Design software

I got this really cool design software called Punch! Architectural Series 18 to use with all the house projects. It does everything - floor plans, 3D rendering (with fly around), framing, estimating, landscaping, etc. You can even build a room with furniture and try different styles of chairs, rugs, paint, etc all in 3D. I am just learning it, so I'm not too impressive yet. Here is a floorplan of the existing bathroom I made using the software:


We hope to make some changes, like having a bigger bathtub, but as you can see it won't fit where it is now.

Yard and garden

One of the great things about our new house is that is has a nice sized yard. It will be a lot of work to bring it back to good condition. The grass is patchy, and there is a lot of debris scattered around, including shards of tile and glass and rusty nails. Some of the backyard is covered by odd concrete tiles, and to quote a phrase our inspector used for a different oddity "the purpose of which could not be determined." One of the first things we need to do is have the yard properly graded. The ground slopes in such a way that the water drains toward both the house and the garage. We also need to have the drainage system updated - currently the runoff from the yard drains under the house, instead of into the street. Yikes! We also need to have all the trees looked at - they need a good trimming and safety inspection and some of them may need to be removed because they are causing damage to the foundation and walkways.

I got really excited about setting up a garden. There is a perfect, secluded spot right behind the garage for it. I want to try composting as well. I love the idea of taking garbage and turning it into really fertile soil. I've seen pictures comparing plants grown in compost vs. regular soil and the difference is amazing. In a moment of exuberance I purchased my first plant, an organic Thai Basil. I make Thai Curry about once a week, and fresh Basil makes it really good. I often don't buy fresh basil because it is only sold in a large quantity, way more than I could use. Dried basil just isn't as good. (For anyone that hasn't had it, Thai Curry is different than Indian Curry. Thai Curry is made of coconut milk and has veggies and tofu in it. It has a smoky, creamy flavor with a mild hotness that builds gradually as you eat it. I ususally put in pineapple chunks and juice for a little bit of sweetness.)

Here is a picture of my Thai Basil plant. It's grown 1 1/2" since I got it just a few weeks ago. It smells really good when you crush the leaves.

bathroom countertop

The one bathroom in our new house definitely needs to be redone. The house was built in 1952, and there have been very few updates since and everything is really beat up. The bathroom is a nice size, so we won't be moving walls, but everything else needs to be done - new tub, new toilet, new surfaces, new lighting, new window, new cabinets, etc. I'm excited about it. I think it will be really nice when we are done. This is a photo of the Corian we have selected for the vanity top and sink. Corian is a great product because you can get a seamless, integrated sink and backsplash. It's much easier to clean! The green ("Caribbean") is for the vanity top. It's a cool sage green with flecks of white, taupe, and a little bit of gold. The white ("Glacier") is for the sinks. You can click the picture to see a larger version. Photo credit for this great picture goes to my talented husband C.

Welcome to our blog

Hello friends and family. We've created this blog to share our remodeling successes with you. We are very excited. Thanks for reading. I'm the M of "M and C", and I'll be doing most of the posting here.

As of today, Christmas Day 2005, we are eagerly awaiting taking possession of our new home. It's definitely a fixer, but it will truly be a dream come true when it is done. We've been house hunting since May of this year. It's been a dream of mine for a long time to buy a fixer and turn it into a beauty.

Today for Christmas my mom gave us an engraved brass door knocker. It's really classic (and classy) and will go with any style we end up with. It has our last name and M&C on it. We tried to take a picture, but it didn't quite work out.