Home decor and renovation craftalong

[TheMistressT (Tara - she/her)]

Thanks! It’s very exciting and a much needed distraction.

Yesterday the contractors were back and made soooo much progress! Probably only more more day for them.

And it’s looking so HUGE right now! EEP!

From the top of the stairs that lead to the driveway:

From the front door:

From the upstairs balcony:

So yeah… lots of pics of lumber stripes, but to me they are each exciting!

I met with the first retailer this morning and will get pricing for two different brands of composite deck/rail systems. I should have that later today. I am trying to set up an appt with another retailer to compare pricing, timing, etc.

[tendstowardschaos (Erin)]

That is exciting! And huge! It’s going to be a wonderful space.

[Immaculata]

It looks amazing, actually your whole house and surroundings do. It looks like it’s going to be such a big useful space. I’m sure you’ll spend many pleasant hours there.

I’ve always dreamed of owning a detached timber house with a porch or decking. It’s just not what homes look like in my country but I’ve always loved the look.

[AIMR (Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)]

We made it to PA! Movers come today with our stuff. Can’t wait to make my new house our home!

[Immaculata]

Yay!!! Let me know your new address when you’ve settled in.

I hope you guys will feel at home in your new house and your old community soon. And I hope new squirrel friends will turn up soon as well.

[MistressJennie (Moderator - Jennie - she/her)]

Glad to hear you guys got there safe!

[Abbeeroad (Abbie - she/her)]

Mr. Road test fitting the railing this AM:

The wood treds are cut and ready for final sanding/finishing. My BIL is bringing them over tomorrow! So close!

[Immaculata]

You’re almost there!!! It will look so cool when it’s done.

[Abbeeroad (Abbie - she/her)]

Tred test fit today! They still need final sanding and finishing but look how good they look!!

[TheMistressT (Tara - she/her)]

@AIMR Congratulations on getting to PA! I hope your movers showed up on time with all your things!

@Abbeeroad Those stairs look soooo coool! I llove the contrast between the metals and the wood. I’m excited to see the final color on the wood - even a clear coat changes the colors a bit. Is the railing two colors of metal or is that just my screen?

@Immaculata Thank you! I gotta say that the house itself looks so much cuter with a deck that spans the whole width of the front. I didn’t even notice how cute its symmetry was until the old deck was torn off.

Today the contractors were back and got allllmost all the way there! Just a few more pieces of framing hardware and a little tweak to the base of the stairs. But we have “stairs”!

If you look closely you might be able to see the a couple new posts and beam on the left. That’s for additional support for the hot tub.

The stairs the last owners threw together in order to put the house on the market were… troubling in a few ways. These are not! YEY!

Last week we got the price for all the materials to do the deck surface and the railing. THis was using a particular composite material that has no wood, but rather minerals - it’s by Dekorators (I know , but still). It’s rated for ground contact as well as water contact, such as for piers, houseboats, etc. I was very enamored of it, because I spent my first 41 years in a soggy climate, and it was lighter weight, had great rating for being non-slippery when wet, etc. None of these things really are issues here other than the weight, which is mostly an issue while building. ANYWAY, the cost was INSANE! It was the first material pricing we’ve gotten so it was a shock and kind of scaring. We’re still waiting for that same retailer to get us pricing on a more standard, widely known and used composite material (TimberTech).

BUT I went to another retailer to get the cost of TimberTech just to be responsible and make sure we’re spending wisely. I am waiting for the fill list of materials to be prices, but got the price for just the deck boards. Guess what… less than 25% of the other type! Since the railing is very similar and the same kinds of materials, I imagine they will be quite a bit closer in cost, but I also expect those materials to be at least a little less costly. WHEW! Annnnnnd, they keep the deck boards in stock, so I might even be able to have them delivered at the end of this week so I can start on the weekend! Also, I would be able to return overage. NICE!

[Abbeeroad (Abbie - she/her)]

@TheMistressT

That’s for additional support for the hot tub.

Oh man. I’m so jealous. What an amazing setting for a relaxing soak!

The sticker shock is real these days. Glad you are hopefully alleviating that a bit!

@TheMistressT

Is the railing two colors of metal

The expanded metal in the center might be lighter from grinding/smoothing raw edges. It will get painted black to match the stringer eventually.

De was hoping to start finishing the treads this week but general business and the weather have been hindering.

[TheMistressT (Tara - she/her)]

@Abbeeroad

The expanded metal in the center might be lighter from grinding/smoothing raw edges. It will get painted black to match the stringer eventually.

This is going to be so good looking!

