Peekskill Restoration & Renovation

Things I've learned in life

2010-02-28T18:52:00.002-05:00

If there is anything I have learned in my renovation experience it's that you make a comprehensive plan in advance, make sure you have all the tools and parts, make sure all the parts you are using actually work, and create a work flow for yourself that follows a logical progression. Over the past couple weeks we re-tiled our shower and followed none of this advice.

Truthfully, we didn't really lay out a plan for ourselves. We just new we wanted subway tile. With a couple bumps in the road, the installation of the cement backer board, the new dyrwall and the tiling went ok. Our biggest mistake was trying to re-use the shower faucet. We thought everything was in working order, but didn't look closely. The seat on the hot water side was corroded and wasn't coming out. So, I went to Home Depot and purchased a new shower faucet. When I got home, I realized that I didn't have all copper fittings so back to HD I went. I think I went back and forth to HD 7 times in the last 2 days all because I didn't follow my own advice. Now, I'm tired.

Next up is building a vanity. I think I plan it out a little better.

New Pub In Peekskill

2010-01-27T11:45:00.001-05:00

I don't think it's any secret that we enjoy a good beer, plus also love to hear about new businesses joining our town. So super excited to read on Peekskill Daily about a new tavern due to open soon in downtown Peekskill - Birdsall House. Not only does it sound like like a place we will enjoy, but I love that the proprietors are posting pictures of their restoration/renovation of the place and blogging about it too (and they are much better at it than I am!!) Can't wait to go!

Good bye mustard yellow dinning room

2009-12-30T10:43:00.003-05:00

Paint Shop

2009-12-28T16:11:00.004-05:00

Since the paint won't set properely outside in cold temperatures, I've set up a basement paint shop. Not only is this going to take a very long time, but the fumes are getting to Amanda. Good thing I have a cold.

7 Different Kinds of Smoke!!!!!

2009-12-28T12:42:00.002-05:00

As millions of fans and loyal readers to this blog can attest to, we are very slow to post our progress. The truth is we have been very lazy in doing the work. We have started a few small projects, mostly painting, but haven't made a lot of progress. I think the neighbors are starting to think that we will never get this rundown house fixed up. But, that's all going to change this week. Amanda and I both have the week off and I have a very ambitious list of tasks for us:

1. Clean and organize the house including the basement and garage. I have tools everywhere and it's time to straighten up a bit.
2. Finish the basement doors and jacking up the 2nd story. We had some termite damage and I started the demo, but never finished putting it back together.
3. Finish painting the foyer. It's almost done, just needs a bit of touch up.
4. Finish the attic closet. This was a project started months ago that I never finished. (Are you starting to notice a pattern here?) All it needs is a little paint and add some shelving.
5. Paint the guest room. It's really not bad, but it's purple. Enough said.
6. Paint the dinning room. It's mustard yellow and gross.
7. Replace the siding on 1 side of the house. This is going to be my big winter project and since I already have the pump jacks set up, I may as well get started.
8. Start the bathroom renovation. All we are doining is tearing out some tile on the wall and replacing it with drywall. It should be easy. Famous last words.
9. Replace shocks and shock mounts on the pick up.
10. Finally, we need to pick up dog shit. It's supposed to snow in a few days and if we don't pick it up now, it will stay there frozen until spring.

I'll keep you all posted.

Pump Jack Set Up

2009-10-09T15:26:00.001-04:00

When we freshened up the paint on our Spanish bungalow, all it took was a roller on an extension pole

This project has been much more complicated = labor and time intensive, and thus the "painting" has not yet even begun. J. promises to add some text to more fully explain these pictures.

Color Selection Method

2009-09-20T21:57:00.002-04:00

Here's what indecision looks like :)

And then finally, we have a winner!

UPDATE:

Unfortunately, while a color decision has been made, no actual progress has been, so our house will look like a patchwork quilt for the foreseeable future!

