Some Assembly Required

House Stats

2009-09-01T07:09:00.001-07:00

The appraiser came by last week to check out the house and assign a value to all of my toiling. It appears that the hard work has paid off; in addition to having a lovely home, I now have this magic thing called equity. Huzzah! For those of you who care, here are the details.

Date Purchased: Sept 25, 2008

Date Built: 1904

Size: 2300 sqft (plus basement and garage)

Bedrooms: 3

Bathrooms: 2.5

Updates: New electrical, plumbing, HVAC, gyp walls and ceilings, flooring, appliances

Approx. hours of work put into the house: 950 (Please take a moment to mull over the fact that all this work was done over evenings and weekends...ugh.)

Total trips to Home Depot: 87 (based on receipts and the fact that the cashiers know me by name)

Date completed: Aug 30, 2009

I couldn't be more proud to call this place home.

PS. Just in case you wanted to see them...

That's right, ladies - I have a dedicated shoe closet.

The End is Here

2009-08-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

Finally, I can see the sweet glow of light at the end of the construction tunnel, and it feels wonderful. I'm 99.9% done with the house. (Only closet organizers and some minor, non-Megan work needs to be completed.)

Needless to say, I'm extremely proud of all that has been accomplished, and I whole-heartedly appreciate the time and effort that my friends and family have dedicated to the project. Thanks especially to Mike Hartmann, who even after thousands of dollars, was still the cheapest general contractor I could find, and Patrick Kelley, who worked only for Pabst and friendly company. (Patrick, you're a freakin' saint.)

Anyway, to illustrate the sheer amount of work that has gone into the house over the past year, there are some side-by-side photos posted below.

Official specs will follow when I get the appraisal numbers back.

Kitchen - Before

Kitchen - After

From Entry to Back Door - Before

From Entry to Back Door - After

Hallway - Before

Hallway - After

Master Bedroom - Before

Master Bedroom - After

So there you have it. After almost an entire year, countless hours of work, numerous splinters, roof leaks, and nervous breakdowns, I have a house. A pretty nice house, at that.

Thanks again to anyone who helped -- no matter how big or small your contribution. Your support has meant the world to me, and I truly couldn't have done it without you.

Progress for the Sake of Progress

2009-07-27T06:02:00.000-07:00

I'm not feeling particularly chatty today, so I'll just say that a long Sunday was spent installing baseboards and feeling generally meh.

Pictures:

And...craft room. The craft room had been to this stage for a couple weeks.

Matt helped me put together that awesome carpet-square rug.

The book nook.

And lastly, a working pantry, also with help from Matt.

Stairway to Heaven

2009-07-22T08:46:00.000-07:00

First off, many apologies for the lack of posting in the last few months...Mom visited for a month, then another two months of slow progress due to unpacking and a general need to be social. :)

I finally figured out how to tackle the stair issues. It turns out all they needed was time -- 3 months of time to dry, that is. After sitting for so long, the stain had finally cured and was a lot easier to seal (without the color rubbing off!)

Here are some progress shots...

I had to cover the stairs in paper while the stain cured, otherwise they would have gotten mucked up with all the traffic. Also note that the dining room walls have been painted!!

Once they were finally ready (read: once I was finally ready), I put 4 coats of sealer on each tread, making them nice and shiny!

Yesterday, Kirkwood stair came out and installed all the decorative trim and the ballusters! (See the gaps at the top? Yeah, they sent too many short ballusters and not enough long ones...so they'll be coming out to fix that soon.)

I've been so used to the stair being open that I think it will take a while to get used to the ballusters. They definitely change the look and the feel of the steps. The upside to them is that they keep the cats from leaping off the stairs and onto the dining room table.

What do you think?

Stair Staining Debaucle!

2009-03-31T09:26:00.001-07:00

Mike and I attempted to stain the stairs this past weekend. In order to get the color we wanted, we used a General Finishes Water-based stain in Ebony, and applied it on the heavy side. (We wanted a dark brown-black.)

