Rehab (House): Carpet toss

My husband was kind enough to pull together tools for my daughter and I, though he was clearly dubious. Our tool bucket (that my husband called a North Carolina tool box) was chock full of useful stuff.  You can see a similar item pictured right.


We decided that nothing could harness our girl power enthusiasm.  Off we went.There is so much to do, it was hard to know just where to start.  Cleaning the bathroom was the first imperative for obvious reasons. Refrigerator the second imperative.  I didn't quite finish the refrigerator; but the downstairs bathroom received a good scrubbing.  We aren't done there yet either.  Yep.  It is that bad.

One of my goals was to see what was underneath the carpet on the stairs.  The home has linoleum and carpet except for about 10 sqf of tile in the downstairs bathroom.  My tool to get started on this job was a linoleum knife pictured left.  It is a terrible looking thing.  I don't watch slasher movies, but I suppose if I did, this would be a central implement to such an evil doer.

In my hands, it worked pretty effectively to cut carpet from the stairs.  I was extra careful, as it is a tool that will lay you open.  I reminded my daughter that we needed to be careful to not over tire ourselves as that is the surest way to be injured.  I only cut my fingers in the kitchen when I'm dog-boned tired--and I'm efficient with knives--but not a linoleum knife.

The needle nose pliers helped  get some bite on the carpet.  Once I got going, I made pretty good progress.  First the carpet, then the padding.  The amount of dirt underneath the carpet was a reminder as to why I do not and never will have carpet in my house.  It is a dirt trap.  I captured two dust pans full of dirt just from the first 4 steps.  Makes sense as the dirt would fall on the first steps....shoes would be clean by step 4.

Having never had carpet, the carpet tack strips were something new to handle.  The bottom less bucket of tools had just the thing:  a Wonder Bar.  In case you are unfamiliar with this tool, here it is. . .
A Wonder Bar and a hammer are a beautiful thing together.  I wished I had some ear protection though!  I was able to pull up the tack strips by setting the 90 degree end against the stripping.  A small whack to set followed by a larger whack of the hammer and then a pry eased the strip up.   The strips were very dessicated and many splintered.  I would suggest using eye protection.  My husband called from Lowes and I asked him to bring Hannah and I some safety glasses.  Dirt and metal are two of many things that are not eye friendly. As with most things that are new to you, there is some experimenting and a learning curve.  I did learn quickly that hitting the back end of your hand on the tack strip is uncomfortable.  Best to be careful on your pry bar positioning when prying out other nails where such strips are nearby. Other than a stick on a knuckle and a pinch of skin that I managed to whack with the hammer, I left with all of my digits and eyes intact. 

I had to remind my daughter (a teacher) that we are so unused to working with stuff that we needed to take care to think of the safety consequences of what we were doing.  She was intent on pulling staples out of the stair tread.  I asked her where she thought the staples were going to go as I was working below her.  Oh.  We now have our sporty safety glasses...but we still need to ensure that we exercise good sense.

Husbando came in later to check on us and bring us our safety glasses.  He was surprised at our progress but also quipped that "that stuff came up easily".  We were still proud of our work.  I would show you pictures of some of the stuff that we took out, but I left the camera. 

My daughter and I are pleasantly sore.  My hands are sore from gripping the hammer and the wonder bar, and I was careful to take care of my back.  How satisfying it was to see so quickly the results of our work and not require any medical attention.  Next installment....pictures....

Rehab (House): Day 1

I currently have a home rehab project (purchase and resale).  I should close on August 1, but have been given access to the home.  It is a nice project that takes me into a very hands-on world.  Not a bad thing in that sometimes it feels that I'm permanently attached to a computer.  This project, for some intermittent periods, replaces my computer key board as my main tool with tools of an artisanal nature.


The house is a basic Cape Cod built in 1985.  It needs much work.  It was built in 1985 with none of the accoutrements that spell quality on the inside--builder's grade everything.  Vinyl and carpeting through out. Basic trim. It has a new roof and the siding is vinyl that has held up well.  It also has the unfortunate characteristic of a front door that opens directly into the front stairway.  Two people navigating the side-stepping necessary to gain entry is a lesson in frustration.  The side door is clearly the main entrance.

