Today has mostly been about doors and stairs. All the doors are now stained and hung, which is a significant milestone!
The door into my office that will always be closed, looking at my other office door.
Kathleen’s office door.
Lee’s door and his wood wall.
Other side of Lee’s door and small bathroom door.
The door to my bathroom, from inside. It opens really easily.
The rest of today, Chris has been covering nail holes, sanding, and otherwise preparing the stairs for being stained. That will be another huge milestone.
Stair preparation is well underway.
But yes, I did get CLR, which is a product to remove lime stains, rust, and such, this morning. I ran out between phone calls to see if it would work. I was not as happy with it as I hoped to be. It’s definitely not a miracle product, and appears that it will need to be used repeatedly with the scrubber. I can’t use a metal scraper, because I don’t want to damage the tub. Sigh. It’s getting there.
Yesterday
Today
The stain is quite a bit better, but definitely not gone!
It sure felt good to scrub hard, though. Renovation is very good for the frustrated.
This morning we decided it was time to work on the clawfoot tub for my bathroom. Chris didn’t seem too excited about the initial cleaning it needed, so I said I’d do it. We needed to check whether the giant feet we’d bought would work, anyway.
Here’s Tubby after the large debris had been removed. He’s pretty filthy.
So, we emptied the big stuff out of it (a sink and some lamp parts) and turned over. I didn’t do that part. Upon close examination, we determined that nope, those are totally the wrong legs for the tub. I’m headed off to Etsy to buy some that look more like the right thing, for a lot less money.
This is mighty unattractive, but shows the big damaged area Chris has already started to repair.
While ole Tubby was laying on its side, I emptied the dust and debris that had been filling it throughout the renovation. That was disgusting. Next, I got to work on the exterior.
Side of Tubby before I smoothed out the sides.
I next got down and dirty with the exterior, which apparently was covered, since it’s all rough. A lot of the original paint was peeling, so I smoothed it out with a scrubber pad. It’s not perfect by any means, but is smooth enough to be a base for primer and all the loose stuff is gone.
Some more spots of damage and peeling.
After that, I removed stains and globs of adhesive that were on the inside of the tub. That required more of the degreaser stuff and a lot of scraping. One thing I learned is that porcelain is tough! It wasn’t damaged one bit by my cleaning efforts.
After the scraping, it’s smoother and you can see some green primer that proves I did something.
Finally, I cleaned the inside of Tubby. Probably no one had cleaned the poor thing in decades. The inside is in pretty good shape, with just another couple of places we’ll have to put Bondo on to repair. There is a big rust stain where water probably dripped for years, but I discovered that it will come off, and there’s whiteness under it. We’re going to get some of that kind of cleaner that dissolves rust to work on that part more, and on some other rusty areas. There’s still quite a lot of work to do on this fellow.
Happy Tubby! All stains and drips are gone, other than that one in the front, which is substantially better, actually.
All in all, though, I am proud of the work I got done! It gave Chris time to stain more doors, which puts us that much closer to finishing out the door trim and hanging them permanently. We’re getting mighty close to being able to do the floors!
Staining in process
Lee’s office door waiting to be re-hung
I guess I’ll add a couple of hours at the end of the day to my “real job,” but it was worth it to get this stuff done.
While it’s true that the Mighty Chris is doing most of the work on the Pope Residence renovation, I’m helping when I can. Today I volunteered to work on the big fireplace in the main office.
But wait, I got a picture of the garlic teapot I bought yesterday. I think it’s so precious.
Where was I? We wanted to see what color the tiles on it really are, because there’s one missing, and we want to find a compatible replacement. It became clear that there was a lot of work to do when we tried to get one tile clean.
Before. You can really tell which tile has been cleaned as a test. And you can see the spilled stuff near the paper towel. Also, there is a lot of ancient ash in the fireplace.
Also, some of the sealant for the brick had gotten dripped on the hearth tiles, and we wanted to try to get that taken off, if possible. I showed up prepared to sweat, and that I did!
Close-up of the tile before. Lots of streaks and drips, and ick, what’s in the fireplace?
