Design – Sista Girl with Skills

November 16, 2020December 29, 2022

Phase One – House Restoration 100% Complete

In September 2017 I purchased a 1924 Cape Cod styled home from the Community Board of Camp Washington. I searched almost a year with my agent Steve Petersen before this opportunity presented itself. I toured the house with Joe Gorman, former Camp Washington Board Executive Director, when another couple was going to purchase it. The vision for its restoration came to me during that tour. Almost everything I envisioned that day has materialized. It took three years, but my restoration journey is 100% complete.

I watch a TON of HGTV and DIY shows and I fancy myself an “advanced DIYer”. I knew I wanted my first house to be a fixer upper, so that I could put my mark on it. I was empowered and emboldened by their shows to think I could handle a renovation project. Yes, this house was a bit more of a project than I set out to find. Interior design I did not consider one of my strengths. I spent the first 53 years of my life living in what my parents created. I didn’t know my decor style, so their network shows helped me find it. I enter their home giveaways all the time, but it was the 2017 Urban Oasis Giveaway that I fell in love with and it inspired almost all of my exterior and 1st floor interior color schemes. The pink door was my fastest departure, couldn’t do it. These are pictures of the areas I copied most:

I’ve already been asked if there is anything I’d do differently. I was able to quickly respond with one item, but there are three. I would have added a small can light above my stain glass window, similar to the one I put over the kitchen sink, so that window could stay illuminated at night. It’s one of my favorite original features of the house saved thanks to Architectural Art Glass Studio. I would have returned lights to the 1st floor bedroom closets. All three of the closets were reduced in size for duct work or a pocket door addition, so I didn’t think a light would be needed. I was wrong. The final item is I would have found the money and allowed Tiburon Energy to do foam insulation. I believe my master bedroom would have much better temperature regulation and I’d have less air seepage around my outlets if I had gone that route. It would have been an $8,000 investment that would have paid off long-term with energy savings.

Any regrets, many, but would I do it again? ABSOLUTELY! I shed a lot of tears and weight; not everything went according to plan, but it was a miraculous journey that I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to take. My life had purpose for the last three years. I learned and grew in so many areas. I’ve written this before, but what I’ve discovered is that at age 53 I truly enjoy working with my hands. I have a connection with the craftmanship that goes into old homes. I want to honor it and enjoy bringing it back to life. Call me weird, but my house spoke to me throughout this journey; she (her name is Janet, after my beloved mother) gave me a supreme sense of appreciation for saving her. I’ve gotten nothing but positive feedback from my neighbors, which is also humbling and appreciated. This house was an eyesore on the street for a very long time. I learned that the last owner actually used the backyard as a junk yard, which now explains why I dig up so many random car parts whenever I do yard work.

On October 24 I hosted another open house to show off the finished project. Once again I forgot to take pictures, but about 30 people came through and each got a souvenir bottle of hand sanitizer (making personalized hand sanitizers may become my new side hustle). With the news coverage of Covid-19 cases escalating the week leading into it I’m shocked anyone came. Of those that did about 40% were first timers. A business client and her husband gave up OSU football to see her a second time. They’ve been steady followers of the blog. I loved having her filled with people and great conversation. She deserves more of that. I’ve restored a beautiful house. The hard part will be making it feel like a home, which is a struggle given one vision I had for my life in this house will never come to be. The day ended with some close friends joining me for dinner and a toast of the completion. Hopefully the global leaders will quickly eradicate this pandemic, so that I can host more gatherings like that.

No final post on a restoration is complete without before, during, and after pictures:

Exterior: The thing I’m most proud of outdoors is the front yard. Believe it or not the very first project I did at the house was using my drop spreader to treat for weeds, which outnumbered the grass. I’ve been regularly treating the yard ever since, either myself or with a service. I put down tall fescue grass seed the first two springs, wrong time of year as summer heat got me before it really established. Finally this fall I rented a dethatcher to pull out the matted dead grass and weeds and then an overseeder and put down approximately 25 pounds of seed. With the paint job, pergola, and landscape the house is stunning, but it will only look better next spring when the grass is really full and luscious.

Original Light Fixtures: The house had been striped of all copper and metal. The looters took what they thought would make money at the scrape yard, but they left things of real value. All of the original moulding, unpainted, was still in the house and most of it was in really great shape, just dirty. That is why I personally removed, labeled, and bound together rooms before my demo crew started. All of the doors, even the ones too damaged to use, still had their glass doorknobs These sell for $20 and up on Ebay. Many rooms still had original light fixtures, albeit covered in paint or nicotine. I was not expecting the brass when I boiled some in hot water to remove the paint. Every original light that was left I was able to salvage, clean, rewire, and reuse.

Entry Foyer: The doors, entry and closet, were the greatest transformation. I lived with that front door through one of the coldest winters in Cincinnati’s history. The idea to put wallpaper in the hall closet was one of my favorite suggestions from a friend. Hopefully guest will be inspired by the message. I found it on a site Murals Your Way. This will be my signature mark if I ever get to restore another house.

