Scott had a little injury.  I can't remember what the actual injury was, but we couldn't find a bandaid and Nan had already left!  We are a resourceful pair, and all Scott needed was a paper towel and some painters tape.  Never fear, we have a fully stocked first aid kit now.  😂

Sunday was Mother's Day.  We celebrated by working on the house! 

All good work days begin with a cup of coffee. 

Skim coating in the bathroom. 

Cleaning the skim coating tools.

I made another round in the basement.  It was mostly trash.  I found a box of items that must have been in a garage sale at some point.  Most of the things in that box had price tags on them.  This was the most fun find of the day "No Bugs M'Lady" shelf liner.  What a funny name!  Turns out this shelf liner is actually impregnated with insecticide.  It is also hazardous to humans and animals.  We sometimes do crazy things, right?  This package was unopened and went into the weekly trash.  

And no weekend would be complete without a work crew picture.  This one was taken in the front room, where we finished the scratch coat!  Finally, all the walls that needed the scratch coat were finished.  

We were only half way through the skim coating though...more to come.  😊

Weekend #6 - The Landscaping

The renewed landscaping was transformational, so I felt like it needed its own post.  On Friday evening, after I mowed the yard, I realized the weeds were quite out of control in the front 'flower beds'.  There were two bushes that had been planted on either side of the steps and they had grown far to large for the space.  I really just wanted to rip it all out and start fresh.

My Mom and Dad have really nice landscaping at their house.  While eating breakfast at Mom and Dad's on Saturday morning, we were discussing the landscaping.  I gave my Dad free rein to overhaul the front flower beds at the house.  He wouldn't admit this, but I would describe him as giddy with excitement for this project.  

As a reminder, here is the before picture...large bushes, some gaps, lots of weeds...

My only request:  get those giant bushes out!

Pap set to work.  He enlisted Nan.  Scott and I also made a run with the trailer for rocks, but otherwise, this project was all Nan and Pap.  

The redesign and replanting of landscaping took the weekend to finish.  Scott and I were home on Sunday, so Nan and Pap finished it out without us.  They sent pictures of the Sunday work crew and the finished product.  

The final transformation!  

The landscaping includes river rocks surrounding the beds.  The plants at the base of the sidewalk are called Mugo Dwarf Pines.  The flower beds on either side of the stairs in front of the porch include Mugo Dwarf Pines on both ends.  The back row of flowers (closest to the foundation) includes marigold yellow, two yellow calla lilies and another marigold yellow.  The front row of flowers (closest to the river rock) includes three white butterfly plants.  

Pap also worked to get all the grass and weeds off the sidewalk in front of the house and leading up to the porch.  I wish I had gotten a picture of the sidewalk in front of the house.  There were squares of sidewalk that were nearly covered with grass overgrowth.  It is now a clean sidewalk.  

Let's talk for just a minute about the hedges:  There are hedges defining the sides of property in the front.  On the right side of the house, the hedge goes all the way to the back alley.  On the left side, it only goes back to the front of the porch.  The hedges have represented boundaries for countless kids playing in the front yard at Mamaw's house.  Unfortunately, the hedges are in poor shape.  The one on the left is full of poison ivy.  Once, my cousin, Jaime, who is highly allergic, spent the day playing outside at Mamaw's.  Shortly after, she was covered in poison ivy so bad she was nearly hospitalized over it.  I only remember seeing her poor swollen face, her eyes were nearly swollen shut.  I know she must have been miserable.  

We definitely need to do something with the hedges.  I really want to keep them, but I fear they will need to be pulled out and replanted with boxwoods or something similar.   Rehab/replacement of the hedges is still on the to-do list.  

The rest of the landscaping is beautiful and I couldn't be more pleased.  I love how it turned out!  I am so grateful for the time, energy, and experience Nan and Pap put into this project.  It really compliments the house and allows her beauty to shine through.  💜

Weekend #6 - April 29-May 2

I'm not sure why this was a long weekend for me, but it was.  I worked at Ballad during the day on Thursday and Friday.  This meant I was able to work at the house in the evenings!  

Interesting side note, wearing scrubs is like being in pocket heaven.  There are plenty of pockets for everything.  The scrubs I wore on this particular day have a total of TEN pockets.  I don't really understand why construction workers haven't started wearing scrubs.

