|
Author |
Message |
Common
Ground / Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
/ Closing on a house tomorrow!!!
Page: 1 2
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 08:29 PM
I just wanted to say thanks to all you wonderful people for your great advice back in October. It was very helpful to have your voices of experience when we were looking at houses. I haven't posted here in a while, because we'd been looking at houses, and actually made offers on 5, and for various reasons we lost out on 4 of them, and I'd been off and on depressed about the whole thing. But tomorrow we're closing on a house I really love (unless something goes wrong, which I really hope won't happen!). So, I wanted to say thanks for the encouragement and advice, it was a great help. Oh, and Francine, if you're reading this, do you happen to have any advice on what kind of cleaning product to use on unfinished hardwood floors? First thing we're doing tomorrow after we close is to rip out the carpets. The floors have been covered up for at least 16 years, and I'm assuming they're unfinished. I'm hoping you can recommend something I can buy at Kmart or Lowes. Thanks!
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 08:33 PM
PICTURES! PICTURES! I WANT PICTURES!
And congratulations! I know you're going to be very
happy in your new home! I bet you can't WAIT to get
at those floors! 
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 08:40 PM
LL, tell me how to post pictures and I will. I've got TONS...
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Francine
Super Moderator
Posts: 1309
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 08:47 PM
Yep, I am reading!
More then likely you will find the floors are finished under the carpets. There is a good chance they have polyurethane on them. If they do, they should have an amber color to them, or even darker if they were stained and polyurethaned. Unfinished wood is an off white color.
Be prepared, when you pull the carpet up, to pull out the tack strips around the perimeter of the room, and all the staples in the pad under the carpet. This can be tedious, and most likely will leave some marks in the floor. The tools we use to pull carpet are a wunderbar for the tack strips, to pry them up, and vice grips and a screwdriver for the staples in the pad. Use the screwdriver to pull the staples out enough to grab them with the vice grips. It is tedious work.
Now, once the carpet is up, you should test a small area, to be sure there isn't a wax finish on the floor. Wax hasn't been used on hardwood floors for over 30 years, so you most likely will be safe. What you should do is put a drop of water on the floor. If it turns the floor white, then you have wax, and you can't wash the floor. If it soaks right into the wood, then there is a chance the floor has no finish on it. I wouldn't wash a floor with no finish. If the water kind of sits on the floor, and puddles, then most likely the floor was polyurethaned at some time before the carpet was put down.
The one thing I will tell you NOT to use is any kind of oil soaps. They build up real quick, and will cause the traffic areas to turn black. I recomend using window cleaner in water to clean floors that are polyurethaned. Put 1/4 cup in 1 gallon of tepid water. then damp mop the floor. Do not use a real wet mop, just a damp one. You may want to go ver the floor with a towel, so you don't get water spots.
If the floor is waxed, or has no finish, I would hesitate to do much to it, without sanding and finishing it with polyurethane.
Congratulations on your new home, and let me know if you have any other questions about your floors!
Francine
[Edited by Francine]
Come and visit my other home on the internet Our Laughing Place
|
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 08:52 PM
Thanks, Francine. I'm printing out your reply and bringing it with me tomorrow! I just hope I'm not getting in over my head. Oh well, that's what throw rugs are for, right?
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 09:07 PM
Abra:
First you find a place to host them. I like www.imagestation.com because it's free and fairly reliable. Upload whatever pics you want to upload, then go to your storage bin so you can see all the pics.
Then, when you want to post them, you right click on the pic (in imagestation or wherever) and pull up properties, highlight the properties that includes the web address (up to and including the .jpg portion, but nothing after that), do a copy of it then come over here and type:
[ img ] www.imagestation.com/whatever/the/pic/name/is [ /img ]
(take out the spaces after the brackets. If I'd left them here without the spaces, you wouldn't see the example.)
You can also go to a thread that has pics and click on the quote button as if you're going to reply, then you'll see the syntax necessary to post a pic.
PICTURES!! PICTURES!!!
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:05 PM
Thanks LL, but I'm obviously doing something wrong here. It says it's uploading my picture, but then nothing else happens. I'm just going to wait until my husband gets home and ask him to figure it out. I'm too tired.
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:08 PM
Okay, maybe I've got it...
Edited to say, "Yay, me!" Now how do I make the pictures bigger?
[Edited by Abra Cat]
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:12 PM
Okay, now I think I've got it.
If all goes well, this should be a shot of the front of the house:
A shot of the sunroom from the backyard:
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:15 PM
OMG!! It looks so small from the front, then you get down the drive way and BAMMO!!! HUGE HOUSE!!!
Very nice sunroom. I wish I had something like that.
How is the view? And THANKS for the pics! I love looking
at pics!
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
|
Robb
Super Moderator
Posts: 423
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:23 PM
I'm thinking Francine does something with floors for a living?
And it isn't a "small" house, LL, it is a modest looking house.
Tisk, Tisk.
Dad Extraordinaire
DCL Board Moderator
VISIT THE DCL BOARD TODAY!
