Is It July Already?!?!

Its Been Awhile (Staind)

We Can Work It Out (The Beatles)

Invincible (Pat Benatar)

Well, to quote the first song title, Its Been Awhile…since I’ve posted a blog entry. But, in my defense, I’ve been on the road for work. Traveling to exotic places like Paris (which I saw from a van window…no I wasn’t kidnapped, just busy), Portland & Phoenix…(well, actually Scottsdale, but then the Triple P Tour title doesn’t work)

SOOOOOoooo, to catch everyone up...

Moved in June 1^st. Unpacked & setup my bedroom & the kitchen…also part of the living room. Continued doing minor repairs. Had a few conference calls and before I knew it it was time to pack and leave for the airport!!! I was on the road June 11^th thru July 2^nd. Had three days off within that timeline during which contractors were at my place fixing the wall!!! Yep! Finally done, only no time to get carpet purchased and installed til I got back and after the holiday! I did come to an agreement with the HOA regarding the wall. (We Can Work It Out - The Beatles)

Got back to town on July 2^nd, then purchased and assembled patio furniture :) Also had my design assistant, Don, over to help hang artwork & miniblinds, shop for carpet and remove all items from the office so that carpet could be installed! Which happened this morning! YEAH!!! FINALLY!!! The office/lounge/guest room is ready to be setup! Also managed to cut & install baseboards in that room on my own! Including mitered cuts! I rock!

So, this week will consist of a trip to IKEA to get some office furniture, assembling furniture and FINALLY setting up my office! Its been killing me having a “remote” office in my living room. I’m still living in a sea boxes and I hate it! But, the time has come and I can finally move into the biggest room in my condo!

I know yous are dying for final photos and I will post a giant collection as soon as the finishing touches are put on the place. My goal is to have everything done by the first week of August! Wish me luck! (Invincible - Pat Benatar)

Its Not Over :)

06/05/11

“Down in a Hole” (Alice in Chains); “We Can Work it Out” (The Beatles); “Livin’ on a Prayer” (Bon Jovi); “Runaway Train” (Brandon Boyd); “Far Behind” (Candlebox); “One Step Closer” (Linkin Park); “Miserable” (LIT); “Don’t Stop” (Madonna); “Everyday is a Winding Road” (Sheryl Crow); “Tomorrow” (Silverchair); “Story of my Life” (Social Distortion); “Fell on Black Days” (Soundgarden); “Breakdown” (Tantric)

Soooo many song titles that relate to the past couple weeks!

WOW! I can’t believe its been two weeks since my last post and a little over three weeks since we started this project! How things have changed...and for the best! (This post is a little long, but I have lots to report!)

While I was sick, my fabulous parents insisted on working on my condo! Dad finished tiling the shower and mom painted my lower kitchen cabinets, along with a million other projects! I was sicker than I’ve been, well..ever! Finally, Monday 5/23, I started to come back to life.

[The first condo association meeting was on 5/23 :) Good times :) Still waiting for final decisions relating to termite/water damage. (For more on this, talk to me offline)]

After getting over my mystery illness (Doc said it could have been a number of things including just a run down, stressed out system that just needed a break), things went into warp speed! So many projects that still had to be done and the countdown was on for a June 1st move date.

Blood, sweat, tears, exhaustion, arguments, emotions, and any other number of terms can describe this entire process and everything that went into it!

My parents arrived on Tuesday, May 10th. We worked at the condo EVERYDAY for three weeks. It really does look beautiful now...like a completely different place. Monday, May 23rd thru Wednesday, June 1st seems like it went by in the blink of an eye. The whole entire process seems like it did actually!

