Surprise! Let's Start a Kitchen Reno...

A few Fridays ago we finished up our deck renovation project thanks to the assistance of our AMAZING families, J was on cloud nine. The deck has been haunting him since last summer and we knew it needed to be fixed. But at nearly 1,000 sq ft, it's huge and we knew it would be a demanding task.

We went to bed Friday night feeling so great that the last BIG check off our renovation to-do list was completed and we'd be enjoying it all summer long. Fast forward to Saturday morning when we woke up early with time to go out to breakfast before our all day childbirth prep class.... 

Me: "J, what is that noise? Did you leave the pool filter on last night?" (Proceed to open the window and realize that no, it's not the pool filter.)

J: Runs downstairs thinking the heating pipe he patched in the downstairs half bath was leaking again. (Ya, never got around to sharing that story...but the ceiling was torn out of the half bath on our first floor after a few leaks from the upstairs guest bath)

J: "OH MY GOD. Efffff. #$%!!@#$!!"

Me: "Oh no." Run downstairs and see it literally raining in our kitchen. Every recessed light and pendant light pouring out water from the ceiling. Floor soaked, stools soaked, counters soaked, etc.

A view of the ceiling once we had the water shut off

Uh, yeah...didn't see this one coming!

Once we got the water shut off, we assessed the damage. **PS - know where your water shut off valve is. I cannot stress that enough. The pipe leak had nothing to do with our renovations, and everything to do with it just being an old pipe - This could happen to anyone.**

The water went through the kitchen floor and down into our basement too... 

Then we figured out where the leak was located - in a wall between our master bathroom and guest bathroom. And I just about died when I thought we'd need to rip out all of our hardwork in the master bathroom. Not a needed stress right now!

Yes, that tiny hole created a whole lot of damage!

But this is why we pay for home insurance. Our issue was a pipe that simply corroded. Yes, this little pinhole created a whole lot of damage during the overnight hours. Seriously, thank god we were home and caught this as quickly as we did.

So this is what our kitchen looks like today... and I'm 38 weeks pregnant...

 

What needs to be done?

• New wiring and lighting for all of the recessed lights in the kitchen
• New pendant lights
• New insulation and sheetrock for the kitchen ceiling
• New tile flooring in the kitchen - which spreads to the front door and over into the half bath
• We've decided to also have them update the hardwood floors in our dining room to the same tiles since its all one open space and the current threshold between the kitchen tile and dining room floor is very awkward
• A new stove installed - most of the water came down right over our stove which now makes the most annoying pilot clicking noise, and doesn't stop, until you're done cooking
• New insulation in the ceiling in the basement

Thankfully, insurance and our contractor have agreed on what needs to be done and everyone is well aware of our impending stork arrival. But we can only speed things up so much - we've been given an estimate of 2-3 weeks worth of work. Wah. Which won't get start until next week. Double wah!

Not exactly sure why it can take so long, the tile work I suppose. But seeing as I can't stand the current tiles in the kitchen and they're now getting replaced, I will make this work!

I'll do my best to post updates/design choices along the way. We've decided to go with faux wood tiles for the new floors and I cannot wait to see how they turn out (especially after reading posts like this).

We've accepted the fact that each design decision we make in this kitchen seems to make the cabinets look more and more orange...so a new backsplash and painted cabinets will be happening at some point....ambitiously hoping it will be later this year. ;)

Fall Home Maintenance: The Chimney

Quick Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. More details provided below.

A couple weeks ago I shared our plans on hiring a professional for certain maintenance projects (here). In particular, getting our chimney cleaned before using it. I used HomeAdvisor to find a local pro and was not disappointed. The company had amazing reviews on HomeAdvisor's website and I'd have to agree, they were great.

A quick glimpse at the fireplace, as we see it daily right now...closed.

First of all, I rescheduled on him to make sure I could be home - not a problem at all. Then, he comes and quickly realizes our chimney is in dire need of some TLC and the initial, simple cleaning scheduled was just not going to happen yet. Why am I not surprised.....someday, this house will be up to par!

Yikes!

Jay, the chimney guy, cleaned our fireplace (not chimney) of loads of rust left from the old damper the previous owner hadn't replaced in years. He also explained to me that since we have an unused fireplace in our basement (the basement is completely unfinished...) we need to install a much better cap on the outside. Not only are we wasting heat, an empty chimney flu is a breeding ground for animals to nest. Ah! Cap it. Cap it right now.