We let it dry overnight, and tried to seal it the next day, using a GF water-based High Performance Poly in Satin, but the sealer pulled up some of the stain and left the wood looking streaky and blotchy.

Anyone have any suggestions as to how to leave the stain thick and still seal the staircase without it lifting the stain???

In the Final Stretch...Flooring, etc.

2009-03-24T07:33:00.000-07:00

The flooring installers came last week and installed all of my hardwood flooring in less than 24 hours. I have close to 1200 sqft of hardwood in my house, so these guys must have been working up a sweat.

This week (today, actually) they are finishing my carpet installation. :)

Once the carpet is installed upstairs, I can finally start moving furniture around. The first thing I'm going to move upstairs is the bedroom furniture. I CANNOT WAIT to sleep in my own bed again.

Wahoo!!!

Here are some photos of the hardwood. Pardon the dust...since there is still work goin on in the house, it's REALLY difficult to keep these puppies clean.

I would have attached photos of the hall as well, but I don't have any where the hardwood isn't covered by a thick film of dust. Oh well!

Plumbing, or No More Home Depot Potty Breaks!

2009-03-16T08:05:00.000-07:00

The plumber came and installed all of my fixtures last week! So now, instead of driving to Home Depot in the middle of the day to use their bathrooms, I can just use my own!

Mike and I installed all the toilet accessories (TP holder, towel bar, hand-towel ring, etc) yesterday, after we finished painting the bathrooms, so now I even have toilet paper! (Napkins are a poor substitute.)

Here are some photos of the master bathroom, in all it's mostly-finished glory! (The only things left to do are to buy mirrors and install the base boards.)

Dig the toilet, bath accessories, and the lovely warm-beige walls! (I wanted a neutral color in the bathrooms, since the slate is so colorful.) The green ring around the floor will eventually be covered with base that matches the window trim.

It is SOOO nice to be able to wash my hands in a sink! (Before I was using the main shutoff valve in the basement...) The faucets throughout the house are Kohler Forte, in brushed nickel. Thank goodness that the contractors had good taste -- these things retail for $200/ea. I didn't have to pay for any of them, because they were already in the house! Wahoo!

The shower, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Pete's half of the building has standard, wall-mounted fixtures, and a wimpy little rain head. I wanted my shower to feel like I was at a spa every day, so I splurged, and bought myself an awesome Kohler Forte shower set that includes a hand shower on an adjustable slide bar, and a 12" dia. rain head. I cannot wait to shower in here!!!!!!

More photos to come...

Stop Stairing!

2009-03-06T07:24:00.000-08:00

The magic stair fairy came while I was in TX this week, so when I returned I had an (almost) full set of stairs!! Wahooo!!

Here are before and after pictures...

BEFORE - 2x4's on stringers. Super safe! (Not really though.)

AFTER - Lovely oak treads with painted risers! And a handrail!

From the top, looking down. It's no longer a death trap!

We have to stain the treads, handrail, and post before they can come back and install the spindles. This is the first major finish job that I've hired done (other than the countertops), and it was TOTALLY WORTH IT!

Tile Finale!

2009-02-26T11:05:00.000-08:00

After a big push last night, which lasted until about 11pm (Thank God Pete is out of town.), we managed to install the remaining tile in the master bathroom. We still need to go back and grout both upstairs bathrooms, but at least it's progress.

Photos below...

Finished wall and niche!

More dramatic shot of finished wall and niche!

Awesome step detail into the shower.

P.S. If you have previous experience with grouting, or don't mind sitting through a short tutorial on how to grout, and would like to help (or are simply interested in the FREE BEER that comes along with helping to grout) please call me or email me. The plumber is coming the week of the 9th, and I have to have the entire 2nd floor-worth-o-tile grouted and sealed.

Thanks!

Holy Progress, Batman!