Living Room: This room is a blend of my new found style and my mother’s. The rug, sofa, and oversized chair I selected from Haverty’s, but the rest of the decor, was my mom’s. I told my salesperson that the lamp and table must stay. I discovered my mother and Elvis (yes Elvis Presley) shared the same taste as a similar white lamp is part of the tour of Graceland. The only thing this space needs is the gas log set for the fire place. Clearly large screen televisions were not on the minds of the original builders as the height of the fireplace forces the elevation of the TV to be too high. The work my father and I did to allow for the running of electric and cabling makes it look like it was always meant to be.

Dining Room: I love the placement of the original wall sconces in this room. They were originally located in the living room, but clearly three of them were missing based on the holes in the wall. Of course the biggest transformation of this room was the removal of the wall that separated the dining room from kitchen and hall. You may ask why I have pictures of the yard with the dining room? Well the walnut trees you see are what created my gorgeous dining room table. The legs I had a full year before I bought the house. I just thought they’d make a great table I’d like to make one day, little did I know. It truly turned out amazing and having the chairs match the legs the way they do……..my mind’s eye hit the bullseye with that project.

Kitchen: Even before I saw the HGTV house I wanted blue cabinets, my favorite color. That house just confirmed I was making a great decision. Without question saving the original built-in was the greatest accomplishment of this space. The profile of the doors from an almost 100 year old cabinet I was able to select for my brand new cabinets. I impressed myself with noticing and making that detail happen. I’m so grateful Sosa Flooring (Sergio and Martin) were able to restore the floors properly. Until I made that correction the kitchen was not enjoyable to use and it loomed as my worst contractor decision of entire project that I had trouble forgiving myself for making.

1st Floor Hall and Bedrooms: When I saw the hint of brick from the fireplace I knew something special was being revealed. My cousin and his friends used a hammer and hand chisel to uncover the entire brick wall. A coating of LastiSeal stopped the crumbling and flaking to leave me with a gorgeous statement wall. Nothing super remarkable about either rooms. The first acts as my office. I still can’t believe it took me two years of searching salvage stores in the region before I found a door at Columbus Architectural Salvage. It turned out to be the exact size and swing for my opening. I just had to strip the paint and stain it to match the others. The hall and guestroom are decorated in tribute to my mom, so they stand out as my favorite areas of the house.

Office blinds open

1st Floor Bathroom: The demoing of this bathroom was the toughest part of entire house. The original tile was set in concrete and wire mesh. My cousin and his friends were put to the test moving the original cast iron tub. I had done tile work on a much smaller scale, so what I pulled off in that space still amazes me. I know a professional would have easily charged me $5,000 or more. My goal was to restore the original look as much as possible. I used 4″x4″ tile on the floor, repeated the chair moulding, used 1″ hex on the floor. The “rug effect” was a twist and challenge for a advanced DIYer. In retrospect I should have just gone with a gray grout throughout. Putting white on white and black on black was a nightmare to do. It turned out OK, but it was also the reason I moved into the house without a functioning bathroom for the first two weeks. Converting a $15 salvage cabinet door to a mirror and putting it on a barndoor rail for the medicine cabinet was one of my most creative moments in the whole restoration.

My master suite is oh so SWEEEEET! I purchased a two bedroom, one bathroom house. More than enough for my single lifestyle. However the first time I walked up the stairs to the attic space and I saw the full height ceilings I said “this would make a killer master suite” and that is exactly what I created.

Master Bedroom: The Pinterest project to recess a $50 dresser in the wall to save space (like I needed to) turned out great. I was shocked I actually had enough clothes and shoes to fill my master walk-in closet, but I did. Of course my favorite project of the room is the bedroom furniture set (headboard and nightstands) I made from bead board reclaimed from the basement. If it were in my control I’d make sure that set never leaves the space; as long as its functioning it should stay in the house.

Master Bathroom: The bathroom is the size of my former bedroom. The original bathroom for that floor was confined to a dormer that held a 4′ tub, toilet, and sink. That same space is now just my water closet. Having the laundry room upstairs is so convenient. Converting dead space into my linen closet repurposing the small closet door I removed for the dresser insert was another sign of my growth as a designer. I had never laid flooring, let alone use reclaimed flooring I had removed to lace in with the existing floor. It was another proud moment. Sketching out and having built by the Amish my vanity cabinet was pretty cool too. Amazingly the tile work in this room, even with the angles was easier than the 1st floor. Mitch Altman, owner of Thermasol, a steam shower company, helped me turn the lemons from my poor performing shower system to lemonade by making his steam unit affordable to me. The entire space, with its massive steam shower and deep soaking tub, is a true home spa oasis that I’m not quite sure I deserve, but glad I have.

I want to thank my friends and family that supported this journey financially, physically, and emotionally. I must give a special shout out to my father who left his home in Florida to spend multiple weeks each visit with me in the first and hardest year of the restoration to help me accomplish what you’ve seen in these pictures. He has said to me many times I waited until he was old (he was 77 when I started and will be 80 in January) to finally show interest in something that has always interested him. We fought and argued throughout, but I learned a lot and the job got done. I did not have the funds to pay a contractor for what we accomplished. Our sweat equity is in the multiple of thousands in dollars saved and quality was never sacrificed. I also want to thank everyone that followed my blog during this journey. Prior to this post I had written 212 others, which have received 67,000+ views from 7,557+ visitors that have come from 68 different countries from around the world. I’m humbled and honored by that level of attention and hope that I inspired anyone hesitant to take a similar journey or helped anyone already taking one.

