Sanding Galore

So we get to the house on Saturday around 10, and instantly smell this rotting smell in the bathroom. Our first thought is that something is wrong with the plumbing- the toilets have not been used for the past 2 years, and maybe they can't handle being in use again! Then, we realize that there is a dead rat in the walls! EW!
On Saturday we got all of the sanding done in the living room- the baseboards and windows, I mean (we will save the floor for later). The house is SO dusty now!



We also had some visitors! My cousin Haley and her husband Chad came and checked out the home. Hopefully, Chad will be able to help us with our bathroom renovations. Also, our great friends Casi, Sonny, and our future friend Asher (right now he is little bun in the oven) came to help out- what a treat! Sonny went to sanding, while Casi and I finished with the wallpaper. BTW, if you ever need to remove wallpaper, buy wallpaper removal in a spray bottle! Water simply doesn't cut it.

That about covers it! We were there all day- sanding takes forever, as I have said several times already. Hopefully this upcoming weekend, we will be there both Saturday and Sunday!

HUGE Blessing!

Insurance is paying for a whole new roof, plus a new roof for the garage! They are also paying to fix all of the water damage in the home, including new paint! This will save us so much money!

Daniel has been going to work on the house after work, seeing as it is only 4 miles away from Total Plaza. Now, the floors are all ready to be sanded. We are going to work on the house all day Saturday, with our friends Casi and Sonny (and hopefully David!).

Also, on Saturday my cousin's husband, Chad, is coming to see if he can help us renovate our master bathroom. Him and his father have done beautiful work with other homes, and my fingers are crossed that he can help us out! http://www.milliscustomhomes.com/

Small and Tedious

I will probably say this every post from now on, but the smallest little details take the longest! I felt a little discouraged today because I felt like I wasn't even making a dent! My brother and his girlfriend, Meisha, along with my mom, Daniel, and I arrived to the house later than planned- around 10:45. I didn't even know where to begin! While Daniel started sanding down floor boards (BTW- it takes about 45 minutes to sand 2 feet!), Meisha and I cleaned the walls with clorox. FILTHY! The water was coming down in brown streaks! The dirtiest room was the old smoking room- everything is stained brown. We cleaned those walls twice, and they are still so gross looking. At least they can be primed and painted- no one will notice then! My brother went around and took down all of the old air vents. They are 100% disgusting and Daniel, being a bit of a germophobe, cannot bare with them being in our home! My mom cleaned the bathroom and kitchen really well. Around 11:45. the Bond's showed up! David got to work sanding, allowing for Daniel to punch some nails through the wood floors, to prepare for those to be sanded. Meisha, Nanette, and Gregory got to taking in the rest of the staples in the floor. My Dad, along with my sister and her friend Darcy, showed up around 1:30. The girls helped take down wallpaper- huge help! The termite inspector came and, of course, told me I needed to buy $2000 worth of termite prevention. The house hasn't had termites thus far, so I'm not going to worry about it!

Teeny, tiny staple by Mason's toe. I do not know HOW the kids got these out- it took me 20 minutes to get six! They were really wedged in the floor. BTW- the splotches on the floor are all paint. We can easily sand this.


Yellow paint under the floral wallpaper. Thank the Lord that only one wall has wallpaper- this took the girls forever!

Sanded down window. 2 whole windows sanded- just 10 more to go! They take FOREVER
Me in my sanding getup. My face was covered in peeled paint, by the end of the day!

About 2 feet of sanded floor board. We have this in 5 rooms! Probably 100 feet of it to go.

The windows, before being sanded. They are covered in peeled paint and debris. Yuck!

Thank you Gregory, Meisha, Madeline, Darcy, Mom, Dad, David, Nanette, and Mason for all of your hard work! We appreciate it SO much!

Blisters and Bruises

Oh man, am I exhausted! Today Daniel and I, along with our generous family, worked at the house from 9-4:30! I had no idea how long it would take to get the floors ready to be sanded. I thought that we could just walk in, take the carpets out, and then we'd be done. Oh no, no, no, no, no. For some reason, 80 years ago my family thought it would be a good idea to staple the carpet every 6 inches! So Nanette, Cindy, Donna, Memaw, and I spent the whole day taking 80 yr old staples out of the wooden floors! My thumb has a huge blister on it, my back hurts, and my eyes are seeing double...but it feels good getting so much work done! Meanwhile, Daniel, his brothers, dad, and my dad went to the dump, cut up all the vegetation, fixed some of the roof, tore down old kitchen cabinets, and much more!