2009-02-23T07:43:00.000-08:00

Mike and I turbo-tiled this weekend, and managed to knock out a giant portion of the master bathroom wall tile. It was surprisingly easy, considering all the cutting that had to take place.

Photos below...

We finished the entire tub surround. When I first saw this idea in Pete's house, I really disliked it. The slate seemed oppressive. Now that I've finished my half, I really like it. I think the difference is that his tile goes up an extra 4" on the wall, and the tiles are darker. Mine are more colorful and earthy. Ooh la la!

The area shown here is the continuation of the tile from the left side of the tub surround. There will eventually be a glass enclosure to keep the shower from spraying everywhere. (Also note - another beer niche, for drinking in the shower, or holding shampoo bottles. Very versatile.)

I think this photo really illustrates just how massive this tiling job is. I have close to 200sqft of slate tile in this bathroom alone. This photo shows the shut off valves for the shower (left) and the rough-in stubs for the two shower heads... I call this area "The Slate Cave." If you stand in here with only shower shower and tub lights on, it feels like you're in a nicely refined Bat Cave. It's a good thing.

Master Bathroom Tiling Adventures!

2009-02-19T10:59:00.001-08:00

So I've started tiling the master bathroom. So far, the main floor, the shower floor, and the front of the tub surround are done...and have I pictures to prove it....

The white spot you see if where the toilet will go, once plumbing is done. Yay, plumbing!

This is the shower floor....all mosaics. We had to create a slope for drainage using concrete and thinset. It was complicated.

Here you can see all three surfaces -- the main floor, the shower floor, and the front of the tub surround.

And my favorite part about this whole thing is that there's a secret loose tile, which serves as an access hatch to the tub shut-off valves. (It's the dark grey and reddish square tile on the left.) Neat!

Hot Countertop Action!

2009-02-05T07:21:00.000-08:00

Some major things have happened around the house in the past week. The first is that we got the floor tile done in the guest bath, but the second is the most exciting...

I NOW HAVE COUNTERTOPS!! (Bamboo-colored countertops!)

Holy island, Batman! The island is 11'-6" long, and 42" deep at the middle.

Because the island was so large, it had to be in two pieces. Can you see the seams? No, I didn't think so... That's because my fabricator (Heartland Stone, from Columbia MO) and installer (Bob from Top Notch Interiors, also out of Columbia) were AMAZING. Bob is a subcontractor for Heartland Stone and I've got to say, he and his partner are artists when it comes to handling stone.

Short commercial:

I would highly recommend using Heartland if you're having countertops or vanities made. They are friendly and knowledgeable, their prices are very competative, and their turn-around time is really impressive -- my tops were installed less than 2 weeks after I ordered them.

This is my recessed, stainless sink with the Kohler faucet I got off eBay. (eBay is now my best friend.)

This is the master bathroom vanity. It looks excellent -- now all I need is tile and plumbing!

Last but not least, the guest bathroom is really coming along. I was hesitant to put that much slate in a small space, but I really like how intimate the bathroom feels now.

Vertical Tile in Guest Bath? Check!

2009-01-27T08:12:00.000-08:00

Now it just needs grout!

PS. I had my countertops templated yesterday...the color will be BAMBOO! Thank you for your votes.

Tiling, Continued...

2009-01-20T08:10:00.000-08:00

Behold! the Glory of the guest bathroom tile work. (It's not complete, but you'll get the idea from these progress shots...)

Close-up of the beer niche...I mean...shampoo niche.

Tile and Appliances

2009-01-11T17:34:00.000-08:00

We tiled and installed appliances this weekend, and I don't really feel like writing, so here are photos!

This is the half bath on the first floor. Simple tile layout -- it only took us an hour.

This is the front entry. I felt this area needed something a bit more flashy, since it's the first thing one sees upon walking through my doors. Dig the 45 degree angle and the mosaics!!

