And the Repairs Begin

In a recent post, I told you we had some pipes freeze and break at the WV Place. This past Saturday, Hubby (Mike) and I went to the WV Place to better assess the damage he discovered last weekend. Oh, and get some subcontractor bids.

Those of you new to this blog, or have only gotten to know me recently, may not know that Hubby and I built the WV Place ourselves. From scratch. Mostly during weekends over the course of four years (2005 to 2009). We did hire folks to do major stuff like clearing, grading, installing the septic system, and finishing the concrete slab, but we did most of the work. With some help from friends and family along the way. It’s all documented here.

We’re no strangers to construction-type stuff. But we’ve had our fill. That’s why seeing the damage was disheartening, but not completely overwhelming. And Hubby had a really, REALLY cool tool to make the labor easier. Stay tuned…

The drive up on Saturday was actually pretty…

Dramatic Winter Sky
Dramatic Winter Sky

…but also a bit slick.

WV-29, South of Slanesville
WV-29, South of Slanesville

I’m a sucker for wintry skies.

The ride was uneventful. We arrived safely, unloaded all of our stuff, and started work.

Step one, for me, was taking pictures to share with you. There are a lot of them. It felt like old times when, during the construction process, I pretty much documented the whole adventure.

Here’s what the place looked like when we arrived.

Bedroom Ceiling
Bedroom Ceiling

Some of the sheetrock was already down. What you see missing in these first pics is what fell during the leak and the couple danglers Hubby removed during his previous visit.

Plastic vapor barrier bulging under wet cellulose insulation.
Plastic vapor barrier bulging under wet cellulose insulation.

If there were still a bed in the room and I was laying on Mike’s side, that would be my view.

I can't believe this guy was still on the wall.
I can’t believe this guy was still on the wall.

 

Water damage just outside of bedroom.
Water damage just outside of bedroom.

Our first objective was to find the location of the actual leak(s).

Removing more drywall.
Removing more drywall.

 

Ruined closet doors that Hubby removed during previous visit.
Ruined closet doors that Hubby removed during previous visit.

 

The entire bedroom ceiling had to come down.
The entire bedroom ceiling had to come down.

 

The really messy part is coming soon...
The really messy part is coming soon…

Removing the saturated sheetrock wasn’t very hard. And only a little messy. Cutting the plastic to release the insulation was the REAL mess. It’s blown-in cellulose, which is essentially pulverized newspaper. Messy, but non-toxic. And very dusty.

Hubby: Action Photo

That’s what it looked like coming down.

11_WV_Cleanup
After the first small cut.

Messy, messy, messy. But we were prepared…

That’s me. I am known as The Unskilled Laborer.

Hubby does the hard work, I do the simple stuff. Which usually means clean-up, acting as go-fer, providing moral support, fetching stuff, etc. All very important, of course, just not real glamorous.

Visitor
Visitor

While we were working, the girls were having their fun outside. Meg went and got her friend, Buddy. We hadn’t seen him in a long time and were all happy he came by to visit.

K found a treasure, too, which I promptly took away from her.

Deer Foot
Deer Foot

Treasures like that are usually very stinky (this one was quite frozen), so I hate putting them in the trash. So I usually just hang them out of the girls’ reach.

This picture had been on the bedroom windowsill.
This picture had been on the bedroom windowsill.

 

Wall above closet.
Wall above closet.

We knew about where the leak(s) was/were. It’s pretty clear when seeing the paint on that wall. Sure enough, the break (only one!!!) was right above the closet. Which would explain the ruined closet doors.

Pipes headed toward kitchen.
Pipes headed toward kitchen.

During Hubby’s previous visit, he noted that every hard surface in the place was covered with lots of condensation. We were quite relieved to find that it had all dried out. We thought for sure we’d be drying everything off before we could do anything else. There was still a lot of humidity in the air, just no surface wetness to mop up.

