Saturday, November 27, 2010

Finally an Update!

It has been a long while since the last flip house update, so I have a lot of catching up to do!

In early November, Dad and Kyle finished up with the new exterior doors, as well as wrapping up a few other odds and ends around the house. We opted for a door without a window in the kitchen, and we like the privacy it gives. I heard that the wall of the house was not square when they put the door in, so they also had to fix the wall to get it right. Dad and Kyle did a great job!





Cory also began working on the beginning of the siding on the house. This was something we knew would be a huge improvement once finished, so we were very anxious to get it going and completed. We also wanted to get done with the siding before it got too cold outside, as the siding is not nearly as flexible once it gets cold. Cory had a heck of a time getting the first row of siding on, as he had to cut around water spigots and dryer vents and things. But his tenacity paid off, and he got the job done!





Kyle had worked with Dad all day, and it was time to go home, but he discovered a tail light out on his car. So he needed to work on that before he could leave, so of course I snapped pictures...:)



That same night, I decided it would be a good time to get the frame of the new front door painted, so to work I went. I am the painter of the crew...I don't mind actually. It's kind of relaxing to turn on some tunes and get into my zone. It was also kind of funny because it got dark before I was finished, and the neighbor down the street decided to mow his lawn with a flashlight. I was already kind of chuckling, and then his little daughter came outside and started throwing sticks around, and I laughed pretty good when I heard him tell her, "Do I need to have Mom come out here!?" And the little girl's immediate response was, "No!" You can see who wears the pants in that household! :)






Chad and Cory worked on getting some doors removed from the house and filling up the dumpster so it could be picked up full. They also did a wonderful job getting the new door knob and dead bolt put in.




The next big project was proceeding with siding the rest of the house. We first needed to tear off the old siding, which the girls stepped up to the plate and did. We ended up needing some help from Chad, and he impressed us with his quick siding removal skills. I guess we girls are still nice and delicate with the old siding, whereas the guys work with a mission in mind. We could take a lesson from them...hehe... However, we did work very hard getting that removed, nails pulled out, and debris picked up and dumped in the dumpster. So we did a good job... Pat on the back, girls!




While the girls worked on the west side of the house getting the old siding off, Dad and Cory started siding the east side of the house, while Chad worked on getting the stumps of the old bushes dug up and removed from the landscaping, and then he hopped on the pump jacks on the south side of the house and began removing siding along with Mom.









Everyone works very hard while they are at the flip house, so once in awhile we allow them all to take a quick break.



After a long day of work, the entire east side of the house and most of the north end are sided! Wow...what a difference!!!





Before we allowed Steph to quit for the day, though, she had to rake the backyard. Here she is...hard at work!




It was a great day full of much progress. After cleaning up the equipment, we took a moment to decide on dinner plans, and then we all headed to Boston's for a fun supper together!



I would also like to end with a disclaimer: I work very hard too. Even though you seldom see me in the pictures, don't be fooled. I am taking a quick photo opportunity so I can add some color to this blog. (In fact, I think I outwork all of them put together). Stay tuned for more updates to come! :)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Quick Post

It's been a few weeks since the last update on the blog. That is a sure sign of how busy life has been lately! We have had a lot of things going on at the flip house, and we are hopefully getting our outside list checked off and wrapped up soon. The weather is now getting cold after our being blessed with such great fall weather! I suppose winter is absolutely on it's way. We are also almost finishing up the electrical work in the house, which is being done by our go-to electrician. He has done work in Chad's parents' house, our house, and now the flip house. He does a great job! I will get pictures and more updates posted hopefully sometime this week either tomorrow night or Wednesday night. However, I will apologize now if it doesn't happen...:) Please stay tuned!

Monday, November 1, 2010

Window Magic

Saturday was a very fun day at the flip house! When we initially looked at this house, my vision was of a bay window in the living room to dress up the outside of the house as well as brighten up the inside. On Saturday, what I envisioned became a reality! Instead of a bay window, we opted for a bow window as we were able to get one in a standard size from Menards. I was so excited to start the day on Saturday, so I did go a little snap happy with the camera as we were installing the window. However, that's okay, as you will now have many photos for your viewing pleasure! :)

We started off the morning with Chad pulling old siding off the front of the house, and Dad and Cory worked on the framing for the new window from the inside of the house. Mom and I picked up Chad's siding scraps, and I also did some raking on the west side of the house.







We did have a couple of minor mishaps during the morning involving injuries. First it was me whose head walked right into the plank on the pump jack (Honestly, I really don't know how that thing jumped out in front of me like it did...), and then Cory dropped a hammer on Dad's head. It's lucky we have such hard heads I guess. My forehead and the top of Dad's head were each a little tender the next day. After all the injury commotion, Mom decided it was time for a break for some treats. She loves to dish out her homemade goods...:)


After a little sweetness, it was back to work we went.









Tada! Check out the cool view we now have from the living room! I'm loving it!!






Once the hole was cut in the wall, and we removed Dad's head, we could install the window! The guys grabbed the window from in the garage and got it into place. Wouldn't you know it - these guys are so good, the window was level right from the start!






Ahh...my bow window. What a beauty!


After the bow window was installed, Dad decided to take some time to decide how he wanted to make the roof over the window. While Dad was thinking, the guys started working on the kitchen windows. I was told that Cory was so excited when Dad gave the go-ahead to start on the kitchen, that he started dancing around in the living room. Yeah, he's my brother, but I'm not sure if should admit it or not...

Again, the guys starting removing the old siding around the kitchen windows and then removed the windows. Dad and Cory decided to pose on their throne...


Cory demonstrated to Mom and me how badly the old windows had been installed. You could literally pull the studs off with your bare hands.


Two special visitors to the house on Saturday were Chad's parents! Arvid and Marj were able to stop by the house for awhile to visit with all of us and see the progress we were making on the house. Chad and Arvid ended up running to Menards for some more 2x4s, and the rest of us stayed at the house working and visiting. I thought it would be a fun picture for Chad and his parents to pose in front of the new bow window together!








Now this is how you properly frame in windows!








And we have kitchen windows!








Now that all the new windows are in, as well as the new front door, we are starting to get really excited about the progress! Tomorrow Dad and Kyle will be at the house in the morning, and Cory will join them in the afternoon. They are going to get the new kitchen/back door installed, and maybe get a start on some corners for the new siding. Since no one will have a camera during the day tomorrow (unfortunately I don't think my boss will let be skip paying the bills just so I can take some flip house photos), I will just have to take pictures of the finished products instead of the work in progress. It is really exciting to be seeing all the fun new features lately...and we will definitely see more tomorrow!