House Paint

2009-09-13T18:57:00.004-04:00

Well the summer is almost over, but we are finally getting around to painting the house. We had originally tried to sand the cedar shingles (the house is cedar shakes on the second floor and stucco on the first), but discovered that was just not going to work. The new plan is to paint the first floor, and then pull all the old shingles off (saving any that are still in good condition) and install new shingles pre-painted.

We've decided to use Behr paint (they were having a pretty decent sale over Labor Day) - Shady Willow for the main color, and then Red Bluff and a cream for the trim and accents. Hopefully will look something like this:

This is obviously not our house, but it has some of the same type of elements. Keep your fingers crossed - we're still hoping to get (most of it) done before snow!

We're Back

2009-06-11T20:06:00.002-04:00

I know that all of our fans are disappointed that we haven't blogged about our progress in the last several months, but the truth is we are lazy and haven't done anything. That is until recently.

We have 2 major projects going on right now; our master bath addition and we are painting the exterior of the house. Neither is going all that well.

First with the bath. We really haven't gotten that far into it. I was hoping to do all the work myself, but the city will not give us a permit unless we use a licensed plumber and electrician. We called 1 plumber who quoted us $6K for just for the rough in. He had some crazy ideas, like running the drain at a height that would take away any use of the basement. We didn't go with him. The second plumber, Bob Puff, is our favorite. We've used him before and he's fantastic. But, we still haven't made any progress other than jack hammering a hole in our basement floor. Once we tore up the basement floor, Bob noticed that our sewer drain runs right into a tree and we have roots clogging the drain. Also, our main water shut off is basically in the tree. To top it all off, the sewer line and water main are right on top of each other and they run underneath the garage. Bob is afraid to touch either one because if something happens we might have to tear down the garage just to fix it. Now the idea is to re-run the sewer and main to the other side of the street. Don't know how much that is going to cost yet, but I see me hiring a couple of day laborers and digging a very deep trench.

The painting isn't going much better. I bought a Paintshaver which is supposed to make sanding the house really easy. It works really well, if you have siding. We have cedar shakes, so we are stuck using grinder with a sanding attachment. After about 5 or 6 hours of work, I estimate that we have about 5% of the house sanded. Very depressing. So, we are trying to hire someone to come out just sand. I put an add in craigslist, get your mind out of the gutter, for someone to just sand the house. I think I got 50 responses and not a one of them had a real grasp of the job. We finally got a painter to come out and quote us $2500 just to sand. I was hoping for more like $1000. Maybe I can get the day laborers we hire to dig our trench to also sand our house. Then, I can just sit on the porch, drink mojitos and shout words of encouragement at my workers.

As if we didn't have enough work on our hands, Amanda went crazy and bought us a boat. There will be a boat blog coming very soon.

To Tank or Not To Tank

2009-01-18T10:37:00.003-05:00

Looks like we are going to need a new water heater sooner rather than later - that decision has pretty much been made for us (a hot shower is a must). The decision we still have to make is whether we should just buy a new traditional water heater to replace our existing unit, or whether we should install a tankless model. Research we've done so far indicates that tankless generally are considered more efficient (and we could get a tax credit!), but there appear to be some concerns about their ability to produce a large amount of hot water over a short period (i.e., reports that you can't shower while running a dishwasher or laundry - but then who does that with a regular hot water heater??) and that the heating element burns out/needs repair relatively quickly, at least in certain models. I am also a little concerned about our ability to install a tankless ourselves, which will require moving some gas lines and adding a new vent. Wondering if anyone we know has personal experience . . .

Living Room Progress Report

2009-01-10T17:46:00.006-05:00

Well, there are still some finishing touches to be done, but the living room is pretty much done. Before it was a very dark green. Now, it's a very light gold green - here's the current . . .

We love the paint color and we're very happy now that we've taken out the fireplace insert. Still working on trying to figure out the best placement for the furniture - might have to eventually swap it out for something new, but that's not currently in the budget.

Insert was still there . .

And without the insert!