The leak was in the hot water line, which explained the condensation. You know how steamy the bathroom gets after a long, hot shower, right? Imagine an hours-long shower…

Close-up of the cellulose.
Close-up of the cellulose.

Hubby had a stroke of pure genius when he decided to take our electric leaf vac along. Sucking that stuff up into a bag was SOOOO much easier than having to use a shovel.

Failed section of pipe removed.
Failed section of pipe removed.

See that hole in the foam stuff (extruded foam rafter vent)? That’s from where the very hot water was shooting upward (about two feet/two-thirds of a meter) and hitting the roof.

Now here’s where the really cool tool comes into play. Replacing broken sections of copper piping is never easy. Soldering is typically required. And if not done EXACTLY right, the joints will leak. Hubby is pretty good at soldering, but says it’s a huge PIA. I have never actually done any soldering of pipes, but I have witnessed a lot. (Remember, we plumbed the entire house.)

Why is it such a pain? Used pipes still hold water, which makes soldering much more difficult. It’s harder to work overhead. The temperature in that space was about 20 degrees F (roughly -7 C). Four separate solders would have been needed. It’s dangerous to use a propane torch around insulation. Etc., etc.

Repair
Effecting the Repair

 

The damaged pipe.
The damaged pipe.

After removing the damaged section of pipe, which was right above the closet, Hubby had to install new pipe.

Are you ready to see the cool tool Hubby borrowed?

Ridgid Pro Press
Ridgid Pro Press

Enter the Ridgid Pro Press, a fast, reliable way to join copper piping. This is not something your average home-owner would buy, since it costs about $1,600. You may be able to rent one, but Hubby was able to borrow this one from his employer.

Using special fittings…

Special Fitting
Special Fitting

…each join literally takes five seconds.

The Patch
The Ready-to-Be-Installed Patch

 

Patch Installed
The Patch Installed

 

Pro Press in Action
Pro Press in Action

Easy-peasy. Really. It made the job so much more bearable.

Once it was in, the scary part was turning the water back on. We were both ecstatic to find NO MORE LEAKS. Woo hoo!

After the leak was isolated and repaired, we could get back to ripping out the damaged sheetrock.

This coat closet, which open in the hallway, backs to the bedroom wall and closet. It needs to be replaced. Hubby barely leaned on the closet wall from inside the bedroom, causing this hole, which really weirded the younguns out.

Damaged Closet
Damaged Closet

 

View into the attic.
View into the attic.

 

Newly insulated pipes.
Newly insulated pipes.

 

Another attic view.
Another attic view.

Those pipes lead into the kitchen. Some of the water followed those pipes, which is what damaged the kitchen ceiling. But damage is mostly isolated to the area below those pipes as the overflow drained out through the rangehood.

Wet Exterior Wall
Wet Exterior Wall

One of the reasons we had to remove so much sheetrock and insulation is so stuff can dry out. It can’t be replaced until the wood has dried. Another big reason was so we could reinstall some vapor barrier to seal the house off from the attic.

Vapor barrier going up.
Vapor barrier going up.

 

Vapor barrier in place.
Vapor barrier in place.

The plastic was necessary to prevent the heat from escaping into the attic. Once it was in place, the house warmed-up considerably.

Backyard Mess
Backyard Mess

There’s some of the construction debris. The contractor will remove that along with whatever trash they have to take.

These pics were taken during my morning walk with the girls.

Only the Shadow Knows
Only the Shadow Knows

 

The girls were thrilled to go on our regular morning stroll.

K, Hunting
K, Hunting

 

Meg, Smiling
Meg, Smiling

 

Debris from another angle.
Debris from another angle.

We also had to get the place ready for the repair crew, which just meant moving and covering stuff. Lots of drywall dust to come…

Covered Up
Covered Up

 

Damaged ceiling.
Damaged ceiling.

 

Current view from our bedroom.
Current view from our bedroom.

See that pile of insulation? Over time, it’ll be dispersed by the wind.

