After the windows and front door were replaced, the Gimlet wasn’t kidding about moving a long-procrastinated project to the top of the list:  painting the house.  The weather forecast for the next several days was good, so armed with a paint sprayer he’d bought a few years back, he set to work.

The total job from prep to cleanup took three full days plus two extra hours a few days later to touch up spots and finish the trim.  We’d been advised that for the spray method of house painting, it would take longer to prepare the house than to paint it, which was pretty much the case.   The first day was spent masking and covering windows in protective plastic, followed by three hours to apply the primer coat.  Painting the eaves and walls took up the second day, and the trim and accents were painted on the third day.

Thing One was on hand to help with the primer coat, but school started the next day and he was excused from paint duty. Thing Two was eager to help; armed with his own brush and bowl of water, he “painted” the driveway and back patio.  Half the fun for him was pouring out his bowl, then using the hose to refill.

In a rare and misguided fit of domesticity, I thought it would be a great surprise to bake a cake.  Unfortunately my homemaking had not included cleaning the refrigerator recently, and the first egg broken into the batter exploded with green goo and hydrogen sulfide.  Surprise!  So that’s what a rotten egg is like.  Of course all the windows were sealed up with plastic, so airing out the kitchen, while absolutely necessary, proved to be a challenge.  The patio door was left uncovered so between that one opening left in the house, a large fan, and several hours, the indoors became habitable again.  Later in the week (after buying fresh eggs) I made brownies but a very worried Thing Two retreated to the other side of the kitchen while the eggs were added to the batter.

The paint chips didn’t clue us in, but once the accent trim was in place, we realized that the color scheme looked rather familiar.  All aboard!

That aside, we’re surprised (and pleased) by how much the new color scheme improves and updates the look of the house.   We also saved a lot of money by doing the work ourselves; the job would have been very difficult using just rollers or brushes but the paint sprayer (plus rollers and brushes to smooth out the spray) made it manageable.  As one project leads to another, we’re looking towards renovating the landscape so it will be as nice as the house.

Before the windows were replaced and before our summer vacation, the Gimlet spent about an hour making some changes to the laundry room door and the basement door.  What could those changes be?  Can it be possible?  Yes!  Team Gimlet is preparing (some more enthusiastically than others) to welcome two Ragdoll kittens to our family!

After deciding that the Ragdoll breed’s handsome appearance and mellow temperament would be a good fit for us, we found Cashmere Rags, a small cattery near Snohomish.  When we visited, we were won over by the incredibly clean facilities, owner Lorna’s friendly and professional approach, and (of course) the cats and kittens we met.  As one litter had just been born and another was due soon after our visit, we made plans to return six weeks later and choose our kittens:

This male kitten is a seal mitt, which means that his markings are similar to a Siamese Seal Point, plus he has a white front, chin, and paws.  He was a little shy at first, but was curious about us and began to play with the Things in no time.  He comes from the older litter and his parents are Gus and Truffles.

The Gimlet was the first to notice this kitten’s stunning deep blue eyes.  (Like Siamese, Ragdoll eyes stay blue.)  Although he’s younger than the seal mitt, this seal point already has beautiful markings.  His parents are Stetson and Emma Rose.  Emma bestowed her maternal endorsement upon The Gimlet, first by sticking her face in his shoes, then enthusiastically rubbing his feet.  Apparently his toes are catnip-scented.

The kittens will be grown up enough to join our home in mid to late September.  Meanwhile, we get our kitty fix by looking at the photos on Cashmere Rags’ kitten page, and if that’s not enough, Cashmere Rags’ photographer Chris has his own gallery.  To learn more about the Ragdoll breed, visit Ragdoll Fanciers Club International, Ragdoll International, or Ragdoll Fanciers Worldwide.

It wasn’t a small project (or an inexpensive one) to replace the front door and all the original aluminum frame windows, but since we hired a highly recommended company to do the work for us, and the crew finished the job and hauled away the debris in two days, it feels easy.  DIY has its advantages, but these windows had some tricky problems which we weren’t sure we’d be able to manage, and we knew we wouldn’t have the time to finish the job before winter.

We’ve been thinking about replacing the windows ever since we moved into the house, but it didn’t become a high priority until two of the more brittle windows cracked this spring.  The project is proving its value already. We chose a new door with a row of windows across the top to let light into the once-dark entry.  The new windows look great, and with wider openings and screens, we’ll be able to cool down the house in warm weather and keep out insects.  Outside noises are more muted than before and our furnace hasn’t been turning on as much as it used to (it may be August, but there haven’t been many hot days this summer).  The frames have only been primered, so we hope September’s weather will cooperate and allow us to paint the house.

We have been resting on our laurels regarding the basement. Almost all the work was finished in August except for installing carpet on the stairs. I had planned on hiring an experienced carpet installer do this because the cost of having someone else do it was about the same as the cost of the tools, and they would do a better job than I would. After contacting a couple installers and discovering that a job that small gets ignored, and the holidays were coming, I decided to do it myself on Halloween.

The day after Thanksgiving last year I started the basement remodel. Now, one year later, I summarize.

All in all, it took longer and cost more than I expected.

