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House Renovations: Week 3

May 3, 2012 By Rhoda 96 Comments

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We are in our 3rd week of working on the house and things are changing.  Slowly, but surely, the 3 of us are making some progress.  It may not go really fast, but we are getting there and taking all these progress pics will be fun to go back and look at later.  That’s when the progress will really be seen.  These will be major Before and Afters one day.

My parents are troopers and we are spending about 3 or 4 days a week over there, usually 4 to 5 hours at a time.  I don’t think I mentioned this before, but my dad is quite experienced at renovations.  My dad is a retired Pastor and pastored since my sister and I were born. They were well-loved (and still are) by our small congregation.

But back in their younger years, they bought rental houses and fixed them up and had several at a time that they kept for years and rented out.  He finally sold all of them, getting tired of keeping them up.  So, even though it’s been probably 25 years or so since my dad has done any major renovations, it’s in his blood and he is quite capable of getting the job done.  He did a lot of the building on my first house back in 1985.  I’m so grateful to still have them with me on this one.  This just might be my last house!  I do believe I’ll be quite happy in this one for years to come.

001

Mom and I worked at pulling up the carpet in the living room this week and got that job done.  She’s been working on removing all the staples from the floor.

002

Piles of carpet and carpet pad are everywhere.  We will probably rent a dumpster after we tear everything out and just dump it all at once and have them come back and pick it up.

003

We finished getting out all this carpet as well as that stairway going up so it’s all down to the plywood now.

005

Dad was taking a break.

024 (2)

This one is down to the bare wood now too.  The only carpet left is in the 3 upstairs bedrooms and that will come out later this week.

tools to remove carpet from stairs

These are the tools I used to get out all the staples and tackstrips.  Tedious work, but it goes pretty fast.

020 (2)

I ripped out the foyer stairs and got them all cleaned up too.

stairs sans carpet

Down to the bare wood.

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Another big feat this week was getting out most of those nasty cabinets.  When I say nasty, I mean nasty. You won’t believe how grody those things were in the back.  Apparently, this house had a major roach infestation at some point.  Thankfully, we have only seen dead bugs, 100’s of dead roaches and no live ones, so maybe at some point, someone actually sprayed in here to get rid of them.

removing old cabinets

My dad worked hard figuring out how to pull out the LONG nails (not screws) that were holding these cabinet in the studs.  He finally got it working and managed to get every cabinet off the wall, with some help from mom and I.

010

Working smart, by having a paint can underneath to rest the cabinets on, we got them down and out of the house.

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And let me tell you, it was GROSS what was behind those cabinets. Every single one of them had major dead roaches behind them.  Stuck to the walls, stuck to the ends and backs of the cabinets.  It was SO GROSS!!  I am SO glad I didn’t decide to keep these cabinets.  The fronts and sides are solid wood, but they are pretty trashed anyway with particle board shelves and they are nasty greasy too, but I’m going to recycle the best ones down in the laundryroom.  They are definitely not nice cabinets at all.  Very beat up.

014

If I had not taken them down, all this filth would have been hidden back there forever and that would make me sick.  Look at all the roach poop left behind.  We will leave the lower cabinets in place for now, cause it is nice to have a working sink in here.  We won’t get to the kitchen cabinets until later in the summer.

018

Dead carcasses and roach poop! Have you ever seen anything more disgusting in your life?  I don’t think I have.  Who lives like this?? I can’t imagine not caring about your home any more than this, to let roaches take over.  If I need to, I will get the place sprayed again for bugs, but so far, no live ones have been spotted.

017

We got all of one side down and had one more section to work on the next day.  We left a bucket propped up to hold it in place since it was loosened from the wall.  That stove hood was a greasy mess too!

016

The entire backsplash, tops of the cabinets and the ceiling fan in here are covered in a layer of grease.  YUCK!  Grease and roach poop.  What a nice combo. 🙂

009

This whole side of cabinets are down and out of there.  YAY!  Major accomplishment.

011

Dad was pretty happy to get all of this down and outta here!

013

We slid them down the back stairs and used a dolly to move them around.  Mom and I washed them down with soap and water to get the worst of the bugs and poop off them.