I asked Belle, nicely, to sit by the pile to give y’all a sense of scale. Apparently, she misinterpreted my request to mean…

Go DIG in the pile.
Go DIG in the pile.

…which made for a very dusty dog.

Dusty Belle
Dusty Belle

Sigh.

It actually brushed off pretty easily.

Dehumidifier
Dehumidifier

We left the dehumidifier running. It’s draining into a big trash can. We are both curious to see how much water it pulls out of the air.

And that was our WV adventure for the weekend. Poor Hubby was pooped.

If you’re interested in that Pro Press tool, I found a YouTube video showing it in action.

So, whattya think? How amazing is that Hubby? Pretty handy, that’s for sure. 🙂

How a Chicken Saved the Day

It’s Mike’s week to cook. We take turns. On yesterday’s menu was smoked chicken.

In colder weather, it takes a whole lot longer to smoke stuff. Yes, outdoor temperature matters.

He went downstairs yesterday around 10:30 a.m. to get the chicken ready. A minute or so later he came back upstairs and said, “Did you just get out of the shower?”

“Um, no,” I replied. “Why?”

“I hear water running,” he said.

I went down to the kitchen and, sure enough, there was water running somewhere. A lot of water. It actually sounded like the dishwasher was running, only it wasn’t.

He said he’d checked the basement, and all looked well. So I went down in my stockinged feet, into the storage room at the bottom of the basement stairs. All LOOKED okay, but you could really hear water running.

Then I realized my feet were wet. Which meant the carpet was wet. Ruh ro.

Hose Bibb

Lucky for us, the water shut-off valve is in that room. Both the main shut-off and the one for the hose bibb on the front of the house.

That’s how Hubby discovered the problem was at the bibb.

There were no visible signs of leakage outside of the house, only inside. Not only was the carpet wet, you could see signs of water damage in the wall and ceiling in that room. Which means the pipe leading to the hose bibb had burst inside the wall.

Lovely.

Lucky for us, we caught it early. The wet carpet was confined to about a third of that room. But we’re going to need a plumber. The wall and/or ceiling will likely need to be torn apart, too, to get to the site of the problem.

We notified the insurance company yesterday. A claims rep is supposed to call us today.

It’s a good thing he went down to start that chicken when he did. All sounded well from our offices.No telling how long it would have continued.

Although we do have a slightly wet carpet, I was able to get all of the boxes off of the floor in that room before any of them were damaged. It could have been a lot worse.

Hopefully, it won’t be too big a deal getting the thing fixed. I dread the thought of needing exterior excavation to reach the thing…

Home Improvement

Hubby made us a new coat rack yesterday.

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The pegs look wonky because of the camera angle. But it’s perfect.

20130310-111504.jpg

He’s quite handy. I’m a lucky lady in so many ways.

The Cutest Little Quilt Shop in OTW

One of my goals for 2013 — NOT a resolution — is to roll up the ole shirtsleeves and get cracking on some of those creative projects I have been meaning to tackle. Like furniture painting (discussed in this post earlier in January). And quilting.

Yes, quilting. Some of you may not have known that I can sew, too. I’m no master seamstress, trust me. And I have done little more than sew a bunch of squares together, a few triangles, make curtains, etc. I’ve made quilts, but they are not quilted in the traditional sense (fancy needlework), but instead tied, which is much easier. Tying quilts is when you use yard, heavier thread, string, etc., to fast the backing onto your quilt top. Remember, a quilt is nothing more that a backing, batting (stuffing), and the quilt top.

Anyway… back to quilting. One of the things that draws me into quilting are the colors. I could spend hours and hours and HOURS looking at fabrics in quilt shops. I just love the colors. And the textures. And the different designs.

My good friend Granny Trace — of Granny Trace Scraps and Squares fame — got me started with sewing. She makes beautiful things. Years ago, she made lots of hand tied lap quilts. She kept saying how easy it was. So one Saturday afternoon I had her show me. And sure enough, by the end of that day I had a lap quilt. The edges weren’t complete, but still. It was damn good progress for a girl who had never touched a sewing machine.