I used a whole LOT of degreasing and grime remover products, combined with steel wool and a scraper to get what appeared to be many decades of smoke, nicotine, and whatever else…who knows?
In progress The drips are from the degreaser. Yuck.
The hardest part was the sealant. Some of it wanted to STAY, darn it! But I persevered, because once I start cleaning something, I have to see it done!
Close up of cleaned tiles and cleaned-out fireplace.
The results pleased me very much, even though it’s still obviously a very old fireplace that got a lot of use. I think maybe the tiles were handmade, like all the brick, because they vary in color in a really pleasant way. I’m glad I didn’t ruin them with all my chemicals!
Nothing is going to get that black stuff up, but I did get all the drips, and discovered some tiles that had been replaced.
Meanwhile…
The other work on the house is going along just great, though there have been some hiccups with installing the sliding barn doors. Chris had a lot of adventures with epoxy yesterday, but I like the way he just takes these things as a learning experience, thinks about it, and comes up with another plan. He really has a lot of fun figuring stuff out, and it’s contagious.
Barn door that will not fall down.
Chris has all the doors hung, and is now staining them two at a time. The door hardware will look so good.
And oh yes, I’m helping more. My other big contribution was putting some birds on my little bathroom birdhouse. That’s sweet!
Two little birdies in their duplex, hiding a water pipe.
What Are the Other Two Up To?
This woodpecker mocked us as we tried to get in the Ross house today to make renovation estimates.
Our spouses are busy planning and scheming on our next projects, which may or may not involve moving a house to a vacant lot we will own as soon as the title company wakes up and lets us close on it and the Ross house. And they are growing the Hearts Homes and Hands business, even in these hard times. I’m proud of what good business people Lee and Kathleen are!
There’s lots more to come, so stay tuned. I hope you’re having a reasonable weekend and finding some projects to keep you busy! And if you’re putting sweat equity into a project, I hope you get a nice relaxing bath or shower later. That’s my plan. With roses.
Like my corporate office in Austin that I haven’t seen since early March. And I do not like those one bit. That’s why I was extra happy to see that there were some new office doors hung in the Pope house when I got back to town today. I realize now they are the same style as the ones at Bobcat, my Austin House, only in knotty pine.
The door on the right is the one Chris had to cut down, because the opening is only 7 feet.
They are going to get stained to match the barn doors, to add a bit of contrast to all the white trim. The black hardware looks very nice.
The door to Lee’s office, with the barn door that separates his and Kathleen’s offices behind it. The doors will match.
Chris also got one of the barn doors partially hung, and is working on the other one. It’s no easy feat to get a big, heavy door securely affixed to a brick wall, so there’s lots of prep work and such. Once everything is ready, Chris will crack open the tube of super-duper epoxy that mixes itself in the nozzle and quickly use it to firmly attach all the support bolts and such. It only takes 45 minutes to dry, so you have to glue while the gluing is good, apparently.
You can see above the bathroom door the large bolts that will hold the barn door up. The door is at right.
Other things that are getting attached are the mantel pieces in the front office and my office. We don’t want them falling down, either. I’m getting excited about the area that will surround my faux woodstove in my office. Ooh, it will be a surprise.
New piece of wood to support the hearth. Still bummed that one brick is missing.
The Main Bathroom Shines
All of the furnishings are now in the main bathroom, though none of the plumbing is hooked up. The new shelving unit looks really nice, and the rustic vanity goes well with the lighting. You can actually tell it’s a bathroom now.
The half door opens and does not hit the vanity nor the light fixture
This vanity matches the “barn door” theme of much of our furniture
Here’s the broom closet looking all built-in
While losing a day of work going to Temple to get supplies and help stranded elderly people on the side of the road, Chris picked up the feet for our cast iron bathtub. That practically gave him a hernia, because WHOA these things are WAY bigger than they looked in their picture! They are huge!
I think it weighs 10 pounds. I know it’s 9 inches long. That is one BIG clawfoot.
Everyone thought surely I’d exchange them, but I figure they “make a statement” and we will use them. Most certainly they will hold up the tub, as long as the combined weight of legs and tub don’t collapse the floor! The installation guide just says it’s “extremely heavy.”
