The Stucco Bungalow: Adventures in Tiny Home Improvement

Handy Husband-less [Day 11]

2012-03-20T21:47:00.005-04:00

DAY 11: I find myself in a very strange land ruled by very tiny people. They have kidnapped my sleep and they have a list of demands: it includes clean clothing, Sponge Bob and obscene an quantity of chocolate milk. I am powerless against their mighty whining. (I wonder where they get it from) But seriously, can I get some major Supermom points for making it this far without buying Happy Meals

Psssst . . . Hey You Guys

2012-03-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

HELP! I've been hog-tied and taken hostage by my ordinary everyday grown-up life. PSA for anyone who isn't sure: three kids is a lot of kids. A lot. Of kids. Write that down. I haven't painted or planned or finished a single project-related thing in forever. Also, did I mention that Handy Husband is off gallivanting about on an extended mega vacation of epic inter-continental all expenses

Three sinks. Two months. An open letter to Canada.

2012-02-09T22:43:00.000-05:00

DEAR CANADA, I love your house bloggers. I love your HGTV shows filmed in Toronto. I love your Royal Canadian Mounted Police. I love your bacon and your ginger ale. I do not love your pedestal sinks. Sink #1 was a wash but, hey, we all have our cases of doggone bad luck and surely Fed Ex, in their pre-Christmas rush, was extra careful with the box. Sink #2 was a sight for sore eyes upon

I'm Still Here

2012-02-08T22:53:00.000-05:00

AND I'm still waiting for the Bathroom Fairy to flitter by softly in the night with her sweet, sweet tiling wand and finish the bungalow bathroom for me. But I'm not going to hold my breath because I don't look good in blue. We were hard charging for quite awhile there, eh? What with all of the demo, re-building, witty blog posts & whatnot. Then The Baby started daycare and I cried a lot and

Bungalow Bathroom: Floor Tile Friday

2012-01-20T08:52:00.001-05:00

Happy Friday! You and I have some catching up to do on the glacially slow project progress in our bungalow bathroom. Cue the fog machine and the flashback music: The bathroom floor tile was installed the Friday before Christmas. We could not walk on the tile for 24 hours after installation while the thinset dried, and we didn't have a toilet installed even if we wanted to use it, so we sent

Pretty Pinterest-Inspired Painted Plywood Plank Wall, a Half-Assed How-You-Do & 1 Link Party. Possibly.

2012-01-14T23:37:00.008-05:00

Say that 9 times fast. Then get your hot little hands on some 4' x 8' plywood sheets and cut them (or have them cut for you) into planks. To determine the width of your planks it will be necessary to do math. I'm so, so sorry. Measure the height of your wall & then sit in a quiet place with a calculator to figure out the magic equation that will give you the perfect plank size: Wall height ×

Pinterest Partayy: Pinspiration!

2012-01-13T10:15:00.001-05:00

What a silly word. Did you read that as perspiration too? Well there's been a little bit of that also. We've been working hard to put the finishing touches on our project for the Pinterest Partayy. Let's take a peek at some of the lovely inspiration photos from my Pinterest boards. These were the very same photos I whipped out to show Handy Husband when he gave me that look and said "you want

Happy Birthday Handy Husband

2012-01-12T10:23:00.000-05:00

It's not really my birthday. Even though the new sink finally arrived after it's long treacherous 3000 mile journey from British Columbia and made it feel like my birthday. For once, I'm not exaggerating. It really is 3000 miles to British Columbia. I checked. But there is someone in the bungalow who celebrates a birthday today. A certain someone who is boldly boycotting the razor until our

Is It My Birthday?

2012-01-11T13:02:00.000-05:00

It MUST be my birthday because IT'S FINALLY HEREin one pieceAND IT'S AMAZING.

2012: New Year, New Projects

2012-01-02T11:34:00.007-05:00

You are casually invited to attend the 1st Annual hosted by the fabulous Jami at What the Graham?! joined by the bloggers behind Baby Gators Den, Design Build Love, Hernando House, Merrypad, Mrs. Priss & Yours Truly. I certainly don't know if it's an annual party; but, it sounds swell so I'm gonna go ahead and run with it. Just don't be that asshole who shows up at Jami's blog next year

Holiday Decorations: Stucco Bungalow Style

2011-12-24T21:04:00.000-05:00

This time last year we set the Christmas tree up on the deck in the backyard to save it from being thoroughly flocked with drywall dust from the basement renovation. At least the tree made it inside the house this year.

Why Suddenly Renovating Our Only Bathroom During the Holidays is Both the Best & Worst Idea I've Ever Had

2011-12-23T08:32:00.000-05:00

Don't let the title fool you - this is not just another bathroom pity party but also an apology. I'd like to offer my sincere apologies to anyone and everyone who is now terrified of remodeling their only bathroom. I'm sorry. FEAR NOT! It's really not that bad. Sometimes it just feels that bad. So we've all come to the conclusion that no time is a good time to renovate the only bathroom in

It's My Bathroom & I'll Cry If I Want To

2011-12-21T16:44:00.000-05:00

We've reached the interminable DURING phase of the bathroom remodel. You know, the looooong part in the middle when the excitement of starting a new project has worn off; but, it's way too early to get excited about the finished product (with the end nowhere in sight). Nope. No end and no excitement. For me or you or anyone. Henceforth, this shall also be casually referred to as the part of

All I want for Xmas is my Cheviot Antique pedestal sink

2011-12-19T10:02:00.000-05:00

The shipping box is stamped: but if you know me then you know where this is headed, don't you? [sigh.]

