Rehabber’s Rehab

Rusty takes time to smell the flowers

So to get ideas for what we want to do to the outside of the house, Thor and I have started taking a camera on our walks with the dog. We’re hoping this will not only help us figure out what we like, but exactly what is wrong with the house  now that we need to fix.

Right now I don’t think that the outside of the house could get much uglier or have less character, so anything we do is bound to be an improvement.  However, any changes we make we definitely want to fit in with the character of the neighborhood.  And looking at a house and knowing instinctively that it is ugly is different from figuring out how you need to fix it.  So, in our ramblings we have identified the main problem areas, and hopefully are beginning to get some ideas on what we want to do.

So pictures of things we like will be forth coming, and maybe then we can gradually compete for second ugliest house on the block

An E-mail to Thor and Liz from Matt:

Bathroom idea

Here is some more work. The tub move currently is only giving us a 30×60 tube and requires us to make the door 30″ and move it closer to the toilet and generally is pretty tight. It will be import to verify the exact location of the toilet. I am showing a short depth toilet like in the basement here to minimize the interference with the door. But we will need to verify the location of the collar to confirm that the small toilet will work.

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Addiction: The condition of being habitually or compulsively occupied with or or involved in something.

When I found myself Tivo-ing every episode of on the HGTV channel and looking at MLS listings 2-3 times a day, I had to ask myself: Do I need help?

Stage 1: Denial. Of course, I don’t need help. I just need a house to work on. For the past year I have been somewhat ruefully/somewhat jokingly telling friends that I got married and moved in with my mother-in-law. Jokingly, only because although it does not sound ideal living with in-laws, it has been great living with Liz’s mom. How could you possibly complain about free room and board, great home cooked meals and a beautiful place to stay in a great neighborhood/suburb? (more…)

The permit process in Oak Park is a long and agonizing one. Sometimes it feels like you need a permit from the village to even look at your kitchen. I will say for the village that they are very helpful during the application process, because they want you to improve your home.

So in order to get a head start on things before we move in, Thor, Matt, and I met tonight to draw up plans and, well, make a plan. First project is definitely going to be kitchen remodel.

The Sunshine Nightmare

There are no appliances in there right now, and the whole thing looks like it came out of a lemony sunshine 70’s nightmare. But… how to do it? and how will this fit in with our long term goals for the house? and what are our long term goals? (more…)

The men in my life have a problem, an addiction more like, and unfortunately the only cure seems to be knocking down walls and looking at paint samples. Fortunately salvation is at hand because we are getting ready to close on a new home in only 2 short weeks.

I first knew we had trouble when about a year ago, after things had been quiet and drywall dust-free for about six months, Thor and Matt (my husband and brother-in-law respectively) started getting…antsy. Suddenly all they can talk about is doing something new, what was left to do around the house (we’ll call Rice Street from here on out), and the answer they came up with was nothing. Now, let me add that this is not entirely true. There were still walls to be touched up with paint and knobs to be put on cabinets, but in the mind of a Martin these little things are completely ignorable (probably why nothing has been done) and definitely not enough to feed the rehabbing beast. (more…)