This has taken a while, but to me, it’s gone pretty quickly, considering that it’s mostly been done by one person!
Things are still happening at the Pope house renovation. Chris has decided to get moving with doors, so today he cut down the door that has to be extra-short in the main bathroom. He’ll stain that next.
The door has had equal amounts cut off the top and bottom.
He already stained both the barn doors, one of which goes in my office bathroom and the other that goes between Lee’s and Kathleen’s offices. That’s the same color the stairs will be, too. Sanding is coming soon!
The two barn doors are in front, and the pieces to the utility closet are in back.
Another project that is near completion is the broom and storage closet for the main bathroom. It’s custom built, and can be moved for access to the water heater enclosure. I suggested the idea of two doors on the front, so that the doors won’t hit the vanity when open. Chris and Lee will pick up the door handle and hinges tomorrow on the Lowe’s run.
The shelf will go next to this well disguised heater, all trimmed out and such. The front panel unscrews.
Also during that trip, he’ll get the feet to the bathtub. He got started on that project by smoothing the area where the porcelain had been chipped off. It’s on its way to being a shiny bathroom showpiece!
The gray is bondo-like stuff that will get a porcelain coating. The outside will get sanded and painted.
Fun was had when Chris made the latest birdhouse. It had to be sort of large, so he made it a duplex. It got nice round perches and a little garden. I think an artistic soul is emerging during this project!
ART! He found green paint somewhere…
Next time I’m at the Pope house, I’ll share where it gets installed.
Of course the garden goes all the way around the birdhouse. Can’t wait to stick a bird on it!
That Chris, he needs a break from constant caulking, which is the never-ending phase of the Pope renovation he’s on now. Every bit of trim needs some caulk. Ugh. I’m sure glad he does takes some breaks, because that means we get birdhouses!
The bird house will get a perch and a lovely fake bird. I ordered a bunch of potential residents to try out.
Today’s house is at an extremely awkward corner where I guess we could have put some kind of decorative finial or something. But a birdhouse is way more fun and adds quite a bit of whimsy to the project. Chris knows I like birds and Kathleen likes that kind of thing, so we are not complaining a bit.
Classy molding
Basking in that shiny ceiling
I like how today’s house has molding on the bottom, to make it look like it just grew there. Hmm, where will the next house be? (I know, but I’m not telling). I got a vision of little kids visiting and being sent off to find all the birdhouses in the building. That would be fun.
Another project has gotten started, too. The water heater is getting its cabinet in the main bathroom. It’s going to fit quite nicely in the corner, and there will be some storage added, which will be good in a downstairs with no, zero, zilch closets.
Closing in on the water heater
Wait, was there a water heater here?
I believe the plan is that the compartment can be easily unscrewed for access, since it won’t happen too often once it’s hooked up. Ooh, what an exciting day that will be for all of us who wash dishes at Hearts Homes and Hands!
Breaking with Butterflies
I needed a break after finishing yet another slog of a project, so I walked around the block by the Hermit Haus. I turned by the Baptist Church, because I was wondering if the fancy New Gold hybrid lantana that’s planted all around its borders attract as much wildlife as the native ones in my tiny garden.
The answer was a resounding yes. There were skipper butterflies skipping all over the plants, as well as quite a few duskywings. I saw another variegated frittilary, but didn’t get its picture.
Duskywing
Skipper
Big wasp enjoying a lantana flower
I also saw a very large wasp, which reminded me of an even bigger one, the cicada killer (they are so cool, but I haven’t seen any this year). This one appeared to be a Guinea paper wasp, judging from its stripe pattern and large antennae. But, I could be wrong and it could be a regular ole yellowjacket, which we have plenty of around here. I’ll find out on iNaturalist, I’m hoping.
It really does me a lot of good to take little walks and outdoor breaks, which are just fine to do in an uncrowded place like here. Since we are getting more and more coronavirus cases here, I’m not going anywhere crowded right now!
Our Pope House renovation has always had an avian element. There are often many tree ducks perched on top, and for a while we were sure vultures were nesting in the chimney (non-functional). And we have a very loud mockingbird who likes to sing to us.
