The Real Side Of Home Renovation

Things have been going fairly well with the condo renovation.  Progress seems to be going a at snails pace, but still on track with no major surprises - until now.  We knew it was coming.  It always does in a home renovation.

During our inspection, we suspected that the HVAC and hot water heater were going to need something. Being the optimist that I am (haha), I was hoping for a little freon and a good cleaning.  Turns out neither work properly.  Who knows with the HVAC and most likely a burned out element in the water heater (according to Al).

The HVAC service came out to inspect the HVAC unit.  It was completely out of freon and a little dirty.  The unit seems to be the original unit to the apartment/condo (optimism fading) but it was checked for leaks, filled up with freon and a good cleaning.  They would check back next week to see if the freon was holding.

You guessed it.  Theydidn't even need to wait a week.  If the freon leaks down far enough, the outside compressor will shut off as a safety feature but the inside air will still blow.  I guess I should have mentioned that this is an electric system around 15 years old.  I don't know the details.  Two days later, I turn on the system, patiently watch the outside fan (yes, I am that person) - nothing!  Al goes out and hits the reset button on the compressor and it starts.  We call the HVAC service.

Turns out there are several tiny leaks on the outside compressor.  Replace!  No holes inside.  Probably should replace anyway for energy efficiency and warranty.  Decisions.

Good news!  Al replaced one the heating elements in the hot water heater!  Next, he has to drain the water heater and replace the other - fingers crossed.

Now to make the decision about the HVAC.  This is really a no brainer.  The entire thing should be replaced.  This way, we could be energy efficient with a warranty. I also heard about a germicidal ultraviolet light that can be installed in the cooling/heating system.  The gadget looks something like this.

It is supposed to improve the quality of the air inside your house.  There are forums out there with mixed reviews.  You can find some here - Germicidal UV for cooling/heating reviews.  While I don't think this would have much of an effect on pollen and dander, I do think it might improve the overall quality of the air. I'm intrigued and plan to do more research.

Another little gadget that I've found is a thermostat called The Nest.

Hannah and I saw it at Lowe's.  The marketing video did it's job and had us fascinated.  It runs about $300 and is totally not in the budget!  It basically learns your lifestyle in about a week and sets your house temperature accordingly.  In the long run, it saves you money on your heating and air cost.  My first thought about this gadget is that it isn't for us.  Someone is always coming and going in our house.  We leave for the day, but my mother comes a few hours later to babysit our Yorkie, Cookie.  Home from school, back out, you get the idea of a busy family with kids.  I'm not sure this thing would ever learn our lifestyle.  Still, it is really cute and you can control it from your smartphone!  I guess I should mention that there seems to be some issues with it coming back on after a power outage and finding certain wi-fi routers.  Maybe we can wait for the 3rd or 4th generation when all the "bugs" are out, but it sure is cute and modern.

Creating A Walk In Closet

One thing we knew we wanted to do at the purchase of the condo was to create a walk in closet for the second bedroom - AKA - Hannah's room.  This bedroom has access to the bathroom through a small area with two closets facing one another.  Both closest were fairly small and had the original, metal bi-fold doors.


Right Side Closet




Left Side Closet



Having two closets did offer extra space, but I thought a walk in closet would be more functional, especially for a growing girl.  Plus, so much space was wasted in the top of the closet behind the sheet rock over the doors.


Left side with doors and sheet rock removed. Already opens up the space.




Right side with doors and sheet rock removed.



Opening up the space automatically created the feel of a walk in closet.  The space already had one door going into the bathroom and needed a second door to close off the closet from the bedroom.  Today, Al framed a door on the bedroom side creating the walk in closet.







Now he needs to hang sheet rock and a door.  The plan is to customize the inside for a great walk in closet with access from both the bathroom and bedroom.  I will reveal before and after when it is complete.

Demo Continues

I may be getting too old for this.  Most of the work is being done on the weekend because Al and I have real jobs to go to during the week.  Since we are in a condo, there is a time limit in the evening that we can make noise. That makes after hours work limited.  Needless to say, things are going a bit slow for my high paced mind.

On a different note, Al was not looking forward to moving the disgusting, filthy appliances and cabinets down the stairs and hauling them off.  He decided to post them to the "free" category on Craigslist.  Amazingly, before he could recheck the post, he had FIVE responses to come and get them!  The next day, two guys showed up and hauled off old appliances and cabinets - for free!  This really helped with the disposal budget (free is always nice on a budget).  I think I'm going to try to sell the matching kitchen and dining room light on Craigslist.  They are still available to purchase new at Lowe's and are in good condition.

We also got a chance to meet with the engineer.  He poked his head around in the ceiling in several places and feels that taking out the fireplace will not be a big deal.  Yippee!!  Since we are in a condo, I spoke with the HOA coordinator, Valerie, and she says that the engineer will need to draft a letter.  She will submit the letter to the HOA board.  They will sign off and approve the removal of the fireplace.  She also said they may want to come out and take a look before signing off.  More waiting, but really glad that the fireplace can be removed.

Today, I'm going to sand interior doors.  We bounced back and forth the idea of using the old doors and hardware or purchasing new.  Since this is a condo renovation on a shoestring budget, we made the decision to try and salvage everything possible.  The doors are solid and plain with simple brushed nickel hardware.  This should be nice for the modern decor that we are going for.  Plus, they are in good condition.

My job today is to take down the high spots and get them smooth.  I will be using a power hand sander with fine and ultra-fine grit.  Thankfully, there are only seven of them!

Big Demo Day

Lots of things happened today at the condo.  First, we removed everything.  Cabinets, baseboards, door trim, flooring, countertops, sinks, blinds and one toilet.  Well, almost removed.  The dumpster is coming soon, so all of the disgusting stuff is patiently waiting by the door to be hauled off.  The place looks like a bomb went off.  If you've never done a complete gut renovation, it can be a little scary.  Hannah has decided that the place is "gross" and refuses to enter.  Cookie, our Yorkie, feels the same and sat by the door with a terrorized look on her face.  As for me, I'm excited!!  Although it looks (and smells) terrible, I can see where the new will be and I can't wait!!  Clearly, demolition and renovation is not for everyone.

We also met some of our neighbors today.  They seem like a really nice group.  Consensus is that the place is very quiet (relief) and the location can't be beat.  You know what they say about real estate.  Location, location, location.

Best news is that we didn't find any surprises waiting for us during the demolition.  Just a few minor imperfections that were expected.  We took a peek in the fireplace wall and the partition wall between the kitchen and dining room. It looks like we should be able to take them out.  The engineer comes next week to give the final say.  Still holding my breath on that one.

Back To Work At The Condo

Popcorn ceiling and 7mm laminate flooring

The busy weekend was great.  Hannah celebrated her birthday, and her performance with the Charleston Youth Company was outstanding.  Now, it's back to work at the condo.  Al scraped off the remaining popcorn ceiling!  Our first task (of hundreds) is complete.  Lucky, we didn't find any surprises hiding under the popcorn.  We decided to forego gutting the kitchen for now.  Instead, we started to pull up the laminate flooring.  

The current floor is a 7mm laminate, floating plank with the thinnest underlay that you can buy.  While the color is nice, the quality is poor.  Plus, I'm not particularly fond of the textured grain look. We found a great deal on flooring, but more on that later.  Once the floor is removed, we get to take a peek behind that fireplace to see if it can come down.  Fingers crossed!