"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.