Belated Happy Holidays

2009-01-10T16:35:00.022-05:00

Our first Christmas in our new house was a quiet one, but very enjoyable. As you can see we had snow, which was great, and our front porch works great for Christmas lights.

We had a fresh cut tree too, we decided to use one from our back yard that we planned to eventually cut down any way. Oh, and we decided to take out the old wood burning fireplace insert - yeah! (It really did not seem to be increasing the heat output anyway. )

Our street looked really nice for the holidays and the snow helped us meet a few more of our neighbors. Turns our that they all chipped in a few years ago for a snowblower and now take turns clearing everyone's sidewalks - so now we can appreciate the snow even more!

The dogs are really enjoying the snow and the parks looks so pretty.

Wishing everyone a healthy and happy 2009!

Very Slow Progress

2008-09-22T13:46:00.003-04:00

So I have been very bad about updating, I know, but the truth is we've been moving at a pace at which even snails would scoff and I really wanted to wait until the living room was completely finished to "reveal" it.

Amazingly, although in the past we've managed to do most of a house in a few weeks, we have yet to complete the painting part of the project. I'm going to blame it on the dreaded dark green paint, though it may also have to do with the fact that we are complete procrastinators who only work quickly if given an unmovable deadline. We are probably 95% done - we just have some touch ups to do on the trim and the doors. Dishearteningly, however, we've just read that we should give the paint on our bookshelves a month to "cure." (Anyone have some hard data on this?) Ugh, I so want to unpack the many boxes of books we have littering the living room, kitchen, hallway, but on the other hand, I have experienced peeling paint on book shelves, or items "stuck" to shelves where the paint pulls away when you go to move them. So I am going to do my best to wait the recommended month, but I am not sure I am going to make it. We are also waiting on the delivery of our rug from the cleaners - who knew that would take over two weeks?

We are very happy with the color we chose - Behr "Oat Straw," which is sort of a greenish gold beige? That description might not sound great, but I think it looks very nice up on the wall. Will definitely take a few pictures soon, even if only very small glimpse shots.

Skunk!!

2008-09-08T12:30:00.002-04:00

So (knock on wood) the living room is just about done - pictures coming soon. But a new crisis developed last night. I let the pups out for their last bathroom break of the evening and they found a critter in the yard. After harassing it, Mini came running back, but Wilbur stayed out in the yard rolling around. I went to retrieve him only to find he was foaming at the mouth and smelled horrific. I'm sure the neighbors loved my yelling for J. to come assist at 10 p.m. (sorry).

We're pretty sure it was a skunk, although the smell wasn't exactly what I normally associate with "skunk smell." We bathed him right away and though there is a lingering malodor, he seems ok (we've been busily plotting all the different concoctions we are going to try to get rid of the remaining smell). What I am more concerned about is a repeat performance. Any one have any thoughts on how best to discourage skunks from hanging out in the yard? So far I am considering pans or jars of ammonia and this stuff

After Photos - Spanish Tile Kitchen

2008-08-28T19:09:00.009-04:00

[Big space for the stove to eventually go into]
Our kitchen was pretty tiny and we didn't really have any room to expand it, but I think we managed to use the space pretty well, and we even found a way to add a dishwasher - about the smallest one you ever saw, but it did the trick.
We chose blue for our counter top (J's idea) with a small border of decorative tiles that were also reflected in the back splash.

We got the cabinets from Home Depot, I think they were the American Woodmark, maple with a mocha glaze, a few with glass inserts.

We were really happy with the end result, I'm not sure these pictures completely do it justice.

Our Bungalow

2008-08-27T22:06:00.020-04:00

Our first house together was a Spanish Colonial Revival Bungalow that was built in about 1928 in Studio City, California. Nothing in it had been updated, except unfortunately the windows, which were circa 1970 louvered glass (and let me tell you, if you think it can't get cold in Southern California, try living in a house with those leaky windows in December). In my opinion, that is one of the biggest losses an older home can have - it's great old windows. I know that older windows also are not thought of as very energy efficient, but I think that, properly taken care of and perhaps with the use of storm windows, they can do a pretty good job.