Andy's Dad
Krispy Kreme Addict
Dog Named Walt
|
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:27 PM
It's actually rather tiny, about 1048 square feet, but we want to add a 2nd floor with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom. The sunrise is supposed to be very nice from the sunroom, although I haven't had a chance to see it. You can't really see the mountains, unfortunately, but I can live with that. Got a few more pictures now that I've got the hang of this...
The ugly, tiny bathroom:
Master bedroom:
Living room and computer room beyond:
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:29 PM
No, Robb, it's a small house. ;o)
quote:
Robb wrote:
I'm thinking Francine does something with floors for a living?
And it isn't a "small" house, LL, it is a modest looking house.
Tisk, Tisk.
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:31 PM
That master bedroom decor looks SO much like my master bedroom in my first house. Is this your first house?
Yes, the bathroom DOES look pukey, but just THINK of all the wonderful things you're going to do to it! I can see painting it white and putting in Mickey Mouse border wallpaper around the ceiling...or maybe painting it light blue with lighthouse borders around the ceiling?
What a challenge! But I still love that sunroom!!!
(Sorry for calling it small...I meant modest) 
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:45 PM
Yes, it's our first house, and hopefully our last. That's the neighborhood we didn't think we could afford for another 10 years, and we were really lucky to find this house. It's probably the smallest on the block, but it's got tons of potential. We've got a lot of work to do, but it's all cosmetic. Our house inspector said it was the best maintained 80 year old house he's ever seen.
Okay, last batch of pictures...
Kids' bedroom:
Dining room:
Kitchen:
And a giant cat crushing a VW Bug:
quote:
Lunarlady wrote:
That master bedroom decor looks SO much like my master bedroom in my first house. Is this your first house?
Yes, the bathroom DOES look pukey, but just THINK of all the wonderful things you're going to do to it! I can see painting it white and putting in Mickey Mouse border wallpaper around the ceiling...or maybe painting it light blue with lighthouse borders around the ceiling?
What a challenge! But I still love that sunroom!!!
(Sorry for calling it small...I meant modest)
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Robb
Super Moderator
Posts: 423
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:45 PM
We could do some twisted version of Trading Spaces for Abra...
I'll be Doug.
Dad Extraordinaire
DCL Board Moderator
VISIT THE DCL BOARD TODAY!
Andy's Dad
Krispy Kreme Addict
Dog Named Walt
|
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 10:48 PM
Will you wear leather pants???
quote:
Robb wrote:
We could do some twisted version of Trading Spaces for Abra...
I'll be Doug.
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 11:02 PM
I love old houses! Sometime in the late 50's and early 60's is when they REALLY started cutting corners and going off kilter with the building standards. I'm glad you got a good one that was built before then by REAL workmenship standards!
I can't decide if I like your kitchen or not. Is it me, or is it oddly laid out? Do YOU like it? That's more important cause you're the one that has to live with it. Hmmm....waddaya think?
On the one hand LOOK AT ALL THAT SPACE!!! YAAAAAY!!! On the other hand, I don't see much counter space and the stove is so far away from the sink. The fridge looks like an after-thought (holy crap! We forgot to make space for the fridge - put it.....THERE!)
Maybe it's just the picture and the angle. The decor is nice. Do you like wooden cupboards? Where's the window? The linoleum looks like it's in great shape! Where does that door go? Aren't you sorry you got me started? Aren't you glad you're not my sister? Are you supposed to put a table under that light? Where will you have room for the chairs? How come one counter is wood-formica and the other is white formica? And where does that door go??!?!?
LOVE THE KITTY!!!! He looks like he's just picking his own spot to mark his territory!
Gee, it's past my bedtime and I'm getting a little hyper. Maybe I'd better shut up now.
But I can't say enough about that sunroom! Can you
imagine summertime breakfasts out there? Or sitting
out there when it thunderstorms? How about in the
winter! It looks like it's insulated and you can be
surrounded by natural light and snow while reading
in your nice cozy sunroom. OOh OOh Your CAT IS GOING
TO LOVE IT THERE!!!
OK. I'll shut up now.
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
|
Robb
Super Moderator
Posts: 423
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-13-03 11:17 PM
quote:
Abra Cat wrote:
Will you wear leather pants???
Only if you let me decorate the house the way I want to!
Dad Extraordinaire
DCL Board Moderator
VISIT THE DCL BOARD TODAY!
Andy's Dad
Krispy Kreme Addict
Dog Named Walt
|
|
Coastalwader
Cast Member
Posts: 935
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 08:32 AM
Congrats on the new Home!
King Unca Bubba Lord DisneyTex
|
|
Peggo
Cast Member
Posts: 623
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 10:55 AM
Congrat on the new house. I always look past what's there and see the potential of a house, and I love the old ones. Looks like you have some nice tall rooms. And are those tin ceilings? Cool.
Have fun making it your own.
...Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...life is but a dream
|
|
Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 12:12 PM
Just think....Abra's signing on her papers right now!! I wonder how it's going?