This is the final post of My First House – It Is Well With My Soul. I’ll be changing the name of my blog to Sista Girl With Skills, but will continue to write about my DIY projects. Phase II is the new construction detached garage. Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the hospitality industry where I’ve spent the last 20 years of my career. They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I hope that’s not the case as my soul is yearning for another old house to renovate. I’ve found something I can be passionate about. They say a job is only work when you don’t enjoy what you’re doing. That has definitely been the case for much of my career. HGTV has Flip or Flops in several cities throughout the USA. How about Rehab Addict Cincinnati starring…………Venus, Sista Girl With Skill!.

September 23, 2020

A Very Generous House Warming Gift

Getting the pergola completed this year was made possible when my cousins Marlon and Debbie offered to pay for my landscaping material as a house warming gift. I had already purchased the Forest Pansy Redbud, Limelight Hydrangea, and 8 coral bell plants, but still needed to purchase the green mountain boxwoods (3), green velvet boxwoods (3), Bobo hydrangeas (2), and buckthorns (3), plus mulch. Covid-19 was making it difficult for nurseries to get plant material, so I bought whenthey came in and the nursery took care of them until I was ready to plant them. While I had been a decades long customer of Lakeview Nursery they seemed completely indifferent to being a part of this project. I went with my drawing, so didn’t need landscape design work, but at a minimum I wanted to pay them to plant at least the two trees, but preferably all my plants. I paid 60% of the plant price many times at Inner Circle for that service. When I got a STRONG sense that didn’t want to work with me in that manner I started looking at other nursery options. Fortunately Mom and ‘Em, the new coffee and wine shop around the corner from me had recently installed their outdoor space. I called Theresa Ferrari, one of the owners (the Mom) and she shared with me her landscaper, Mike Acra, Acra Landscaping.

Mike came to my house. I shared with him the quote for the remaining plants I had gotten from Lakeview and he told me he could source those plants, even get larger buckthorns and green mountain boxwoods, and install everything including what I had purchased already. His quote was very close to just the plant material at Lakeview, so Marlon and Debbie approved them doing it all. While I was excited to design my first landscape, planting and yardwork falls under must do, not like to do in my arsenal of skills. I was very grateful to have this gift bestowed on my home. Mike’s crew arrived early on Friday, Sept 18 and had everything planted by noon.

The only thing I needed to do was finally properly daylight the downspout on the left side of house. After months of back and forth with the City on what I should, could do with that downspout I got an email confirmation that i could just daylight it, let the water run into my yard. I just needed to pull the water run off away from the house foundation. I’ve had an ugly, black drain pipe attached since the box gutters were repaired which had to go! My father sent me a YouTube video of what he thought I needed. It would have been a lot of digging and I knew I’d hit mass roots. I found another video that was simpler, although I did not follow it fully. With the gutter guards I had installed at the roof line I didn’t need a filter kit and I wanted the connection from the downspout to match what I had done with the rear downspouts. I also did not trench 10′ away, I did 5′ because it was still more than required and that was the scrape length of the PVC pipe that I had. I did use the pea gravel, T-pipe connector and drain grate. My hole under the t-pipe went down about 18″ and took the entire bag of gravel.

I’ll get some top soil and throw down seed to get some grass in that area. Fall is the time to overseed your yard and that is my next weekend project. I’m trying to get tall fescue grass to be the dominate grass in the front and side yard.

The final touch for the landscape was the addition of landscape lights. My father installed Malibu lighting at my old house. The technology for those lights have changed a lot over the years. We had incandescent bulbs that my mother and I had to change out every spring. I did convert to LED a few years ago, but it appears Malibu has gone out of business. For this project I purchased Hampton Bay lights from Home Depot. I had Mr. McGhee, my electrician, install another outside receptacle on the side of my house (I have one by backdoor and on porch, neither in a good location for accessing the left side of house). I purchased the Hampton Bay 120-watt transformer (2), 9.8-Watt Millennium Black Adjustable Light Color Outdoor Integrated LED Landscape Flood Light (10 – bulk price eligible when you buy 10 or more) and 14-2 landscape wire. I needed 75′ for left side and 50′ for right. These lights are even better than the old Malibu lights I’ve used. The stakes are metal instead of plastic. They have an extension plate you could hit with a hammer (vs. the top of light) and they have adjustable light settings. You can choose from 2700K Warm White, 3000K Soft White or 4000K Daylight light colors. These pics were set on 3000K, but I have subsequently gone done to the 2700K setting.

Stunning if I must say so myself.

