Sam's Sink

The first purchase that we made for our house was a bathroom sink. We couldn't pass up that big, bright, cheap sink sitting in the "as is" section of Ikea.  It was September 4th, 2009. I embarrassed Sam by making him pose for a picture...

In my defense, it was our very, very first purchase. 

Fast-forward six months: Bathrooms are framed out and we are beginning to plan for floors, tile and sinks. 

We needed to figure out how to utilize our already purchased sink.  After searching stores and shopping online, we could not find anything that would suit our sink and/or our budget.  I thought for a brief moment that we may had gotten ahead of ourselves that September afternoon... until Sam decided to set up shop in the garage and build a custom cabinet.

his plans

the framework

finished!

(Yes, we have snuggies stored in our garage)

These pictures really do not do the cabinet justice. Sam did a really amazing job! Plus, the sink + materials to build the cabinet came to under $100. We are going to use it in the back bedroom on the second floor. Our official first piece of furniture!  

Bamboo Flooring

Thanks for all the bamboo feedback after the last post! It is really time for us to come to a decision and order our floors soon. We are going to have the same floors throughout the house, in every room, except 3 of the bathrooms.  When we were in the early stages of planning, we alloted a very small amount per square foot in our original contract so, unless we want to peel and stick our floors, we are going to need to pitch in a significant amount of money.  We do want hardwood and have quickly realized how difficult it is to get a good looking, high quality floor on a budget.  The biggest problem is that at any price, 1750 sq. ft. of flooring adds up very fast!

Here are the samples that we have ordered online and have found in stores.

In a previous post, I mentioned that Sam found a couple of bamboo floors for $1.99 but after putting the dark samples to the test, just saw that they scratched and dented very easily.  The exception was the carbonized bamboo that Anthony bought from iFloor (I am pretty sure we have the same sample). It seemed like a great floor but it was just a little too light.  We have been planning on dark floors from the beginning so, if we can afford to do so, hopefully we can stick to our plan! 

Of all of the samples we ordered, Ambient Floors seemed to be, at first glance, the best quality and the most durable. This was all according to my testing methods which were: scraping it with a key, then a penny and then poking it very hard with various things I could get my hands on. 

Ambient had 2 darkly stained floors that passed my tests with flying colors so I decided to take them to the house and see how they looked in the natural light:

This is strand woven bamboo. Like the carbonization process, weaving the bamboo under pressure adds a lot of strength.  Bamboo of either carbonized or woven types are recommended for households with a lot of traffic, children or pets. 

This is a sample of hand scraped bamboo. I believe this technique is for esthetics rather than strength. 

In the natural light, the hand scraped sample looked more brownish/red and the strand woven was more of a chocolate color:

Sam was not a fan of the ridges in the hand scraped floor and we both liked the color of the strand woven better.  It is still a little scary going with a dark floor but Ambient claims that they put 8 coats of finish on every type of bamboo and they come with a 30 year guarantee on the finish and lifetime structural guarantee.  Spending a little more might be worth that piece of mind. 

We took all of the measurements again today to double check our square footage. It should be within the next few days that we make a final decision.  I really, really cannot wait until this decision is behind us! Your feedback is helpful and, as always, greatly appreciated! 

Awning Gone

The awning has finally been taken down! I have been waiting to see the house sans-awning since day one...

I hope that nobody gets the wrong idea now that our delicatessen sign is much more visible. In this vegetarian household, there would be more than a few disappointed customers. 

The weather this week was also favorable for installing some of the new windows:

There are going to be three additional windows on the first level.  The first will be where you see the glass block. The other two windows will be added in this section, below...

This week's Drama...

The guys arrived early one morning to find a pile of bricks in the street next to the house.  One of the chimneys on our roof collapsed.  There are several chimneys that were to be removed when the roof gets redone.  Since gutting the house, they were left unsupported.  In addition, the chimneys would get in the way of the rooftop decks.  The picture below shows the damage it did on the interior of the house. All of the chimneys are now gone to prevent this from happening again.

(where the wood beam has buckled)

We have been ordering many flooring samples online and are trying to come to a decision soon.  We both like dark bamboo floors best and have found one online for $1.99/sq.ft.

 

But, I have a few concerns. I was told that bamboo is manufactured to be harder than oak flooring.  This made me confident in its durability, at first, but then I ordered the samples and they seem to scratch so easily. This would be a bigger issue with the dark floors because the scratches reveal a natural, yellowish color underneath. They would be VERY noticeable. I don't want to have a house where everyone has to take their shoes off to come in and I don't want to be paranoid to move furniture around.  I have read a few horror stories online but the consumer report gives them a very high rating and I've read plenty of positive reviews also. It may be possible that different companies manufacture their floors differently so maybe it is a problem for some and not all. 

