We just came back from our first vacation since purchasing the house one year ago, and we relished every moment of it! We had a wonderful 10 day adventure in the Pacific Northwest - Seattle, Olympic National Park, Vancouver Island, Vancouver, San Juan Island, and back to Seattle. Tomorrow we are back to our day jobs and back to the housework. Stay tuned for the "Front Yard Transformation: Fugly to Fabulous".
Monday, May 31, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
HofB Anniversary
It seems hard to believe that it's been almost one year since we purchased the House of BAM. That's almost 365 days of trying to figure out how to polish this gem-in-the-rough house. And so far, we feel pretty good about what we've accomplished on our own with a pretty tight budget.
But now it's time we take our brains and brawn outside. Why? When we walk from one end of the block down to our house, checking out our neighbor's property along the way, we simultaneously laugh and cringe when we see our place last. Our yard is FUGLY!
The best thing about the front yard is our old oak tree. As for the rest of front yard - it looks like a rough motley crew of scruffy vagabonds. There's a couple of weird, hacked-up ornamental bushes, a little maple tree out of place, an elm that insists on hanging out in the middle of the hostas and lillies of the valley, and a really dumpy looking dwarf spruce. Sorry fellas, you just have to go.
Plus, after the brutal winter, the walkway and porch have been reduced to chunks of cement just trying to stay together.
I have to admit that we were a little brilliant, because last fall we hired a landscape designer at Gertens to give us a plan on how to take our yard from FUGLY to FABULOUS, or at least to pretty good. We have the plan, and now that the warmer months of Minnesota have arrived, it's time we put that plan into action. Yeah, that's right, we're going to try to do as much as we can on our own. Stay tuned!
But now it's time we take our brains and brawn outside. Why? When we walk from one end of the block down to our house, checking out our neighbor's property along the way, we simultaneously laugh and cringe when we see our place last. Our yard is FUGLY!
The best thing about the front yard is our old oak tree. As for the rest of front yard - it looks like a rough motley crew of scruffy vagabonds. There's a couple of weird, hacked-up ornamental bushes, a little maple tree out of place, an elm that insists on hanging out in the middle of the hostas and lillies of the valley, and a really dumpy looking dwarf spruce. Sorry fellas, you just have to go.
Plus, after the brutal winter, the walkway and porch have been reduced to chunks of cement just trying to stay together.
I have to admit that we were a little brilliant, because last fall we hired a landscape designer at Gertens to give us a plan on how to take our yard from FUGLY to FABULOUS, or at least to pretty good. We have the plan, and now that the warmer months of Minnesota have arrived, it's time we put that plan into action. Yeah, that's right, we're going to try to do as much as we can on our own. Stay tuned!
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wanted: Bathtub Exorcist
Our bathtub never really excelled in draining water. It was always a bit slow, but we tried to remedy that with a trap to fit over the drain and occasionally using a jug of 10 Minute Draino. Then one day the bathtub drain gave up. The shower water wasn't going anywhere.
We first took to the drain with a manual snake auger, and while it pulled up some hideous stuff, the water was still pooling in the tub. Then, Sam grabbed the plunger. Out shot black evil crud out of the drain, which reminded us of the projectile vomit by the possessed girl in the "Exorcist." It was horrible.
Still, no luck. That meant bathing was to take place in the kitchen sink, temporarily or indefinitely, depending on what help we could get from the professionals.
The first guy who showed up at the house was armed to clean all of the crap from the drain. What he soon discovered was a bit of history hidden by a recently installed tub-surround. Now, tub-surrounds can be a convenient option - you just stick the whole unit in the bathroom, and presto! for not a whole lot of money you have a whole fiberglass tub/shower that is easy to maintain. We're really not in love with the tub-surround the previous owner chose. It's a purple-grey faux marble that clashes with the wonderfully vintage green tile. But, more importantly, when they installed the tub-surround, they never bothered to update the pipes. The vintage green tile goes with the vintage water trap behind the tub. We were told to call another plumber.
Day two of a kitchen-sink bath.
The second plumber, who we begged to come over, got the heads up on the water trap. He told us that these things date back 70, 80, 100 years ago, and it's now illegal to put in residential buildings. He also said that the only way to get the trap cover off is with C-4. Ha! Maybe he didn't read the rules of the house, but no one is allowed to use explosives inside, unless s/he is a representative of BAM. The plumber grumbled the whole time he replaced the water trap and installed a new section of pipe. When that was fixed, our hopeful selves asked if we could finally use the tub. Nope. He was a plumber, not a drain cleaner. Are you KIDDING me? Besides, he didn't bring an electric auger.