Anyway, because it may be a little while before I get to post any "after" photos of our current place, I thought I would blog a bit about our beloved bungalow and the first major project we tackled together that likely led us to where we find ourselves today.

BEFORE: After living with a 1928 kitchen for a few months (including a cabinet that would pop open whenever anyone stepped on the floorboard in front of it), we decided that something needed to be done, but we were on a pretty strict budget, so we decided we could do it ourselves. We did hire a plumber and an electrician, but all the rest would be us (with a little help from our friends!)

The original plan was to install new cabinets, counters and tile (back splash and floor). But as we began to take down the cabinets and the old tile back splash, the old plaster walls just began to crumble, so it became a complete gut renovation.

Installing the drywall was probably one of the hardest parts of the job - I learned that I hate mudding. It's definitely a skill, I don't think I ever learned to get it completely smooth.

We decided that using a venetian plaster instead of regular paint would help hide the imperfections and would also help the new drywall blend with the plaster that was in the rest of the house.

Some of our helpers were more furry than others.

And some just added that cute factor:

Once the drywall was in, installing the cabinets and the counter tops was relatively easy. We went with tile counter tops because (a) we read that was one of the easier types for DIYers and (b) it fit the style of the house. Tomorrow, the after photos . . .

Sad News

2008-08-27T21:48:00.003-04:00

I still think it says a lot the city tried to save it, but sadly the old Peekskill Firehouse collapsed as they started to move it. Luckily no one was hurt. You can check out the video.

Our First House Project - The Living Room

2008-08-25T22:42:00.014-04:00

So we managed to avert the poison ivy fate, although even though we did not get any poison ivy rash, we somehow still felt itchy for several days - the power of suggestion!

I finally found the camera cable, so now I can add pictures - yay! Our first project inside the house is the living room. The prior owner had painted it a nice enough, but very dark, green.

This is our wood burning stove - fire place insert. I am not a big fan of having a furnace in my living room, but I think we've decided to live with it until we experience just how cold it can get, and figure out what else we can do about it.

It's a little hard to see in these photos, but the majority of the room has wainscoting, and it has fabulous windows. The first order of business is to prime, and prime and then prime again.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm starting to see a difference already. This was after the first coat of primer - we now have three coats up and think maybe we are ready for some color! Hope to have the "after" photos up soon. (This whole day job thing really gets in the way). But before I go, I'll leave you with some "money" shots. Check out our windows!

They all need some significant restoration, but it's official, I am in love. :)

Progress Report - The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

2008-08-17T20:32:00.004-04:00

The good news, we have one coat of primer up in the living room. The bad news, our living room, including the wainscoting and most of the trim, was a very dark green (pictures soon to be added once I find the cable for my camera). Thus, we will likely need at least another coat before we can start painting the color (we've decided on "Oat Straw" - it looks better than it sounds).

More good news, we now have most of our stuff. We used PODS because (1) we had about 45 days between selling our NJ house and moving in to the new place and (2) we are completely broke so we needed to move ourselves. It got delivered on Saturday and the move in went pretty well. Only one broken picture frame and one slightly scraped up bedside table that was a Marshalls find anyway. Moving is never fun, but we managed to get everything unloaded from the pod and into the house without any major injuries. The not so good news, later that evening (when we were relaxing), I managed to fall down the back stairs (I am a notorious klutz). Luckily again no major injuries just a bruised elbow, butt and ego.

The last good news, we finished the temporary fencing to fix the gaps in the fence along the back of the yard so our dogs cannot get out. We were feeling pretty good that we got the three sections of fencing we needed up pretty quickly. While J. finished up the last section, I went over to introduce myself to our neighbors who were out working in their yard . I was telling them that this fencing (which is not particularly attractive) is just a temporary fix until we can get something more permanent in place. A few minutes into the conversation, the woman mentioned, "be careful, that is all poison ivy" and gestured to the think bushes/vines in which we had been completely engulfed about twenty to thirty minutes earlier.

