Holiday Trips Not As Planned and a New Year

Note: This blog was written in January, but we're just now getting around to editing and posting it.

Here it is the end of January in the new year of 2013 and we are back at our house up north. I am sure you are asking why we have not had any other posts of all the work we planned for the end of last year?  Well the past couple of months did not work out as we had hoped and here are the details from the end of 2012.

Our vacation week for Thanksgiving did not happen for multiple reasons. The first was that our tile guy, Joe, called to say he had come down with that awful flu that was affecting so many people at the end of the year and would not be able to do our tile work.  We still planned to come up and enjoy our vacation week, but then Laurie hurt herself and was not feeling 100% and we thought it would be better to stay home.  Mike actually ended up going into work for a couple of days to save his vacation time. Matt did come to Gilbert to spend the Holiday with us and he and Mike took a day trip up to Payson to check on the place, deliver some items and get the mail.  We bought a new 3D Blu-Ray player to go with our new 3D TV and had bought some movies to play on it, which we had shipped directly to Payson since we were planning on being there.  Matt has been needing tools for some projects he is working on, so we also took the opportunity to sort through the tools we got from my Mom looking for duplicates that he could have.  We were able to find most of his wish list.

Since the Thanksgiving trip was a bust, we considered spending the Christmas break in Payson. However, we had a time share week that was going to expire near the beginning of the year, and we found a week in Sedona during Christmas, so we opted to stay there instead of in Payson.  At the end of that week, we drove back to Gilbert through Payson and checked on the house.  There had been snow, both in Sedona and Payson, just a few days before, but the roads were clear and it was a nice day for the trip home.

We finally had a free weekend away from the holidays and other activities and made it up to the house for a full weekend at the end of January.  Due to the colder weather and the house being winterized, we have not yet scheduled Joe to do the tile work we planned for last year.  But we were hoping to have some fun in Payson, see some friends and maybe do a little bit of work around the yard.  Those plans did not work out as it rained all weekend and our friends had other plans out of town.  So it was a mostly quite weekend in the house, but we did have our first water leak.

When we woke up Saturday morning, Laurie noticed a small puddle on the floor in the master bathroom. Since we were not sure if this was due to the rain or water pipe for the sink, we cut away the drywall around the sink pipes.  We found that the leak was coming from the shark bite connection for the cold water valve and there was no leaking in the wall - good news.  After turning off the water to the house and pulling off the connection, we found that the water pipe (which was not new) was very rough on the end.  We are guessing that the shark bite did not make a great seal because of this.  We re-attached the connection and turned the water back on.  It seems to be holding for now, but we plan to either replace these pipes back to the source or at least splice in new ones at a later date when it isn't rainy and muddy under the house.

New hole in the wall to access pipes.  The leaky one was on the right.

As we were packing up to return to the Valley on Monday, the rain stopped and out came the sun.  Perfect timing!

Stats: 0 Home Depot trips; 1 Walmart trip
Remodeling expense 11/6/12-1/28/13: $261
Remodeling expense (including furnishings) to date: $45,645

Another Visit With Mom

Note: This blog was written last November, but we're just now getting around to editing and posting it.

We had another opportunity to bring Mike's mom up to Payson.  We were concerned it would be too cold for her, but she told us she would be fine if she brought up extra clothes for layering.

We set up the fire pit Friday night and roasted marshmallows.  Sam and Shawn were kind enough to leave behind some of the chocolate they had used for smores during their honeymoon visit and we took advantage of their generosity.

Nice hat Mom!

This weekend we had to pull up the floor tile in the master bathroom to prepare it for having the new tile laid over Thanksgiving week (when we will be in Payson).  We already confirmed with our tile guy, Joe, that he can do the work that week.  To give us as much use of the two bathrooms as possible, on Saturday we chipped out as much tile as we could access without removing the vanity and toilet.  Then, on Monday, the day we were leaving, we removed the toilet and vanity and chipped away the rest.  It was a full assembly line with Mike pulling up the tile and Laurie and Mom taking it to the dumpster.  The bathroom is ready for new tile, which will match the tile in the laundry room and guest bath.

All tile removed around fixtures

All the tile removed and ready for new

Sam and Shawn told us about a short hike they took along the Verde River just north of Payson.  We took a drive up there and brought Zena along.  We found a small community along a branch of the Verde River and a pull-out where we could access the water.  The place had bathrooms and picnic tables.  There were some big pools near this site and we let Zena jump in and play.  She really loves the water, regardless of how cold it is.  It was a beautiful spot and we will be sure to come back another time, maybe for a picnic.

Mom and Laurie on other side of river

Zena in her element

We have been discussing getting a truck to help us haul stuff, but at the same time we thought that keeping the Jeep and using a trailer would work just as well.  This weekend we found a trailer for sale in the local paper and Mike checked it out on Monday.  It was in good shape and a good price, so we bought it.  It will need some wiring work, but it will be great for pulling ATVs when we have the cash to buy some.