To sum up everything that was rehabbed over the course of the three weeks:

Dad (& I) finished putting the bathroom back together. He tiled the floor, the walls, we installed the new vanity & sink & painted. All rooms were painted. All trim & doors were painted. Base shoe was installed in living room, hallway, dining room, kitchen laundry room. New window sills were installed & painted in living room & bedrooms. All grout lines in kitchen, dining & laundry room were “refreshed”...meaning dyed with a toothbrush to each line!!! All cabinets were painted. New hardware was installed on kitchen cabinets. New exterior door was painted. New light fixtures were installed throughout. New door handles were installed throughout. Kitchen cabinets were lined. Sliding panel track installed in living room. Bedroom floors were treated & painted with epoxy sealer. Smaller bedroom was carpeted. (Larger bedroom is still under construction due to termite damage) New appliances were purchased and installed. Old appliances were sold on Craigslist. Old fixtures, etc. were donated to Habitat for Humanity. Old satellite dish was removed. Along with all of these tasks, there were ALOT of trips to Home Depot & Lowes. And thanks to a property built in the 70s before many building materials, etc. were “standardized”, we had many odd sized, off sized and problematic situations. I’m sure I missed some things, but there are certainly not forgotten :)

Many long hours, probably “working” from 8a - 6 or 7p each day! Of course, I’m used to working a 10+ hour day, but my parents rocked and worked just as long each day!

By the time the eve of May 31st rolled around, there was still a list of THINGS TO DO :) We worked until almost 10p that night, then I had to finish packing :) Movers were arriving between 8a & 9a the next day. I stayed up until 2:30a and still wasn’t finished when they arrived ::

“Wave Goodbye” (Chris Cornell)

“Home” (Daughtry)

“Wish you were here” (Incubus)

The morning of June 1st was an emotional one! The time had come for my parents to head out :( since they had officially been my roommates for three weeks! As much as I love my freedom normally, I really had a hard time saying good bye to them. They did sooo much for me and made my place so beautiful there is no way I can ever repay them...both monetarily and otherwise. We had taken ATN (a total nightmare) and turned it into a fabulous space! A space that I can’t wait to setup and entertain in. I space that I can’t wait to host guests in. A space that I can finally call my own!

All this emotion, my parents heading out...just as the movers are arriving!!! Talk about a overwhelming morning...and all this before 8a!!!

“My Happy Ending” (Avril Lavgine)

“Everything Zen” (Bush)

“A New Day” (Celine Dion)

“Keeps Gettin Better” (Christina Aguilera)

And so we fast forward through the move...which went great! Movers were fabulous...things took a little longer than anticipated, but overall the experience was awesome. Of course, the thought that I would “grab the last few things myself” amounted to about 10+ boxes and four trips back & forth in the Jeep :( (not much transport space)

So, here I sit among a sea of boxes still! Its really amazing how much stuff you accumulate over the course of seven years! All my furniture + approximately 75 boxes! Yikes! And lets not forget 7 (yes, 7) wardrobe boxes full of clothes! Really? I think I have a shopping problem :)

I love my new place and can’t wait for all of you to see it and come stay here!!

A million thanks to everyone for all the help, advice, suggestions, etc.

I have a TON of pictures to post...here are a few more fun “work in progress” shots. I’ll post the BEFORE & AFTER shots within the next couple of days!

"Hurricane". Thirty seconds to mars

Sorry I have been off the grid. Good news is contractor finally finished on Friday eve.

Bad news is I am sicker than I've ever been, fever 101-102, chills sweAts headache vomiting haven't eaten since Friday.. Basically been in bed since Saturday morning.

What's even worse, my parents are so extraordinary that they insist on going over to work. How can I ever repay them?

I'll try to get in touch tomorrow after I hit the docs office. Have my first association meeting tomorrow night and need to be there to defend my termite case ;)

When it rains it pours! Or in my case it's a hurricane... And not the Jared Leto kind ;(

Oh! Also my aol account got hacked and I still can't send aol mail from my iPhone. Receiving ok, just can't send.

My big, fat nightmare :(

“...two steps forward, two steps back...” (Paula Abdul)

Or in my case, two steps forward, a MILLION steps back! And the million steps back have occurred in the past 24 hours. Here’s a quick recap of THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY...

