That Was Then, This is Now

The last post in this blog is over five years ago, when we were living at 721 N. Sergeant, Joplin, Missouri. Much has happened since then. Let me explain.

Hannah, Steve, and Norah lived in Chicago then. After the frigid winter of 2013, Hannah told Steve she was tired of working in Chicago and freezing while waiting for the downtown train. So she began looking in St. Louis for a job. She got one, and they moved in the spring of 2014. Since Kelly, Mike, and the boys already lived in the area, that left us as alone in Joplin with both families living in the St. Louis area. We thought it over and decided that we would look for a home in the St. Louis area, so that we would all live in the same area for the first time in a couple of decades. So we engaged a real estate agent in the St. Louis area and came up a few times in the fall of 2014 to look at properties she found for us.

First, we were looking for condos, so that we wouldn't have to keep up the yard and driveway and worry about repairs. After looking at a couple of them, we decided that we couldn't live in tiny apartments with no dance practice areas, plus have to pay monthly fees.

Then we looked at bungalows, like in the University City area and elsewhere in the county. Although the bungalows themselves had some charm, they had dark, dank basements; small yards; and single-car garages.

Then we opted for mid-century ranchers. We visited several in the county area, even found one or two that we thought had potential, but they had detractions, too. We finally settled on one rancher between Creve Coeur and Maryland Heights, on Decorah Drive. It was pretty much the opposite of what we started out looking for: huge lot (100 by 200), more square footage than we thought we wanted, and a basement with 12 steps down. Leslie thought we wouldn't be able to navigate steps in our old age. But it had a wide 2-car garage, a finished area in the basement that could be used for dance practice, and a nice step-down den, or living room. On November 27, 2014, we signed papers on it, stipulating that we could not close on it until several months later. The owner agreed, and so we waited.

Finally, on February 27, 2015, we closed on the house. I am leaving out some details in order to shorten the story. Receiving the keys and then changing the locks, and installing ADT security service, we went back to Joplin to prepare for the move.



Meanwhile, Leslie still had a few months left before she retired. I had already retired as of June 1, 2014, and she would retire as of June 1, 2015. We made several trips up to the house to paint and fix things up. A couple of times I came up to do some painting and projects. We had a new refrigerator put in, we bought a new laundry set: washer and dryer. We tore out carpets in the back bedrooms, exposing underlayment. We had new hardwood flooring installed in two bedrooms, plus refinishing the flooring in another bedroom, which became our office.

The house was nearly ready for the big move from Joplin to St. Louis. All that remained was selling our house in Joplin, the 103-year-old foursquare historic home we had lived in since 1988, 27 years. The story of the sale and the move will be the subject of the next blog post.

Chimney Stack Project

9/15-9/16, 2012

This weekend we worked on a long-overdue project: doing something about the chimney stack in the basement. The reason for the project was that the bricks, having been painted white decades ago, were shedding paint chips and even mortar onto our new vinyl floor. That would just not do. So we determined to encase the chimney stack.

It was a project done almost completely with leftover materials, except that I had to buy 4 tubes of Liquid Nails, some vinyl corner molding, and 4 8-foot lengths of flat 1-1/8" molding. There was enough Hardie Board left over from the shower project to cut panels, which I glued to the chimney stack with the Liquid Nails. The surface was uneven, so the results were a bit uneven, but Leslie is a pro at fixing things like that. Then we had to frame it all in, using scraps of wood and the new molding. Those we glued on with a hot glue gun. Then Leslie figured out a way to give a finished look to the result, and she primed and painted the stack last night and this afternoon. The color is the color of the walls. 

The result is below, in two views:

You almost wouldn't know this is a chimney stack, unless you look above where it wasn't finished out. At least it looks like we have solved the problem of the shedding paint chips. You can click on the pictures for a larger view.

All in Place, Almost Done

Almost done!  We've spent two back-breaking days putting the basement back together.  We now have a very comfortable, bright, and usable room that includes a laundry, shower, sewing and craft areas, treadmill, lots of storage, and enough open space for exercising or practicing our dance moves.  I (Leslie) have some more camouflaging work to do to hide ductwork and other uglies.  We also think we need a flat-screen t.v. to go on the wall opposite the treadmill.  

Above: the west end

Above: the east end, door to the garage

 The window seat, repainted, with new pulls

The new sink. The molding still needs to be painted

The new shower: the tile work in the shower floor is the same as on the sink counter.

A small amount of work remains, but manageable. We think this project turned out nicely. Credit goes to Mark Morgan for making Leslie's vision real.

Major Work Done

Here it is July 2, and we finally have something to report on the basement renovation project. Mark finished his work for the time being, on Friday. Dale had been painting ceilings & walls since last Thursday, he thinks. Certainly Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were all 8-hour days, and more, of painting, in order to ready the floor for laying down vinyl. The vinyl layers came by this morning around 10:45 and left about 1:00. Although the project is not finished yet--touch-up remains, plus a couple more tasks, including the electricians coming back to finish up--here are pictures of how it looks today, after the flooring guys left. It's looking good!