June 5, 2020

Handcrafted, Heirloom Quality Box by Conjure Craft Woodworkers

Several months ago I started working on a headboard project at the Manufactory and one of the members, Kendall Glover, owner of Conjure Craft Woodworkers, was lending his expertise. In my post You Can’t Replicate It, So Save It, I talked about the beauty that comes from old wood. In restoring my 1924 Cape Cod style house I threw away NOTHING. I repurposed wood shelves for my headboard project and Kendall took a piece of scrap wood I had thrown away and created this beautiful design.

Thin slices of 100 year old pine shelf from my house

Little did I know Kendall would turn that scrap into this beautiful, heirloom quality box and give it to me as a gift. The other wood for the box was scrap from 100+ year old pine floor joist that was given to me. Kendall made a garden bench from some of it.

Kendall recently had a flood in his basement following a heavy Cincinnati rain where he lost almost everything; family treasures, photos, and some of his wood working tools. Insurance will allow him to recoup replaceable items and he’s going to focus on replacing tools that will allow him focus on creating more of these beautiful boxes for sale. Every box will be unique as the milling/finishing process will be done with hand tools, planers, files, etc. If you’d like to purchase a box you can contact him at 773-358-8000.

My box is #4. He’s entering the first three in a juried art show. Last year Kendall created bird houses and entered them in the 2019 Art of Soul juried art show held at the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center in Wilberforce, OH. He won 1st place in his category. The houses represent the evolution of his family. Slave shack of his ancestors, to suburban ranch of his childhood, to Chicago townhome where he lived before returning to Cincinnati to care for his now deceased mother.

I am super motivated to finish my headboard, so stay tuned for the next post to see the finished project.

May 30, 2020May 31, 2020

My Vision, But Not My Hands Alone

The romantic notion of building my own dining room table from walnut slabs harvested from my back yard did not become a complete reality. I got the project started (see post: The Real Work Started This Weekend and Covid-19 Is Rocking Everyone’s World), but after hosting another dinner on a folding table I decided to let an experienced shop finish it utilizing my new found stimulus check money. I’ll have to save the romance for my office desk and the mulberry slabs also cut from a tree that was in my backyard. Hopefully I learned enough to pull it off.

So the biggest thing I learned, if I’m ever presented with an opportunity to have slabs cut for me again is to leave them over 2″ thick. Randy Wipert, the gentleman I gave all the walnut logs to in exchange for cutting and drying enough for me to make my table, asked me how thick I wanted them. I really didn’t have a clue, so I told him my finished thickness of an inch. He cut my boards under 2″ thick as a result. With the mistakes I made and the natural warping/twisting of the boards, the shop that finished my table ended up milling my boards down to a finished thickness of just under an inch. My mulberry slabs are also under 2″, so it will be interesting to see if I can pull off that project.

Clearly Randy kept the boards with less knots and less sap (the white areas are the sap wood, the wood closer to the bark of the tree) or since he had more wood to work with he was able to eliminate his sap wood. The shop that finished my table told me that two of my boards were too twisted/warped to use, so if I wanted a minimum of 36″ in width, I’d have to keep the sap. In the beginning of the project I did not want any sap. I really didn’t know what it was and I had never seen a mass produced table with it. You don’t know what you don’t know. Everyone at the Manufactory that saw my boards said I was crazy to eliminate the sap. I guess I better grow to love it since it’s staying. I was able to provide input on board placement before they were glued. I will have just two strips of white.

I was at a friend’s house and the woman next door was being evicted and these vintage cast iron table legs were sitting in her driveway. She was a professed flea market flipper. I offered to buy them, but she gave them to me. This was over a year before I bought my house. When I saw them I immediately thought what an awesome table I could make with them (I was equally fixated on HGTV/DIY’s Fixer Upper and Flea Market Flip at that time). I had a vision before THE vision for my house. With the cast iron wall sconces in my dining room and the gunmetal chairs I bought, I knew I’d want to get the rust removed and returned to the silver color of new cast iron. A & B Deburring Co. in downtown Cincinnati sandblasted them clean for me. The shop finishing the top sprayed them with a sealant that should prevent them from rusting again.

When I dropped off the legs I was able to see my table glued up for the first time. They had just put on the first finishing coat. I must admit I was taken aback when I saw it. I’m still grappling with the sap wood since it was not in the vision I had for the table. The thinness of it and the curved shaped (I fashioned the shape of it after the dining room table I grew up with, which was a mid-century modern design) gives it a refinement, but the knots and sap makes it look rustic. My house isn’t rustic. The movement in the wood is not like anything I’ve ever seen, so one side of my brain thinks it’s super cool. This was growing in my back yard. Those knots are signs the tree was sprouting new limbs to grow and thrive. Those knots can be my symbol to embrace the new career choices Covid-19 is forcing me to make if I expect to continue to grow and thrive. The other side is still stuck on the image of mass produced products. It makes me wonder if an experienced wood craftsman would have ever considered my boards for a table and if the foolish romance of making my own table clouded good judgement. It wouldn’t be the first time “the romance of” has made me make poor decisions.

The two outside pieces are the boards I glued up at the Manufactory

I thought the corners were too sharp, so I did request that they be rounded a bit more. Due to the final thickness they will have to attach a skirt/apron underneath my table to provide structural strength and support. Just three days later my changes were made and the table completed.