Nanette and I taking staples out of the first bedroom. We have 3 more bedrooms to go after this!
There was actually a hole in the wall...and David found the remains of the hole in the bushes! Yay...all fixed! Also, you can tell my Dad cut up A LOT of the dead plants and trees. He worked so hard today!
This will be our bedroom.
There were book cases here, and Daniel and the rest of the men tore them out because they STUNK! Turns out there is a crack in the windows, that caused water to leak in. We found mold, and possibly some toxic asbestos. We will create a wall to cover the remains of the shelves!
Living room! Pretty, pretty floors.

Thank you Aunt Donna, Aunt Cindy, Memaw, Nanette, David, Justin, Mason, Kristen, Bridget, and of course, Dad. We couldn't have done this without you and are SO appreciative of your help!

We are going back Monday. We have a meeting with the terminator inspector, plus we are cleaning and taking off some molding off the walls. Anyone want to help?

Unexpected accomplishments

This morning, my dad and I left around lunch time to take my wonderful Mimi out to lunch, before going to the home for the termite inspection. We had to get the key from Mimi, and since she lives so close to this home, it was easy to go out to eat too! We brought some trash bags just in case we had to wait for the exterminator, so we could work after lunch. Well, We got to the home at 1 and worked non-stop until 5! The termite inspector called and canceled 10 minutes after she was supposed to be there. We planned to just throw trinkets away, but we ended up clearing EVERYTHING out of the home and putting it at the side of the house.



While waiting for the exterminator, we also decided to start pulling up the carpet. As you saw in earlier pictures, the carpet was green and filthy. Look what was underneath it! Beautiful red oak hardwoods- original from the 1920's!
Since we weren't planning on doing this, we didn't have tools to take the nails out. Considering these have yet to be sanded down and varnished, they look beautiful! Why would anyone want to cover it up?
The exterminator was supposed to come between 1-5...so of course he came at 4:45! Look at the rat nest! He said that the rats are baseball sized! He did a great job and is coming back in a month to bomb the whole attic with poison! Can't wait!
Tomorrow my dad and I are going to go look at different kitchen restoration options. I'll keep you posted!

The Pictures I promised

Thank you, David, for sending these to me so quickly!

I used to stand in this exact same place and look up at the night sky for Rudolph on Christmas Eve! Someone usually had binoculars in their Christmas sac from Aunt Kathryn.



We will take down the mirror. Wouldn't it look cool to cover the fireplace in stones? Carpet will be gone, walls a neutral light brown. Side note- can you see the work we have cut out for us on Saturday? There is a lot to be thrown away!



As you can see, the carpet is very green and very filthy. It will be gone on Saturday! We will replace that really long hanging light fixture with a fan.


Adorable bathroom. Not a lot of work needs to be done here, just replace the toilet and possibly add a shower nozzle to the bathtub. A perfect, historic, Heights bathroom!


The kitchen. We will have to buy a fridge, dishwasher, and stove. We might replace the counter tops with granite. The floor is awful- just kinda ugly. It is this plastic fake looking stone pattern thing. Sorry Aunt K- it will be replaced with tile!

Yes, This is Happening!

We are getting a home! And it isn't just any type of home...it's my great grandparent's home from 1926.
My own grandpa, Sonny, was born there in 1929. My great Aunt Kathryn had been living there, until recently, for the past 40+ years, taking care of her parents, raising her daughter, hosting Christmas parties, and living life. My father has fond memories of spending the weekends there with his siblings and cousin Diane, playing in the (rat infested) attic and getting into trouble. My own favorite memories involve going there on Christmas eve, playing on the antique piano and opening Aunt Kathryn's infamous Christmas sacks.
Now, Aunt Kathryn is older and living with her daughter in Katy. The house has been on the market for a while, but it needs a lot of work done. That is where Daniel and I come in!
As some of you know, Daniel and his dad are quite handy. I'm convinced Mr. Bond can fix up ANYTHING, and Daniel isn't too shabby himself! This house is full of memories, and I am excited to keep the home in our family!
So, this blog is dedicated to all of the work we will be doing to our new home. I will be posting pictures tonight or tomorrow of the home, rat nests and all! Here is a week itinerary of what Daniel and I will be doing.

Wednesday- Along with my dad, I will be going to the home for a termite inspection. Also, we will get rid of the rat family living in the attic. My dad is convinced that these rats' ancestors made the attic their home, as well, when he was a child. Byebye, suckers!
Saturday- HUGE day! We will be saving $500 bucks, due to using the Bond's trailer instead of renting a dumpster. There is still A LOT of junk in the house that we will be throwing away. Plus, we will be trashing all of the carpet. Keep your fingers crossed for beautiful hardwood floors!


I guess if the exterminator can't come, then we could just let Doodoo head loose in the attic?

Mmmm, rats!

Here is the link to check out the outside of the home.

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