This is the finish entry tile. We places slivers of the hardwood flooring around the edges to show what the wood floors will look like next to the tile. Nice, eh??

The appliance shots pretty much explain themselves, but I'm stoked nonetheless. I'm leaving the plastic on until I absolutely have to take it off.

Come Together, Right Now!

2009-01-06T12:46:00.003-08:00

I took a few days off over the Holiday to do some work on the house...

Mike and I worked our asses off, and I have pictures to prove it.

Ta-da!

Holy Kitchen! It's starting to look like a real house! (Now all I need is countertops and a sink and the kitchen will be done!)

Oh, and appliances, which are in the house, but not yet installed...

And the electrical work is finished! We just need to have the city inspect! Huzzah!

(The last item to go in...the chandelier!)

Tile starts this weekend, and once that is done, the plumber can come finish it all up for me! Yay!

No More construction Lights!

2008-12-22T07:09:00.001-08:00

Today I'm celebrating the fact that I no longer have to use construction lights while working on the house. "Why?" you ask. Because we got most of the lighting installed this weekend! Huzzah!

Photos below...

Kitchen Track Lighting

Wall Sconces in Upstairs Hall

Ceiling Fan in Living Room

Ceiling Fan for Guest Bedroom / Craft Room

Master Bedroom Ceiling Fan

Vanity Lighting for Master and Guest Baths

Vanity Light for Half Bath (1st Floor)

Rock the Vote!

2008-12-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hello, Loyal Readers!

Today is the day (or tomorrow, whenever) that you get to voice your opinion about my countertops! I know this is a thrilling prospect and you may be thinking to yourself, "Wow. Am I ready to make such a humongous decision?" Well, the answer is yes. Yes! You have the power to determine my countertop color! (Or at least influence the decision...)

Please vote on the side bar over there ----->

(For reference colors, please see other entries -- all paint colors, flooring, and cabinets and slate tile - booya! -- have been previously shown in the blog, and these colors should help mould your decision.)

Here are the two possible colors for countertops:

Notes: Bamboo shows fairly true-to-life on screen, (assuming your monitor is set up like mine) - light off-white/beigy undertones with flecks of caramel and mink. Yeah that's right -- dessert and animals. (Also read: off-white/beigy with flecks of tan/gold and grey-brown. Very fetching.) Antique gold looks much more gold and much less caramely than it does in real life. This one is much more monochromatic, and looks velvety and rich in real life. Both textures are smooth and somewhat glossy -- and the flecks within are about twice the size as they appear in this post.

What a Bummer

2008-12-15T08:08:00.000-08:00

Despite spending weeks trying to patch the ceilings and hide cracks in the drywall, we returned to the house yesterday after Mark painted to find that all the imperfections were still visible...and that the cracks were even more noticeable.

For now, we are going to install lighting and just get this train moving along again. Once the lights are in, we can install flooring and get the plumber out.

So the ceilings downstairs are ugly for now...I'm going to hire them redone sometime in the future...but not before I move in.

Very frustrating.

Painting and Flooring and Fixtures, Oh My!

2008-12-11T08:30:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, Mike, Patrick (a new friend/work associate, who agreed to work for a 12-pack of PBR) and I managed to install OSB underlayment on most of the second floor. The floors are now mostly level and squeak-free, which means that we are soooo much closer to installing hardwood and carpet. (The carpet guy came out on Tuesday to measure.)

This week, Mark will paint the ceilings and trim, and hopefully by next weekend, we'll have light fixtures installed and felt floor covering put down. Mike and I have decided that we're going to do a floating floor for the hardwood, which means that we won't need to buy a flooring nailer, but we will need to buy felt and glue.

It turns out we don't have enough slate tile to complete the bathrooms as intended, so I'm also working on trying to find an inexpensive neutral to finish off the areas. If anyone has suggestions of where to find a marble-look beigy tile for under $2.50/sqft, please let me know.