015

Using the shop vac and soap and water, they look a little better.  Mom is the clean up lady.  She’s the bomb with a shop vac and broom.  She goes around cleaning up the stuff left behind.  We will save the best ones and use them down in my large laundry room area for storage.  I’ll decide that part later, but we took those inside that doorway there to the downstairs storage room.

018

After getting all of the YUCK off first.  YUCK, I’ll say it again.  SO disgusting. Those roaches had a regular roach motel going behind there.

021

So, it was time to get back to the board and batten.  We finished the top 2 rows of that around the room and we’ll finish up the battens later this week.  It’s going to look SO good.

022

Dad and daughter hands.  He still likes to hammer those nails into a stud. My manicures are not at the top of the list these days.

028

I took my nail set and drove them in.

030

Hammer and nail set.

031

And now all those holes need is a little caulk and they will be ready to paint.  I’ll get the nail gun back out to pop in those battens.  Love my nail gun!

033

If I can’t afford to get a new stove at the end of this kitchen reno, I can use the one that is there for awhile.

034

The top looks bad, apparently the folks who lived here cooked some major meals on top of the stove and heated up that back burner all the time.  It’s gross too!  I can clean it up and use it for awhile though if I have to.  And surprisingly, inside the oven is really clean.  Guess they didn’t bake.

035

There’s an old refrigerator left too, which really comes in handy while we are over here working.  So glad to have it!  And if I can’t get the stainless steel fridge of my dreams, I’ll use this one until I can afford one.  This one will end up in the garage eventually. I love having an extra fridge for overflow.

So, that’s the end of week 3 of the house reno!  We are making some big progress.  We should soon be ready to start painting trim.  That will be the next big job on the list.  After the rest of the carpet comes out, we will get ready to prime the stained trim with oil-based primer. Then 2 coats of trim paint.  Then, we’ll be ready to paint the walls.  I will be so excited to see the trim and walls get painted.  That’s going to be a HUGE change!

In fact, I think I will have a blogger party! So many of you have offered to come and help, so stay tuned, I think I’ll take you up on that.  I’ll announce a Saturday in the next few weeks and if you’d like to come out and help us paint, I would love that.  We’ll feed you something and have a fun painting party.  Anyone in the area who’d like to join us, let me know! 

Today is a fun day! So excited to be invited by Shaw Floors to a special day of touring the HGTV Green Home down south of Atlanta, in Serenbe.  Hoping I get to take pics inside to share with all of you, I know this will be a very special event!

The lucky winner of the $100 Lowes giftcard giveaway is here!   And pssstt!  There will be another $100 giveaway this month too, so stay tuned for that. 

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Filed Under: House Renovation 96 Comments

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Comments

  1. Janet says

    May 4, 2012 at 8:52 pm

    Oh you poor woman with the roach leavings everywhere. I think I would have been physically sick. So glad you had your parents there with you; they are pretty spry folks. I confess to a greasy range hood, I have never found anything that will stay there long enough for me to clean that allowed my allergic, asthmatic lungs to work. But roach leavings, YUK!!!! I used to sell Tupperware when my now adult kids were small, what made me leave was doing a party where there was garbage on the stairs (3 family home) and roaches…..definitely among the creatures I can’t imagine why God created :-).

    Reply
  2. Cheryl says

    May 5, 2012 at 1:00 am

    Hi Rhoda

    Great progress on the house! You are so blessed to have your wonderful parents! Let me know when you plan your paint party, lots of experience! It’s more fun when you have friends helping. My schedule is crazy, still trying to see if I can get to Haven. Looking forward to seeing the photos of the HGTV Green Home. I hope to get there to see it.

    (and I had to skip by the pictures of the bugs and what they left behind…)

    Reply
  3. Sharon in Chicago says

    May 5, 2012 at 1:42 am

    Rhoda — congrats on all the progress! The best part, though, is the tangible wat your parents are showing their love for and faith in you. And that picture of your and your dad’s hands? You need to enlarge it and frame it for him for Fathers Day (make a frame from reclaimed wood from the house or leftovers from the board & batten).

