Ready For Winter?

Neither are we!  BUT!  Today, the next home improvement project is taking place!

We’re doing some weatherization… and by “some” we mean “a ton” !!

Through our membership with the Historic Chicago Bungalow Association, we learned about what we can do to make our home more efficient.  The biggest thing in a bungalow is air sealing…

So, we applied for a grant through the Bungalow energy$avers Program and were accepted!  And today, DNR Construction is here!

So far, we’ve been through the first blower test… and oh my!  Our numbers were ridiculous… over 7,000… which ain’t good!

You can read about what the U.S. Department of Energy says about  blower tests here.  It was pretty neat!  You could feel the air whooshing around and coming through cracks and through our attic storage spaces… it was amazing!

And now, DNR is sealing up those cracks, adding insulation under the floor boards in our storage spaces, and blowing it under the floors of the attic.

It’s noisy around here, but so worth it.  Warmer house and cheaper gas bill here we come!

Our Kitchen Project – COMPLETE!

It’s done!  Well, there are a few bits we’re waiting for delivery on (like a replacement cabinet door and some hinges and such), but we’ve moved back in and have a kitchen!  A long project, to be sure, but we are happy with the results!

And now… the much-anticipated BEFORE and AFTER shots!

BEFORE
(so much Before that we hadn’t moved in yet!)

It’s bright, and kitschy, but there were no cabinets and no counter space… and no refrigerator (it was a walk away in the pantry).  And the patterned floor may photograph well but was FILTHY and would not come clean!

 

AFTER

Photos were taken at night, so they’re not the brightest, but now there are cabinets! And counters! And more counters! And a refrigerator in the work triangle! And a peninsula to sit at! YES!

 

Take a closer look behind Half-Door Number One:

Hooray!

A GIANT thank you again to Babs and Rich for their amazing help during this project. And another thank you to Paul the Painter!  THANK YOU!!!

‘Night!

Our Kitchen Project – Are We Done Yet???

You’ve probably been anxiously waiting for the FINALE of our kitchen project…

Hang in there!  We’re almost done!

We’ve been handling a few final projects, like repainting the pantry, reassembling the pantry shelving and adding more, touching up the kitchen, staining and replacing baseboard, quarter round, and chair rail, and moving back in (the biggest project of all).  Our goal is to be done this weekend… unfortunately, until the rest of the projects are done, the kitchen is not in a photographable state… so… sorry for the wait!

We’ll be done soon!

Our Kitchen Project – Day 33

Hiya!

The Cafe @ The Bungalow was open tonight for a Friends & Family PREVIEW!  The chef served chicken in a mustard and sour cream sauce over peas and rice. Delish!

And here’s another preview…

Before:

After:

Ha!

Night!

Our Kitchen Project – Day 30 Teasers

Our overhead light fixture was installed this morning and it looks great!

We’re spending the day cleaning and re-settling in… already re-completed the piano room… heading to the den, dining room, and basement next, and of course the kitchen.

Speaking of the kitchen… here are some teasers!

Later!

Our Kitchen Project – Days 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31!

Yeah… we’ve been a bit remiss in posting… Nothing to report from days 25 and 26.  Day 27 was a stressful day but at the end of it we saw a couple of our appliances installed… and we were actually able to cook that day too!  Day 28 was a meeting with the Project folk to finalize the last bits, install the final appliance, and establish a day when everything will be done – looks like Friday, August 6th, aka Project Day 36 (!), is that day.  Also on Day 28 we did some cleaning and prepared meal #2.

Days 29 through 31 will be filled with cleaning, cleaning, more cleaning, and moving in to the Kitchen!  Phew!

We’re not gonna post any pictures for a bit (though we may add some teasers) – we should have the final final Kitchen on Friday – 1 more week!

Please cross your fingers for us… that the scheduled 15 day project will truly be done on Day 36… We are really ready to have our house back to ourselves… the end is in sight!  :)

Our Kitchen Project – Days 20, 21, 22, 23, & 24

F L O O R S !!!!

Our hardwood floors are getting redone… so we really don’t have any updates today… and won’t for the next few days…

Check back with us on Sunday or Monday?

Later!