If anyone has had any experience with bamboo floors please report your findings. We did find one solid oak floor that is within our budget so we may consider that one as well.  I do enjoy the eco-friendliness of the bamboo floors, though. 

Finished Framing

This past weekend, all of the framing was finished.  No thanks to me... I actually delayed the process with a last minute change on the third floor bathroom.  After all of the careful planning and hard work that everyone did (which I really, really appreciate), I just strolled in there and said it was too small. I felt horrible and I definitely owe the guys some brownies and/or cupcakes. So, here are the most recent pictures...

This is the second floor, front of the house. Much to my disappointment, there are not any walls in the house that are in good enough condition to keep exposed... except this section above the wooden beam...

There is still some work we will need to do to make this brick more attractive and Sam has already started work sanding and finishing the wooden beam.  

Just a close up of that same beam, the other side. It is really starting to look good!  Before Sam got to it, it looked like an old piece of driftwood with a lot of nails in it. 

Also in this pic, you can see the hallway to the right (which leads to the back bedroom) and, to the left, is a small bedroom. 

This is the back bedroom on the second floor.  

Sam and I are still planning on living in the third floor bedroom and having that as our master bed/bath but we have also designed this bedroom so that it could double as a master. The framing in the center of the photo is the bathroom and, to the right (on the other side of the window), is a closet. I have a pretty interesting plan for this bathroom door that I am very excited about!

Same room, different angle.  

Remember, this is the bedroom with the step-up to a platform.

This is the third floor bedroom. Towards the center of the photo is the railing along the staircase. There is a closet and a bathroom in the right, back corner.

Better view of the closet and bathroom entry.  This window will eventually be a door and the access to our roof deck. 

Two front windows, third floor bedroom. 

You may have seen hints of plumbing in some of the pictures.  The plumbing is in progress and that will be followed by the HVAC work. I will keep you updated as each of the trades come in. 

A few interesting things I've discovered this week:

1. Crestview Doors

http://www.crestviewdoors.com/ 

Crestview doors is a website that sells kits to help you take a plain door and give it mid-century modern design. They encourage buying used doors at a second hand store to save money, and the planet. The kits are affordable and come with detailed do-it-yourself instructions. Plus, there are many designs to choose for both exterior and interior doors. 

2. Second Chance

http://www.secondchanceinc.org/default.aspx 

I learned about this website from a fellow Baltimore home renovation blog, Locust Point Rowhouse. They salvage items from buildings that will be demolished and sell them to the public. It looks like it might be a bit pricy but I think we will definitely check it out.  With four warehouses, there may be a gem waiting there for us. 


3. Baltimore Renovation Blogs 
Two new blogs: "Locust Point Rowhouse" and "My Big Fat Greektown House"
Both of these are blogs about townhome renovations in Baltimore.  It is interesting to see what other folks around town are doing and it is helpful as they share info about local businesses. Links to both of these sites are on the right hand side of our page. And, if you haven't already, check out our friend Harper's "bleak to chic" blog as well... she finished the major renovation on her Canton townhouse but is still making improvements. 

Range Hoods?

What is the deal with range hoods? 

I've been asking myself this question all day.

When I began looking at kitchen designs, I thought that hoods were just a decorative element. I knew that you could turn them on if something was burning, but I really thought people just liked the way that they looked.  If that's not the case why are there vintage brass ones and futuristic space age ones and some that look like fire places? 

So, I began looking for one that suits our modern style.  When I saw the price tag ($750 to $2,000), I began to wonder, Do I really need this? And, when I found out that installation would add another $400-$500 to the bill, I began to talk myself out of this idea altogether. 

Here is what I learned... 

It does seem necessary to have a range hood of some type. I found two types:

The first, that I referred to above, is attached to an exhaust duct that directs the smoke/ fumes outside of your home.  These are more expensive because the size is larger and the styles tend to be more elaborate.  In addition, it requires the installation of a duct system that leads outside. 

The second option is a smaller, cabinet or microwave mounted hood, that recirculates the air rather than directing it out of your home.  They have filters that clean the incoming smoke/fumes.  These were priced from $50-$500 and have no additional installation costs. 

These are likely our options...

(number one: exhaust) 

OR

(number two: recirculating, curved)

OR

(number three: recirculating, standard)

Please, feel free to comment with thoughts or experiences.  I will also post a poll so please take a second to vote!