    Reply
  4. Catherine says

    May 5, 2012 at 5:09 am

    Rhoda,
    you and your parents are inspiring! Wishing you all the best for the next renovating sessions.

    Reply
  5. linda says

    May 5, 2012 at 10:26 am

    Dear Rhoda, Your story is so inspirational. Bless you and your parents. It is so fun to see your progress and hear the excitement in your postings. I too did a lot of fix up on an old house in my day. I know how much hard work it is, but the feeling of joy when it comes together is priceless. Thanks for sharing with all of us.

    Reply
  6. Judi says

    May 5, 2012 at 5:29 pm

    Wow….what an inspiration y’all are getting so much done. I’m just around the corner (well in Marietta) and would love to help with a blogger work day one Saturday. Hope the date you chose works for me….have several weddings and a son graduating this May. If not, hope to hear an update at Haven:)

    Reply
  7. Bonnie says

    May 6, 2012 at 4:42 pm

    Hi Rhoda……..Everything is looking so much better! I know it will be a delight for the eyes when you are done………hope all is well in your life!
    Bonnie

    Reply
  8. Debbie refresh restyle says

    May 6, 2012 at 5:08 pm

    Aww, you are your parents are amazing! You are creating a beautiful home together and wonderful memories! Maybe I can make it over to paint 🙂
    Debbie

    Reply
  9. Angie@Echoes of Laughter Blog says

    May 6, 2012 at 6:16 pm

    Rhoda! I am so very happy for you! You are like the Phoenix rising out of the ashes to build a new life for yourself! You know that you really should write a book about this experience! You are an inspiration to us all! I think that this will turn out to be your best home ever….created with love and care and hope every step of the way with loving hands! Have a wonderful week and Happy Mother’s Day {early}! Angie xo

    Reply
  10. Linda@Coastal Charm says

    May 6, 2012 at 8:12 pm

    All your hard work is really going to pay off…it’s going to look soooo good my friend. It is hard to believe how some people live…being in the real estate business we see it all:)

    Blessings,
    Linda

    Reply
  11. Barb Boyack says

    May 7, 2012 at 8:41 am

    Rhoda, what a difference, you are so blessed to have your folks still be able to help out..and yuck to the roach motel..glad you took all the cabinets out. I so wished I lived closeby to help with the painting party but will be sure to watch from afar! Good job, girl!

    Barb

    Reply
  12. Janet says

    May 7, 2012 at 9:29 am

    You all are doing a great job! The best thing to tackle that stove top is a small paint scraper with a brand new razor blade in it. Once you have gotten as much off as you can with that, use the ceramic top cleaner that is sold at Sears (I’ve tried them all and this is the best). Another consideration for the frig is tape off all the gaskets and back panel, take it to a body shop and have it sprayed black to match the stove for now.

    Reply
  13. jessica@fourgenerationsoneroof says

    May 7, 2012 at 10:05 pm

    Rhoda you are cracking me up over the roach poop. As disgusting as it is, I really had a good laugh reading this 🙂 hehe. Your mom and dad are SOOOO cute! I wish I lived closer b/c I would love to be there helping you. Oh the laughs I think we would have! Keep up the good work. You are building your dream with your two precious parents. You are blessed to have this opportunity with them 🙂

    Reply
  14. Sarah says

    May 24, 2012 at 1:05 pm

    Ew! I think I’d have ran for the hills until it was done. I have a sensitive stomach. lol We have slugs in our house, drives us mental…!

    Reply
  15. Julie says

    June 15, 2012 at 8:03 pm

    I stumbled onto your blog by accident. Your story is so inspiring. The picture of you and your dad’s hands brought tears to my eyes. Enjoy every memory you are making with your parents. Their love for you and the Lord shines through every photo. And like another comment left, I too wish I lived closer because I would love to lend a hand with the reno. I’m looking forward to seeing this house transformed.

    Reply
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Thanks for stopping by! I'm Rhoda, from Atlanta, GA and I love decorating and DIY projects. Decorating a home doesn't have to cost a fortune and I've spent years thrifting at antiques markets and yard sales, finding those treasures that make a home unique. I'm here to inspire and encourage other women to find their own inner creativity. Won't you join me?

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