In the picture above, you see some unfinished electrical work and the dryer vent, then to the left edge part of the sink preparation, including the drain. Note the can of bug spray in the window well: we have had a plague of flies the past several days. Dale has killed at least 3 dozen. We think a bat or two has died in some dark corner of the basement.

Mark is going to sheet-rock the exposed framing in the back corner near the electrical service panel, at my insistence. That will clean up that area nicely.

Above you see the finished shower, with corrugated steel walls and tiled floor. It's cool and is testimony to the brilliance of its planner--Leslie. Mark was proud of his work when he finished.

More of the south wall. The washer will go on the left, then a sink under the medicine cabinet, then the dryer, then a recycled, repainted cabinet, then the six-drawer unit window seat--which was originally water bed storage units--then a tall cabinet. There will be a hanging rod over the window seat, for hanging clothes on.

Above, in this last picture, is a view of the door to the old workshop and stairs to the landing. To the left of the door will be Leslie's sewing table. On the right side of the picture is the location of the chest freezer. 

All the furniture is stored now in both garages. We can't wait to move it all back in and get our garages back for our vehicles.

More Sheetrock

Here is the result of Monday's work: more sheet rock on the walls, and even some started on the ceiling near the garage door. 

This is looking pretty good!

Once sheet rocking is completed, the flooring will be put down. We are hoping that the shower will be finished enough to be used this weekend, as Kelly, Mike, & the boys are coming in.

Sheetrock!

Friday Mark started putting up sheetrock, finally, now that the electrical work is certified. Here is the long section of wall, the shower stall at the far end of the room.

Mark has also re-done the two window wells. There used to be a dryer vent that went through the center panel of this window. Mark replaced it with a new clear pane. The two side panels will need to be cleaned really well to match the new one.

Monday will likely see the remaining sheetrock put up, even the ceiling. Then the panels will all have to be taped and mudded. It will likely be the middle of the week before all this is done. But we are getting there.

Progress (Finally!)

After a delay of over three weeks, the project is ready to shift into high gear. Mark got a building permit, he contracted with Corky's Electric to do the electrical work (required by code), and he did some work, like putting up the studs. Corky's moved the service panel--which used to be over closer to the door--and routed the cables in a straight line out from the box. Most of this will be hidden.

Mark also did some work on the shower. For the past three days he put down the tile and yesterday he grouted it. It already looks very nice, as you can see from this picture below.

Yesterday Mark also put up most of the insulation, plus he took out the window on the right and got a new glass pane cut and put in at Lowe's. The center pane used to be where the dryer vent was located. It's now down below and runs up the wall to a new vent on the outside. Sheet rock will probably go up today.

Corky's will come back to finish up their work, which include installing a new outlet on the west outside wall, so that we can plug in cords for outside use. Right now there is one on the north side, but it takes a very long extension cord to reach the front yard. This will make using my electric mower and weedeater much easier, and also will allow for ease in putting up Christmas lights.

At this point, electrical work is approved, plumbing is approved, and all that remains is sheet rock on walls and ceiling, flooring, and installation of the sink unit. The rest of the cabinetry in the basement is being repainted in the other garage. We have been parking our vehicles outside for several weeks now, as both garages are being used for work.

We hope the majority of the work will be done by the time that Kelly, Mike, Dom & Noel arrive in a week.

Leslie's Birthday is Today!

Today is Leslie's birthday. To see how young she is today, read the adaptation I wrote based on Sammy Hagar's song "I Can't Drive 55," below. To enjoy the adaptation, you need to play the song first. You can find it on YouTube.

 YOU DON’T LOOK SIXTY-TWO

[In the style of Sammy Hagar]

One foot in the grave and one on the ground?

No, there’s too much living, you’re gonna stick around.

Well, you sit up and do your stretching moves,
And you’re out of bed and into your groove…again!

So put on your makeup and all that goo,
Do in the morning what you gotta do,

Throw your SS card into the loo,

Cause you don’t look sixty-two!

Now you could call a halt today,

And SSI will send you your pay.

Oh, you can retire, and you will be fine,

All you gotta do is sign on the line!

But put on your makeup and all that goo,
Do in the morning what you gotta do,

Throw your SS card into the loo,

Cause you don’t look sixty-two!

Used to, you could work all day;

But four hours is now okay.

Yet you’ll never slow down, and you’ll never stop,

For as long as you can cha and bop.

So put on your makeup and all that goo,
Do in the morning what you gotta do,

Throw your SS card into the loo,

Cause you don’t look sixty-two!

No, you… don’t… look… sixty-two!

Day 10, Basement Renovation Project

May 18, 2012

Today Mark installed Hardiebacker board walls around the shower frame and sealed them at all the joints. He also swept up the floor and put everything in order, including setting up the washer & dryer for laundry. I am not sure how many carpenters would do the same.