It was rented for the last 9 or so years, with the tenants recently evicted. The house is a mess. Fortunately, it has some great qualities:  new roof, masonry fire place, good foundation and steps, den/kitchen/dining area that open into each other. It is on a private road and sits on 15 acres.  Very quiet....deer, turkey, rabbits abound.  The property has two deer stands.  Last evening we attended the road meeting and found another great asset:  superb neighbors.  Many of them were like my husband and I, the bought the land and built their home.

My daughter will be the ultimate purchaser. She is glad to be in New Kent.  She and I worked at the house yesterday.  It needs to be cleaned  thoroughly and all of the carpet and linoleum pulled up.  My husband has been reminding me that (1) this work is hard; (2) I'm not as young as I used to be; (3) I will likely hurt myself with these tools.

Naturally he is correct on all accounts--but I will not be disabused of the notion that I can do some of this work.  Our bodies are made to work, and frankly, this body could use more work! We are on a very strict budget for this rehab:  $15K.  To make that number stretch, that means that we will need to do some of this work ourselves.  My daughter and her boyfriend are young (as my husband and I were when we built our house). Her BF is a pipefitter--so he is both skilled and strong and has skilled and strong friends. That is a big benefit!

Despite my husband's nay saying, Hannah and I embarked on our first day  of rehab. Stay tuned for that write up.

The Space In Between

Yesterday I attended the funeral of a man who I did not know well--an architect who died suddenly from a brain aneurysm, .  I had met him at parties of a mutual friend.  His long-time companion is a beautiful and vivacious woman to whom I and another long-time friend of mine always gravitate at the parties we mutually attend.  Raucous laughter always ensued--always restorative to the spirit. I went to the funeral to offer some comfort and pay my respects.

The funeral was standing room only.  It was a non-traditional service comprised of long-time friends speaking about this man that they felt privileged to know.  It was evident that this man made no distinction between friends and colleagues--everyone he knew was a friend. Sitting in that room bursting with people and listening to the succession of people speaking about this departed man brought two thoughts to mind. 

Thought 1:  Would half that many come to my funeral?
Thought 2:  Would half so many nice things be said?

When I interview people for jobs, I always ask what I call the funeral question.  It sounds morose, but you will be surprised what information it elicits that is useful in judging a candidate.  The question is simply:  You are at the end of your life and in the ground but you have the opportunity to speak at your own funeral.  What would you like to say about what your life and what you had accomplished?

One of the speakers stated that there are two things in life that happen to you that you cannot control and cannot time:  birth and death.  True enough, and worth being reminded of.  What we choose to do between those lines of demarcation is what makes a statement about who we are.

The space in between.  Always a good time to reflect on what we are doing with that precious space.  How are we comporting ourselves; how are we helping others; what mark are we leaving on the world in our spheres of influence.  While few of us will be Gandhi, Mother Theresa, George Washington, or any other figure that markedly changes the world, it is important to remember that a sphere of influence is a world.

After the service, friends were invited to a local restaurant at which this man was so much a regular that they had booth for him.  The Monday before his death, he was eating with one of his friends (who spoke and told this story),  who asked, "Who are all of these peoples in these pictures on the wall?".  "I was tired of being the only living guy among all of these pictures of dead people on the wall, so I asked them to put up new pictures."

So I left the service and the gathering of friends at this restaurant that was his eating home feeling very much attuned to my own "space in between"--this dear man managed that space so well as was evident from the tenor of his memorial service.  He did it by managing not the entire space, but by always being in each moment of that space.  What he was doing at the moment was the most important thing.  Who he was with at the moment was the most important person.  The animal that he was caring for at the moment was the most important animal.  This connecting of moments that are managed well creates the space in between.  Those moments in those spheres connect to very large spaces in between that house many spheres of influence that tangentially connect to quite a large world.

I was grateful to have that important reminder yesterday.

