MASTER LIST

MASTER LIST

Basement - Finish out to make 1/2 of it office and cedar closet with laundry room, the other half, art area and work bench, possibly work-out space and storage.
Step 1: Seal basement, assess issues (any mold issues, etc.)
Step 2: Put in flooring, insulation between floors to reduce sound, seal windows
Step 3: Dividing walls, cedar closet - will require architect

Water Supply Step
1: Assess pipes and filters

Electricity
Step 1: Add more electrical capacity
Step 2: Electrician correct polarity, ground all existing outlets
Step 3: Electricity to Garage - properly done - not rigged.

Bathroom
Step 1: New plumbing behind bathtub wall
Step 2: New hardware to be able to work tub and sink
Step 3: Refurbish all exisiting appliances
Step 4: Remove layers of all paint, get to the base tiles
Step 5: New tiles, new floor
Step 6: New exhaust fan properly vented

Kitchen - Remodel
Step 1: New faucet kitchen sink
Step 2: Garbage disposal
Step 3: New Floor
Step 4: Add Dishwasher
Step 5: Remodel - splash board

Outside
Front steps - replace with poured cement
Check integrity of screened porch
Fix screen door screens
Remove wood deck structure from back
Add stone steps from garage to back yard
Hire Landscape artist to assist with best managing the yard to be sure water is pushed away from foundation
Privacy Fence
Add two car garage with art studio/storage above garage
Flowers, trees, garden, stone patio where ugly wood deck is

Attic - Raise the Roof line - add dormers, convert to master bed and bath, create to blend with existing architecture (or forget about it) Keep first floor looking traditional bungalow style, create master bed and bath to be more contemporary with walk in shower and claw foot tub, walk in closets, dressing area, skylights, warm woods, etc.

Basement Leakage

We've had a bunch of snow and it's warming up and raining. There is water in the basement. Thankfully not a lot. This brings this "do to" item up on the master list. I'm not freaking out and its not a huge thing, but was really hoping to get through a few months without needing to spend more money. We've already added April Air and fixed the chimney cap.

CHRISTMAS AT WELTY

We found the perfect Christmas tree. When you get married you get the best and worst of Christmas past. Handmade ornaments from the deceased mother-in-law (which are actually some of the best) to the red and blue felt soldier from Montessori School - mine. WOW! My sister-in-law gave a valuable idea - you don't have to use the same ornaments year to year. Her tree has red and silver balls, white lights and looks great. She used 1/3 of what Christmas ornaments she has. It just never occurred to me.

I think our treee looks like an old-fashioned tree except for the big pink ball with a blue crown. It sort of stands out from everything else.

It feels like home!

Little Details

WINTER 2008

The Beginning.....

Where to begin.....at the beginning a very good place to start.....

In 2001 I bought the bungalow. It was exactly like another bungalow on the same street that I had bid on about a year earlier. I lost the bid, thank goodness. Little did I know, the loss was in my best interest. This bungalow is similar but better. In the house I lost the bedrooms and bathroom were right off the dining room which took up wall space in the dining room verses mine which has a hallway seperating the bedrooms from the living room. There is a lovely swinging door so that the back of the house can be shut off from the front of the house and the bedrooms can be shut off from the rest of the house, too. It flows so much better. There were other small things like the great price I paid for my bungalow and much, much more. It just goes to show that everything happens for a reason. I was elated to get this house. It has the glass door knobs, hardwood floors, built-ins, a lovely fireplace, a fenced back yard, etc., etc. I believe we are the third owners.

In 2004 I moved to Chicago and had to leave the bungalow behind. I ended up leasing it to a nice guy. At one point he asked about buying it and I declined. I had every intention of living in the little bungalow again. I sort of view it as home base - a little piece of heaven from which I can launch all other adventures. The master plan is to have a little apartment/condo in Chicago, too, to have the best of both worlds. In the meantime I am absolutely elated to be home.

The most fortunate part is the place is in good shape. There isn't a gut rehab required. No one has damaged the integrity in a major way. Now it is minor fixes and some refinishing which is really the fun part when you have the dollars and/or the elbow grease to do it.

Alright, it does help to read instructions as there are instructions on Blogger to help get things going so the next few blogs are "tests" for the emergency broadcasting system - this is only a test...

This is Cosmo, our Jackahuahua....wearing a sweater. Cosmo is new to us since July and I never thought I'd be a dog owner again much less a small dog owner. He is an awesome, wonderful dog and I love him to pieces. He is sitting on the new rug in front of the door that leads to the attic.

Take 2

Geeze, this is more complicated than I thought it would be. I see these amazing sites on houseblogs and I want to play, too. I don't know what I'm doing. I want to post pictures and explanations. I took lots of pictures today and want to chart my progress, too.

If I figure this out...this will be fun.

Oak Park Visit

After visiting our good friends in Oak Park, I'm all the more excited about the projects ahead. Eric is an artist. He made the most amazing closet doors with a design that he needs to patent. It's really amazing. I got ideas for the two ugly 4x4 posts that seem to be the support for our overhang roof which is very small.



We went to a shop that was listed in the American Bungalow magazine. We had picked out some items and since we were visiting our friends we thought we'd pick up our mailbox and possibly our house numbers. These are such small, inexpensive items to make a difference to the house.



I'm so excited about the whole process of renovating and bringing the bungalow back to its previous self or better than it's previous self.

The Sweet Beginnings (and overwhelment)

So this is my first attempt at blogging...which is somewhat funny because I absolutely love to write and pretty much "blog" to my friend Mark all the time. It is like my hobby....and a huge time-sucker.

So this is where I will go to write about the trials and tribulations of the blank canvas which is called our bungalow. It's a 1923 (I'll have to check the date for accuracy) brick bungalow in Northern Illinois...no not my beloved Chicago, but a little farther north and west.

There is lots of work to be done and since I am so new at this blogging thing I will keep this post short and sweet.