Day two of This Old House

In all our travels on this crazy journey, we found some great products and services. This week I'll review the good stuff.

Today, Countertops.

I didn’t give a second thought to concrete or metal. Just not my style. And laminate? Been there. Done that. Tired of it.

Initally I wanted solid surface or a Corian type. This manufactured product is impervious to bacteria, comes in a wide variety of colors, and can have a molded sink made of the same material for a seamless look.

For all of the above reasons, I thought my choice was easy. But darker colors showed marks. I almost went for a light beige color but something stopped me. Could be it was the dealer who said, “Don’t worry about scratches. It’s easy to fix. You just buff them out.”

Hm. Well my next thought was, easy to fix, easy to scratch. I decide to pass. Besides I did want a darker color.

Granite sounded nice but Wow, the price. Yikes.

I went one grade down and investigated quartz. This product has every color imaginable, impervious, 93% stone, easy to clean, no maintenance like sealing, and is less expensive than granite.

I chose Copper Patina, a rich brown stone with bits of coppery-colored glass scattered throughout the surface. It feels silky, not cold like stone or tile, and the hubby has caught me petting my countertop every now and then.

Tomorrow I’ll review Mitsubishi Ductless heating and cooling

This Old House Week

Now that our renovations are winding down, looking back there are many things that should have, could have gone better. 

Examples:

A system of handling the incredible amount of dust.

Don’t think a Swifter duster will do the trick. No way. It took meticulous work with a toothbrush and soap to get it all. More plastic over everything, the tables and the doorways.

Less trust in our contractor.

The guy was good but had too many jobs and not enough help. If it hadn’t been for our work and assistance, the end would still be out of sight. From tearing out the tub ourselves and busting the wall open to plumbing, we worked side by side with the contractor and then some. Hate to think what it would have been like for an elderly person or someone who wasn’t motivated.

More research into how to do almost everything.

No matter how good a workman is at tiling, siding, installing cabinets, etc, do your homework. Learn the best way to lay tile on ground level concrete. Educate yourself on siding a house. Discover the best method of leveling cabinets.

Tomorrow I’ll review my choice of countertops; Corian, concrete, laminate, quartz, or granite

After Recess, What Then?

An interlude, a break, intermission.

Whatever you want to call it, I've been MIA for a good part of the year due to renovating an old house. 

Now I’m at the point of wondering where to go from here.

Crossroads. Should I revise my first manuscript to send to the land of Query? Or continue a Work In Progress that has been snoozing at word count 10,000?

Stay with an full version that needs severe editing or climb ‘back in the saddle again’, stir the stagnate creative juices and finish the wip.

"Is a puzzlement." - The King and I

How you faced this conundrum: backtrack or follow the white rabbit?

The Truth About Osama

Osama Bin Laden was living with three wives in one compound and never left the house for 5 years.

It is now believed he called the Navy Seals himself.

A Visit From Sandy

By all accounts, weather on the east coast appears to be a doozy. An epic storm; hurricane winds, cold front, and the high tides from a full moon. In the Midwest, the most we’ll see of the system is the clouds blocking the sunrise.

We've had ice storms and tornadoes. One tore through our front yard uprooting a cherry tree and turning a hog shed into a less appealing image of Dorothy’s house. That sow was never the same, btw. 

An ice storm in ’07 left us without power for five days, an experience that started out as board games played in the candlelight to filling water jugs at the local Coop.

I've never experienced a hurricane or nor'easter  So I call on my followers to fill me in with as detailed a description as they care to give; rain, wind, power outages.

Comment below when you can and I’ll keep this post up to date. Or, if you are blogging this experience, leave the link to your post.

Thanks and take care all.