Saturday With Ollie

Yesterday, I transported a handsome and charming English Setter,  Ollie, from Ashland Va to Rocky Mount, NC.  My sister was in from Bedford.  Though she had a 3 hour drive into town on Friday, she agreed to accompany me for the ~8 hours of driving that our trip entailed.

Our passenger was on his way to his permanent home after generously being fostered. He's been trying to get from New Jersey to South Carolina for the past three weekends--all of which I volunteered for.  I withdrew my offer for the fourth weekend as my sister was coming into town.  However, Ollie's foster mom made an urgent plea to volunteers.  She was beginning her own important RV retirement adventure, and it has been postponed for too long.  So, I was prepared to ditch visiting with my sister to drive Ollie.  I was glad that my sister came with me.

Ollie's profile warned that he was not good in the car.  He barked at cars and moved around quite a bit. I was confident that he would be fine in the backseat of the Aurora.  Most dogs just flop down after a bit.  Ollie was not like most dogs.

He seemed to enjoy riding in the car and was convinced that we needed him to be an active participant in his transport. He would graciously point out when  cars were passing by giving two very loud barks.  We assured him that our mirrors were working just fine and he needn’t notify us via his loud barking.  He  pointed out about 5 cars that way.  Each time we collectively expressed our dismay at him, and praised him when he was quiet.  He figured it out quickly and stopped barking—and trusted that we could figure out traffic on our own.

He quickly turned his attention to the driver and passenger area.  Were we buckled in?  Hmmm….could we read the gages?  How about steering?  Driver position okay?  Can you reach the gas and brakes?I am going to my new home and want to get there in one piece. After about 45 minutes of his conducting his 10 point traffic safety inspection of all aspects of the car’s operation and the driver’s operation of the car he settled down quietly to enjoy a little nap.  In fact, he slept like a baby for the balance of the trip.

We had a merry adventure with this fellow. We noted a 10 mile backup on 95N as we were traveling south. We plotted a course around it for our return trip.  In doing so, we passed this memorable store:

He's a picture of Ollie in profile. I used Photoshop to create this.  My husband said that no one can tell that it is a dog. 



 It was a beautiful day to drive (something I don't mind doing!), and it was great to be part of this guy's transition from foster to permanent home.

Counterop Heuristics with Spreadstone

(here is the first move).

I still don't know which way the market winds are going to blow.  The ebullience of the ADP payroll numbers on Thursday was conflated mightily on Friday.  I've been preoccupied with some other projects and work, so I've not been scouting for stocks.

I am scouting for a home rehab project seeing the poor, outdated condition of some of the properties my daughter has been looking at.  Countertops, floors and bathrooms appear to be the most needful items of replacement.  Homes from the 60's and 70's are particularly guilty of sporting a retro look that is not one worth remembering.  To be sure, the quality is quite high with lovely ceramic work.  The colors though, pinks, greens and blues, are not inviting to the eye.

In my fashion, I immersed myself in scouting for an affordable solution. The idea is to take a nice, outdated home (not a junk home), and update it cost effectively AND with the level of quality that will support resale in a home market that is still underwater (or perhaps gurgling with an occasional bob up for air). I do know this, home prices are not done falling.  Many of the homes that are coming on the market are foreclosures, and they are not in very good shape.  If there is a choice to paint, it is done in white with no care to to prep nor bothering to paint the trim in a semi-gloss.

So much for my lament.  My objective is to find a kitchen/bathroom rehab solution that does not require a sledgehammer.  As you know, I like to write about "stuff" , particularly if I think that there is something of use to others.  While my husband and I physically built our current home, let's be clear that my training is not in the trades!

Countertops seemed to be a reasonable place to start. I'll not drag you through all of my research, but I researched as wide and deep as I could. On day 3, I ran into Spreadstone by Daich. I will write the company and encourage them improve upon their web positioning. It should not have taken so long to find them.  That being said....