It took longer:

Without a lot of construction experience (a little bit of construction experience a long time ago.) I expected to complete the entire process in 6 months. It really took 9 months. The last three months I was waiting for carpet layers that never called, so the job was effectively done. The portions of the job that really took longer than I expected were (1) the electrical work, (2) hanging the drywall, and (3) mudding and taping the drywall. I expected the electrical to take me a week to do, and it ended up taking a month. The drywall I expected to take about two weeks all in and it took three months. Part of this was a lack of time in the evening and on weekends, but a lot of it was me slowly learning how to do the various jobs.

Apparently drywall professionals can hang, mud and tape the 3200 square feet of drywall I did in about a week. They do it with a fairly large crew of people. It took me three months with just help from your usual narrator and Uncle B from time to time. However, it cost about $2000 instead of over $9000. I am not sure what the electrical would have cost me to contract out, but I know I saved a lot.

It cost more:

I estimated the total remodel to this point would cost me $12,500. The actual cost was $18,938.93. with about $400 more to really get it to where I thought I would be at $12,500.(New florescent lights in the laundry room need to be purchased and installed.) I could collect receipts and determine exactly where I missed the estimate, but that would take more time than I really want to spend on this.

I did not budget for the garbage. Renting a truck and paying for dumping the basement garbage (between 3-4 tons of debris) ended up costing $751.96. I did not budget for that at all. Generally, costs for materials turned out to have been going up through the remodel process. The huge run up in housing costs and remodeling made it impossible for me to find help and cost me more in copper and other materials. With the housing market going down, I imagine my materials would cost a bit less today.

In hindsight:

I wish I would have purchased an pneumatic nail gun set first thing. A neighbor let me borrow theirs for the finish work, and it would have been nice to have used a larger one for the framing. Ultimately, I would have liked to have hired out the drywall entirely. However, you can see from above that I saved an awful lot doing it myself. It was probably worth it to do it myself, but I have wondered sometimes.

I also would have installed baseboard electric heaters in the back bedrooms. The forced air system doesn’t seem to get them as warm as we would like. The family room has the gas fireplace to warm it up. (It is fabulous!)

An average basement remodel cost $53,359 in the Western United States in 2005. Ours cost $18,938.93. I believe our basement remodel was better than average, but for comparison purposes, it looks like we saved $34,420.07.

That is a nice extra wage for 2007! Would I do something like this again? You bet! Relaxing in front of the gas fireplace makes it all worth it.

My ball gown was designed and created by Tamara, one of the co-authors of the La Mode Bagatelle Regency Wardrobe pattern package. It’s based on a gown featured in at least two different fashion periodicals from the early 1800s. I can’t post an original fashion plate because I don’t own one yet. (I lost out in an eBay bidding war for one earlier this summer … *grumble*). The original gown design was described as follows:

An empire waist gown with an overlayer studded in pearls and with ropes of pearls holding it shut. Accessories include a white shawl and beaded bracelets worn on the bicep.

After studying the fashion plates, Tamara made a petticoat, gown, and an overlayer. The lace overlayer is completely detachable from the rest of the gown so the main gown could easily be worn on its own or the overlayer could be worn with a different gown. The sleeves are open to allow the gown’s sleeves to show through. Paired bead strands hold the overlayer together. The skirt is fuller in the back than in the front but no train.

We decided on a few modifications. The original gown was white on white, but we chose pale pink satin for the gown, and pink lace for the overlayer. The lace we chose has a nice scalloped edge very similar to the overlayer border on the original fashion plates. Tamara added several decorative touches like the extra beading at the waistline and the ribbon trim on the sleeves, neckline, and at the waist. Project followers will note that the ribbon looks a little different on the finished product – originally Tamara was going to sew beads on the ribbon but changed her mind and wound a pair of thin cords around the ribbon instead. A few small beads were sewn into the lace as well for additional texture and to catch the light.

A friend made freshwater pearl strands to wear in my hair, and a pair of upper arm bracelets. The bracelets are carved rose quartz rounds alternating with round gold fill beads. Over-the-elbow gloves of white kid leather complete the accessories. I had planned to buy vintage gloves, but soon discovered that most of the older styles are too small for my hands. Luckily I found an eBay shop offering new gloves in modern sizes. Closeted Janeites (and customers with other uses for long leather gloves) will be pleased to know that the seller promises discreet shipping in a plain envelope, much to the Gimlet’s amusement.

The final fitting day was very exciting, and Thing Two wanted to dress up, too. Later he tried to share his beads with me. A little carried away by the fashion plate spirit, we attempted a mother and child photo, but Thing Two was uncooperative, to put it mildly. I am increasingly convinced that the serene cherubs in those old prints were stuffed and mounted, or perhaps cardboard cutouts.

The Gimlet Gallery has a few more pictures of the dress as seen at the JASNA AGM. Many thanks to Tamara for her creativity and craftsmanship, and many thanks to Linda for her generous and perfect finishing touches. The gown is gorgeous; I love how it turned out and am eager to find more reasons to wear it … thus far I’ve resisted the temptation to lounge around the house in it. Now, where did I hide those bonbons?