The new trailer can fit two quads

We are looking forward to our next trip up which will be a full week at Thanksgiving.  It has started to become a family tradition.

Stats: 1 Home Depot trip; 1 Walmart trip
Remodeling expense 10/23/12-11/5/12: $181
Remodeling expense to date: $45,384

A Return to Payson House

Note: This blog was written last October, but we're just now getting around to editing and posting it.

It has been just over a month since our last visit to our house up north, but almost three months since our last posting. Our last two trips did not involve any work around or in the house that were worth writing about, and, though this trip was not much different, we thought we should bring our status up-to-date.

One of those last visits was devoted to enjoying time on our own, which we have been trying to do more of rather than just coming up and working.  The other weekend we had visitors at the house.  Our nephew, his fiance, and their 4-year old, Jayson,  joined us for a weekend getaway.  It was fun having the little guy at the house and esp. nice that we do not have to do much to kid-proof the house at this time. My nephew brought his guns and we went to the Jim Jones Shooting Range just south of Payson.  He let me shoot his 9mm guns, a shotgun and a 22 caliber rifle.  It was a nice quiet range (not many people) and not a bad price for public admission. The ladies had a good time going thrift store shopping and the rest of the weekend was spent relaxing, playing games, going to the park and bowling (it was Jayson's first time).  We have not spent a lot of time with many of our nieces and nephews and it was good having them up (they really liked the cooler weather) and getting to know them better.  They will be getting married October 27th.

This weekend was spent getting the place in shape so that the same nephew and his new bride will be able to stay here a couple of days for their honeymoon.  Due to our lack of being here the last few months, the weeds had taken over and needed to be cleared and the grass needed to be cut again.  We filled 6 trash bags with weeds from the front and back yards and still had more to do (but ran out of time).

In the first year of owning the house, we bought an old TV from a neighbor's garage sale and it has done us well through all the dust and dirt of the remodel.  But now it is making a loud buzzing noise and, when we watch movies, the picture is distorted due to the square screen.  We took a look to see what Walmart had and found a display model at a really good price and it just happened to be a 3D set.  We have some friends who recently bought a 3D setup with TV and Blu-Ray player and they enjoy it, so we thought we would give it a try.  It definitely looks better in the house than the old unit.

Our new 3D TV

We have had the ability to try a number of restaurants in Payson using PaysonDealz (a "Groupon" like discount offered through the Payson Round-Up newspaper).  We recently purchased one for the Journigan House.  It is a restaurant that we had been to a long time ago when it was called Main Street Grille, but it has been closed for many years.  It was recently purchased and remodeled and we were happy to get the coupon to give it a test run.  Sorry to say we were disappointed.  We found the dinner menu to be overpriced and the meal did not live up to its cost. In addition, we were the only people there until another couple came in about halfway through our meal. Laurie ended up getting violently ill that night and we wondered if the food had been sitting out and gave her food poisoning.  We still have one more coupon to use and decided next time to try their lunch - at least it would be cheaper and sandwiches seem safer at this point.

We left the house all ready for the newlyweds and made our way back to the valley after spending another great weekend in Payson.

Stats: 0 Home Depot trips; 3 Walmart trips
Remodeling expense 7/31/12-10/22/12: $321
Remodeling expense to date: $45,203

Happy 2nd Anniversary for the Payson House

It is hard to believe it has been two years since we bought our house in Payson.  Looking back through our blog, it is even harder to believe all the work that has gone into the place.  We definitely could not have come this far without lots of help and greatly appreciate all the efforts of Craig and Bob.  While we were up at the place this weekend, I took some "after" photos to compare to the pictures we took during the pre-purchase inspection.  Here are a few of those comparisons:

New door/trim, window/trim, patio deck, skylight and no evap cooler on side

No lattice, new windows/trim, door/trim, and crawlspace covers

New window/trim, door/trim, outlet, light and no dog door

New door and moved the metal shed from the left part of the yard

Metal shed moved to make place for 10x14 workshop with attic

Ceiling leveled (new insulation and drywall), can lights,
window moved, plumbing moved, new flooring and sub-floor

New 4x8 pantry

Stub wall removed and new windows

Ceiling leveled, new windows, flooring, and sub-floor

New door, windows, can lights, ceiling fan and plumbing moved

Partial wall and vent removed to open the room up

New window, door, ceiling fan, entry light and carpet

New window, carpet, skylight and no more rock

New double door entry into den

Peeled off ducks, new toilet, shower rod/curtain and towel rack

New vanity, sink, faucets, mirror, medicine cabinet, lights and tile

This opening no longer exists, it is just an alcove in the room

Here is the alcove (future desk area) and wall where the door used to be

New opening for the den and new flooring

New window and flooring

New window, flooring and bed

New toilet and towel cabinet/rack

New vanity, sick, faucet, medicine cabinet, light and wood cabinet removed

New faucet hardware and shower rod/curtain

Window removed, some new siding and new trim

Some new siding, new trim, new light, door trim and screens

New screens, light and door trim

New outlets, new siding, screens and door trim (no Matt)