I had originally planned to try a faux granite painting technique, and I still may try that.  I found the Spreadstone, and that product has wall, countertop and floor rehab possibilities--all the problem areas that I'm noticing and for which I want to find a quality solution.  My project is not finished, but I wanted to write about where I am to date.  Fortunately, I had some countertop from our kitchen rehab. I actually like formica, and my original stuff lasted 20 years.  It was stylishly maroon in 1985.  It was sitting in the garage.  Here's what I started with:



The car that you see in the back in my 1982 Capri RS.  My husband has an idea that he will restore it.

Naturally I cleaned it all up and I primed it with Zinnser's BIN Primer



Many instructions for cleaning your service recommend to use TSP as a cleaning solution.  I read the B-I-N directions, and it specifically says not to use that. I used a degreaser and then alcohol.  I then applied  2 coats of primer, sanding in between coats. My original project plan was to do something different (countertop paint,   My idea was to do something different than Spreadstone because I did not even know about Spreadstone due to their poor web positioning! Then I found Spreadstone!  Love at first sight.   I put a coat of almond tinted Spreadstone pirmer over my already primed surface. Note that I am only trying to do a section of this countertop.  The primer was applied with a roller. It was very easy.  I would provide a picture if I had some good lighting.

You can put tape down at this point to simulate flagstone or tile.  I wasn't looking to do anything more than to see if I could do this project in its simplest form.  So nothing fancy.  The next coat was Rivershor.  This is when I picked up and used a trowel for the first time.  Snicker if you must.



Here it is close up.  Go ahead and click on it to make it larger.  You will be surprised that this came from my hand.




Now, there is a color wash that you can use to give more interest.  I elected to take the color wash (terra cotta, the only one that the dealer had) and mix with water to a tint (not sure if desirable or not as it was my first try).  I elected to improvise (read--this was not in the directions anywhere).  I took the colorwash and mixed it in with a small amount of the rivershor in the bumpy part of the paint tray.  The color was irregular as intended.  I took a sea sponge and dabbed it in tinted and untinted parts.  I then dabbed it on. I was very happy with the results.

Here's a look after sponging and sanding:



For a first time trowel and sponger, I have to say that my results to my eye are Wow!  It looks much better in person.  Very realistic.  I've already put my first coat of Hi-Build Sealer on it.

This product and my expectations for it given my nil-skill level was very forgiving.    I definitely believe that this is a high quality solution for what I want to do.  I am also considering this for my kitchen floor (when I'm forced to because of wear).  My kitchen floor is a beautiful white and black ceramic.  It is also (1) slippery and (2) white.  White is an extremely poor choice for a kitchen floor--particularly an active kitchen such as mine.  It looks good for the post-cleaning time frame of 5 minutes.  In fact, I would love to have a kitchen floor that looks just like the countertop above.  It has a beautiful, natural quality about it.  I would want to do some sort of "grouting" that made sense, though.

I'll bring a finished picture for you. What I like about this solution is that it has a very realistic look--and it is a product that can stand up to the rigors of kitchen life.

Update 07/10/11:  Here is the countertop after 3 coats of finish--the last one still wet:


For a countertop application, I should have made a smoother surface.  This texture is perfect for a floor.  I plan to run some durability tests (think hammer, hot pots, and water).  Of course, these are non-scientific and purely of my own imagination, but this is a heuristic exercise.  I will publish these in a separate post.

Parsing out Leisa-land "Stuff" from The Perplexed Investor

Not that I need something else to do, but I'm electing to prospectively post non-market stuff to this blog. (My market stuff is rather thin of late, but I'm currently in the fully flummoxed mode.  Accordingly, I've gone mute.

As I frequently refer to Leisa-land and Notes from My life, I've elected to call this blog, Notes from Leisa Land.  I will also feel a little freer to post post non-market stuff in this space.  Like my other blog, hopefully people will "find this place" through their browsing. (And is this not just a beautiful blog design?)

So my snake encounters, refinishing counters, food, wine, whine, etc will now be relegated to this corner of the world.  In fact, I think that I will move a post over here on my countertops.

I'll get the Disqus moving on comments before long.