The Guest House Remodel-Past, Present & Blown Up

We lived here for a couple of years and loved it. It met all of our needs and then some. But alas, our wandering eyes found a great deal on another ‘turd’ and we decided to rent this place out.

I still miss it. I could clean the entire thing in 45 minutes. Sigh.

This was the kitchen/living/dining/everything room. The lighting was perfect, the archway super cute. Before we remodeled it, this was one giant room covered in paneling and lit with fluorescent bulbs.

Yick.

A little side-note: I took this picture with a point and shoot camera in this house. The only lighting used was the ambient overhead lighting from the archway. Pretty…

We didn’t do much to the bathroom other than painting it and adding a new shower head. We leave things as original as we can, while still being functional. Trust me, this tile color choice would not have been my first.

I did fight for the chandelier in the bathroom. I have always wanted a chandelier in the bathroom. It seems so romantic. So Oooh La la.

We added several walls to break up the open floor plan and to make two bedrooms with closets. This was our bedroom, while the other was used as a office/guest bedroom.

I love the red in this room. It’s a bit racy and I like to be racy.

I miss you sweet little house. I hope you miss me too.

Current Remodel-Past, Present & Blown Up

Yes, two front doors again. We like to confuse people-especially delivery guys.

Our realtor called this house another ‘turd’.
I love our realtor. She is so truthful.

This poor house had been made into a mockery of a home. Something had to be done.

We basically had to tear it down to build it back up. Just like the army. Go Army! Go Greimans!

ONE MOMENT FOR:
A few weird facts about this house….
1.One entire bedroom and bathroom (including the ceiling) had been painted mauve and pepto pink.
2.The electrical panel had two inches of water sitting in it. YIKES!
3.After closing, we found a second secret electrical panel that even the inspector missed. Double YIKES!
4.We pulled up a brick pattern linoleum in the kitchen to find….the exact same brick pattern linoleum underneath it. What the heck?

But what takes the proverbial cake was that this house had FIVE exterior doors. Now, you know my stance on buying houses with at least two front doors. But do we really need five? We removed a couple, just for fun.

This one…

…and this one. Pay no attention to that man. I have no idea who that man is.

Now, a little twist. See this pretty barn? (Stick with me, I promise this has something to do with our current remodel.) My hubby grew up on this farm. His Grandma Greiman grew up here, and so did her father. The farm & the barn were built in the 1800’s. It has seen horse and buggies, flapper dresses, the Great Depression, World War I & II, telephones, airplanes, men on the moon, the Vietnam War, hippies, the internet…

I think you get the idea. It’s been around awhile.

The barn resides on the Greiman farm, which is referred to as a ‘Century Farm’. It’s been in the same family for over 100 years.

This is the haymow of said barn where generations of farmers stored their hay. And did other things in the haymow that maybe you shouldn’t be doin’. Wink, wink.

The barn was built with wooden pegs to hold it together instead of nails. The supporting beams had roman numerals carved into them, allowing the barn raisers to know which beam went where. The barn raisers handiwork survived tornadoes and fires and storms.

But, one summer we had to tear it down. That wasn’t easy for any of us.

Especially for these two: Kayle’s Grandpa and Grandma Greiman. They came by often, since they only lived four miles away, bearing cookies and ice cream and watching our progress.

Although much loved, the barn had become unsafe. This is one of the four corners of the barn. Notice it’s leaning on a little iron peg-and that’s all it’s leaning on.

We were able to recycle and save as much of the barn as possible. The foundational rocks are now in my garden. The haymow floor….

….is the flooring in most of our house. It was a pretty nasty sanding process, releasing 100 year old barn-ness into the air-but totally worth it.

The floors are my favorite part of our home. It’ll be hard to ever leave.

We made a ridiculously huge dining room table out of the barn’s stable wood. We can comfortably seat 10, and squeeze in 12 if need be. I wanted it wide enough for our plates and a huge amount of food in the center. Both sides of the family are big eaters…

This is one of the four legs to our dining room table. Notice the roman numeral carved into it?