Weekend (House) Update with Megan K. Homeowner

2008-12-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

I'm at work, so this will be a low-frills post.

Lots of things accomplished this weekend --

We installed the transom window over my back door. (The builder had obviously broken the last window - my guess is with a ladder, since the window sits 7'6" above the ground.) When I bought the place, there was a piece of plywood tacked in place with a few nails. Needless to say it was a huge heat-loss issue. But now it isn't! Bonnie (Mike's mom) ordered a window from a company she works with regularly -- $50 later, I've got a whole new window, and my living room is a lot brighter!

Here are before and after pictures -- don't mind the plastic in the after shot -- that's to protect the door from paint overspray.

We finished the wiring to the garage, so I can use my garage door opener now! (The garage also has two overhead lights, a receptacle (for the future garage workshop area), and an exterior light, which is controlled by a timer. (The timer photo is a bit blurry, but it shows the switch counting down the time until the exterior light shuts off -- this is nice because I have no way to turn off the light from inside the house.) Yay safety features!

In addition to those big ticket items, Mike and I also managed to install underlayment in the living room area, and set and wire the half wall for the island. Two steps closer to flooring!

Last but not least, Mike ventured onto the roof and discovered that the magic roof fairy had visited over the Thanksgiving Holiday and had finally fixed the gaping holes near my chimneys -- this means that I can start patching the master bedroom ceiling and get Mark to paint again. Huzzah!

Pretty, huh?

Details Details

2008-11-05T08:27:00.000-08:00

I'm not ready for appliances yet, but the place that quoted me prices requires delivery before Christmas in order to secure a price, so it looks like I'll be ordering them soon...

In the meantime, I decided to shop around - I'm a spend-thrift. Mike and I went to the Sears Outlet yesterday, but all their appliances were an average of $300 more than what I was quoted. So that part of the visit was a bust...

But....

I did find a totally awesome range hood for my cooktop for a BARGAIN.

All the range hoods I had been looking at online were in the $1600-2000 range. I got mine for $800. (That's $900 less than Pete payed for his, which...well...isn't as snazzy as mine.) Huzzah!

It's a GE Monogram series hood -- for 30-36" cooktops. Has 4 dimmable lights, washable vent filters, multiple programmable settings for light/venting, a timer, and it'll even tell me when I need to replace the filters. Sweet.

I had to order the chimney vent off the internet, since my ceilings are 10', and I bought the actual hood at Sears Outlet -- it has been a display, and comes with all necessary parts -- and has a 1 year warranty!

Here's a photo...

Visual Progress!

2008-11-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

See those little blue rectangles on wall? Those are counter-height receptacles. (Shown covered in painter's tape...)

This weekend, Mike installed all the receptacles and light switches in my house(!!) while I primed the walls and caulked doors/windows.

That means I'm one step closer to having working light fixtures! (The breakers still need to be installed...and we need to put up fixtures.) And, I'm ready for Mark to come over and paint!

Yay!!

Progress is Being Made...I Swear!

2008-10-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

Mike and I have been mudding and sanding and sanding and mudding...which means lots of progress, but none of it is visible.

On the up side, my friend Mark (who works for a painting company) is going to paint my house for me, so that should be nice.

Moving Out

2008-10-24T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I moved out of my apartment. Well, I moved my stuff out of my apartment. I'm still sleeping there, on a twin-sized bed that belonged to Erin and me when we were wee lasses. Most of my stuff is now sitting in my house basement, or at Mikes. I'm just glad it all fits. (And once I start unpacking, my shelving (which currently holds boxes) will be mostly empty, and I can go back to pretending it's barracks.)

Oh, I also bought a sofa this past week. It's AWESOME! (Disregard the awful pillows...those will be recovered.)

Let There Be Light! (And Shelving!)

2008-10-13T07:17:00.000-07:00

A few good things happened at the house this past week.