Bungalow Bathroom - Progress & a Confession

2011-12-07T09:24:00.001-05:00

I have something that I need to share: Demo is done and drywall is up. Boy, THAT was quick. Mostly because we've brought in a contractor to rebuild the bombed out scary shell that used to be a bathroom. [SIGH] not very DIY-ish of us. I take full responsibility for seriously underestimated the magnitude of this project. My gung-ho has turned into oh-no. Small room does not equal less work. Lesson

...and the "Scariest Bathroom in the World Award" goes to:

2011-12-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

Would right now be a wildly inappropriate time to say something like "I miss the old bathroom?" Concrete proof that the electricians who wired this house were exactly as drunk as we've always thought they were. Antique razor blades. Found in the walls. Quite possibly covered in smallpox. Or polio. Or both. We want to be just like is it a house yet? with our trendy DIY transitional shower/

Bungalow Bathroom: I Totally Told You So

2011-11-30T13:36:00.001-05:00

I was so afraid of what we would find behind the shower walls. I think the MIA contractor was also, and that's why he did not want the job. So when the last of the walls came a-tumbling down I was scared and then slightly relieved and then really disappointed. We did not find water damage where I imagined it would be. The shower wall studs are rot-free and structurally sound. Hooray for small

Renovating a Vintage Bathroom ~ Demo Derby

2011-11-28T09:08:00.000-05:00

So sorry to keep you waiting. We've been tied up in a knot by 3 kiddos and a holiday weekend topped off with literally hours of obsessive toilet shopping. The gold medal in distracted multi-tasking while NOT blogging goes to: me. Oh, and the walls? They came a-tumbling down. We are 9 days into the project and feeling our way along one wall at a time. For a little 80-something-year-old lady,

Intro to Renovating a Vintage Bathroom

2011-11-19T08:56:00.000-05:00

This is what happens around here when the contractor who you thought was going to renovate your bathroom goes M.I.A. and won't return your phone calls and the incessant leaking in the bathroom wall (drip drip drip) progresses to the point where you have to shut off the water supply at night just to get some sleep. Frustration has led us directly to demolition. Why the hell not.

Bungalow Bath ~ Inspiration

2011-11-15T09:27:00.002-05:00

Fresh Home Ideas fortheLOVEofBROOKLYN Country Farmgirl 1912 Bungalow INK+WIT Remodel Twin Cities WainscotSolutions

Things That Are Stressing Me Out ~ Bathroom Edition

2011-11-04T09:49:00.002-04:00

She's a Monet. The bathroom in our bungalow is a Monet.You know, she looks like a smoking hot chick from across the bar; but, FOR THE LOVE OF PETE don't take this lady home.You will regret it in the morning. There she is, in all her vintagey subway-tiled octogenarian glory.She's got a lot of miles on her.Not SO bad, right? RIGHT?? Well how about we mosey on downstairs into the

Look What We Made!

2011-10-17T10:51:00.000-04:00

One week ago we were hard at work in the hospital delivery room. Not too long after the sun came up(following a furiously fast 9 hours of labor)this not-so-little guy finally made his appearance. That's right, it's a BOY! I would like to introduce you to The Baby. One week in (has it really only been one week?)we're feeling happy and healthy and a little bit tired;but, also an amazing sense

9 Years. 40 Weeks.

2011-10-07T10:35:00.002-04:00

Last year's wedding anniversary came and went with very little fanfare (The Big 8) because we're totally LIVING THE DREAM, MAN. What can I say? We're glamorous folks. This year's wedding anniversary came and went (without a blog mention) because we happened to be traveling at the time. [I think the kiddos can take a pretty good photograph] The traditional gift you give to your husband to

Bedroom #3: Almost a Nursery

2011-09-28T08:02:00.002-04:00

The major cosmetic work is complete. Furniture is in place. Tiny shirts and socks and supplies are neatly tucked away. Bedroom #3 feels like a brand new room: fresh, clean and bright. Exactly what I was hoping to achieve. A great neutral starting point - a blank canvas - for a brand new beginning. For the time being, I'm content to take some time to sit back and get to know this little room

Bedroom #3: and then someone smashed a window...

2011-09-26T08:27:00.001-04:00

As part of the cosmetic overhaul in bedroom #3, the small set of windows along the front wall of the house were scheduled to receive some attention. They are an odd style of window that opens outward top first (like an oven door) with a set of hinges at the bottom of the frame. In the entire time we've lived here these windows have only been opened once that I can think of. By accident.