Project#1: Walk in Closet off Master.
Before we moved in it looked like this. The pee stained carpet and the box on the left was hiding a really old looking TV. After we moved in Dave removed the closet doors so we can turn the whole space into a walk in closet eventually...
The first weekend Steve and Linda were here Dave had a basketball tournament so Steve totally attacked this project by himself on Saturday. He ripped up the pee stain filled carpet and cleaned the floor then Steve and I went to Lowe's in search of carpet remnant and other stuff he needed... Since we took my red car he ended up strapping a big carpet roll onto it which was kind of cool... Too bad I didn't think to take a picture or two.
Right after the completion I took a picture but we were still moving our clothes into the new and updated space so we apologize for the mess!
Even the steps were carpeted nice and fluffy for your feet:-)
While all of this was happening G-ma was coloring the bug mask she bought for Madison... She was impressed that Madison can sit and color for quite a long time...:-)
Project#2: Triangle Succulent Garden
This spot used to have a big stump which the tree guys took out and was just looking bare and sad so I had a plan to turn it into a nice raised succulent garden. Since we don't own a circular saw I was hoping the framing the front of garden with a piece of wood kind of like our raised garden while Steve was here but he had a better idea... and since he was already at Lowe's he picked up soil and mulch then later on I picked some succulents to start the garden:-)
Before the soil went in Linda and I picked tons of white rocks out of the corner and placed them somewhere else... See we helped!:-)
Adjacent to the triangular garden is a sliding door that leads off our living room to the patio...we like having it open, but were seeming to get a lot of flys in the house and all Ellie likes to do is bark at them so it gets annoying quick...so one of Steve's other first projects was to install a screen door for the sliding door and now we never close it...it is great!
Project#3: Rain Gutter
Ever since we replaced the roof we would find dirty morning dew coming down every morning and our patio furniture would get stained yucky... We knew we needed to put up a gutter but that's way beyond our first home owner capability so we added it to the Steve Do List...:-) It was finished by the time the other four of us returned from a Tuesday morning $1 Movie.
Update: One or two days after Steve and Linda left we have a small rain shower so we got to test out our brand new gutter...:-)
Project#4: Art Studio/Office
This room has been our on going project ever since we moved in but finally the day to complete this project approached... Linda researched the best way to remove wallpaper and surprisingly hot water and laundry softener(1:1 ratio) was the winner! On and off everyone except me worked in this room and the final day that Steve and Linda were here it got finished! A rumor is that someone fell off the step ladder in this room and almost got banned from the project, but it's just a rumor...:-)
Before picture with wood panels which we removed and shaggy carpet which we took care of before their arrival...
Project#5: Privacy Fence
We used to have this really old broken fiber glass type thing there but was falling apart and during one of our rainy season(lasted like 4 days) a piece had finally broken off and was hanging quite ugly... Steve and Dave first had this lattice kind of fence idea but at the last second I remembered and realized that the horizontal fence we wanted to have on the side yard/front yard and that theme should continue... Steve hasn't built a horizontal fence before but he decided to give it a try... and I'm glad he did! but wait till we show you the fence in the front:-)
Steve also patched up cracks in the privacy wall that one of the monsters created and secured the stones around the pool...
Surprisingly we actually owned that wheel barrel before their arrival... but pretty much nothing else.
Project#6: Entry Dip
After we ripped up the carpet there was a big size level difference but the guys put a molding around it and now no one can stub their toe...
Another important part of our entry Steve tackled was our front door. It required quite a bit of effort to close it each time and he literally MacGuyvered it with the use of a credit card and some good 'ole fashioned ingenuity. Now we don't risk pulling out our back everytime we go to close it.
Project#7: Fireplace Edge
Steve probably would like us to count them as two separate projects so here we go... They did same thing to it and now the edge is not too sharp for those little feet...
Project#8: Gate To The Side Yard
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to have a favorite project Steve and Dave did but this would be it! I did not think this would happen for us this quick since someone estimated it would take a million years to get a fence like this... Aren't they amazing?? I absolutely love how modern this gate looks. This medium addition changed our overall house look by half a million%!? Only the front view though... Our ugly white side fence is still there...
Project#9: Garage
I'm kicking myself for not taking a before picture of our garage... It was just BAD! We filled it with things like pee filled carpet we ripped up, broken privacy fence, I mean you name it we had it in our garage. We were waiting for the right time to call for city pick up which we get twice a year and also we didn't even think to organize in there to make it more useful since we never had a garage and didn't feel the need to use it but wow Steve CLEANED and ORGANIZED like we've never dreamed of!!! He probably spent good two days working in the garage and the end result is just unbelievable! All the tools Steve and Linda bought are on the wall hanging so we can actually find it and all the disgusting carpets were cut up in nice squares and piled up for our trash day, we were finally able to put together the yellow bike stroller thing for Madison, Dave's bike is nicely hung up, etc...
and all these things were picked up by the city collection truck and some guy with a truck that happened to want our stuff...
Bye bye weird hidden bed!!
And don't let me forget to talk about the behind the scene amazing job Linda was doing with Madison during all these projects!! I was not able to take any days off work so I would be at work and Linda was taking Madison to the playground, doing all kinds of crafts, introduced her to scissors which Madison got so hooked, alphabet game Linda invented with Madison, cleaning the house, cooking meals, baking yummy desserts, I can keep going on and on! It was soooo nice to come home to nice cooked meals and clean kitchen and just a really nice break from needing to think about/making dinner...:-) Everything she did is definitely up there with the modern fence if anyone is wondering...;-)
All of this was accomplished in a week and a half...whoever said old age slows you down hasn't met Steve and Linda (okay your son wrote that part :-) but Anna and I wanted to make sure you guys knew how much we appreciated everything you did for us and say thanks one more time.
