Tons of progress made this week!
T H E B O Z E M A N C R E W
(aka Gramma and Grampa from Montana)
arrived with their usual determination and energy
to get down, get dirty, and make it all look so easy.
Yep. They traded this:
For this:
remember the exponentially growing subfloor problem in the living room?
No more worries, uneven floors, or shih-tzus tumbling
into the basement thanks to the husband
and his nimble, pose-striking daddy-o.
Meanwhile, Gramma was often high.
On ladders, kids!
White-i-fy-ing walls with paint.
remember the basement's 'galactic eye cabbage?'
She wasn't havin' it. Get down, Gramma, get down,
after all, how much more gratifying is covering
basement eye cabbage than cycling in paradise at home:
Gram proceeded to transform, I think, absolutely every
room in the whole cottage by cleaning up messes,
hauling out trash, smashing up tile, extracting nails,
and the list goes on and on...you wouldn't believe
this reno-ssance lady's talents (she also sings and dances)!
Remember the main bath demo halted by subfloor drama?
Game on, baby.
The cast iron tub went in and cement board went up.
Keep in mind, there is still no air conditioning,
and temps were in the 90's this week...
Despite the heat,
the guys installed subway tile (4 x 12s).
the tile team drenched in sweat and mortar
Then they installed hexagon marble flooring and...
oak beadboard on the walls.
While my husband saved the world at work,
OUR BITCHEN BOZEMAN CREW
outdid themselves destroying awful barf-hued entry tile
with sledgehammer, saw, and muscle.
Wow! Here it is now in particle board glory.
They found tile demo so enjoyable, they moved
on to our wee laundry room and tore up
that evil floor too.
I painted walls, sanded/primed/
dreamed up a cost effective facelift for the staircase,
met with the hardwood flooring guy, and spent
a ton of money on appliances, vanities,
sinks, faucets, tile...
We occasionally allowed our guests to eat and view the
Tour de France, and Gram and I even
strolled in the rain through one of my favorite gardens:
Beautiful Japanese gardens offer everything the
work site is missing...
peace, fresh air, and beauty.
However, thanks to the great help, we are
well on our way to capturing those qualities
at the cottage...we can never thank you enough,
Grampa and Gramma.
Before they fled crazycottage town, the in-laws managed
to remove and salvage half of the wood floor in the kitchen
(hated to lose this beautiful maple but water damage
and design plans required it) and rip out the whirlpool
and platform shown above...woo hoo!
Lessons learned in Week 3:
*I am gay for white paint. Love buckets of latex joy just rule.
*You're the one in charge of design decisions
and not everyone grasps the vision?
Be strong and poised for the B-word (not that it gets
uttered, but you see it in their eyes at times).
*Citizens of Montana possess superhuman endurance.
*Sticking to a tight budget?
Helps to keep design plans loose to take advantage of
clearance sales and incentives...I scored the oak beadboard
for 75% off and ordered appliances offering a 10% rebate.
Alternatively, forget budget and snag a second job via Craigslist
(there are folks seeking a "beard mentor," "Jedi labor inducer"
and "someone who will velcro me to their body
and jog because I despise exercise.")
Coming soon:
Kitchen and master bath demo,
choosing wood flooring,
and HELLO CENTRAL AIR!
Please come join me
in this DIY adventure by
clicking here for all my fixer upper update posts!
(And thanks for subscribing here so you don't miss an episode.)
Thanks for indulging us on our nutty adventure,
and peace to you right where you are.
