Merry Christmas to Us

There has been some talk of replacing the plumbing in our basement "somewhere down the road," but we were pleased when Blair's dad showed up with tools and supplies in hand the day after Thanksgiving to do it for free. Well, not "free" free (it's our joint Christmas present) - but it's one less item we have to pay for out of our pocket.

Granted, new plumbing isn't exactly a gift either of us would think to ask for, but based on the condition of the old galvanized pipes (see photo below) - we were EXTREMELY excited. Thanks Rodney!

The water supply pipes in our basement were made of galvanized steel (which is very susceptible to corrosion and build-up). This is what nearly 50 linear feet of pipe looked like in our basement. Gross.

Old galvanized pipe running into the house past the water meter. We eventually placed a shutoff valve here to control the water source of the entire home.

The old cold water pipes (which were all replaced) were wrapped in areas with an insulated tape to keep them from "sweating" over the pool table.

More tape-covered pipes...

Rodney always comes prepared. He did his homework (as usual), mapping out all of the routes and pieces necessary to complete the job.

Meter box with the new shutoff valve and beginning of the CPVC installed.

Some excellent handy-work: T-joints, valves and 45 degree angles installed perfectly.

Good stuff. "M&R Plumbing" just might have a future!

New copper piping leading up to the kitchen for our new faucet (which we purchased this weekend).

Needless to say, our water pressure is much improved, and it even tastes better! Keep an eye open for updates on the kitchen cabinets, counter tops, and sink this week...

Signs of Normalcy

This weekend we were able to tackle a number of projects that have been sitting on our "to-do" list for a while. The main source of motivation is our upcoming holiday party (T-minus four weeks!).

The kitchen gets the majority of our attention these days, primarily because it would be nearly impossible to host a party without a way to cook and refrigerate things. While the cabinets are awaiting final assembly and finish, we tackled a few smaller projects at home.

We put plastic sheeting over our antique pool table and set up our paint station for doors and shelves.

The shelves for our pantry were cut from 1x12" pine, and then painted the same white as the trim in our kitchen. We also cut the bottom off all the doors in (and adjacent to) the kitchen since the new tile raised the floor level by a good three-quarters of an inch.

Inside the pantry, we cut and painted some 1x1" to 12" lengths to give our shelves something to sit on.

Here are the shelves - level and installed. We are really pleased with the yellow walls inside the pantry. (And how much does the Threadless "Cookie and Milk" print rock?)

The top shelf is a little close to the top of the doorway, but I think we'll still be able to put a good amount of food up there (as the ceiling in the closet is 9' tall!).

It's pretty sad that unpacking food and cooking utensils from boxes and placing it onto shelves can provide such a sense of accomplishment. Finishing this job made us realize how much we take the little things (like not having to dig through boxes to find a shaker of salt) for granted.

Old vs. New - You Vote!

We have been debating whether or not to use the original "Republic Steel" emblem from the front of our kitchen cabinets, or replace it with our own custom piece. As much as I love reusing original pieces, there's something nice about putting your own artistic touch into every little project throughout the house.

A friend of ours from work offered to route us a shiny, new custom piece to replace the old, dingy, original Republic Steel piece (below).



Don't worry - if we decide to go with the new routed emblem (design below), we still plan on incorporating the original piece somewhere. It just won't be front and center under the newly re-finished sink. Thoughts?

Bathroom: The Grand Reveal

We are proud to announce that the bathroom is officially the first room in our home to be considered "finished" (well, as finished as it needs to be for digital photos). Thanks to all who contributed to this gorgeous room (see below for credits)!

Big thanks to Budget Blinds for hooking us up with the great natural-fiber roller shade and valance for the window.

These beautiful prints are by local artist Aline Yamada (a fellow Gahanna-Lincoln grad). Check out her work and/or buy these prints here and here.

The drawer pulls are mix and match glass knobs from Anthropologie, and the cabinet itself is an inexpensive Home Goods find.

Yellow Walls and Tile Floors

Wanted to post the latest pics of the hallway and kitchen floors. We have one more coat of yellow to do on the hallway walls. We are getting excited to do a really good cleaning of the wood and floors. It's been tough living with so much dust and mess! We also grouted the tile in the kitchen this weekend. Last week we took our kitchen sink to my dad's neighbors (Porcelain Professionals) to have it refinished. So, the kitchen is coming along.

Enjoy!

We painted the pantry yellow.

The sink before it was refinished - picking up the finished product tomorrow!