If you have not read the rest of our blog, it should also be said that all the electrical wiring, drywall and insulation was completely replaced (except for most of the ceiling).  All the internal doors, except one (it was reused), are new six-panel doors and a couple of those are solid.  Also, some of the items shown as new are not really new but are new to us.  They were either given to us, bought at a thrift store or at Restore.

This was the second of our new 3-day weekends based on my new work schedule.  After having company the last couple of times we were here, Laurie decided we would just take it easy and enjoy our place. So this was going to be a sit back and relax weekend, which most of it was but some work did get snuck in under the radar.

We spent some time in town Saturday morning at a couple of different stores after having a great breakfast at the 260 Cafe.  We checked out Sears, Restore, a jewelry store and a mattress store.  While at Restore, I remembered that we needed a door for the kitchen sink cabinet.  It looked like they had some that would work, but I did not have any dimensions to work with so I needed to return later.  Though it was not in our plans, we ended up buying a new bed at the mattress store and it was delivered that afternoon.  We will still need to buy a headboard for it since we did not like the prices at the mattress store and may return to Sears another time for one we saw there.  We returned home and moved the double bed from our room to the guest room just in time for the delivery team to show up and put together our new bed.  Laurie had originally wanted to buy a bed with built-in storage, but, since we found a cheaper headboard at Sears that she liked, we decided to lift the bed frame to allow for underbed storage so I picked up some bed risers at Walmart.

Our new QUEEEN size memory foam mattress set similar to a Tempurpedic - but cheaper

The double bed has been moved to the guest room, though we can use the inflatable mattress as a backup

Later I went back to Restore after measuring the cabinet door opening.  I initially found a door that matched the cabinet extremely well, but it was a little beat up.  After a little more searching on the shelves, I found another identical door that was in much better shape.  I also sorted through a box of door hardware for hinges and screws and bought a couple that I thought would work.  I could not believe how well the door matched the cabinet when I got home and, not only that, but the hinges I bought were almost identical to the ones on the existing door.  I mounted the new used door and then rotated the other door so it would open the way Laurie wanted.

The door on the right is the new used one from Restore - not a bad match

We finally made it to a new church on Sunday morning.  We attended the Expeditions Church from a recommendation by Kathy at the 260 Cafe.  It was smaller than the two other churches we tried last year and we really liked the message.  We may return to check it out again.

The whole weekend was filled with rain in the afternoons or evening, but the big storm came Sunday night.  About 4 or 5pm the dark clouds started rolling in and the temperature dropped about 10 degrees. Until almost 9pm we had heavy rains with lots of thunder and lightning.  One strike was so close it rattled the house and there was almost no time between the strike and the following thunder. We had forgotten to bring Zena's pills, so we spent quite a bit of the evening trying to keep her calm even after Laurie gave her some Benadryl.  The power flickered in the house once after the storms started and then an hour or two into it, we lost power altogether.  When the storms calmed around 9pm, I ran into town to get some dinner due to our power being out (I was able to see that the town area was still lit).  After finishing dinner and getting ready for bed and making sure everything was unplugged or shut off to avoid a power surge, the power came back on.  Now I had to reset all the clocks.

I had brought my golf clubs up with me to spend some time on the driving range, but the storm on Sunday thwarted my plans that afternoon so I was going to try again Monday morning.  When I woke up, I found that the outlet in the kitchen for my coffee pot was not working, though it was fine the night before when the power came back on.  So I had to fix that and I also decided that, since the ground was soft from all the rain, I would install the solar lights in the front yard that we have had for over a year.  So much for golfing this weekend.  The lights installed easily and lucky for us the power problem seemed to be a failed GFI outlet.  A new one from Home Depot resolved the issue.  Since I was working in the yard putting in the lights, I also got some weed killer (lots of ground stuff from all the recent rains) and some ant killer (had a big mound in the back yard).  It was quite muggy working outside, but the temperatures were not too bad.

It is hard to see all of them, but there are six lights around the grassy (weedy) half circle

Laurie had to do work all morning (even with her reduced hours she still works on Mondays) and when I was done with my work, we broke for lunch and then packed up the car to head on home.

Stats: 2 Home Depot trips; 2 Walmart trips
Remodeling expense 7/17/12-7/30/12: $1,087
Remodeling expense to date: $44,882