My friends Kyle and Bethany helped me pick it up and bring it home and my neighbors Paul and his visiting father helped us carry it in the house. Not 100% by my hands, but it is as seen in my mind’s eye (well almost given the sap wood). I’m grinning ear to ear. Another vision complete.

The vase is from Magnolia Silos, a gift from a client. Perfect center piece.

February 17, 2020February 17, 2020

No Sweets for this Sweetheart

I didn’t come close to finishing my headboard, so I thought I’d share the progress reached by the end of the Valentine’s Day Weekend. I got the side boxes stained and coated. I had planned to use Zar Early American stain, as I did on the upstairs moulding, but Sherwin Williams no longer carries it. After trying Minwax’s Early American and General Finish Mahagony, neither were even close on the Aspen wood, I returned to Sherwin Williams to have them match the color of the doors I’ve converted to pull out tables. They are now selling Minwax Performance Series Tintable Stain.

Per the can’s directions I sanded my surfaces with 120 grit sandpaper and applied one coat of stain, which I let sit for about 10 minutes per the clerks recommendation to get a darker finish. I let it dry overnight and then applied three coats of Minwax Polycrylic. I really like the ease of use for this product. I sanded, lightly by hand, between each coat with 220 grit paper.

After one coat of poly:

After two coats of poly:

After the final coat of poly and letting them sit overnight, I returned with my parts to the Manufactory to put them back together:

With the side boxes finished it was time to tackle the oak top shelve. I started by taking the pieces for the side to the WoodShop to use their joiner and biscuit cutter. I brought the pieces back home to glue and clamp. This was my first glue up and it was spot on! Several guys at the Manufactory complimented me as the seam of the two pieces is barely noticeable.

Now it was time to tackle the top and bottom. This headboard is going to be heavy. The oak wood is dense and in hindsight I should have detoured from the original plans sooner and used 1/2″ plywood instead of 3/4″. I can bet the designer didn’t think someone would use old wood, which weighs much more than the modern 2×4. Anyway, to try and reduce a smidgen of the weight the bottom shelve is only 12″ deep. Once the back piece is in place I’ll have a 10″ deep shelve, perfect for my bible. The top has to be the same width as the sides, so it’s 17″ deep. To reach the depth I needed I had to join two slabs together. My boards weren’t the same thickness, so I had to run them through a planer.

The bottom, per Kendall’s suggestion I routed out a 1/2 groove, because I wanted the sides to cover the top of the side boxes.

I had my mind fixed on a mitered seam at the top and that posed a challenge because my top and sides were too wide for the miter saw. After setting the back in place, I was able to mark my lines to locate the miter cut and use the table saw to cut the miter in the side panels. I used my Kreg jig kit to make pocket holes for attaching the back to the bottom, sides, and top

The top was too long for the table saw, so my only option was a circular saw. I should have called it a day and returned with my own circular saw, which has a much nicer blade, but with Kendall’s help I carried on and got the cuts made. I’ll need to do a little sanding to smooth out the edges. I made the first cut, but let Kendall make the second as there was only about an inch of waste. I beat myself up too much when I fail and I wanted to end the Valentin’e weekend on a high note. Kendall went for gold and cut right on the line to make it one and done.

The challenge now is how to screw the mitered edges together. Glue may not be enough to hold the seams perfectly aligned. In retrospect I should have routed out a groove like I did on the bottom. A normal beginner woodworker would have taken that easier road. But like Nicole Curtis from Rehab Addict says, I’m not normal.

October 11, 2019August 19, 2020

Like It Came With The House

My house is transformed. To know where it started and to see it today is unbelievable. That is why it may sound strange when I state hanging a salvage door to close off the basement, laying tile on the landing, and refreshing the steps has made the biggest change to date. It is going to be an extreme pleasure to use the back door as my entrance once the garage is built.

I found the door at Building Value, my favorite stop for reclaimed material. It was just the door, no knob or jamb. I paid someone to build the jamb out of extra jambs I had. He had to reverse the swing and rip the width of the jamb to just 3″. He finished it much faster than I needed, so the back entrance became a priority because I didn’t want to add to my pile of projects already in the basement.

Before I could hang the door I needed to put the tile down on the landing. Timing was perfect as I had just finished the master shower and knocking this out now meant I could retire my wet saw for a long time. I like laying tile, but my two bathrooms wore me out. I had a few pieces left from the tub area in the master bath and I thought it would be great in that area, but I didn’t have enough to cover the entire surface. I most certainly was not going to order more, so I got the idea to border the sides and use the tile in the center. I found the perfect match at the Tile Shop, Workshop Desert Wood Look Porcelain 4 x 47. I only needed four pieces.

Before I could lay the tile I had to level out the surface. No pics to show, but I used Mapei Novoplan Easy Plus self-leveling underlayment from Floor and Decor. Mixed and poured in the low areas on top of the cement board I had installed. Amazing how well it worked. I also decided that a pretty landing would pale next to the worn out steps, so I decided to cover them with RetroTreads I found at Lowe’s. I did the prep work for those as I knew it would generate a lot of saw dust. I had to cut the overhang off each step. I knew the tile would create a need for a reducer going do into the basement. I bought one before I knew the width I needed to cover and it was way too narrow, so I bought a Stairparts 11.5×48 Stair Tread, which I was able to rip down to the right width. It was the perfect height, butting up perfectly to the tile.

