It's not quite done, but here is a view of my fireplace. (as always, click to embiggen)
Some people probably think i am crazy for blacking it out, but I just did not dig the previous look, plus, thanks to the brilliance of others, the brick was quite stained and the wood insert was, in a word, hih-dee-us. blah. No more!
I still need to frame the stainless and I might put up some fabu things I found at Pier 1 to cut the severity, but I don't know just yet.
Now this whole exercise, with the fireplace and kitchen, has really woken me up to the grossness and filth that some people live in. Mostly the kitchen. Do people (or these people more accurately) choose to live in this kind of filth or are they simply unaware of it? I was getting pretty grossed out by the amount of grease on the cupboard doors above the stove. Totally nasty. And I think it is very possible that if I were ever to meet the previous owners that I would likely do some talking with the back of my hand. What The Phuck man? The tape, seriously? That was the best you could do?
But then they did eventually put on child proof plastic dealies, on everything that opened. The linen closet doors, the doors for the laundry area, all the drawers and doors on the cabinets. For the love of god people, instead of putting that stuff everywhere, here's an idea, watch your damn kids. My mother was a firm believer in the idea that you teach your children what they can and cannot touch. She refused to put things out of reach or "child proof" our home. It made perfect sense, what happens if your precious offspring goes to a friend's home, or baby-sitter's and they don't have the same precautions you took? Teach your kids that what is under the sink, though tasty it may appear, is not for consumption. Knives are sharp, stoves are hot, and peoples' objet d'art are not toys.
I thought I was going to need a blow torch to get the little catches off the drawers, because the damn things wouldn't let me pull the drawer out so I could remove them. But by the grace of god and a pointy screwdriver I was finally able to Conan the damn things off the cabinet.
I am now at peace, mostly, and I am looking forward to completing my kitchen. hopefully putting the doors back on today, and then... hardware. Someday. Of course the stuff I like has to be just about the most expensive you can get. It's not THE most expensive, but in relation to other choices, its' not cheap.
psh. god I wanna slap some people.
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It finally happened, I am a big boy now. And no, I don't mean I am wearing pull-ups. I bought a house. Crazy, I know. But it's true. I never would have thought I would have been able to. But after 1 car too many parked in front of the current place, and 1 more screaming match from the neighbors behind us, I had had enough. On a whim I started looking around and, surprise surprise, found that I could actually afford a home.
The home I first wanted was unattainable, it turned out it was a cash only sale and that no bank would finance. The second one, was in the middle of town- a split-level, that was nifty, but it needed a new furnace and ceiling in the kitchen, among other things. The furnace and ceiling before it could even be closed on. The third was in Santa Clara, AMAZING views, but the back wall around the yard was falling down the hill, and the shaker shingle roof needed replacing, again before the loan would close. I bid on it though, never did hear back. So the 4th home came along.
My roomie Jared referred to it as jailhouse architecture. So I think I'll call it "the pen" but it had qualities I really liked, size for one, a garage, and a decent lot. I also feel it has a ton of potential. Not totally thrilled that it's in Ivins, but not a big deal.
So I have started work on it (oh, I put in an offer and it was accepted and I closed on the home, obviously. The bank came down a whopping $400 on the price, oooo, they did provide closing costs though, so... I let that go.) Before I could close on the home I had to by a new window that some little vandal broke, and I also had to fix the water heater. Not too bad, couple hundred bones later, I have a house. And a mortgage. YIKES!
(click images to embiggen ;o) )
A couple of the things I didn't like were the fireplace, and the kitchen cabinets. I had plans for both of these, so I am working diligently on them. We have 30 days before we move in so I have time.
About the kitchen cabinets, you can't see it so much in the photos, but they are covered in adhesive left behind from clear packing tape. You can see it on the dishwasher and if you click the picture you can see it on the drawers, they are dirty strips about 3 inches wide that run side to side. It's really noticeable on the third drawer down. I have tried every kind of solvent I can think of to try and strip this shit off. But it comes down to elbow grease, goo-gone and a metal scraper. Lame. I have no idea what these people were doing with all the tape. I can only think it's a white-trash attempt at child-proofing, it only appears on the lower cabinets and drawers, nothing on the uppers.
Then the fireplace. This one is a little odd. It's not BAD looking, it's just a bit westerny, and the insert is rusted for days. The thing is the water heater is upstairs and when they winterized the home they just opened the drain and let the water go. straight. down. the. chimney. onto the insert, well done morons. You can pretty much guess where the water heater is by looking at the white stains on the brick. Where they start is just below the water heater (FYI it's lime leaching out of the grout between the bricks). That stain is rough to clean as well, and pretty much sticks around. I don't like the wood or the color of the bricks anyway, so I am covering the wood and painting the brick out. In a few years I plan on putting on a stack-stone veneer. (It is so strange to use that sentence, in a few years. wow. hello commitment. *big eyes*)
So that's where we're at so far folks. I will post more as I complete projects. woo hoo, so excited.