Lastly, the mortar inside our fireplace is a mess. As he put it nicely, the work was not done by a professional originally. Great....

So, we've scheduled a second appointment with Jay where we'll be having the rusted damper fixed, the mortar fixed, a nice big cap installed outside, and finally, the chimney cleaned. While the initial chimney cleaning was estimated at $160, we're now looking at a much heftier bill of $600. Ouch. But, like I mentioned in my previous post, a clean, properly working chimney is extremely important. So isn't keeping out wildlife! So we need to bite the bullet, suck it up, and take the hit. We had already committed to no Christmas gifts thanks to the bathroom renovation, a million and one weddings, and moving in general. So maybe we say no birthday gifts next year too. A safe home is just a little more important than birthday gifts right now. Just a little...

Because I found it so helpful when looking, I decided to leave my own review on HomeAdvisor's website for Jay's company - Cornerstone Chimney. Like I've mentioned, this site is super easy to use. I love that it remembers what professionals I've looked for to date, which made it soeasy to find the info necessary to leave a review - company name and location.

And then on to the review

Note the number of 5 star reviews this company has....if you're local to me, I definitely recommend them! And if you're not local, here's the link to find your own professional in your area.

Looking forward to our first clean, safe fire later this fall!

Disclaimer: I've teamed up with HomeAdvisor this month as part of their Blog Ambassador Program. Although this post is sponsored by HomeAdvisor, all opinions expressed are my own.

HomeAdvisor

Just Like New

Hello Monday. Don't you always sneak up on us. This weekend actually went by at what seems like the right speed. If that makes any sense. We were able to get things done around the house, head out to the bar to watch the Red Sox win (!!), and have family over for the Pats game Sunday. And let me just say, how ridiculous was that call?! I don't get it. Players pushing each other had no impact on the fact that the Jets kicker missed the field goal. Missed it! Ugh, how frustrating.

Anyways, end rant. 

When we moved into our new home, there was something we were seriously lacking. Furniture. Sure, we had our bedroom set and living room furniture from the city. But that's about it. And buying everything brand new was not in the cards. 

We have spent a fair amount of time searching Craigslist. Why not? Although it can take time - we've lost out on several items - it can also be totally worth it. For example, our "new" dining room table. I've mentioned it before, I know. But it's probably my favorite Craigslist find to date. 

This is embarrassing, but when we first got the table, I used pledge wipes to clean it. And that's it. Since then it's been wipe downs with a sponge. We rarely eat at it since it's just the two of us. But this weekend, baby got a good cleaning. And wow, what a difference. 

Look at that shine! 

I knew I needed to be careful. I didn't want to use anything too harsh because the table is solid wood, built at least 40 years ago. So after a little bit of online research, I went with with what I had on hand: equal parts white vinegar and Meyers all purpose cleaner, mixed with hot water. And I used a face cloth to wipe down the furniture. I had picked up the Meyers for $1 on a whim at Target one day. Best $1 spent!

I took this photo after the combo worked wonders. And yes, look at that water! Ew.

Another reason I broke out this all natural wood cleaner? J and I have inherited a few pieces of furniture from my grandparents house. We are so grateful for this! If there's anything I've learned since moving and looking at furniture, items built 40+ years ago were built to last. I have a totally new opinion of furniture sold today at some of the major name stores. So you want to sell me a veneer topped table for thousands of dollars? No thanks.

Here's a look at the bureau we brought home from my grandparents house, pre cleaning:

And all of the drawers...

Snagged that awesome mirror at my grandparents' too and am planning to hang it above the bureau.

And after cleaning:

Let me repeat myself, look at that shine!

Would you guess how old this furniture is? It's looks just like new!

I was beyond impressed with this almost all natural cleaner (Meyers' ingredients are at least 98% naturally derived, according to their website) so I just had to share. I will certainly be using it more often. Already have on the sideboard we recently picked up from Craigslist! But that's a story for another day. 

I couldn't stop myself Saturday. I found myself scrubbing all of the kitchen cabinets with this mix too. I love that the house didn't reek of chemicals nor are surfaces we eat off of covered in anything toxic. 

What do you use for all natural cleaners?

White vinegar has so many amazing uses. I use it when washing towels and cleaning our hardwood floors too!

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Ways we [Try to] Save

It's hard to believe it's been more than three months since we moved out of the city and into our suburban home. While we're still spending extra money these days attempting to turn this house into our home, and having accumulated a few additional bills (hello oil heat, ugh), I've been doing my best to curb our excess spending.