With a close enough level surface I started with the border tile. I wanted it to meet on the corners with 45 degree angles and 3 of the 4 angles would be impacted by the door or steps. This tile project would have been 100% perfection if I had not forgotten to account for the new riser I was putting on the steps. The most complex corner ended up being off by 1/2″, so I ended with a much thicker grout line in that corner.

I used my triangle square to make show the box was aligned correctly and then I did a dry run with the center tile. If all went well I would have two pieces to spare. Key was finding the center as it would allow me to get two spaces from one tile once I got to the perimeter pieces. I didn’t miss a cut until the last piece of tile, so I ended the project with one piece to spare.

Next day was grouting, followed by cutting the treads to the right width. With the dry fit of the steps down, I stained them with the Early American stain I had to match the kitchen door and added two coats of Bona Floor sealing.

I’ve never hung a door by myself. The entrance to the basement wasn’t close to being square. I knew the door was not as wide as the original, but it was the right height and style. I’ve been looking for that door (and office) for two years. I needed to close up the opening, so I got a 2×4 and ran it down the hinge side of door. I knew it was import to make that side level. To do so I had to shim out the top while the bottom was flush to the wall.

I also needed to cut off some of the top of the entrance. I used my 4′ level to strike a line. To make it level I cut almost 2″ from the left side and only an 1″ from right. No pics (down fall of working alone) I did a plunge cut with my circular saw and my job max tool to get the corners the circular saw could not reach. I went old school and used 10d, 3″ finishing nails to set the door. I drilled a hole for the door knob to catch, but need to find a strike plate to finish it off. I amazed myself by how well that went in. The door was in really good shape. Dusty, like my other trim and doors, so I went back to my Howard’s Restor-A-Finish stand by. One day when I’m bored because EVERYTHING else is finished I may paint the other side to match the walls. For now the pale yellow will be just fine.

With the door hung, tonight I turned my sights on the steps, which was a piece of cake to install. I kept the top step riser original as the nose of the top step feeds into the kitchen flooring. I put new risers on the bottom two steps (bottom step I actually installed before the tile) and used denatured alcohol to clean up the stair strings. I was out of the correct tint of Restor-A-Finish for the strings, so I rubbed them with the Early American stain. I put down Liquid Nail first and then used the 10d nails for added measure. Just beautiful.

September 8, 2019

That Section Looks Good

It’s going to look awesome when complete. The wall tiles are 4×16 and I purchased them from the Tile Shop, Imperial Bone Gloss Ceramic. The skirting around the tub also came from Tile Shop. The grout is Superior Pro-Grout Excel in Dessert Sand.

The floor tile is the mosaic tile that matches the hexagon tile I put in the tub area. I fell in love with the Isla King Wood tile when I stumbled across it on Pinterest. It’s an Italian tile and it was a splurge that I justified because I put in the labor. I was fortunate to find the tub floor tile online at Mission Stone and Tile. With shipping it was several hundred dollars cheaper than JP Flooring, a local vendor. I had selected a 2×2 hexagon tile from the Tile Shop that would compliment the tub area, but Mike Tanner’s installer suggested that I go with a square shape tile, less waste and time to install. The Tile Shop had a 2×2 square mosaic, but it was only a couple of dollars less than the King Wood mosaic, which is what I really wanted. I only needed 23 sf. Even though I had to pay for installation, it was less than $100 in material cost increase, so I went for it. Unfortunately Mission Stone and Tile did not carry the mosaic, so I ordered it from JP Flooring.

August 5, 2019August 19, 2020

My Happy Place

After a three year absence, Saturday I returned to my favorite Cincinnati event, the Ohio River Paddlefest the nation’s largest paddling celebration. It was an absolutely gorgeous day for kayaking. I have not kayaked since the 2015 event, so I was hopeful it would be like riding a bike and it was. Since the last time I participated the route changed and the course made longer, 9-miles. They were expecting over 2,000 paddlers. I dropped my kayak at the launch site on Friday, so I didn’t have to get up extra early on Saturday.

Launch time was between 7 – 8:30a, so I was definitely towards the end of the pack when I started. I packed PB&J sandwiches, a 32 oz bottle of Mango Gatorade, and a frozen solid Vitamin Water, Energy flavor to keep myself nourished, since I didn’t have time for breakfast.

I like to paddle to the beat of the music I’m listening to. I had my Pandora station shuffling between about a dozen artist and I was crossing my fingers there would be a good mix of slow and fast songs. It balanced out, but I did use each commercial break (about every 4 songs) to take a drink and bite. Fatigue started kicking in at what I’m guessing was about mile 6 and then the most perfect song came on, Natalie Merchant’s, Where I Go. It was all about letting your mind go while at/on the river. I abandoned paddling to the beat and just enjoyed a leisure pace to the finish line where I was greeted with a giant happy face. I most certainly was. After grabbing a combo meal from the Red Sesame food truck, I loaded my kayak and headed home.

