Sunday, March 29, 2009

It's not over yet

I guess I was just way too optimistic about Spring in my last blog.
However, I have been reminded in a most cruel way that in Utah,
even at the end of March, Winter is NOT over yet.

It's hard to believe that just a week ago I posted pictures with bright blue skies and spring-like temperatures.
It has been snowing most of the morning and everything is white.




How many inches of snow are on the BBQ?
(The cover blew off and is under the snow somewhere on the deck. )



Here's another street view from the front door.

The snow plows are out. The driveway needs shoveling. Ice is forming on the tulips that have already emerged. This is just NOT right.

Who could question the move to Tucson after this?

Friday, March 20, 2009

Are you afraid of heights?

I'm not afraid of heights. I'm only afraid of falling off high ladders.
As I was climbing to the top of the ladder, ten feet off the ground, ready to continue my deck painting project, I was thinking of the scene in the movie Christmas Vacation where Chevy Chase is on the ladder putting 1.2 MM Christmas lights on his roof. Even if you haven't seen it, you can just imagine the ladder tipping every which way and all the hilarity than ensued. Fortunately for me, the ladder did not tip over, I painted the outside of the deck, and I survived.

First, the BEFORE picture of the outside of the deck.
As you can see, there was very little actual paint left, mostly bare wood to paint.
















Next, the AFTER pictures, from both inside and outside.



























And, as requested -
Other pictures of the renovated house showing new paint, tile,
carpet, light fixtures, etc.

Front room















Kitchen to hallway














Hallway and stairs.















Master bedroom














Stay tuned for upcoming blogs to see . . .
pictures of the kitchen after the new appliances are in and
pictures of the new and improved bathrooms.

PS: Happy First Day of Spring!! I't's always a great day when Winter is over.

All (Red) Hands on Deck


Several years ago, we bought this house in Farmington as an investment. We have had good luck with most of the renters who have lived here over the years, but after the last ones moved out we decided to renovate it and will most likely sell it.

We (mostly Ken) have done lots of work on the inside (pictures coming later) including:
New paint throughout the whole house
New tile floors in the kitchen and both bathrooms
New carpet throughout (installed 2 days ago)
New stainless steel appliances in the kitchen (to be delivered tomorrow)
New kitchen sink
New light fixtures
New faucets and fixtures in both bathrooms
Regrouting in both bathrooms
New door handles throughout
And much much more.

In the past few days, I painted the front door black (previously an ugly gray) and I painted the railing on the stairs (previously a bit rusty). I also painted the mailbox post (previously peeling white) since I had more black paint left over.


However, my biggest painting project has been the deck. Those of you who know this house know that it has the smallest deck known to man. It is a tiny square off the sliding doors from the kitchen in the back of the house. It is so small that one person standing out there with a BBQ would feel crowded. It is so small that it doesn't even have stairs going down to the backyard.

You would think that repainting this deck would be easy. That's what I thought until I started the job yesterday. Somehow this small deck grew bigger yesterday. After going through one can of paint, it was back to the paint store to get another can. It was kind of embarrassing to walk through the store with red paint on my hands, which looked similar to dried blood, but I did it. After 5 hours of painting, the inside of the deck, the part visible from inside the house, is done. However, the job is still only half done. I still have to paint the outside of the deck, which means getting up on a ladder and balancing a can of paint while painting. That should be interesting. I'll try to post pictures tomorrow, after the job is completely done (assuming I don't fall off the ladder and break my neck).

As a side note - my kids will remember they were the last ones to paint this deck many years ago. One summer day, we just gave them a can of paint and asked them to do the paint job for a little work project. I think they did the whole job in one afternoon. At the time I didn't realize how difficult this job was. So thanks Kevin, Ryan, and Suzy for doing that paint job, even if it is a bit late!!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Back in Utah

After being in snowy and cold Massachusetts for about 3 weeks,
I am back in Utah where it is . . .
also snowy and cold.
No picture here as my old computer in Utah is not as smart as my new computer in Tucson or Suzy's computer, but I'm sure you can imagine the white stuff covering the BBQ on the deck.

I have been spending a lot of time the past few days with my friend, Turbo Tax. It's sad to realize that even if you don't make as much money, and your 401K is a mere shadow of it's former self, there are still more taxes to pay.

I've also been spending time at the rental property we have here.
Every room has been repainted, we have put in new fixtures and faucets, and new appliances are expected next week. Ken has replaced the old floors with tile in the kitchen and bathrooms, and new carpet is to be installed in the next few days. Just a few other things to finish up and then . . .
we will test the Utah real estate market.
Doesn't that sound fun?