baker-vila

2006-10-21T09:45:00.000-06:00

The Wedding...

2006-05-15T11:28:00.000-06:00

As we have been finishing the upstairs there has been little time to update the blog. The work is now complete, I say welcome to the new kitchen and fully remodeled house.

We will of course start with the kitchen. Before there was after there was before. So let's start with the before:

The original kitchen

The original kitchen getting cleaned out

The new kitchen

2005-12-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

Case #54 The Front Yard.

With miles of over-growth and no sprinkler system the front yard needed a full redo. The whole yard was tilled under and then trenched for sprinklers. We tried to design it with less grass and more beds to approach the zero-scape.

Kota's contribution, watching out for yard looters

The extremely deep hole trying to find the water main

A little finished results

The half sunk side walk to the front door was ripped out and replaced. Even though Matt got drunk the night before and ran the forms over in his Mazda.

2005-12-10T22:08:00.000-07:00

Ah, finally an update. Sorry for the delay but we have been hard at work trying to return the bathroom to its once former glory. Also plans have been planned for the acquiring a mighty loan to finish the rest of the upstairs and kitchen. So that Jen, Kota, and myself do not have to live in a construction zone forever, its time to bite the bullet and get the house done. Once I finish the bathroom and bedroom, construction on the kitchen should start early spring. yippy.

With no further adieu, here is some bathroom progress:

On the day before thanksgiving we bought and installed the new tub (except it had a large, white, furry defect)

On thanksgiving we made the mighty "unturkey"
(note the tacky brown stove, its days are numbered)

With the tub in place the backer board was applied to the floors and walls to support the tile.

New plumbing for the new tub

Drywall was applied to make the walls more "wall" like

The office, once again has a west wall and closet

Backside of the tub's new plumbing (done not once but twice because of tub fixture issues) (it was Jen's fault)

2005-11-17T21:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Spencer, we have found some pictures of the original basement. From Hudson River School's first recording session in the mighty (mighty cold) basement:

What's better than one fluorescent light, try six.

Wood paneling never goes out of style, sings Bob.

Steve relaxing after a brutal game of built-into-the-linoleum shuffleboard.

basement

2005-11-14T15:05:00.000-07:00

The secret lives of re-re-finished basements

Last time on greg’s blog:

“It should be noted at this point the basement and a lot of the yard has been completed. Pictures will follow of these projects. Being that I am the master of foresight there are very few to none "before" shots of these areas. So for all of you that have been to the house please reminisce quietly. For the rest imagine fine cabinets the never close, pink tile, pine walls, bad linoleum floors, brown appliances and never to forget lights that can indeed be turned hard to starboard.”

The Basement:

west side (got to be careful over here)

east side (with room for a non-existent pool table)

new closets

bathroom

bedroom

slate-y fire place

vanity and its bud “the crapper”

full tile shower (or the largest pain in the ass)

laundry room

2005-11-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Here we go for the first book in the master trilogy of how to make your home life a painful mess by remodeling your entire house.

For starters, this blog is recording albeit half way through the project the remodeling of one said house in Salt Lake. Purchased in 2001, built in 1952. The house stands today in "phase 2" of the "allen parson project" which does not involve a giant laser, but the start of the upstairs remodeling. In this phase we cover the rearranging of bedrooms, closets and for a little more fun - full destruction and expansion of the upstairs bathroom.

It should be noted at this point the basement and a lot of the yard has been completed. Pictures will follow of these projects. Being that I am the master of foresight there are very few to none "before" shots of these areas. So for all of you that have been to the house please reminisce quietly. For the rest imagine fine cabinets the never close, pink tile, pine walls, bad linoleum floors, brown appliances and never to forget lights that can indeed be turned hard to starboard.

Visual Aid #1 - Main Level Original Floor Plan.

Ah the 50's middle class house. Small rooms and lots of em. Open space is apparently only for communists.

Visual Aid #2 - Main Level New Floor Plan.

I think it looks better just because I cad-ed a cute little couch in.

Items of note for Phase 2 (painful pictures to follow)
-The bathroom is extended into the office.
-The master and other bedroom originally have a double sided wardrobe. This will be removed to make one large walk-in master closet.

Subject #1. Closet Wars

Master bedroom steals closet, bedroom steals front entrance's closet.
Its a snowball effect.

New Master Closet

Subject #2 - The timely demise of the ever so small pink tile bathroom

Everybody likes math:
Pink bathroom + sledgehammer =

Best way to spruce up your office: put a bath tub in it.