The third guy, in a flash, came to the house, finished cleaning the pipes, and literally ran out of the house. Sam had to chase after him, because he didn't reinstall the drain. Hurriedly, he screwed it into the drain hole, and took off. Ok, that's simple enough, but what about this ball of plumbers putty? Sam consulted our trusty DIY Homeowners book, and the editors are big fans of using the plumbers putty.
After redoing the drain job and scrubbing off the dried-up evil black vomit in the tub, we turned on the water. HALLELUJAH. The water is going down that drain in a lovely tornado! No more kitchen baths! No more getting odd looks at work because of our disheveled and greasy appearances!
So, after all of that, when we were fresh and clean, we mused about how much we appreciate the plumbers and drain cleaners that deal with shit and make our lives comfortable. We heart you plumbers.
We first took to the drain with a manual snake auger, and while it pulled up some hideous stuff, the water was still pooling in the tub. Then, Sam grabbed the plunger. Out shot black evil crud out of the drain, which reminded us of the projectile vomit by the possessed girl in the "Exorcist." It was horrible.
Still, no luck. That meant bathing was to take place in the kitchen sink, temporarily or indefinitely, depending on what help we could get from the professionals.
The first guy who showed up at the house was armed to clean all of the crap from the drain. What he soon discovered was a bit of history hidden by a recently installed tub-surround. Now, tub-surrounds can be a convenient option - you just stick the whole unit in the bathroom, and presto! for not a whole lot of money you have a whole fiberglass tub/shower that is easy to maintain. We're really not in love with the tub-surround the previous owner chose. It's a purple-grey faux marble that clashes with the wonderfully vintage green tile. But, more importantly, when they installed the tub-surround, they never bothered to update the pipes. The vintage green tile goes with the vintage water trap behind the tub. We were told to call another plumber.
Day two of a kitchen-sink bath.
The second plumber, who we begged to come over, got the heads up on the water trap. He told us that these things date back 70, 80, 100 years ago, and it's now illegal to put in residential buildings. He also said that the only way to get the trap cover off is with C-4. Ha! Maybe he didn't read the rules of the house, but no one is allowed to use explosives inside, unless s/he is a representative of BAM. The plumber grumbled the whole time he replaced the water trap and installed a new section of pipe. When that was fixed, our hopeful selves asked if we could finally use the tub. Nope. He was a plumber, not a drain cleaner. Are you KIDDING me? Besides, he didn't bring an electric auger.
The third guy, in a flash, came to the house, finished cleaning the pipes, and literally ran out of the house. Sam had to chase after him, because he didn't reinstall the drain. Hurriedly, he screwed it into the drain hole, and took off. Ok, that's simple enough, but what about this ball of plumbers putty? Sam consulted our trusty DIY Homeowners book, and the editors are big fans of using the plumbers putty.
After redoing the drain job and scrubbing off the dried-up evil black vomit in the tub, we turned on the water. HALLELUJAH. The water is going down that drain in a lovely tornado! No more kitchen baths! No more getting odd looks at work because of our disheveled and greasy appearances!
So, after all of that, when we were fresh and clean, we mused about how much we appreciate the plumbers and drain cleaners that deal with shit and make our lives comfortable. We heart you plumbers.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Before & After
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Disgusting Scat
Remember the original mail slot? First, it was too small for standard size envelopes and magazines. Second, our bird friend left his scat all over the slot cover, making it a health hazard for the mail carrier and us. After we attached the new mailbox, covering up the mail slot, we thought our problems were solved. Our mail was intact and the box was safe to handle.
Then this happened:
Our bird friend came back and let 'er rip all over the new mailbox. Day after day he would perch and shamelessly drop his load. Does he think no one wouldn't notice?
Even though he was a cute little shitter, he had to go - and we didn't want to employ an exterminator, poison, or a BB gun. The most PETA friendly option was to put up plant netting, and even though it looks a little odd, no more scat!
Then this happened:
Our bird friend came back and let 'er rip all over the new mailbox. Day after day he would perch and shamelessly drop his load. Does he think no one wouldn't notice?
Even though he was a cute little shitter, he had to go - and we didn't want to employ an exterminator, poison, or a BB gun. The most PETA friendly option was to put up plant netting, and even though it looks a little odd, no more scat!
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
In Love
We have an apple tree! We didn't know we had an apple tree, until one day APPLES showed up! Glorious red-green apples!
They have a sweet, tart, crisp bite - pretty good for eating right off of the stem. But, they are DELICIOUS baked. Smother them in raisins, butter, and brown sugar OR bake them under a pile of old fashioned oats, butter, brown sugar and cinnamon ... and serve with vanilla ice cream/custard. OH MY GOODNESS.
I am totally in love with our apple tree.
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