THE GOOD:

Just hired another contractor. He’s a general contractor that does/manages ALOT of different kinds of projects, which now, is a REALLY good thing! I hired his company to demolish my ENTIRE bathroom (tear out tub/shower enclosure, install new tub, moisture barrier, cement board, install new shower fixtures, reattach drain, tear out vanity & sinktop & also tear out existing floor tile)...along with the bathroom demo, they are taking out my old kitchen sink and reinstalling a new one w/ new fixtures (thought we’d do it but it was a bigger problem, of course) and last but not least, take out existing exterior entry door and install a new steel prehung entry door.

Seems pretty straightforward and actually has been for the most part...all is pretty much going according to plan. A couple little adjustments along the way based on the original scope of work but nothing major...except for the door. And that’s where we move into THE BAD...

THE BAD:

Where do I even begin? I’ll start with the door. Wanted to get a new entry door, steel prehung because my current wood door is seriously warped thanks to rain over the year and no cover protecting it from the elements. Seems like an easy fix until we find out (after new door has been purchased) that its not a standard size!!! Which means a prehung steel door is NOT an option. And what’s worse is trying to find a non-standard size door that’s not a serious chunk of cash is next to impossible. Its a special order and lots of $$$. That project is on hold. If anyone has any suggestions, let me know. My door is roughly 36x78 1/2 :)

Next issue: I had the gas company out on Monday to do an overall safety check. Well, clearly being safe is a bad idea. This setoff a chain reaction that I am still spinning over. My cute rep showed up and checked the fireplace, furnace and hot water heater. Well, the furnace checked out fine. The fireplace needs a uncoated coil replaced...okay not tooo major. The big problem is that the water heater (a) isn’t vented properly (b) has a problem with the run off drain (c) and another problem with the pressure relief valve

The guy who came to look at it is from my home warranty company and made it sound like my place is a ticking time bomb. Good times. Welcome to my life! More to come on all of this. Tho my current contractor checked into the venting problem and it seems that when the association had a new roof put on the building, the decided to coat my vent in stucco!!! seriously, there is like an inch of vent left! More on this later tomorrow too.

Now, I’m trying not to cry...everything seemed bad but manageable...and when the day starts out like this, I didn’t think it could get any worse. WRONG!

THE UGLY:

TERMITES! Yep, welcome to southern california! So what seemed to be a small incident in the guest bedroom has now become a bigger incident in the master bedroom! Yep the guest bedroom is “fine” and has been treated, case almost closed. The master bedroom requires me to take out a portion of the wall so that we can see the bigger problem. At this point, I just want the work to get done right the first time. I have a deadline of May 31st for getting out of my current place.

Today could not have been a worse day if it tried! I’m pretty sure Mercury is no longer in retrograde, so why is all of this happening?!!??

Oh, and if you get emails from me trying to get you hooked on Canadian drugs or trying to sell you Viagra, please ignor them. I can’t keep my eyes open any longer and will have to deal with that in the morning.

One last thing...a HUGE shout out to my FABULOUS crew, both professional and non-professional, who are working on the condo with me. Its been a long uphill road, I can’t wait til the coasting begins...tho I’m not sure when that will happen :(

My First Week!

In keeping with my song title themes, this week is properly titled...

“Nothing as it Seems” (Pearl Jam)

I’ll start out by saying that my intentions to do a daily post are very unreasonable! Sorry to those who have been waiting for the next post. This past (almost) week has been an extremely stressful, challenging, informative, enlightening, fabulous learning experience! The major lessons this week have been:

1. Until you are in it, you have no idea what to expect :)
2. When you think something is going to take an hour, it really takes two or more
3. Hiring contractors is not as easy as it looks on TV
4. Actually, doing anything is not as easy as it looks on TV
5. You’ll need a prescription for vicodin if you plan to rip out carpet tacks...My back is STILL on fire!!!
6. All little jobs lead to bigger jobs
7. and...just when you think you had a budget and it was realistic, you realize YOU ARE WRONG :)

Posted below are the photos after I got the keys once all of the previous owners belongings were out. And this will be the last memory of the place as it was when I took possession. Everything from this point forward will bring a little piece of me to the space :)

Seriously tho, I love my new adventure! And if I had a money tree in my back yard, this whole adventure would even be more fun! But, reality has set in and as much as I think I have a money tree, I DON’T :) So, its time to be responsible and lower the bar a few notches.

