Tile Trouble

Earlier this week, Fran and I went to order the flooring for the house. To say we were pumped is an understatement! We had picked everything out long before the house papers had been signed. So when we went in, we used the SKU I had saved on my Turner Ivey Pinterest board. 

While we were at the warehouse, I felt the floor was off, colorwise. But the SKU matched what I had notes in my board and therefore went ahead with the order. 

Well, rule number 1: always trust your gut. Because when we got home, the floor we had ordered was nothing like the sample we had brought back a month and a half before.

The very next day, Fran and I went back to switch the order before delivery Friday. We must’ve been in the store all of 15 minutes and in that time, Fran’s truck window was smashed in. 

My beloved Madewell tote was taken along with Fran’s backpack which had my laptop in it, too. The whole evening began a nightmare which involved police reports, closing bank accounts and attempting to prove my identity. 

It’s all still being sorted but the week started to look up when our 14 year old neighbor cut our lawn. 

Meanwhile Fran has become BFFs with the folks at Champion Rentals off 249. We rented a machine to buff the floors. The sander helped eliminate any gunk and really smooth out the floors in preparation for laying down the floors. 

The best part of the week was Friday morning when we welcomed the floor delivery truck! Once checking the order, we went to pick up the newly bandaged truck and try out Houston’s Truckyard for lunch. 

I will build a Great Wall

This weekend saw the walls for the beams in the kitchen go up! And nobody builds a better wall than Fran, believe me. 

While Sheetrocking, we decided to go ahead and cover up the wallpaper in the dining room. The time spent on soaking and attempting to remove the wallpaper was starting to get ridiculous. Covering those ugly stripes was the best idea we’ve been given to date. 

Meanwhile part of my day was spent knocking out any remaining baseboards from awkward spots around the house. 

And when I wasn’t stuck in a closet, I was on my hands and knees hammering out these teeny carpet nails from the floor. It was not the worst job but thank goodness we had brought home the floor samples to help me keep the end goal in mind. Otherwise, i would’ve bailed three nails in (each room must’ve had hundreds).  

After this weekend, the walls and floors are almost ready! There are still a couple places that need some patching and Fran is going to work on leveling parts of the floors. Ultimately this week our goal is going to be purchasing toilets. We want to have the toilets in so that tiling can begin in those two rooms first. 

Finally, I’ll leave you with the current status of the kitchen:

If you look closely, you may notice that the ugliest vent hood of all is GONE! Funnily enough, I had recently sighed and pouted over it blocking light in the newly opened kitchen. Fran reminded me that the kitchen renovations won’t be taking place for another couple months- that I needed to be patient. 

Last night Fran started poking around it to see what it would take to have it come down- when it suddenly fell out! Only two nails had held it in place and luckily, no one was hurt. 

Only a couple more months and we can start tackling that room. I. Cannot. Wait.

Hammer time!

Remember last week when we were so excited to discover the terrazzo tile in the foyer? Well, keeping that teeny section created tons of backbreaking work this past weekend.

It took two full days to remove all the tile from the dining room, kitchen and breakfast nook but we finished! 

Of all the work we’ve done the past couple weekends, tile removal is one I can guarantee we would not choose to repeat again. Day one consisted of removing the actual tile. The process itself went relatively quick. Fran would hammer out a section and I would follow behind him scooping tile debris. While we did rent the jackhammer, we decided to bite the bullet and buy a shop vac to help clean up go smoother. To date, probably my favorite purchase. It made life so much easier!

Day two was way more tedious because it involved going back through the ground covered to remove any build up or stubborn tile. Clouds of dust covered every surface and for once Fran did not need to remind me to wear my face mask. 

The constant sound of the jackhammer must’ve been our neighborly call because Sunday was the day we met the majority of immediate neighbors! Early Sunday morning we met the elderly man across the street. He came to tour the house and offer access to his tool shop. Needless to say, Fran and him spent about 45 minutes talking tools. 

Later that evening, two neighbors arrived carrying grilled hot dogs and beer. Both came to whisk us out of the house in order to tour their houses (and pools!!!) while getting the scoop on all the other friendly (and not so friendly) neighbors. They were hilarious and kind beyond belief. Our excitement to move in has escalated to new heights after meeting the people around us. 

This week we will begin prepping the walls for paint. We will also begin leveling and sanding down the floors so that flooring install can go smoothly two weeks from now. Little by little it’s all coming together! 

Chaos makes the muse

We are three weeks into Turner’s rehab and the place is almost entirely gutted.

Once upon a time there was a cantina.Now there are awkward beams. But ripping out the cantina brought in tons of light from the courtyard into the kitchen which sorely needed it. Before it was extremely dark and cramped. Even with the poles, the kitchen already feels brighter and airier. 

Also out of the kitchen is the built in desk. While the kitchen rehab won’t be taking place for some time, we wanted to take advantage of the dumpster before it leaves at the end of this week. Once we start work in the kitchen, we are planning on reconverting this nook to house the refrigerator. 

Taking pictures of this spot was extremely awkward due to the cantina beams being in the way but, for the sake of documentation of this weekend’s progress: voila!

Next up we knocked out the wall dividing the kitchen from the hallway along with the columns that lined the hall. 

This will truly help open up the space and create a more seamless transition from kitchen to living room. 

While tearing out the columns we discovered that underneath the current tile there was a white stone floor. We are uncertain as to what kind of stone it is. It’s way too sturdy to be marble but at the same time it’s a gorgeous white. Finding it beneath the tile has us rethinking the plan we had in mind for flooring. It’s going to need a good scrub, buff and wax but we are loving the excitement of uncovering this treasure!

Speaking of treasures, I love the hallway lamp above but am torn as to whether or not to keep in the house. We are adding an additional hall light in here and unless I can source another, I am stuck not knowing what to with it. If you’re interested in giving it a good home, let me know & I’ll save it for you!

Aside from removing toilets and knocking down outdoor eye sores (the teeny gate hiding the trash cans), the next items on the to do list will be less visible. 

EditThey involve getting the electrical updated (it’s been out of code for the past couple decades) and replacing corroded pipes. Both will be a big hit financially but well worth the investment for the peace of mind they will bring. 

We will also be scheduling a meeting with a structural engineer to approve removal plans for the cantina and hallway beams. It will involve a lot of work up in the attic and massive beams overhead but, the details for that are better left for Fran to explain. 



Last, but not least, this week we will work on patching walls to prep for paint. If you have a roller and affinity for banh mi sandwiches, we are recruiting painters. I will pay with food, boba tea, reggaetón and an enthusiastic house tour! 

Things Gonna Change

Our first full weekend in the house involved many people helping us tear the house apart. 

Fran recruited a few of his students (along with his boss) to help demolish a wall in the kitchen and the cantina. Meanwhile, my family learned how to remove baseboards and carpet. 

Going into the weekend our to do list was a mile long and seemed a bit ambitious. However, we figured what wasn’t completed Saturday, Fran and I could knock out together the next day. 

Five hours into Saturday, we were done with every item on the list. 

Fran was not kidding when he said the people coming were super talented and efficient! We paid them with Locatelli’s pizza (a Garcia favorite) and forced picture ops.