Shopping Sprees

There isn't much at the house to blog about this week. The walls are still in the process of being finished. Here are a few pictures of that:

Sam and I, however, have been making a lot of purchases. We will be ready for those, hopefully not-so-distant days, when it is time to prime/paint and install the kitchen, floors and tile.

Our floors have been patiently waiting in storage and Ikea should be delivering our kitchen any day now (it was due last Monday). A bunch of our tile came in and we picked it up from Chesapeake Tile, in Federal Hill, on Friday. 

I may have mentioned this quickly in a previous post but, Chesapeake Tile is an amazing place to find tile. Mitch and Lauren are great and can help you find the perfect tile that fits your budget... which, judging by the showroom, may (for some people) be $300 per square foot. Luckily, if you are looking to spend more like $5-10 per square foot, they still have plenty to choose from.  We were getting bored with Home Depot's selection of tile which is why we chose to look elsewhere. I was very hesitant to go into a specialty store but was happy to find a very relaxed and non-intimidating environment there.

I guess I can give you a sneak peak of some of our bathroom tile...

First Floor, half bathroom:

As you may recall...

Second Floor, communal bath:

Second Floor, Bedroom:

Third Floor, Bedroom:

In addition to the tiles, yesterday we purchased a dishwasher, washer and dryer. Let me just say, after all of the things I have bought for this house, the washer and dryer is what really made me feel like a grown-up. About time... 30 is just around the corner (duh,duh,dum). 

We went to the Sears outlet in Perry Hall and got an amazing deal. Sure, a dent or two. Both the washer and dryer were reduced, then 50% off, then an additional 10% of for Memorial Day. The dryer alone was originally $1500 and we got both for $1000. 

Aren't they pretty? At the very least, they have a multitude of buttons, lights and dials. They are the Whirlpool Duet. After reading a million-and-one epinions about front-loading washers, I have come to the realization that I will either absolutely love this or despise this.

Dry Basement and Dry-Wall

We avoided addressing our basement issues for as long as possible but, about 2 weeks ago, we had to give up and give in. We had a lot of water that our sump pump just wasn't able to get rid of. There were several attempts to fix it before we were advised to get a French drain installed. To install this kind of drain, the perimeter of the basement floor is jackhammered down to the footing and the cement is removed. A layer of stone is laid down, and the drain is laid on top of it. Water is collected from the basement wall floor joint as it enters, and a sump pump is installed to pump the water out of the house and away from the foundation. 

Once completed, the area is cemented over leaving only a gap around the perimeter. The gap exists in order to allow water in from the basement walls. 

The entrance to the basement from the street

Most of the basement is only 5 feet high. There is a section in the back, about 6 feet high, where there will be an area built to house our HVAC units. 

Here is a close up of the pebbles lining the perimeter of the basement. 

I am happy to say that the French drain system has worked and our basement has been staying dry... even through the last few thunder storms.

I am also pleased to report that we have hit a major milestone this past weekend... drywall! 

The house looks a little messy but here are some pictures of what it looks like with walls:

On our agenda:

Tomorrow: finish ordering all of the bathroom tile

Friday-Sunday: Beach!

Monday: Ikea delivery (kitchen cabinets and appliances)

Next week: We will be able to begin priming as soon as the walls are finished.

Kitchen Plans

I clocked about 8 hours at Ikea this week and Sam, even more.  We set out to design our kitchen while they were having a 20% off sale (ends today). It was a little stressful only because, although they answered all of our questions, the design is ultimately the customer's responsibility. So, we plugged everything into the computer checking, and then double checking, that cabinets will fit, drawers and doors will be able to function, and that the arrangement will ultimately look good. 
Friday night we left feeling drained, but pleased, with our purchases. We ended up buying all of our base cabinets and a few of our appliances. 


kitchen layout:

our color scheme:

dark cabinets

chrome handles/ accents

porcelain sink

gray countertops

white subway tile backsplash

Everything will be delivered in about 3 weeks.  Lets just hope that we are ready to start assembling and installing the cabinets at that point... there needs to be drywall, floors and painting first. 

Just in case you were curious about IKEA, the World's largest furniture retailer:
Ingvar Kamprad started selling matches from his bicycle as a boy in Sweden. He slowly expanded to include fish, christmas tree decorations, ballpoint pens and pencils. When his father gave him a cash reward for doing well in school, Ingvar used that money to improve his business and establish what would become IKEA... at age 17! Now he is the 11th wealthiest person in the World. Glad we could help, Ingvar. 


IKEA stands for:
Ingvar Björn (first name)
Kamprad (family name)
Elmtaryd (farm he grew up on)
Agunnaryd (his home parish in south Sweden)


My favorite Ikea product: vanilla frozen yogurt, $1.