So, top “BIG” priorities are:

1. Popcorn ceiling removal
2. New kitchen sink + faucet
3. New bathroom...YEP, the whole damn thing! Vanity, sink, tub, tile, fixtures, mirror, etc.
4. New carpet in bedrooms

The other items on the TO DO LIST are:

1. Painting! and lots of it! The entire condo + the kitchen & laundry room cabinets
2. New lighting fixtures throughout + patio
3. Wireless doorbell
4. Buy washer & dryer
5. Closet organizers

Items that fall somewhere in between:

1. New front door + screen door
2. New garage door

And finally, items on the HGTV Wish List (someone get me a show :)

1. New kitchen
2. New hardwood floors throughout

So, last Thursday & Friday involved a short parade of contractors coming in to give me quotes on the popcorn ceiling removal. I must say that having done a bit of homework, made the process all that much easier. I actually knew what they were talking about and knew what questions to ask.

By the end of the day on Friday, 5/6, I had hired my first contractor! And here I sit, on the eve of 5/10 and the job is done and it was done right!!! Gotta love it when a plan works out the right way! Ceilings are done and look fabulous! Here are some pics of the transformation taking place.

The other fabulous news to report is that my Dad (& Mom) have just arrived from Chicago to help pitch in and manage all the projects! If anyone can help me get all of this done in three weeks its my Dad! Having spent the greater part of his life in the building & construction industry, he knows a ton and has taught me well! I’m looking forward to the next few weeks and I cannot wait to share the AFTER pics with everyone!

Now, to quote another favorite...from Jay-Z...”On to the next one”

And let it be so...on to the next group of contractors parading thru...this time, its bathroom contractors! Wish me luck!

One more thing I’d like to add to my first post. I’d like to give a special shout out to MY TEAM BEHIND THE SCENES - everyone that made this possible! I DO realize how much work went into this process and they all deserve a special THANK YOU!

It was a long journey for me...I encountered LOTS of road blocks along the way before my current team sprung into action. I fought my way through plenty of miserable companies who were unwilling to give a freelance contractor a chance. So, any “negative” thoughts, comments, etc. that may or may not appear here as based on that...THE PAST. My team rocked and if you want to know more about them, just ask!

So, moving ahead...

Getting up at 4:30a today allowed me a lot of time to think. A lot of time to put lists together in my head. A lot of time to see contractors. A lot of time to get things done!!! And a lot of time to reflect upon the previous day....

That being said, I’ll offer up one statement (for now). “A picture is worth a thousand words...”

Sometimes I get caught up in the moment and hop on my soapbox for too long and get too wrapped up in the moment. If you ever feel that way, its certainly not my intention. But you have a choice NOT to read this. A blog is medium for free speech and lack of censorship. What I say may be right or wrong but the beauty of it is just that, its a BLOG and its merely my thoughts/opinions/etc.

This blog was created to track my rehab adventure...and honestly, only that.

So, as they say in Hollywood...On With The Show...And, as they do in Hollywood...EDIT EDIT EDIT!

The Behind the Scenes version on this blog IS available for those who submit a written request :)

More to come tomorrow!

DAY ONE - MAY 4th

DISCLAIMER: This first entry was really written last night when I was under the impression that everything would go according to plan today :) Damn was I wrong! Only one phrase truly conveys my thoughts on the evening...WTF!!!!!

