NORGA 11/01/08 Flip Update #2

Well, it's been a month since the last post and boy have we been busy! Things are really starting to come along and it's so enjoyable to watch the transformation as it happens. I really love working on stuff like this. Taking something that's just a mess and making it something worthwhile and nice looking.

Here's a rundown of what we've done since the last post:

• Kurt took the old rails off of the back porch and added new ones. He braced up some areas that were a little loose to make them nice and sturdy. He and Kevin painted/stained the entire back porch and added copper tops to the posts.
• Kurt cleaned out the remaining bushes down in the cove area - and had the poison ivy to prove it. For a good two weeks! He's still got a little bit of it, but it's much better now than it was before.
• Our new windows were finally made and the guys came out last weekend to start putting them in. Just finished things up a couple of days ago. They look SO MUCH BETTER than the old ones! And, they open!!! What a concept! Not to mention, no more piece of plywood in the front window.
• Donna and I have finished painting all of the walls and trimwork inside the house that we could for now. We are waiting for the contractor, who's working in there now, to finish up some of his tasks before we can paint anymore. Basically, all we have left to paint is the master bedroom, master bathroom, and closet; the small upstairs bathroom once they finished getting the walls fixed from the mess that was left after stripping the wallpaper; the half bath downstairs once the contractors finish in there; and, some touch-ups in the den where the contractors are working to get rid of some silly 1"x6" plywood that the previous owner had nailed to the wall. Won't take us long once they finish up.
• We painted all the interior doors. Kurt and Kevin rehung them with new hinges. They look brand new.
• Kurt and Kevin (well actually all of us - don't ask!) hung up a new chandelier in the dining room. Thank God the electrician was there to fix it all up when we were done. ha ha!
• Speaking of the electrician, Marty Ditto, a friend from church has been over several times. He's rewiring and replacing all the electrical plugs and switches. Most of them were old and outdated.
• Kurt and Kevin have been replacing lights in other places in the house - just inside the front door on the ceiling, at the top of the stairs in the hall, and in the Jack & Jill bath. They are really becoming quite the handy men (or so they think!).
• Kurt and Kevin replaced all the exterior door knobs and locks.
• Donna and I also painted the mantle for the fireplace. It looks brand new again. Now, once Chris, our contractor, gets the bricks replaced that are missing on the corner of the hearth, we will paint the fireplace. I also have to repair some cracks on the inside of the firebox. Will be painting the firebox black once it's done.
• Today, Kurt, Kevin, and I worked our butts off (almost literally) building a terrace wall in the front yard where it dropped off coming down toward the porch. It really looks wonderful! We are so pleased with how it turned out. We also smoothed out a lot of the area where the tree stumps used to be that we had ground up. Now, we have to get bushes, trees, mulch, flowers, and whatever else we figure will look good in there to spruce things up. We had toyed around with hiring a professional landscaper, but the one we met with never came back with a quote. So, we just got creative and decided to do this on our own. Will probably save a lot of money in the long run anyway.
• The painters are coming this week to start on the outside of the house. They have to pressure wash it, caulk it, prime it, then paint it. Maybe within the next week or so, it'll be done. Can't wait to see how it looks!!!
• New gutters and downspouts will be added in the front sometime in the next couple of weeks.
• New garage doors will be installed in the next couple of weeks as well.

That's about it for now. Or at least all that I can remember. If I'm forgetting something, I'm sure Kurt will catch it when he reads over this. ha! I'll include it in the next post. Hopefully it won't be so long until the next one since there are more things getting done now.

Keep praying for us. Things are going so well (knock wood) and we are so pleased with how it is all looking. Still have new granite countertops to be installed, hardwoods need to be refinished, new carpet to be installed, and appliances to be delivered. Hoping we will have some of that done before everyone comes for Thanksgiving so that we can show off more of our progress.

Until next time.... (I'm tired.....)! Oh yeah, link to the latest pictures is below. It's actually set up as a slideshow. Click on the picture and it'll enlarge to full screen. Somehow, I've gotten it in here twice and don't know how to get rid of one of them. Oh well. I said I was tired....