On Thursday evening, Mom and I went over to start removing the wallpaper from the bathroom walls.  We left the bathroom untouched for as long as we could because, well, it's the only bathroom in the house.  It needed to remain functional.  

Here's the Thursday work crew:  

We found some really interesting wallpaper patterns.  It *almost* made me fall in love with wallpaper.  I'll be honest, I still haven't ruled out putting a little bit of wallpaper back in the bathroom.  Below are some of the layers we uncovered.  

 

I am in love with the wallpaper below.  I tried to find a picture of what it might look like for more than just  a few inches, but didn't find anything on the internet.    

I'm sure it was a lot to have those tiny quilt-like squares over every wall.  It probably made the small bathroom seem even smaller.  But I do love it.  It led to a conversation with Scott about putting wallpaper back in the bathroom.  He was not on board.  

We made considerable progress on Thursday evening. And let me tell you, after scraping wallpaper for days on end, there is nothing more satisfying than when you can get a giant piece to come off like the one below:

Friday evening was much of the same: scraping the bathroom, trying to get the paper off the walls and the ceilings.  It was exhausting work at the end of a week of regular work days.  

We didn't make as much progress on Friday.  Remember Lesson #4?:  The right tool makes all the difference.  Well, failing to spray the walls with the fabric softener/water mix was our mistake.  Actually, this might be better applied to Lesson #2:  A wallpaper steamer is worth every penny.  When we left on Friday night, I fully intended to rent a steamer on Saturday.  

I also mowed the yard on Friday evening, which led to pulling weeds in the front flower beds.  The weeds and the grass that was coming up along the front walk was starting to make it look like no one lived in the house.

Scott arrived on Saturday and smashed my steamer plans.  We used fabric-softener spray and elbow grease instead.  It worked.  It is just slower than a steamer.  

Scott and I continued skim coating and scraping wallpaper.  Meanwhile, Nan and Pap started working on the landscaping out front.  They worked Saturday and Sunday and the landscaping in front of the house was transformed.  See next post for the landscaping!  It is really lovely.  

We had Greg's Pizza for lunch on the front porch.  The front porch is one of my favorite things about this house.  It is a big, covered porch that runs across the front of the house and wraps around the left side to the second entrance.  It is deep enough to really entertain company.  It always provides shade.  

I remember playing out here as a child.  The banister used to be different.  There were long boards that criss-crossed, which made it perfect to play and to see out.  Now it is encased in siding, which gives it more privacy, for sure.  I also remember being out here while my Uncle C was replacing part of the porch.  I was probably 10 years old then.  He fell through the porch while he was working on it and skinned up both his legs.  When Mom and Robin stayed at the house caring for Mamaw, they often took her out on the porch to sit in the afternoons when it was warm enough to be outside.  My aunt Judy and Uncle C got married on this porch in 1993.  There have been countless pictures taken on this porch.  The piano was situated right next to the front door and when someone was playing, you could hear it from the porch.  I have a parade of memories involving the porch marching through my mind.  Many feet have crossed this porch for lots of occasions - birthdays and holidays, stopping by for visit, sometimes seeking shelter or solace.  I guess that is the way of a front porch, but this one seems extra welcoming to me.  💙

Scott and I had to head back home on Saturday evening.  Before we left, we had a visit from Brayden and Michelle on their way to Michelle's senior prom.  They were quite out of place in their formal evening wear in the middle of a renovation site.  They are such a beautiful couple.  I'm glad they stopped by, even though I was worried about them getting dirty.  Now, I wish I had taken their picture on the front porch.  Instead, I took their picture among the construction debris that has become the decor at 411.  

As for the weekend progress, Scott and I were able to finish the scratch coat in all the main rooms of the house.  Nan and Pap finished up the gorgeous landscaping in the front.  It was certainly a successful weekend!  💜

April 27

I promised to tell some of the story of my family here, not just the story of the house renovation.  Today's post will tell a little family story.  

On Tuesday, April 27, for no special reason, I wore my Mamaw's pearls.  I was given a little box of a few pieces of Mamaw's jewelry after she passed away.  There are some of her clip on earrings (she never pierced her ears), a pearl necklace and bracelet, and some lapel pins.  

I took a selfie in the car and sent it to Mom, Robin and Lynn.  

"Wearing my Mamaw's pearls today. 💙"

Robin responded: "Tuesday would have been Mamaw and Papaw's anniversary.  How appropriate to wear her pearls."  