The first is that Ameren came out and turned on the power, which means that I have working lights in my basement (and that the breaker panel is now VERY DANGEROUS and should be avoided by anyone who is not skilled at breakering.) The second thing is that Mike and I (and Mike's parents, Bonnie (Bon Bon) and Paul (Paulrus)) built close to 24 feet of shelving in my basement, so I can start moving stuff into the house!

Awesome photo showing both lighting and shelving!

The other thing that Mike and I did over the week is to case Pete's half of the building. Here are some photos of kitchens and bathrooms that better illustrate what my half of the building will look like when it's completed.

Double oven and giant refrigerator!

Awesome rangehood for over the island cooktop! (My pendant lights will be cooler than these...so will my track lighting.)

Super-contemporary vanity set for half bath. (Also, Pete has a kick-ass art collection.)

Top and bottom views of the master shower. Lots of slate. Pete's is layed out with intricate cuts, but I think it looks too busy, so I think I'm going to minimalize the look a bit.)

S.N.I.A.

2008-10-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

I attended my first Neighborhood Association meeting last night, and learned all sorts of interesting tidbits about the neighborhood!

1. The limestone four family building one block over that was torched last year and has been sitting in shambles (literally -- no roof, half the house is caved in...) was finally condemned and gifted to the neighborhood by the bank that owns it. The bank also gave the neighborood the land it sits on, as well as a "gift" of $10,000 to cover the cost of demolition. So, the eye-sore will be torn down in early 2009, and new condos will be built in its place. (This normally wouldn't matter to me, but the building shares my alley, and new construction means that the punks that have been hanging around the property will be gone.) Huzzah!

2. The neighborhood is in the process of having the Board of Alderman vote to make it a special taxing district, which would raise taxes in order to fund neighborhood improvements, like hiring private security to patrol in addition to the city cops that currently keep an eye on the neighborhood. I'm not sure how I feel about this, as crime in the neighborhood seems limited to drugs and car break-ins, and the tax increase would mean hundreds of dollars more every year. (The informational pamphlet they handed out gave an example of a home that was valued at $36,000 being taxed an extra $186.00 per year. With my house being appraised at $245,000, I can't imagine the difference.)

3. This one is less monumental, but is still interesting -- just around the corner from my house, one of the local residents is opening a bake shop / art studio! We spoke last night at the meeting, and the owner might give me a call to do some minor interior design work on the space. Very fun.

There was quite a bit more, but those were the three main things that interested me. The reading of the past months' crime report was also pretty enlightening -- mostly arrests for dealing drugs, and a few domestic violence calls, but nothing major -- the neighborhood seems to have a good grasp on what needs to be done about crime, and they're definitely working towards eliminating it.

Overall, the meeting was very informative. I met quite a few people, got a welcome packet from one of the members, and learned who I need to call if I'm having issues or have questions about neighborhood policies.

The one downside to the meeting? No cookies and punch.

I motion to add snacks to the agenda.

Weekend 1 - Tiny Endeavors

2008-10-06T08:26:00.001-07:00

This past weekend was the first weekend when I could fully dedicate my time to working on the house. Needless to say, Mike and I knocked out quite a few tasks that needed to be accomplished.

Since we don't have building permits yet, there isn't a lot we can do to the place, so we stuck to small tasks, like installing a mailbox in my front door...

adding a railing to the back porch, which was previously a death-trap,

and installing new door hardware, which lead us to the discovery of what exactly lay behind the locked "mystery door" on my back porch....

Turns out, the door opens onto the 2x4 stud wall of my living room. I plan on insulating and putting up pegboard, on which to keep gardening tools. Or, keeping Mikey in there when he misbehaves.... Either way, we'll call in the "Creep Niche."

The last thing I did for the weekend was to finalize the colors for the house. Here are some photos of colors -- keep in mind that I am a genius with color, and if you don't like what I've chosen, your opinion will be disregarded. :) (No, seriously, though, what do you think??)