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
|
Crank
Administrator
Posts: 1957
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted
01-14-03 12:17 PM
I LOVE projects like this!!
Think of all the things you can do to personalize it!
Wet bar, 55" plasma TV with surround sound, pool table(s)...
Seriously though, if you start with a well built/well maintained house, the possibilities are endless!
Gas heat?
I like persons better than principles, and I like persons with no principles better than anything else in the world.
Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891
BOYCOTT FRENCH TOAST, GERMAN SAUSAGE AND BELGIAN CHOCOLATES
Crank-->
All Content is © the Poster and is to be considered Intellectual Property. All Rights Reserved. Though Brilliant, Breathtaking and Extrememly Well Written the Content contained herein is Opinion and Opinion only.
ib4cruzn at charter dot net
|
|
Robb
Super Moderator
Posts: 423
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 12:19 PM
If it was like ours, there was one thing missing from the packet we had to wait for. It was faxed fast (it was the insurance binder, and our agent rocks), but still you want to get in, sign and get out!
You think, oh my god, what am I doing!!! Then, it all is better. I'm glad Abra got the neighborhood she wanted. I hope she did a final walk through and did accept anything "as is" that was supposed to be fixed! (My peeve from the earlier thread).
I was very happy with our agent, too, and have since referred 4 buyers to her. We get a $100 Marshal Fields gift card when they close. In the three years we have owned our house, the value (the actual sales price others are selling our model) has gone up $40k. Sweet!
Of course, they could be done by now, and are ripping up carpet. Francine needs to keep a close watch on this thread. We don't really know what lurks beneath Abra's carpet...
Dad Extraordinaire
DCL Board Moderator
VISIT THE DCL BOARD TODAY!
Andy's Dad
Krispy Kreme Addict
Dog Named Walt
|
|
Francine
Super Moderator
Posts: 1309
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 12:58 PM
I have been keeping an eye on this thread, Robb. Depending on the time of the closing, I would guess their day is pretty full. Pulling carpet can be a pretty tiring job. It is time consuming pulling out all the staples in the pad. I bet we will hear something tonight.
Francine
Come and visit my other home on the internet Our Laughing Place
|
|
Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 12:58 PM
She's really lucky she's not a member of my family. If it were me and I knew when she was signing on the papers, I'd somehow get the keys to the house, pry up a corner of the carpet, and make a chalk-outline of a body there, then stamp it back down as professionally as I could.
WHEEEEEEE!!!
I'm evil, I know it.
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
|
Peggo
Cast Member
Posts: 623
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 04:18 PM
Oh LL, I like that. LOL.
...Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily...life is but a dream
|
|
Lunarlady
Cast Member
Posts: 1629
Registered: Aug 2002
|
Posted
01-14-03 05:24 PM
LOL!!
Hopefully Abra won't take it the wrong way. That's
just how we all express our love in my family. You
should have seen/heard the things we were saying/thinking
about doing when my BROTHER got his first house! 
"So.....how do you like the hole we made for your laundry chute?"
(It was already there, but he hadn't seen it in the closet his first time through. I think it might have been a floor register, but previous owners blocked it off and put a closet there.) {{{giggle}}}
A whole week of peaceful bliss, beginning with a giggle
and ending with a kiss. |
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 07:29 PM
Actually, about 3 hours before you posted this. :o) Thanks everyone, for thinking of me. It went great. The closing took about an hour, then we headed directly for Lowes and bought out the store, and then back to the house to get to work. We spent most of the day pulling up the carpet from the living room and then cleaning up the "carpet poo" from the wood floor. The whole floor was covered in 16+ years worth of gross, sticky mold or something, and it took most of the day to get it off. It's still not completely off, but at least it's not sticky anymore. I hope you're reading this, Francine— have you got any advice about how to get that crud up? We're starting on the dining room floor tomorrow, and then I'm going to start painting the computer room. Yikes, I'm a homeowner!
quote:
Lunarlady wrote:
Just think....Abra's signing on her papers right now!! I wonder how it's going?
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Abra Cat
Cast Member
Posts: 159
Registered: Sep 2002
|
Posted 01-14-03 07:30 PM
My husband's already angling for the plasma TV... Yes, gas heat.
quote:
Crank wrote:
I LOVE projects like this!!
Think of all the things you can do to personalize it!
Wet bar, 55" plasma TV with surround sound, pool table(s)...
Seriously though, if you start with a well built/well maintained house, the possibilities are endless!
Gas heat?
"A crib is a bed with bars on the side of it. It's kind of like a cage at the zoo. Except with a crib, you can put your hand through the bars. And the baby won't pull you in and kill you."- Junie B. Jones
"There's more than one way to skin a cat. And I happen to know that factually that's true."- Sunnydale Mayor Richard Wilkins, III
"Conventionality is not morality. Self-righteousness is not religion. To attack the first is not to assail the last."- Charlotte Bronte, 1847
|
|
Common
Ground / Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious
/ Closing on a house tomorrow!!!
Page: 1 2
|
|