This led me to a iPhone note I made in August 2018 while I was talking to Mamaw.  She told me she got married on April 27, 1942 at age 17.  She told me she wore a light blue dress.  

She kept everything, including her wedding announcement from the Johnson City newspaper in 1942.  

The caption reads:  MRS. CARL C. WILLIAMS - Mrs. R.C. Hammett, 410 West Poplar street, announces the marriage of her daughter, Evelyn, to Private First Class Carl C. Williams on April 27, 1942.  The wedding was solemnized at the home of the Rev. Nat Campbell, Elizabethton road.  Miss Bertie Yelton and George Cox attended.  Mrs. Williams was a member of the 1941 graduating class of Science Hill High School.  Private Williams is the son of Mrs. Hop Williams, Route 5.  He is stationed in the U.S. army, Fort Benning, Ga.

It turns out, I wore her pearls randomly on what would have been her 79th wedding anniversary.  

I am so grateful for the little things I have of hers.  I am grateful for the little winks I get from her, like deciding to wear her pearls with a blue t-shirt on a random Tuesday.  💙

Weekend #5 - April 24-25

Weekend #5 brought skim coating and the return of the work crew!

Skim coating involves a lot of things:  supplies, tools, mixing, patience, lots of arm and shoulder strength, and a pinch more patience.  It also required some of us to let go of our perfectionist tendencies.  😉

First up:  Supplies.  We used quick set lite joint compound with a 90 minute set time.  You can buy shorter set times, but we knew we would need a bit longer to work with it before it set.  We learned what happens when the 90 minute window is up.  The compound sets up hard and somewhat suddenly!  Once it has set, there is no getting it back.    

Mixing the joint compound only requires water.  We got pretty good at measuring out the right amount of water for how quickly we could work.  

We used a finishing trowel (pictured below hanging on the side of the white bucket) and a hock (the large silver pallet in the left of the picture).  Scott preferred to work with a taping knife and the red plastic mud pan (to the left of the hock in the picture below).  

We discovered after our first try at skim coating the previous weekend our trowel was curved.  It wasn't the right tool for our project.  We made a trip to Lowe's to get a finishing trowel with a straight edge.  Lesson #4:  The right tool makes all the difference.  

The first step for mixing joint compound is measuring and adding the water to the bucket.  Step two: add joint compound power.  Step three: mix.  We used the drill with the mixing arm.  Important rule when mixing joint compound:  Always add mix to water, never water to mix.  The consistency of the mix is important for spreading it on the wall and also keeping it on your hock and trowel.  We tried to get a consistency similar to a Wendy's Frosty on a day when the machine is running perfectly.

Another important rule:  Easy does it with the drill and mixing arm.  As the assistant in charge of pouring the compound into the water, my shoes and I can vouch for the importance of this rule.  

  

Skim coating is a big process.  It requires a first coat, called the scratch coat.  The second coat is the finish coat.  Following the second coat, sanding is necessary to smooth the walls.  YouTube videos would try to tell you sanding is not required.  They lie.  Okay, maybe it isn't a lie...but we were beginners and beginners need the sanding step.  😊

Before the walls could be skim coated, they needed to be primed with the previously mentioned PVA.  When I put the PVA primer on, I only did the back room.  The rest of the house was ready - it just needed priming with the watered down PVA.  We put Mom, Dad and Robin in charge of priming the walls and Scott and I set to work skim coating in the back room.

Mom knew the day would not be complete unless she was wearing some of the primer.  

Scott and I got to work in the back room.  We had to skim coat the ceiling in the back room because of the repair with plaster buttons and the cracks.  We finished the scratch coat in the backroom and moved into Denny's room.  

Denny's room: Before - these walls are primed only

After: Scratch coat complete in Denny's room

After: Scratch coat complete in back room

Skim coat: back room ceiling

Before:  Denny's room

After:  Same wall in Denny's room

We learned a lot during the first weekend dedicated to skim coating.  We got a little better with each new wall and each new room.  It is hard, physical work that tests your upper body and your patience with the process.  

As has become tradition, I snapped a picture of the weekend work crew.  From left to right: Robin, David, Karen, Scott, and Carla.  

Weekend #5 saw the completion of scratch skim coating in the back room and Denny's room, and primer on nearly all the walls.  We left the house tired and sore, but very proud of our newly acquired skim coating skills.