Since I started reading blogs a few years ago, I've always appreciated reading how others find ways to save on the day to day stuff, so I thought I'd share mine. I realize that many of these seem obvious, maybe you'll learn something new, maybe you won't. But if you have a better way to save, I hope you share it in the comments (please).

1. Make your own coffee. This is a no brainer really. It's something we struggle with in the summer when iced coffee is a must but now that the cooler weather has hit, we've made the switch to hot coffee in the mornings. I found our favorite Starbucks coffee on sale for $6.99 recently so I stocked up. One bag typically lasts us 2 weeks. So $7.00 for 2 weeks or $5/morning for 2 coffees..... savings of $43 every two weeks...

2. Bring your lunch. Another easy one. But it is so true. The cheapest lunch spot around my office will still cost me about $8/day. I'm partial to turkey and even if I get 3/4 lb of Boars Head turkey, it's about $6.50 and lasts me the whole week. I typically buy a 1/2 lb of cheese to have in the house too, for about $4. Since we always keep bread and condiments in the fridge, I'm not adding those prices in here. Buying lunch each day will run me $40/week and bringing my own, $10.50/week....weekly savings of $29.50.

3. Shop the sales. This is something I picked up from reading another blog and makes total sense. J and I aren't picky eaters. We don't have any diet restrictions. And frankly, we like to mix things up. So instead of buying the same things each week or planning out every meal, I tend to just write meat, green veggies, fruit, etc on my list and check out what the weekly sales are. I don't know the last time I bought grapes but for $.88/lb this week, they were the fruit of choice. Pork chops were on sale this week too. Two pork chops for less than $5, sounds good to me. Greek yogurt is another one - there is almost always at least one brand on sale 10/$10 (no, you do not need to buy 10).

4. Buy in bulk - and store smartly. Piggy-backing #3, sometimes the sales are for bulk items, especially for meat. So if you can, stock up. When we bought our first place a few years ago, my mom gifted us the Foodsaver (similar). And this kitchen gadget is totally worth the price tag! By buying a family pack of chicken breasts this past week, I saved $11, and now have plenty of individually, vacuum sealed chicken breasts in our freezer to let thaw any day and cook for dinner. I keep these bags on hand, and frozen food will last a whole lot longer than had I used plastic bags. This little trick works well for us lately. We've gone two weeks without a grocery store run often this summer with everything going on. And have still hardly ordered takeout thanks to the extra food in our freezer and pantry, and recipes such as burrito bowls.

5. Coupons. When we changed our address with the USPS, we received a TON of coupons in the mail from various retailers - Lowes, Bed Bath, etc. Almost all expired within 30 days...I kept them anyways. And guess what, people take them! Having worked at a grocery store through high school, trust me on this one, there is always an override button. I picked up a $1 mini-binder at Target that now houses all my coupons. You bet I used a 20% of Benjamin Moore coupon last weekend when painting our dining room. I'm not so good about grocery store coupons but that's next on my list of ways we can save.

6. Double Up. For a while, I'd buy almond milk or coconut milk for protein smoothies and regular milk for general use and coffee. And hardly ever finished both cartons before one went bad. So now I just buy one, typically regular milk because I don't love the taste of almond milk in my coffee. It doesn't go so well with the occassional mac n cheese I consume either...Another great one - plain greek yogurt. First of all, it takes a long time to go bad. Second it's great in smoothies, as a sour cream substitute (trust me, you won't be able to tell a difference), or mix in some cinnamon, honey, granola, and fruit for a breakfast option.

7. Live on Less. I think this one sounds harder than it really is, for most people. We've been doing this since I first started working so it's much easier for us now, but you have to start somewhere. Every one of my paychecks has a percentage that goes straight to savings. Over the years I've moved that percentage up when we can, or even down when we planned our wedding. Even if you start with $10 a week, it adds up. $10 might mean skipping a few coffees a week (#1), or one less dinner out (that's usually more than $10). So think about it, and save what you can. I think you'll be happier with a bigger savings account than with eating out on the regular. Maybe? Like I mentioned above, we've been spending a whole lot on this new home. But it's reassuring to know that we've still managed to save a few dollars each month because we don't even factor them into our budget.

These are the ways we've tried saving a few dollars lately.

What about you? Any great tips you can share?
We have a long list of updates to make to this new house so squirreling away money is a must!

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