One would think I’d be too tired to do anything else, but once I got my kayak back in its perch in my basement, I changed into my work clothes and continued working on my headboard. I was bound and determined to get the back portion of the headboard done that day. I’m not going to go into too much detail as I’ll do a dedicated post, but I’m so proud of how the back turned out I actually posed with it. Folks that know me, know I don’t do photos. I’m torn on leaving it natural, allowing the poly I’ll apply to pull out the colors or staining all or some of the slats. I’d love to get some feedback from anybody reading this post.

I worked until 5p. I was showered and in the bed ripping ZZzzzz by 7:30. I was sore, tired, but oh so happy. Enjoy the additional photos of Paddlefest and put it on your calendar for next year. I’ve always done this event by myself (kayaking is a great single person activity), but I’d love to have someone join me next year.

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July 27, 2019August 19, 2020

Master Bedroom Complete

The Magnolia Market sign that was my “sign” to move forward with purchasing my house has finally been removed from its box and hung on the wall of my completed master bedroom. Yes you can stand and applaud. Unfortunately the Silos doesn’t carry the sign anymore, so no link if you were interested in purchasing.

After completing my Pinterest dresser project and putting the trim up around the small storage does I became obsessed with putting the trim up around the rest of the room. Amazingly most of it was on the same two pallets in the basement and as with the door trim it, for the most part, just needed Murphy Oil Soap wipe down and the Howard’s Feed and Wax. There were a few pieces that I felt needed the Restore-A-Finish product, but I managed to knock the can over and wasted almost all of it. Not wanting to run to a store, I started using the end of a pint of Minwax, Early American, stain I had bought for the kitchen floor. I used steel wool, in the same fashion as the Restore-A-Finish. It worked as well and maybe even better. Every original piece was numbered, so putting them back in the right place was no problem.

The only challenge to the floor moulding was one section in the front dormer. All of the electrical outlets in the house were original cut into the moulding. That is no longer to code, so I knew those sections would be problematic. Over a year ago, I stumbled across a YouTube segment from This Old House that showed how to patch wood trim. I had recessed that in the Rolodex in my brain, knowing that I’d need to put that knowledge to use. Amazingly my Master bedroom only had one outlet in it. Per today’s code I now have 12. Using the video as my guide, I did a pretty darn good job with the patch. Their moulding was painted, so they were able to hide the patch completely. I didn’t have that luxury, but I still think it’s pretty negligible.

With the floor complete I turned my sites on the windows. I sent the front dormer window as a tease on the last blog. It was the easiest of the 5 to restore. My new window seals are thicker than the originals, so I knew I would need to cut the bottom off every vertical piece throughout the house. Again, I thought I’d need to hire my finish carpenter, Tom, to do this for me, but my confidence and comfort level for using my miter and table saws has soared.

From the front window, I moved onto the side trio of windows. The two smaller windows proved to be a challenge because the replacement windows had a gap greater than the window stop trim. I always felt that these windows were ordered too small. It’s hard to describe and show in pictures, but I needed to close the gap on the sides of the small windows and to do it I took an old door jamb to give me the “L” shape I needed to lay on top of the existing house framing. To date this is my finest table saw work.

With that obstacle conquered the rest was easy. Clean, Wax, trim a little of the bottom and nail in place.

The rear dormer window I intentionally saved for last. Even my window installer was perplexed with how the trim would go back around this window. During demo this window completely fell out and apparently we tore out, or it never existed, the framing. With the drywall install there was no exposed framing to nail into, just the edge of the drywall. To make matters even more complicated the drywall came about 1/2″ more at the bottom. I basically needed to frame out the window before I could frame it with the original moulding.

I devised a plan in my mind that involved using the original moulding from the trio of windows in the bathroom that mirrored the trio in the bedroom. I saved this window for last because I had to make sure the bathroom wood would not be needed to correct a cut mistake in the bedroom. Since that install went flawlessly, I was ready to put plan into action. The two vertical pieces that went around the large window of the trio was slightly wider than the moulding. I created the perfect 1/4-1/2″ reveal and it was thick enough that it gave me something for the window stop trim to nail to. Since the bottom drywall protruded out further than the top, I used shims to build out the top.

With the build out complete I was able to proceed with installing the seal and apron. The seal had to be in place before I could install the vertical pieces. I put the top piece on first, but when I went to dry fit the first vertical piece I discovered the piece was too short. The replacement window was longer than the original. The first window installer put in the new framing for this window and he must have made the opening larger than the original.

I had plenty of extra door frame moulding left, but I had already cleaned up the original and I was only a couple of inches short on each side, so I decided to splice two pieces together using scrap pieces for the built-in dresser. I’ve learned to throw nothing away. The trim around the dresser was slightly lighter than the window around the window, but I didn’t care. I was impressed with my thought process and splicing technique. Most people will never see it anyway given it leads to a private area of my home.