[TheMistressT (Tara - she/her)]

I ordered all the materials yesterday (Weds)! The decking, which they carry in stock, will be delivered on Monday. The sales guy (sigh) told me he couldn’t see why it couldn’t be delivered today or tomorrow… then when I was ordering he was told that nope, Monday or Tuesday, because it would need to be delivered without another person’s order on the truck. DUDE. He should’ve known that or at the very least verified with the delivery coordinator before “promising.” The brightside is that the mini-heat way should be over by then and I now have some time to do a few more (not-entirely-necessary) things before they come; like try to sell (or give away) the concrete piers from the old deck, rake around the area, dig out my good gel knee pads, etc.

I also picked up a specialty tool for part of the project, clips for installing, and some stain for another part.

The railing package should be here in a couple of weeks.

[AIMR (Linda -In the year 2025, I am happy to be alive! :us:)]

Been busy trying to work around the painters. Den and two baths painted along with my crafting room and the guest room. Some of the hallway was done but I knew the painters were on a tight schedule so I asked them to paint the inside of the closets and pantry first.

They will be back to get the rest of the house in Sept. I can at least start unpacking and setting up my craftroom while we wait.

I’ll take pictures once I get the curtains up.

[TheMistressT (Tara - she/her)]

Eep! So much happening for you. That was smart to have them get the closets and pantry - unloading those or living without them in use would be way more of a chore than picking up a room that you know you’ll be painting in a couple of month.

[Immaculata]

Smart! The pantry and the built-in closet in our bedroom were the first spaces we painted too, and then I put the shelves back up. It was great to have some storage space with a door so that whatever was in there would be kept safe from damage and dirt.

We’re decorating the bedroom this weekend and we’ll probably have help tomorrow! It would be great if they can make it. I’m painting ceiling and trim today, wallpaper tomorrow. The planning is ambitious so hopefully it will all work out.

[TheMistressT (Tara - she/her)]

@Immaculata I hope it all goes according to plan! I’m excited to see your paint and wallpaper.

I’m antsy for my decking to be delivered, but not until Monday- the driver is supposed to call as they’re leaving the yard. We started a 5-day heat advisory yesterday (Friday) so I hope the driver is interested in getting our load done early in the day. I’ve been getting up an hour early (5:30) for doing more manual chores and hope that starting at 7:00 on the deck will give me 3-4 hours before it’s too beastly hot. Honestly, 3-4 hours is probably about all my 53-year old body should do of that kind of thing. That said, we have a new “conversation set” arriving on Friday and delivery includes “room of choice.” The sofa weighs 72lbs (32.7kg), so I want to take advantage of the delivery people putting it up on the deck. Hopefully, that means I can have most of the decking installed, including the stairs by then. It’s powder-coated aluminum, so should hold up with proper-adjacent care and not as heavy as other metal patio furniture. It comes with those blue throw pillows, which I plan to recover. I like navy and dark blues a lot, but I don’t think they’re the right colors for us and our deck.

Today (Saturday), I am taking a trip into Missoula to pick up some packages. I ordered butyl tape to go on top of all the joists as extra moisture protection. Despite the snow, our annual precipitation average is only about 12" (30.5cm) and we have low humidity, but I really want to never have to deal with a deck again after it’s complete.

(not quite accurate on my screen, but you get the gist)

TheMisterT hates the look of the hot tub cladding. It’s vinyl that claims to looks like cedar, but instead looks like plastic that’s trying to look like cedar. I found that we can buy new cladding in dark grey which suits us better for under $400, but after quite a bit of research, I think we can paint it. With proper preparation, the right primer, and exterior latex paint it should hold up. Of course, my initial idea was some kind of mid-tone neutral - either grey or something close to the finish on the furniture, but TheMisterT pointed out how much grey we will have out there with our decking and suggested something like the lighter green of our window trim. I dug out my Benjamin Moore fan deck and have found a few greens that coordinate nicely with the deck sample and the window trim, so after we get the furniture on the deck we can make a decision. Since green is my favorite and his 2nd favorite color and we live in a forest, I think going with shades of green for our accessories is a good design choice for us!

[AntBee (Jen)]

My sister is renovating her kitchen including replacing her 4 year old stove so she offered it to me!

Yesterday was my 10th wedding anniversary so I talked my husband into manual labor of moving it and taking the old one to the dump as my gift lol that way he had to keep his crankiness in check- good thing, too, as it isnt quite sitting right. There’s a big, boxy electric outlet fixed to the floor and this stove has a different back. It looks good from the front, though!

[AntBee (Jen)]

I’m working on a plan to cover/paint the “snack-ro-wave” above it so it looks less like a crappy broken microwave and more like an intentionally used breadbox haha

[TheMistressT (Tara - she/her)]

Congratulations on the new-to-you stove!

I hear they make contact paper that looks like stainless steel for appliances, maybe that would work for your snack-ro-wave?