Thus, Week 2 has ended. Next week: further plumbing & electrical work, and sheet-rocking.

Day 9, Basement Renovation Project

Thursday, May 17, 2012--Day 9 of the project. Mark laid another layer of concrete for the shower base today.

He put up the framework down the south side yesterday and brought it around the west side wall. 

He also brought the framing all the way around to the steps, and he tore out the old door to the workshop and installed a new door.

An adjustment will have to be made: the floor at the west end is 4.5 inches higher than than the east wall, where the original drain is that has been converted to the shower drain. In order to install cabinets on the floor, he will have to build some kind of leveling base for them. But he's capable of coming up with a fix.

Tomorrow: installation of the shower plumbing and maybe some rerouting of electrical lines. 

Day 8, Basement Renovation Project

Today was Day 8 of the basement renovation project. Major progress occurred today, as the pictures below show. Framing is up down the south wall of the basement. Below is a view from the garage door end of the room. Click on each picture to enlarge it.

The red that you see in the shower base below is a sealant. I never knew about sealant before finishing a shower base.

Below is a view from the other end of the room.

I was home most of the day, grading freshman essays. It was sure noisy all throughout the house, the hammering and sawing reverberating throughout the framework of the house itself.

Mark is doing a good job. We look forward to seeing what he accomplishes tomorrow.

Day 7

Today was the 7th day of the basement renovation project. Progress today: new window frames, new water lines (the tubes hanging down in the shower area), new box for washer-dryer-drain, some more framework. The windows will be deeply-set, as you can see by the far window.

It's coming along nicely. Mark is working alone, so this is a slower pace than if there were three men working, or even two. He says it will take about 3 weeks, and we are almost halfway there in terms of time. 

Day 6 of the basement project. Here are a couple of photos showing today's progress. The first is of the carpenter, Mark Morgan, a very nice young man. The second is of the framing for the shower. Mark says that he will be working on plumbing tomorrow. Probably by Wednesday the wall framing will be up. He is doing a nice job, don't you think?

The two original windows and window wells will be taken out and new ones installed.

















Shower dimensions at this point are 34" X 39", plenty of room.

Dale is 64!

 

[Note: Dale was 64 on April 18, 2012]

NOW YOU’RE SIXTY-FOUR

How’d you get old with all that gray hair?

Can’t believe it’s true.
You are still my sweetie-pie, my valentine.
Birthday greetings, husband of mine!

When I get up at quarter to three,
wakened by your snore.
Yes, I still need you, and I’ll still feed you,
Now you’re sixty-four!

oo oo oo oo oo oo oo oooo 
I got older, too, (ah ah ah ah ah)
And if you suffer GERD,
I’ll get Tums for you.

You could be handy, making a stew,
While I’m still at work.
You can spray the bushes with insecticides.
Sunday p.m. bicycle rides.

Readin’ ‘bout Frodo, dancing the jive,

Vacuuming the floor.
Yes, I still need you, and I’ll still feed you,
Now you’re sixty-four.

Every summer we can rent a cottage

At Big Cedar Lodge, if it's not too dear.

We shall rock and roll.

Grandchildren on our knees—

Norah, Dom, and Noel.

Send you an email, text you a line,
Update my status, too.
Indicate precisely that I’m here to stay.
Love you always, waste not a day.

My final answer, no phone-a-friend,
Yours for evermore.
Yes, I still need you, and I’ll still feed you,
Now you’re sixty-four.

The Basement Project

After living 3 decades with the ugliest basement in the universe, we decided it was time to make it a little more comfortable and attractive.  After all, I do spend a lot of time down there doing laundry, walking on the treadmill, ironing, sewing, etc.  It's cold in the winter and damp in the summer.  Also, when we have company, it's hard to get everyone in and out for showers in the one bathroom upstairs.  (BTW, Dale has been pondering how to describe our house once the project is done.  If we have 1 full bath and 2 half-baths, does that add up to 2 full baths?)


I'd heard about a nice young man named Mark Morgan who has done some great remodeling work for acquaintances of mine, so we were glad that he could work us into his schedule, with all the rebuilding going on after the tornado.  Mark is great.  He calls us ma'am and sir (like we're old geezers) but that's okay.  We just want to adopt him.  He has a new son named Zoltan, born on March 2, Norah's birthday. 


Oh, we had some excitement the day Mark rented a gas-powered concrete saw to cut through the concrete floor. He had the basement opened up while he worked, but when he left, he closed everything.  After I got home from work (Dale was still at his office during the "grading frenzy" that always occurs at the end of the semester), I was fixing a bite to eat when the carbon monoxide detector went off.  It kept getting louder and more insistent.  I couldn't imagine what was going on.  I called Mark, and he told me about the saw.  I opened up every level of the house, and after about 15 minutes, it all cleared out.  Sure glad we had that detector.  That could have been bad news.


Here's a series of photos showing the first work week.  Things should go a lot faster this week, once Mark starts framing up the walls.