But enough about that.
Let’s talk about injuries.

During ‘Insulation Day’, this guy Beau (who blew up another of our houses) decided to get creative. Anytime Beau gets creative, someone is going to get hurt.

He set about making a prop out of scrap wood to hold up the insulation that I was stapling to the ceiling. And sometime during the process….he shot a 16 penny nail through his finger. If you don’t know what a 16 penny nail is, it’s about 2 inches long.

Things I won’t repeat began to creep from Beau’s lips. I thought he was pulling my leg and had taped the nail to the backside of his finger. I told him to quit goofing off and get back to work.

Hubby took Beau to the hospital instead, nail and all. Big oops on my part.

But then, what do you expect from someone that looks like this and who sniffs paint fumes, old dust and fiberglass all day?
You shouldn’t expect much, let me tell you. Just pour her a glass of wine and call it a day.

Top Ten of 2010

I don’t know about you, but I feel overwhelmed when I search through other blogger’s archives. I stare at entry after entry wondering where to begin. One way to make your life easier was to narrow down ten of my favorite posts for you.

Learn how to make your own ‘Stingy Green Cleaners’ using non-toxic and cheap items-with the help of Kermit the Frog.
Now, who doesn’t love cheap and who doesn’t love Kermie?

You may not be ready to tackle re-finishing your Hardwood Floors, but come along with me on my journey. It’s gonna be a weird one.

Check out our crazy house on the Home Tour.

As Grandma moves into town, I capture what may be my last visit to the Family Farm.

Men make such a difference in the lives that surround them. Check out why I am the way that I am-thanks, Dad.

It took several weeks for Biceps and I to build this shed, dubbed-‘The Big Girl Playhouse’. What an adventure and what a marital learning experience…I don’t think we’ll do this again.

With the fall comes my love for Meatloaf. Check out my Tasty Turkey Meatloaf for the complete tutorial.

Before Biceps, I was determined to move out to Colorado and rock climb, white water raft and not shave for as long as my heart desired. Thankfully, I met Biceps and stayed put. Tulsa has a small but sufficient site to at least my rock climbing fix once in awhile.

My Banana Bread Recipe is one of my favorite treats to make for others…and me…

Handmade notes mean the world to me. I highlight a few from both friends and family that I have kept for years.

I hope that your year has been fantastic! Thank you for sharing in my journey through last year. I think this year will be even better.

The Big Girl Playhouse-Part Two

A mystical structure is being formed while you are walking around like nothing is happening, drinking your latte, (light on the syrup), and reading the paper. Perhaps you have read Part One of this fanciful Playhouse.
Perhaps Not. Mayhaps you should.

This is where I left you in Part One. The posts were in the ground, the stringers were up and the beams were set across the top of the posts.
Now, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

What you see here, pardners, are the rafters that will hold up the roof. We built them on the ground, assembly-line style, using pressure treated wood.

We placed each rafter 24” apart, screwing them into the beams with exterior screws.
I am apparently very happy about this.

We designed the roof to be a little modern, a little cool, a little awesome. You will see the roof shape later, my dears.
Just know that you will love it.
Notice that we have two ladders on the job site and yet, I decide to stand on a rickety old fence? I have issues….

Kids, don’t try this at home. Also, don’t let your hubby take pictures of you when there is obviously way too much sweat going on.

Next came the ‘purlins’. With a ‘pole barn’ structure, the purlins lay on top of the rafters and provide the backing you need to nail in your roof.
They also add strength to the entire structure, cinching it together.
Oh, and also they are invaluable for hitting your head on. If you are into that sort of thing.

We roofed the top of the Big Girl Playhouse with corrugated Onduro-which is basically indestructible.
The roofing material smelled like licorice. It was weird.

And then there was this weird monkey that kept hanging from the rafters, saying stuff like, ‘Look at how strong I am. Aren’t I cool?’.
That was weird also.
Next up-windows and siding. Brace yourself chicks. This could get interesting.
If you would like to catch up, read The Big Girl Playhouse, Part One.