Time for a JASNA ball gown update! First, here’s a set of fabric, ribbon, and beads. The picture doesn’t really do justice to the ribbon. It’s actually mauve-colored, but looks gold when held at just the right angle. The ribbon will trim the neckline, sleeves, and skirt hem. Little beads will be sewn into the ribbon and lace to add some sparkle; the larger beads hold the lace overdress together across the front. Tamara is continually thinking of new ideas for the dress; after she sent me these samples she decided to add a layer of gold mesh to the underside of the lace to add substance and depth to the color. It looks stunning, and the combined fabric still has a nice classical drape to it. The mesh will also peek out from under the ribbon for a tiny ruffled effect.

The first fitting was last Friday. I wore the corset and petticoat while Tamara made adjustments to the petticoat, the bodice of the gown, and sections of the lace overdress. The overdress will be detachable so it can be worn with a different gown, or the gown itself can be worn alone. Given Jane Austen’s own fondness for mixing and matching her accessories to make multiple outfits, this is very appropriate.

The second fitting will be in a couple of weeks. Tamara’s enthusiasm for the project is infectious; I was already very excited to see how the gown will look, and now The Gimlet (!) has agreed to don a waistcoat and cravat for the banquet and ball.

Editor’s Note: Having successfully passed two bars, it should be no surprise that The Gimlet’s third bar was a breeze.

Done, done, done! (Except for the blinds, carpet on the stairs, and doors in front of the electrical panel and water shut off valve.) For once, this last phase was completed much faster than expected.

I drew a sketch of what we wanted for the bar. First I laid down a chalk line and then put the two cabinets in place. Then I cut the ¾” birch plywood to the proper size and nailed it to the cabinets and into place for the walls of the bar. Next I put ¾” plywood down as a base for shelf on one cabinet and as a base for a tile counter on the other cabinet. Finally, I put a piece of plywood over the bar area as a base for the tiling. Next came a plastic barrier, and Durock placed on top of the barrier. Taping and filing in the cracks with thinset got things ready for tiling. After setting the tile in place dry, tile was placed with thinset. I then put the wood trim on the bar, and followed up with grout. While waiting for the grout to dry, it was time to touch up paint.

I caulked a variety of joints between sections of molding and then brushed touch up paint throughout the basement. Next came preparing the floor for carpeting. Scraping the floor with a 10 inch drywall knife to break off chunks of dried mud followed by serious vacuuming with a bit of mopping prepared the floors.

Next I laid chalk lines to determine where to lay the carpet squares. After finding the place for the carpet squares and laying a row dry to make sure the placement worked, I rolled glue on the floor with a ¾” nap roller and started laying down carpet. This job took two evenings and on the second evening/night I was able to finish off the baseboards. Now that the floors were carpeted there was no place to store the baseboard lumber, so I had a good incentive to get that job done. I finished at midnight.

The next day I sealed the grout. Then … off to Utah on vacation, where I relaxed by watching the DIY Network. But I was mostly done.

On our first day back from vacation, I installed doorknobs throughout the basement and sealed the marble stone tiles on the countertop. The next day I installed the bar sink and have been checking it for leaks (None yet!). It is beautiful.

Trying to find time to do the last items has become difficult. I finally managed to extract some time from my schedule and put in the window surrounds and casement in the back bedrooms. The doors to the back bedrooms, work room, and laundry room followed. With the completion of the crown molding in the back bedrooms, I could take a short rest. Last night I scrubbed the floor in the laundry room and the location for the bar in the rec room. I hope to complete the bar soon, then caulking and touch up painting on the molding. That will leave the carpet and baseboards as a last major project.

The wood trim installation is going much more quickly than we planned. Thanks to our neighbor, who lent us his pneumatic nail gun, we were able to finish the trim in the family room in just two days. The west bedroom and work room should be completed soon, too. It’s surprising how well trim can show off contrasting wall and ceiling colors, and the fireplace surround benefits from a border as well. We’re very happy with how the room is turning out, and perhaps it is a testament to seventeen years of wedded bliss that we worked together on the trim with said nail gun, yet successfully refrained from using it on each other.

For the first time, the staircase has a nicotine-free, even color and no longer looks like it belongs in a horror movie. The family room glows with its new coat of paint as well. It’s already a very inviting space. While finishing the electrical work in the family room, The Gimlet questioned his sanity for setting up so many outlets, lights with dimmer switches, and speaker wires, but now that it’s done he looks forward to using them. We finally settled on a plan for the bar area and the cabinets and counter will be installed before the carpet is laid. The Gimlet says that the space above the fireplace is begging to be filled with a ginormous television, but KILZ has made him hear things before, so we’re not heading out to the store just yet. Instead, yesterday we purchased all the wood trim; as with the first floor remodel, The Gimlet will use the family room as a staging area to paint it, then install sills, door and window frames, crown molding, and baseboards in the finished rooms.

It’s so exciting to be in the final stages of this project; after finishing a set of rooms it’s a little difficult to re-motivate and repeat the messy business of mudding, taping, and painting for the remaining two (only two!) rooms.

For some fun, check out This Old House’s Home Inspection Nightmares galleries.