The Hearth Is Complete

This weekend marked the fifth anniversary of our Payson house.  Our journey began in July of  2010 and we have been trying to share much of that time with all of you (the few readers we have).  Thank you for sticking with us through the years and the many times we did not get our posts online (this past year was the worst).  We definitely thought we would be further along than we are, but if you have been keeping up with us, you know there were many breaks in the past few years that slowed down our progress.  However, we have always said we are not in a rush and we are in it for the long haul. So let's continue with the beginning of year number six.

It only took seven months, but Mike finally completed the hearth this weekend.  We purchased the trim a few weeks ago and, now that the grout was set, Mike cut and secured it around the hearth.  He used brads in a new staple gun we had bought for work at the Gilbert house and nailed the trim into the plywood edge.  Probably should have glued it too, but it is just nailed for now.

We removed the hearth from the tarp it had been sitting on for months and moved it to its final resting place in the corner.  Then we moved the pellet stove out of the den and onto the hearth.  This will give us a better idea of how the venting will work and where it will exit through the wall.  It turned out very nice.  The pellet stove project is not completely done, but it is getting closer.

When it is complete, this is how it should still look

At the beginning of June, Laurie's sister and her husband moved to Arizona after selling their house in Houston, Texas.  Their plan is to buy or build in the Payson area, but in the meantime they are staying in one of Laurie's dad's cabins in Christopher Creek, about 25 minutes from Payson.  We have had a couple of get togethers since they have been in town and this weekend we went over for a fish fry - a Powell family favorite (taco dinners are the other favorite).  As usual the fish were great and there was plenty to eat and, when we left, we were given some un-cooked fish fillets to take home.  We have received fish in the past, but it just never seemed to make it to a dinner plate at our house.  This time Laurie was determined to cook the fish and the next night she did.  It was a little trial and error at first, but the last batch was perfect and it was a great meal.  We took pictures so she could prove to her dad that she actually cooked the fish this time.

Mike thought her family used a special coating, but it is saltines

Fresh fish coated and frying away

Stats: 1 Home Depot trip; 3 Walmart trips
Remodeling expense 7/13/15-7/20/15: $27
Remodeling expense to date: $51,493

Still Recovering From Move

This weekend, we moved some furniture items and boxes into the storage which were too heavy for Laurie to do on her own.  We also assembled our large desk in the den as Laurie wanted to keep it because she really likes it and it has tons of storage.  After it was setup, she is thinking it might be too big for the den, but we left it there for now to give her a chance to decide.

After setting up the washer/dryer in June, we needed to add some shelves to use in the small space remaining in the laundry closet.  We found exactly what we needed at Big Lots and it was a special price cut weekend.  Mike put the shelves together and they fit perfectly.  We now have space to store all our laundry and cleaning items.

It is a snug fit, but it works and holds all the supplies

Once Laurie (and most of our house) was relocated to Payson, we moved all but one of our four vehicles there as well.  The Jeep has been there since we got it back from Matt after he graduated from college and the truck (Titan) and car (Altima) have been there on and off, depending on where we are on any given weekend. Our fourth car, a Mitsubishi Eclipse convertible, has always been in the garage in Gilbert and has only made the Payson run once.  But now Laurie has the Jeep, the Titan and her "fun" car with her all the time.  Since buying the house we have talked about putting in a garage.  It would be nice to have protection from the weather for at least one car, but that will not be happening any time soon as we have a few other more critical items (putting in a kitchen to name one) which need to be accomplished 1st.  In the meantime, the Eclipse is prone to leaking when it rains and the sun is also pretty rough on soft tops.  So Laurie decided to buy a 10'x20' canopy carport from Harbor Freight and we put it in the area of the front yard where we think we will be putting the garage to give us some idea of what it will look like and to shield her car from the elements.  Not sure it really gives us a good idea of what an actual garage would look like, but it does give protection to the car.

The awning blocks some of our view when we are on the porch, but still get the breeze

The car does get some ground splash, but at least it does not leak

Mike also had time this weekend to complete the grouting of the hearth he had built in December for our pellet stove.  Based on all the research he had done, he thought the grouting would go easier, but later he determined it was made more difficult because he used premixed grout and it was thicker and dryer than the products he had seen online.  It still looks good, just took more work to make it clean.  The next step, after the grout cures, will be to add the trim and put it in place.

Mike thought she wanted a pose, but she really wanted an action shot

Action shot - Had to scrub a little harder than he thought to get grout off

Another action shot - Final clean of the tile

The house is slowly getting to a normal state.

Stats: 1 Home Depot trip; 3 Walmart trips
Remodeling expense 6/23/15-7/12/15: $99
Remodeling expense to date: $51,466