Replacing the Bathroom Floor

Little did I know it, but the best encouragement for my own work...was the work of others.

When I first purchased this foreclosure, one of the toilets didn't sit too straight.  I was made aware of this by the numerous plastic shims found below the toilet itself.  Well, I wanted to put down new linoleum, but this uneven floor was a problem.

The bathroom as acquired.  Notice the shims underneath the toilet.

So I removed the toilet.  Oh boy...

What I found wasn't too encouraging.  The toilet had been leaking for quite some time.  It could have been leaking before the shims were installed, or it could have been leaking now due to a poor seal with the wax ring because of the shims.  Who knew.

After removing the toilet...water had been leaking for some time creating soft wood.




The mold around the toilet flange.

All I knew is that I had had a leaky toilet...and that created wet wood...which in turn created mold.  Agh, there is ALWAYS something to do with a home!!!

Well, I started peeling up these sticky vinyl tiles to figure out just how bad it was.  It wasn't looking too great.  I needed the floorboard replaced.  So I called up a few contractors.  One by one each would walk in, assess the damage, and think out loud!  I tell you, THAT was worth its weight in gold to me.



I removed all of the VERY sticky tiles to see how far the damage had gone.

"Well, huh...yeah, it looks like you are going to have to cut out the floorboard here and install new..."

"What I would do is cut out the floorboard from here to here...and I'm not sure about the vanity here, but that may have to be removed, too...yeah, huh, how bad is it here..."

Time and time again, these men would walk in and think on the fly.  Then inevitably would come the price.  $200.  $300.  Unknown.

But the more I heard them talk, the more I realized that I myself could do that work!!!  Shoot, if they were just going to cut wood, I could do that, right?!

That was my philosophy anyway.

So that's just what I did.  I talked it over with Dad for a bit, and that's what we decided to do.  He understood more about floors than me, but that's what seemed to be the best bet.  Cut out the floor, then install some reinforcement, and replace with a new floor!  Easy, right?

Well, the work wasn't all that hard on paper, but Dad and I struggled with this little project.  For whatever reason, the supports that we installed between the floor joists was a pain for us!  We had one guy in the crawlspace, the other guy in the bathroom, and communication was breaking down.  And frustration was building.

But we worked through the frusration, and we ended up with a "brand new" floor.

Dad and I cut out the floor.  Here you can see down into the crawlspace.

The new floor installed.

We replaced the area that had soft wood.  The rest was still strong.  I sprayed bleach on the rest of the wood.

The project itself wasn't too hard in terms of what it required, but it just ended up being work.

But the GREAT news was that the project cost me less than $20 for new parts.  And the floor was ready for the linoleum guy to come install!

The luan being installed before the linoleum.

He installed luan down, then applied the new linoleum.  I had a brand new floor for around $150!  I'm thrilled!  I added a new white toilet seat, and voila!  The bathroom looks so much better!!!

Before...

After!

I love it!

How to Pay Rent Without Paying Rent

Vinyl siding has got to be one of the nicest inventions ever made.  It COMPLETELY transforms the look of a house.  Well, after several years of having wood panel siding on my parents' house and shed, Dad made the executive decision to go maintenance-free.

Seeing as how I had my summers off, Dad enlisted my friend and me to do much of the work.  Frankly, I found it a great idea since I don't pay rent and constantly eat Mom and Dad's food! I might as well pay my rent in the form of sweat.

Dad chose to go with Savannah Wicker for the color, and we first did the worst part of the house:  the south side.  The sun beat on this wood for years and years and years, and it was definitely time to be replaced.  I don't have any "before" pictures, but the new look is quite nice.

The new siding.  The house looks soooooo much better!  (New geo-thermal just installed, too, hence the dirt!)

Due to the amount of time it took Dad and me to do this side just ourselves, he opted to hire a contractor to do the remaining work on the house.  But he was left with a rather ugly brown shed in pretty poor shape.  So while the house was going to be finished by a contractor, my job was to do the shed.

Fine by me!

Installing siding is really not all that hard.  You need a good tape measure, a great pair of snips, time, and a helper (so much easier if you have one!).  So my college friend and I tackled this project.  The siding that went up, the easier it was to finish the project.  This shed was being transformed before our very eyes.

Dad received some free windows from the building supply company, so those were a nice addition.

All in all, we had a great time replacing the siding and shingles.  I acquired yet another skill, and Dad's shed is now good for another 30 years.  My uncle came by and installed the soffit for a finishing touch.

The shed before.  Vertical wood siding, wood facia, peeling paint, old shingles.

After!  New siding, windows, soffit, facia, and shingles!

Before.

After!

Before.  This gives you an idea of the warping and peeling wood.

Looks like a brand-new shed!