I will make an amended posting tomorrow, giving full disclosure of tonight's events. Its just too painful to relive right now.

“The long and winding road, that leads to your door...”

The lyrics to that 1970’s Beatles song just might sum it all up :) It has been a long road, but FINALLY the day have come!!! Yes! I am finally a homeowner (again) only this time, its in California! And this time, I have the word BEACH in my address! How I have longed for this day! And I do seriously mean it...many people have told me that I was geographically displaced at birth. I am a sun person and the beach has been calling me home for many years and now I’m home. Even though HB has been my home for almost eight years, now I am really home. And this is the start of MY BIG PHAT REHAB ADVENTURE!!!

Here’s a little background. Really, I’ve been on the househunt, or in my case, condo hunt since I moved here. But, in 2003, EVERYTHING was out of my price range and it only continued to get worse. (see the movie: INSIDE JOB) Originally, mortgage companies were handing out money to anyone who asked for it even if they couldn’t afford it. But I’m too sensible :) I know what I can afford and don’t need a bank to tell me otherwise so that they can make money. So, I waited for prices to come down only when they did, the mortgage companies had already fucked themselves and weren’t loaning money to anyone, much less a freelance contractor! So, I waited again...to get approved. Finally, in the summer of 2010, I did get approved! And that’s when the search began.

It was supposed to be an exciting time. Looking for a place I could call my own. Secretly hoping to finally have my own private HGTV series, where I’d rehab my house and friends would come over to help and all would be fabulous and I’d live happily ever after in HGTV-land. RIGHT! That came to screeching halt when I realized that now, even in the worst financial crisis that America has seen in years, the only thing that I could afford was a short sale or a bank owned foreclosure!!! WTF! How bad could it be, right? Well, that’s a whole different topic/posting that I will come back to one day. No more negative thoughts :) now. Many friends & family have heard me get on my soapbox and preach to the invisible world about the corrupt mortgage/banking/financial system in this country and the fucked up ways people live...and I’ll be happy to preach about it again one day on this blog. But not today :)

Today marks a new day. A new chapter...going forward with the rest of my life. I picked up the keys for my new place today at 5:00pm! The sale was a long, uneventful process that lasted about four months. A short sale (ha!) even though nothing about the process is short (ironic!). So, after four long months of barely no activity aside from a few conversations between real estate agents...and then...in less than three weeks, I have bought this place and I am picking up the keys! Crazy crazy crazy!

The home buying process here in CA is NOTHING like it was in Chicago or apparently like anywhere else in the country. The “closing” isn’t an actual event that is attended by both parties involved. Its merely a transaction...or a close of the business that has been conducted. Both parties do everything separately, the escrow company handles the transaction, it is recorded with the county and that’s it. Good times.

So, back to the reason I started this blog. Those who REALLY know me, know that I have a great love for interior design and all things related. With many friends & family scattered across the country, I have been trying to keep everyone in the loop as much as possible regarding this condo purchase. So, I thought it would be fun to share the journey. To document the progress of my (now) dream home. I really did want to start it sooner, but back to “no negative thoughts” and trying to keep a positive outlook so that I would get the place of my dreams, I just couldn’t document anything until the “closing” :) Until the transaction was final. Its not over til its over and all that :)

But now, it really has “only just begun” (Carpenters...how fitting :)

I’ll start with this clip, entitled...”BEFORE.” This is what I saw at my inspection...work in progress comes to mind...which is actually a nice way of saying...NOT MY STYLE & NEEDS LOTS OF WORK :) So, if anyone has any contractor friends :) let me know!

I’m super excited to get started on MY BIG PHAT REHAB ADVENTURE!!! A super big THANK YOU to everyone that has consulted with me along the way and that has listened to all of my crazy questions, theories, etc.

My goal is to post a daily progress report with pics so that you can track the project (or not) on your own :) I’d love to hear from you. Post your thoughts, questions, comments, suggestions, etc.