VIB in 21 century

We made it! its been all cool over here at VIB for the last 2 days (and hopefully for good). I am happy to report that the fridge is also working very well.

Here’s a re-cap of how it went. We used Argent –out of 5 estimates, only Argent and one other firm pointed out the need for a hot air intake upstairs. Sure, we spent extra to put that in, but what’s the point of CAC if it doesn’t work upstairs where you sleep?… Read the rest

WOHOOOO

A/C unit has been delivered. that means its HAPPENING. cool air is coming.

today the unit is supposed to start functioning, tomorrow will be construction of an intake valve to suck the in the hot air upstairs. happy happy.

i am lucky to have job where i can take days to work from home, so i am supervising (and writing this up during a quick break) and will be writing up about the experience.… Read the rest

cast iron beauty

The VIB is pretty lucky to have the original cast iron stairs at the entrance.

Unfortunately, the iron is looking pretty rough in spots (worse yet, eroded at parts) and I wouldn’t be surprised if it hasn’t been touched since 1897. To prevent further damage, the rust has to be stripped and new anti-rust primer and paint reapplied.

Without further ado, here’s what we spent a good amount of time during 4th of july weekend doing:

 

1) remove rust by scrubbing spots with a wire brush – we used wire brush attachments for an electric hand-held drill.… Read the rest

Chalk Board

Over the long weekend I wanted to take some time to get a few quick projects done, to feel more accomplished (it helps really!)

It has been hard to keep track of all the things we want and need to do, and we always end up picking up and leaving projects here and there. So Sergey decided that we needed a to-do list that is always in place – a chalk board!… Read the rest

Happy Long Weekend Everyone!

In celebration of nation’s birth day, AT blogged “The Best of Washington D.C.” for design world.

They missed the mark a bit by not including my ultimate favorite, Ruff and Ready, and another go-to source, The Brass Knob/Warehouse (and placing Miss Pixie’s -another really good one!- in Adams Morgan instead of 14th st), but its still pretty nifty. They also have a rather long list of stores around D.C.… Read the rest