Before...with the new house siding already up.



After!  The house and shed now match!  What an increase in property value with such a simple project!

A Bird Garden!!!

I really don't know what gets in to me sometimes.  I just can't sit still.  I HAVE to have a project that I am thinking about or pursuing with all of my energy.  And when you live with your parents (thanks, Ma and Pa!) that can lead to trouble.

I'll never forget the day I decided to rip down the wood paneling in my parents' dining room.  Both Mom and Dad were at work, and let's just say this little project turned really big really quick.  Little did we know, but the hot water heater had leaked in previous years, and the leaking water had run up the walls.  Needless to say, when I pulled the wood paneling off, we had a mess of plaster.  I tried my hand at it, but Dad ended up having to fork out some money that he hadn't planned on.  He told me to tame up after that.

That lasted for awhile, but...

It was time for ANOTHER project at Mom and Dad's!!!  In 2006, my brother and I had given Dad the gift of removing his very broken and warped concrete and step outside the patio door.  (In return, I was given the gift of a lost toenail, an exposed bone, and nine stitches in my big toe.  It turns out a jackhammer really does a number on a foot!  OUCH!!!).  Anyway, no longer having a concrete patio outside the sliding glass door, and with the installation of new vinyl siding on the house, Dad had elected to replace the sliding glass door with a picture window.  As such, there was a large area of unkempt dirt and weeds where the concrete had previously been.

The area where the sliding glass door and concrete used to be.  Time to transform this poor lil' area!

So I had the idea of making Mom and Dad a bird garden.  I wanted to turn the area into a bird paradise!  Complete with a birdbath, a birdfeeder...or three, and plenty of beautiful colorful flowers!

The hopefully very vibrant flowers and garden after!  A pretty simple project that I hope pays off in the future!

So I did just that!  We tilled up the space, pulled out the hundreds of tiny leftover concrete chunks, and planted some flowers!!!  Who knew that flowers could be so expensive and take up such little space?!  The goal was to buy perennials with color for attracting hummingbirds, butterflies, and other creatures.  Little did I know, though, just how little space these expensive plants would take up!  I think we spent $100 on the first round of plants...

But the area looks so much better!  And almost as quickly as we put up the birdfeeder, the birds started comin'!  Suet!

Before.  Needless to say, this area of the yard needed some work.

After!  It's a work in progress, but what a difference this has made already!

This had ZERO backyard appeal.

Now hopefully the birds come!

Update!!!

Little would we know it, but this part of the backyard turned out to be quite popular for EVERYONE involved...both us and the outdoor creatures.  The area has morphed a little over the years, too.  Some plants didn't make it, while others have been added.  The cheap birdbath was replaced with a large concrete birdbath with a burbling fountain.  The grill was removed and replaced with gorgeous knock-out roses.  A VERY popular finch sock was added.

And the creatures just keep a'coming!  From Day One, this area of the home has been a hit.  Birds visit throughout the day.  Deer have come to drink from the fountain and eat the corn.  Squirrels LOVE to try and make it up to the birdfeeder to steal the food.  Purple and yellow finches come in droves...it's not uncommon to see more than 10 feasting at a time.  We had a renegade nightly visitor that eluded us for quite some time, always knocking over the plastic birdbath.  We were finally able to conclude that a raccoon was visiting each night and knocking it over.

Two fawns and four yellow finches.

One of the most jaw-dropping sights outside the picture window.  17 deer!

But the best part?  Sitting in front of the window from the inside and watching all of this.  You never know what bird you are going to see, and we have seen them all from brown-headed cowbirds to yellow finches to sparrows to chickadees.  It's just fun, relaxing, and even intriguing to sit inside and watch these birds.  Summer, winter, spring, it doesn't matter.

The plants haven't bushed out as much as anticipated, but they continue to come back each and every year.  Little by little, more are added.  The backyard really has come to life now.  What a treat!

UPDATE NUMBER TWO!!!

So Mom was able to find one of the old backyard pictures from the early 1990's!!!  I then went outside and took a picture of the new backyard complete with the ever-changing bird garden!  What a difference!

The old concrete and sliding glass door.  Also notice the old brown wood paneling on the house!

What a difference!!!  Also notice our knock-out rose additions!!!

Four years into the bird garden (2013), and the plants are starting to take off!  The project is coming together!

Now that we have had the bird garden for just over four years, we can honestly say it's one of the best additions to the house.  The new vinyl siding looks great, but you can't sit and stare at that for too long.  But we have all been guilty of pulling up a chair inside and watching the birds.  We are still hoping for the plants to fill in some more, but they are really starting to branch out now.  It just takes some patience!  :)  And look at those knock-out roses!!!  They have simply EXPLODED!!!