Demolition: The Final Chapter

If you're wondering what's more satisfying than taking out aggressions by tearing down walls and smashing up tile, then I have your answer: finishing demolition. When you're done breaking down, then you can start building up and putting together. Check out the final state of the house before we started making it pretty. (Please excuse the blurry photos. Our camera was having issues.)

Remember when I told you that I didn't have any "before" pictures of the bathroom. This is as close as we're going to get. If you see the lighter spots on the floor, that's where walls used to be. You can see how narrow the bathroom used to be. We decided that we wanted a bigger bathroom, so we decided we could sacrifice a little closet space in the adjacent bedroom/office.

Close Calls - Storm Damage

A crazy storm blew through the OKC metro on Tuesday. In our area we had 70 mph wind and golf-ball sized hail. There were roofs blown off, trees snapped in half, downed power lines, etc. We weren't home during the storm, but upon return we were greeted with a large limb that had fallen from the neighbor's tree, and a shattered screen door and storm window. Roof damage is yet to be determined. I thought this would be a good opportunity to give some tips on dealing with storm damage.

How to Deal with Storm Damage

• Take pictures of all damage, large or small.
• Immediately cover up damaged areas to protect from further damage. (Insurance companies will usually reimburse you for this expense.)
• If you're unsure of the extent of your damage, get an estimate from a couple of contractors before filing a claim. You don't want to file unnecessary claims with your insurance, because your rates will go up.
• For non-DIY repairs, get quotes from at least 3 reputable, local contractors. Never trust companies that are from out of town, and be leery of those traveling door-to-door after a storm.
• Be safe! Wait until the storm is over before attempting inspection/repair. Be careful of power lines, tree limbs, etc. that may poised to fall. 

Do you have any tips that we missed? Let us know in the comments!

Demolition

We wasted no time when it came to starting demolition. As soon as we had the keys in our hands, we promptly went on a Home Depot shopping spree for tools and then headed to our new home to destroy it.

There was a pesky wall separating the kitchen area from the living room. You can see the old gas line hanging down. (We hired a plumber to move that. We don't like explosions.) You can also see some electrical wire up top that I would later electrocute myself on while trying to measure something. I'm talented. We also decided to flip the location of the kitchen and dining room. It gave us more room for cabinets and made a more open feel.

We like to use the carport as storage for unwanted house junk because it makes our neighbors happy. (We were waiting for the dumpster to arrive.)

Today I Like: Brendan Ravenhill

Recently my eyes have been drawn to the more simple/industrial. I like objects that showcase the way they're put together. That's why I was happy to run across the work of Brendan Ravenhill. His light fixtures are beautiful and minimal. Stop by his site and see his other work!

all photos via brendanravenhill.com

Remodel Speed-bumps

There's very little that stops Mr. Venture in his tracks. I've seen him slice open his hands, drop heavy items on his head/foot/other painful areas, spend multiple hours in an attic that is close to 200 degrees, etc. He'll work through just about anything. But, every now and then, we hit a roadbump that takes him out. Meet our first remodeling speed-bump:

We were all set to move into our new house, when this friendly fella came to greet us. We woke up early to pick up the U-Haul, and Mr. Venture put on his shoes. Then there was screaming. Then there was shoe shaking. Then this guy crawled out. Then there was smashing and cussing. Then there was a visit to urgent care, because the Mr. felt like his foot was on fire. According to him, it was the WORST.PAIN.EVER. Then there was a Vicodin prescription, which barely took the edge off. Then our friends had to do most of the moving for us. 

The End 

Humble Beginnings

I figured the best place to start was the beginning. (Duh!) The Mr. and I bought our first fixer-upper in 2007, located in the lovely city of Austin, TX. It was built in 1965, and not a thing had been updated since.

We chose this house for a few reasons: It was in our price range; it was centrally located; it was as close to mid-century modern as we could afford. 

This is the living room, looking onto the dining room. You can see the front door on the left and the lovely rug hiding the vinyl tile that covered every square inch of the floor.

Here's the dining room from the view of the spacious kitchen.

And the kitchen. You couldn't open two cabinets without them touching. The appliances were original, and also a fire hazard.

The windows had these cool screens on them. The downside was that they blocked a lot of light.

The house also came with free pets. Lots of them.

I realized that we didn't take any photos of the bathroom. Take my word for it, it was not pretty. Wallpaper from the '70s, cabinets that were tapered so that they could actually fit into the room, funky tile. Maybe it's better that we saved you from having to see it. You can thank me later.

This is the back of the house. The roof over the porch will soon be removed. It was installed poorly, which has rotted out the eaves. Please ignore me traipsing, unaware through the yard. If you're wondering about all the weird fences, the previous owner raised German Shepards. There's also sheet metal on the walls in the laundry room to protect it from scratching.

And finally, our beautiful Live Oak. It's old, large and shady. It makes the back yard feel comfy.