With the patched moulding installed, my master was complete. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that I wanted to add a light on the outside of the closet. In the two weeks of working to the moulding, Mr. McGhee made that happen. I took the original light fixture from the 1st hall, which matched the ones already in the bedroom, but installed an LED Edison bulb to keep the heat discharge from impacting the paint. I also bought a rug and for my seating area from Overstock.com. It fits in perfectly and is made from recycled jeans and jute. I bought a 9×12, same fabric, different color and design for under my bed, but it’s on back order.

Check out these before and afters, followed by a video tour. I have truly created an oasis. I’m writing this blog while listening to vinyl jazz LPs. LOVING EVERY MOMENT!

June 4, 2019June 4, 2019

It’s A Wrap – Another Space Complete

20 months in (I can’t believe that) and I now have TWO spaces completed in my house, minus a missing strike plate. My first floor bathroom is complete with accessories and doors. This project has truly been an emotional roller coaster with highs and lows, twist and bends. I was in another low and I got a newsletter email from Chip and Joanna and decided to click through the latest offerings at the Magnolia Silos. I’ve been thinking about placing something in the blank space above the toilet and I found it, a JDH Iron Design sign stating: The World Needs Who You Were Made To Be.

There is one vision for my house that I have not been able to have manifest and even though I know it is out of my control, I can’t help but feel that I’m lacking something that is blocking it from happening. This sign will be a reminder, every time I see it, that perhaps I’m not lacking anything. What made it even better is I got to pick it up in person thanks to a business trip to Houston that started a day early with a quick overnight in Waco. I needed that trip. Three hours, each way, in a rental car with my Yolanda Adams Pandora station blaring; two hours in the most positive place on earth, Magnolia Silos; dinner at the best Mexican restaurant I’ve eaten at, Ninfa’s Mexican Restaurant; and breakfast before heading back at Magnolia Table. Yeah, I’m riding another high. I had the spring menu Lemon Blueberry Pancakes with Lemon Butter (heaven) and pepper bacon (not too peppery) and Pecan coffee (brought a bag home it was so good).

Back to the bathroom. With the mirror project complete, the only thing left were the doors and floor moulding. I got the entry door hung before my father came to visit, but I had not installed the lock. My Dremel tool broke, so I couldn’t get the plates recessed fully (that’s a tweak I can do when I’m bored after the whole house is a wrap), but the lock functions. This door is painted on the inside and stained on the outside. I wanted the locks to match the setting, so I purchased two of the same locks: Dynasty Hardware Round Bed / Bath Privacy Pocket Door Latch Satin Nickel and Dynasty Hardware Round Bed / Bath Privacy Pocket Door Latch Aged Oil Rub Bronze from Amazon. I even took the extra step of splitting the colors on the door jamb by staining the outside half and painting the inside half.

The linen closet door took some effort. It had to be stripped as it was already weighted down with previous layers of paint (I saw yellow, mint green, and two shades of white). I started with the outside, thinking if I got tired of the project I could shortcut the inside. I used CitriStrip Stripping Gel (see Battle of the Strippers post), which I let sit overnight. I had a thick nylon brush with steel bristle on the end that I used to remove the paint from the decorative grooves. I wasn’t sure I had enough stripper for the other side, so I decided to try out my new Ridgid belt sander. It didn’t make a dent as the paint, despite its age, was gummy and it gummed up the sand belt. Fortunately I had just enough stripper to get the majority of the paint removed. Since I didn’t get it all removed I put a coat of Kilz primer on the inside before the actual Sherwin Williams ProClassic in Incredible White. I should have probably primed the outside also, but I just put two coats of the ProClassic.

I bought new hinges from Amazon because the originals were too rusty and added a robe hook that matches the sink and tub faucets, also found on Amazon. The linen closet had a white glass knob on both sides, but the entry door had white on inside and clear on outside. I loved the level of detail by the original builder. Unfortunately I’ve misplaced the strike plate, so the linen door doesn’t catch and close completely. I’m sure it’s around the house somewhere, so I’m not going to rush to buy a new one. I did that with the pocket door hardware and found the original packs in a box marked paperwork about two weeks after they were hung.

The last project was the moulding and this was my first venture into a coping saw cut. I have not installed my vice grip on my work bench yet and coping without something holding your wood is hard. One of my favorite YouTube video people is SeeJaneDrill.com, so I watched her coping video several times to learn what to do. I did the first cut by hand, but did the second one on the scrolling saw at the Wood Shop. Can you tell the difference? Both worked fine and the reality is the corners won’t be seen. I used traditional miter cuts for the shoe molding and painted it black, Tricorn, same as mirror.

The final touch was the addition of a oil diffuser for the left side of the sink. I’ve been looking for awhile and I found the perfect bottle at the Magnolia Silos. It was adorned with a white wax stamp, perfect for my decor. The scent is Linen: Lemon, lime cotton, jasmine, orange flower, lavender, clean musk, and amber.

So with Joanna’s (@JoannaStevensGaines) favorite scents filling my air, that bathroom is a wrap.

Click on links below to see all the post related to the 1st Floor bathroom. As an amateur (albeit advanced) DIYer and newbie interior designer, I’m pretty proud of what I accomplished on this project:

Category: Design