Productive Weekend

This weekend was a very productive one in the Gibbons house. It is amazing how much housework can be accomplished when (1) We stay in town for an entire weekend and, (2) Ohio State doesn't play a football game on Saturday.

Here's a picture of our two biggest improvements: 

We painted the living room Behr Classic Silver and, more importantly, we finally replaced our cardboard window treatments with real blinds. 

We also found the time Saturday to enter a photo competition...

If you recall, we purchased all of our bamboo flooring from Ambient Flooring. In mid-November, Ambient announced a photo competition asking contestants to take pictures anywhere there is ambient flooring in their homes. Sam and I snapped a few shots on Saturday afternoon, sent them in and won third place! I'm not sure yet if they plan on using the photos for their website, or not.  If so, there is a possibility they will send a professional photographer to take a few more (better) pictures. That would be very exciting but, if not, we still have a promise from Harper to come and take some great pictures for us one day :)

Here are a few of the photos that we submitted:

Finally, we did some Holiday decorating this weekend too.  But, I haven't blogged for weeks so I need to save something else for a rainy, or possibly a snowy, day.

Some Curb (and Roof) Appeal

Time for a little curb appeal...

 The blind in the front window is a definite improvement over the brown paper bags.  We ordered it online from www.selectblinds.com and are really happy with it. The way it was made/mounted we are able to still have privacy but allow light to come inside.

And, finally, a door!

I have blogged about Crestview Doors in the past, when we ordered the kit for the front door. Sam installed them in the flush steel door and they really look great. Huge improvement! It was exactly want I wanted... but couldn't find at a reasonable cost. This custom kit was the perfect option.

Here's what it looks like from the inside:

We still want to paint the door (inside and outside) and get a new door handle.

Up on the roof...

The deck has been finished for a few weeks but I haven't posted any pictures yet. 

 Sam used composite decking for the floor but then built the railings with treated lumbar. We have plans to stain the railings soon.

The Great Outdoors

After months of working inside, we have finally started tackling some outdoor projects.  I will be the first to admit, it never seemed like we'd get to this point!

First, the garage.
This is going to save us a lot of stress! If you are driving home to Fells, glance at the clock and it's after 6:00, your palms get sweaty, your heart rate goes up and you hope that luck is on your side... you need to find a parking spot.

We had to let the concrete dry for 48 hours before we drove on it. We spent that entire time hoping and praying that our car would fit. It does.

Next project: Deck

We had the framework for the deck built. The plan is for Sam and his dad to finish the rest next week. We are going to use tech-wood after seeing how brutal the sun can be to roof top decks in the city.

The final, but biggest, project that we started this past week: Painting.

We used a Home Depot Behr Paint + Primer Ultra Exterior satin. The shade is "Dark Cavern."

It was difficult reaching the 3rd floor so Sam opted to paint from the roof.

The best part about working on the exterior is that the neighborhood really cheers you on. We met a few more of our neighbors and everyone who passed had something really nice and encouraging to say about our progress.

BEFORE

AFTER

AFTER

Cole Joshua Gibbons

The Gibbons House in New Jersey just got a little cuter!

My brother-in-law, Josh, and sister-in-law, Nezie, brought home the most adorable baby boy on Friday (dressed in full-on Ohio State gear). Cole Joshua Gibbons was born on Tuesday, August 24th and I couldn't wait to meet him! We went to visit Friday night and, needless to say, I am absolutely in love with him and really excited to be an aunt!  

with Mommy

with Uncle Sam

with Daddy

Aunt Lori

And don't think that we got away with a weekend sans renovations. Sam and Josh finished up Cole's nursery on Saturday. Josh had finished all of the painting previously but the guys still needed to mount the chair rail. Mystery of the miter box...solved. 

Stairs, Part 2 and 3...

I've noticed that many things get lost or misplaced during a move. This was the case with my camera USB cord. So, while I have continued to take photos of our progress, I've been unable to post them. I ordered a new one online and, we're back! 

There has been a lot to blog about in the last couple of weeks but, I suppose I will just start where I left off. One major development has been the (relative) completion of our staircase. If you recall, we've had the stringers for quite some time but had temporary treads on them during construction:Stairs, Part 1

With such large, industrial looking stringers, we really couldn't buy the standard 1" treads at home depot.  Henry had the treads cut at a mill. We decided on poplar wood, 1 3/4" thick with a square edge. They came back pretty rough:

It took about a day to sand and cut all of the treads down

After they were placed and screwed on we covered them immediately with cardboard. Because they are raw from the mill, the wood hasn't been dried in a kiln and we have to let them rest for a while before we stain and/or varnish them. We really don't want to get any footprints on them or else we would have to sand them another time. 

Then, the railings were installed...

...and the banisters upstairs that match

We are very, very happy with how it all turned out. Thank you so much to Tom who fabricated the custom stairs and railings. I will have his information available soon but if anyone was interested in contacting him, please just send me an email. 

I look forward to blogging again and keeping everyone up-to-date!