And now we have a little bird house on the second floor. Chris has been working hard on the stair landing area, which I’ll show you in photos:
When the electricians installed these lamps, they left big holes, because they had to move them over a bit. Chris tried to fill the holes in with beadboard, but it didn’t look good (so I didn’t take a picture).The stair landing has many interesting angles that had to be filled in, and then the crown molding also took a lot of cutting. Here it’s half done.You can see that Chris made nice trim features for the lamps. He also finished scraping the old windows and cleaned them. They look great now.In the previous picture, Chris’s head was blocking a big hunk of metal that was once something important. He decided to cover it up with a bird house!Another view, showing that all that’s left is finishing off the flooring.Close-up of the little house. We will get a bird for it.
I am pretty darned sure that there will be at least one more bird house in the building. I can’t wait to show you the next one! We’re almost done in the trim department and will soon be sanding things.
Beltane Greetings to the pagan pals! Labor Day/May Day greetings to the socialist/communist buddies and family! I’m boycotting whatever I’m supposed to boycott, which is easy, since I don’t really buy stuff now.
This is what a maypole looks like when you’re finished with the dance. I miss our old church maypole. Photo by @comeilmare via Twenty20.
Ooh, yesterday did not start off at all well. I had a great deal of trouble keeping my cool in a meeting at work. I have a lot of issues with people who “mansplain” and treat me like I’m stupid, and talk right over me. I’m really glad I had witnesses so it won’t be made out that I pitched a hysterical woman fit or something.
Then I broke one of the crystals for my new chandelier. And my foot has not stopped hurting. Oh woe is me, but WAIT. There’s LIGHTING over at the Pope Residence!
A real highlight of the Pope project is finally getting to install the tin ceiling tiles. They are pretty awe-inspiring, if you ask me, and I guess I matter on this topic!
It should be less shiny when the light fixtures are up.
The main hallway is complete and ready for the light fixtures to get installed tomorrow and the final crowning touch (literally) the crown molding to go up.
That’s the sample crown molding.
This is gonna be one fancy hallway, that’s for sure.
Going down to Lee’s office.
We ended up not having enough tin to do the bathrooms, which was a disappointment. The consensus is that we will order another box of the tiles to finish off the bathroom in my office, while we will to the main bathroom in the beadboard we used in the second-floor ceiling.
The bathroom has all the important parts done, where the light and vent will be. The rest will wait until more in arrives.
I think Chris just secretly wants to put more of that light blue color on surfaces.
This is the real masterpiece of craftsmanship, where the ceiling takes a job at the stairway.
Today Chris went to Temple and bought a LOT of light bulbs, so that when the electricians come tomorrow, all the fancy lighting can get installed and look pretty. That will be another milestone! We’re going to get all-new LED ones for the recycled fixtures going in the stairway, because we think changing them will be a pain.
These fixtures were originally right in the room where they are now, but we’ll have them lighting the stairs. We are going to add covers over the exposed bulb holders, which we will recycle from another fixture. We don’t know where the ones that SHOULD be here went.
Actually, cleaning them was a pain, literally, because as I was cleaning one of them, the rope that was holding it so it would hang from the carport gave way and the big ole hunk of glass and metal whacked into my left hand and right foot.
Before and after. The dirty one is the one that attacked me.
But I saved the fixture! Nothing broke on me, either. I just have some bruising and scratches, to go with my dewberry and dog scratches. I think they make me look tough, and I’m sticking with that story!
Chris is at the stage in the Pope renovation that he is putting up trim in high places. He’s also cutting lots of crazy angles.
Angles
I’d wondered how he was managing to hold the boards up while he nailed them, especially the long ones. That’s when he introduced me to his rather quiet new helper.
Hold it right there!
Meet Wilson. He holds the trim just right as Chris nails the other end down. How do I know his name?
Oh, I see.
He has a name tag. That’s very helpful, since he’s the tall and silent type. Very patient, too.
A little scruffy, isn’t he?
He looks a lot like Chris, too. I’m really glad that man has a sense of humor. It must make doing all this alone a lot easier.
The Hermits' Rest 