(From Top to Bottom: dark tealy color for sitting/dining room, limey color for kitchen and living room, light grey-blue in master bedroom, tan in hallway and guest bedrooms.)

Closing Time

2008-09-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

After months of waiting, I finally closed on the house last Thursday! It only took 30 minutes to go over the paperwork and hand over my $$, then they handed me the keys and now I am officially Megan K. HomeOwner!!!!

Yay!

Over the weekend, Mike worked on a few odds and ends -- he traced the circuits back to the empty breaker box (shown below) and figured out where all the duct-work goes.

In order to really start construction, though, I'm going to need electrical and plumbing permits. Unfortunately, the City only gives out permits to licensed contractors...so now I'm on a search to find contractors who are willing to work for very little money.

One would think that by working for an architecture firm, I'd easily be able to find these people, but it's proving more difficult that I had anticipated. I just hope we find someone soon...or someone who can finish the job for CHEAP.

I guess we've hit our first snag. Blarg.

Talk Nerdy to Me

2008-09-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

I learned Revit (fancy-schmancy 3d modeling program) in my spare time. By drawing my house. ShaZam!

This is what my kitchen will look like when it's done...except that the drywall will go to the edge of the cabinets, and everything will be a lot nicer. (Stainless appliances, double oven, granite counter tops, oh my!)

This is what the master bathroom will look like when I'm done. Slate tile, jacuzzi tub, double vanity. Heck yeah!

This is the front part of the house. See those dining chairs? Yeah, I made those all by myself.

I'm such a nerd.

Homeless with a Mortgage

2008-09-16T14:09:00.001-07:00

So, I've made a preliminary schedule for house construction, which optimistically leaves me with a move-in date of December 25th. (Yeah, Christmas!) It's three months from closing, which seems like a very long time, but considering I only have evenings and weekends to work on this beast, I think it's a fairly aggressive schedule. The scope of work is everything from installing receptacles and light switches to ordering counter tops and appliances.

Here are some photos of the space in it's current state:

The Grand Staircase. Ain't it grand?

Brand new water heater - notice the "Water Heater Goes Here" message, written on the giant cardboard box...very professional!

My stunning hardwood floors! (Those boxes equal approx. 1200 sq ft of flooring.)

Lavish bathroom accommodations! (This is the master bath - complete with incomplete jacuzzi tub and custom shower...it will eventually be tiled out with some wickedly-beautiful slate tile, which is currently stacked in the bedroom, and the hallway, and the foyer...there's tons.)

So anyway, my landlord has rented my apartment as of November 1st, which means I'll have almost two full months where I'll be paying off my loan (not technically a mortgage, since I can't live in the house) and not having a real home to, well, go home to. Luckily, Erin and Ryan (sister and bro-in-law) have agreed to let me and Miles (the cat) crash at their place for a while. It should be fun, as long as the 3 humans and 4 cats that will be occupying the house don't kill one another.

Good luck to us!

Megan K. HomeOwner

2008-09-15T10:16:00.000-07:00

"Sucker!"

It's the same thing I said when I graduated college and was handed a diploma, and now I'm saying it again... But this time it's bigger than a diploma, and this time I'm even more incredulous.

"Why?", you ask.

Because some poor schmuck was silly enough to sell me a house.

After nearly 6 months of looking at properties with crazy wood paneling, opium-den/discotheque-inspired "saunas", no A/C, Pit bull-raising neighbors, newspapered walls, mold-spore mountains, and $40k worth of liens, I have found the house of my dreams!

It's a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 2000sq ft, solid brick townhouse in an historic neighborhood near Tower Grove. And better yet, it's not finished - so I get to pick what finishes go where, and what kind of counter tops I want, and all the other fantastic things that I love to do!

Huzzah!

The photo up there is of the entire property. As of September 25th, I will own the left half. (The other half is owned by Pete, a young professional who is the regional clothing-buyer for Banana Republic...)

Needless to say, I'm stoked!