Oh dear - not good news. It didn't look like poison ivy to me, but she seemed pretty certain and, well, she obviously has lived right next to it for some time so I figured I better take her word for it. We rushed into the house and showered immediately. Then J. looked up poison ivy on the Internet - the source of most of our knowledge about all things. Mixed information, but one site suggested that showering was just likely to spread the poison ivy all over your body (acckk!, maybe we should have done our research first!), another said that soap within thirty minutes will help. To make a long story short, we are both feeling itchy, but have no true "break outs" as of yet. However, the Internet's general consensus is that the reaction doesn't start for 1-3 days so apparently we are not out of the woods. Please keep your fingers double crossed for us because if that one site is right, there is a very good chance that I will be covered in poison ivy from head to toe. Thus, the "Ugly" remains to be seen. :-P

One of the Reasons We Like Peekskill

2008-08-13T14:13:00.003-04:00

A lot of older buildings are torn down in the name of progress. Happily, a former Peekskill firehouse will not suffer that fate. The two-story brick building was in the path of a planned highway improvement. It is going to be relocated to be part of a historic district. I think it's a good sign that Peekskill is making an effort to preserve its architecture and history.

Another thing we like - this morning on our walk the animal control officer stopped to say hello, introduce himself and give our dogs treats.

A Little About Us and A Little More About the House

2008-08-11T08:30:00.003-04:00

J. and I have been together for a little over four years. We have two dogs, two turtles and a goldfish -- our only kids, at least for the foreseeable future. This is our third house project. We both like projects (and J. looks very cute in his tool belt). Our first house together was a 980 square foot Spanish bungalow in Studio City, California that was built in 1926. We completely redid the kitchen doing most of the work ourselves with a little help from a plumber and a very patient electrician. We also repaired some of the plaster walls, did a lot of painting, installed a new sink in the bathroom and did some landscaping. We had more plans for the house, but a job opportunity came up and we found ourselves headed to the east coast (moving back home for me and a completely new environment for California native J.)

We first settled in N.J. in a 1910 Dutch colonial, but it wasn't quite what we were looking for. In addition, J. found a job in Westchester and the commute was a bit of a bear. I figured he moved 3000 miles for me, the least I could do was move about 50 for him. We spent several months looking around Westchester. This house was one of the first we saw and we both really loved it, but didn't want to rush into anything (plus we still had to sell our NJ house). We also knew that it would take some negotiating on the price.

In the end, it really is the perfect house for us and has everything we wanted in terms of features and location. The first floor consists of a foyer, living room, dining room and kitchen. We're hoping to figure out a space to install a small powder room. The second floor is three bedrooms and one bath. There is a small room with a sink off the master bedroom that we plan to make into a master bath. The third floor is a finished attic that could be made into an additional bedroom (and maybe bath depending on how ambitious we get). It also has a large back yard (currently pretty overgrown), a two car garage (which we hope to keep clean enough to comfortably house our classic car - yes, we like old cars as well as houses) and a basement that has plenty of headroom (no more hitting our heads on water pipes!) We are a tiny bit intimidated by how much work is ahead of us, but we are also really excited by all of its potential.

A Little About Our House

2008-08-06T09:01:00.009-04:00

Still trying to pin down the style - thinking a Foursquare with a bit of a Victorian twist? It was built around 1900 and has a shake siding and plaster exterior with a slate roof. A large front wrap-around porch with wide columns and on the second story a small back sleeping porch with glass windows. We are quite excited that it still has all the original windows, a lot with leaded glass (most of them need some level of help), and one of our favorite features - curved windows in the front living room (currently hiding behind an overgrown Azalea). Our first project is too take lots of "before" pictures!

Five Days to Go

2008-08-05T11:26:00.003-04:00

Countdown is 5 days to our move in date and we can't wait to get started.