Construction Days 108-111

Well the distance between the three recessed lights by the cabinets is fixed.

But the fourth light somehow ended up wildly off the mark. whyyyyyyyyyy?????? why can’t everything just happen right, as if by magic, the first time. see that piece of blue painters tape? that’s supposed to be the location of the fourth light. magic, i want magic!

But overall, we are slowly but surely getting there. As of this morning, this is what our kitchen ceiling looks like:

we have started to move into the kitchen, and its taking us a minute (more like days and days).… Read the rest

How to: Fix Dings in Butcher Block

My beautiful black shiny counters were a bit of a causality in the whole ‘move kitchen cabinets 4″ down‘ exercise. I wasn’t really looking for a solution – I figured that just as well, it was bound to happen eventually, with use. But then I came across this post on Apartment Therapy, suggesting that it was possible to get dings out of wood counters. Intrigued, I decided to give it a whirl last night.… Read the rest

Construction days 105-107: too damn high

In every renovation, inevitably, mistakes happen. The worst though, is when you are close to done. Or when something has been there for weeks – months maybe – and you “just” notice it. Annnd it happened to us. We have started to use the kitchen just a bit– the new dishwasher was hooked up on Friday for us (works great!) So on Sunday I thought – hey why don’t I unload the dishwasher straight into our kitchen cabinets.… Read the rest

Voted!

Instead of a blog post this morning you get a PSA: GO VOTE! This was my first election — 2 hours outside our local election site (Dunbar HS), freezing feet, nose and hands — so worth it! As a naturalized citizen its really exciting to finally exercise the privilege of  casting a ballot.

DC voter warming up her hands after hours outside.

Photo by Sergey.

… Read the rest

Before and After: Bathroom

Our first official before and after. Finally, something finished and ready for the unveiling! That’s a great feeling :) When I look at these pictures that Sergey took, and especially when I compare to the before, I can’t quite believe we did this. One of the downsides of living through a renovation – particularly one that takes months – is that there is no official “reveal,” no quick door over. Its not like those HGTV shows when the homeowners get to leave and come back to a completely new space.… Read the rest

Construction Days 101-104

Slowly but surely we are making our way to completion. We lost one day of work (Tuesday) this week due to hurricane Sandy, mainly because driving conditions were terrible. Not much to show in terms of pictures – some electrical outlets, some moldings here and there. A bathroom door – hey cool!

Fluorescent lights (3′ and 2′ long) were installed in the recessed opening behind the bench. The plan is to place plexiglass over these in order to diffuse the light.… Read the rest

How to: Add a Touch of Brass

I have been trying to take care of the small things as we go along in the renovation – like touch ups and finishing touches – because I figure once we declare Phase II renovation done, its going to be really difficult to get around to small fixes and touch ups. This quick fix – adding a touch of brass to our faucets – one was super quick. In 20 minutes and with minimum materials and effort in the kitchen and half bath, I made a big difference in the finished look of our space.… Read the rest

How to: Oil, Wax & Buff Butcher Block

Well we have survived the frankenstorm that was Sandy, without flooding or loosing electricity. That was the best part of the hurricane. Another neat bit of freak weather events –all public transport typically shuts down in DC, which means that the offices are closed as well, and we get to telework from home. Which means that I got to oil, wax, and buff our beautiful island top during my lunch break.… Read the rest

Construction days 99-100(!)

Woot – there it is. 100 days. Mind you that’s working days, not counting weekends, a week-long break sometime in July or a break that we have between the end of phase I and start of phase II of this monster. renovation project. This weekend will mark exactly 6 months since we demolished the kitchen and began our camping adventure. I am ready to be done with that.I can’t say that I ever want to do it again, but I think counting the stress, dust, etc, we took it all in stride (hey, we are still married!)… Read the rest

Union Market, Washington DC

I was super excited when I learned about restoration of the Union Market, located conveniently near our house. It opened doors back in September, but we had not had a chance to check it out until last weekend. It’s less than a 20 minute walk for us, which is totally walkable in my book (I also walk 35 min to work there and back everyday, so some tell me that my perceptions are a bit skewed.… Read the rest