When my parents saw how excited I was about my project, they offered to give me the sewing machine they’d gotten as a wedding gift in 1959. Of course I was tickled to take it off their hands. After finding a manual on-line, learning how to thread the needle, do the bobbin things, unclog jams, oil it in the right places, it was good to go. It’s old and really heavy, but man is that thing a work-horse.

That little bit of instruction from Tracey is all the instruction I’d ever had. Until yesterday. That’s when I took my first quilt class right here in Old Town Warrenton.

Kelly Ann's Quilting, 9 5th Street, Warrenton, Virginia
Kelly Ann’s Quilting, 9 5th Street, Warrenton, Virginia

That’s a photo I took the day after Christmas. I’ve always admired Kelly Ann’s cute little shop. It’s catercorner from that bakery — Great Harvest Bread — that I always talk about. And it’s in this darling little old house. The kind of house you just know has a warren of rooms and is probably chock full of little nooks and crannies to explore.

Entry to Kelly Ann's Quilting
Entrance of Kelly Ann’s Quilting

And it always looks so inviting. I don’t know how many pictures I have taken of the place over the last year or so since we moved to Old Town Warrenton (OTW).

For the longest time I wouldn’t go inside. Because I already have a stash of fabric I have collected over the years AND a bunch of fancy tools I don’t know how to use. The last thing I needed was MORE fabric. Especially after being in such a long sewing rut.

One day, I’ll be able to devote more time to my hobbies. But that day isn’t here yet. And I have such a long list of little projects to be completed. So I figured I’d stay away.

Then I met Kelly Ann (who I always call Kelly because Kelly Ann just seems like such a Southern thing). Truth is, I met her on-line after I attended and blogged about the grand opening of The Empty Nest. We communicated on-line quite a bit. Then one day, I decided to pop into Kelly Ann’s Quilting to meet her in person.

It was actually several months after our initial “meeting” in July before I made it to her store. After Mom passed in mid-August, I was away for a couple of weeks. And then we went on vacation for a couple of weeks. Then work was really busy. Sigh…

It took several visits before I finally managed to meet Kelly in person. But once I entered that shop, I was hooked. It really is SUCH a cute little shop. It feels like your girlfriend’s sewing room. And all you want to do is walk around and look at everything.

Sales Counter at the Front of the Store
Sales Counter at the Front of the Store

All the ladies who work there are very nice and friendly. You never feel as if they are stalking you as you take your time to absorb all the wonderfulness in the store.

Although most times I end up gabbing when I am there and don’t poke around too much. So yesterday was extra fun because I got to mosey around a bit and take a bunch of photos to share with you all.

Valentines Love
Valentines Love

See what I mean about the color? That is some vibrant stuff.

Vibrancy not your thing? She has more-subdued fabric, too.

Inside Kelly Ann's Quilting
Inside Kelly Ann’s Quilting

 

Inside Kelly Ann's Quilting
Inside Kelly Ann’s Quilting

 

Inside Kelly Ann's Quilting
Inside Kelly Ann’s Quilting

 

Inside Kelly Ann's Quilting
Inside Kelly Ann’s Quilting

 

Inside Kelly Ann's Quilting
Inside Kelly Ann’s Quilting

 

Inside Kelly Ann's Quilting
Inside Kelly Ann’s Quilting

Kelly and her crew have done an excellent job harnessing that homey, welcoming, quilt shop feel.

So, yesterday was my first class. It was Kelly Ann’s 101 PDQ class, which covered the basics of quilting, such as fabric selections (quality), proper use of your rotary cutter and sewing an accurate 1/4 seam. That may not sound like much, but I actually learned a lot.

Remember, my Mom didn’t sew. So not only had I received little instruction in the past, I didn’t have any memories for reference either.

Kelly Ann demonstrating proper cutting techniques.
Kelly Ann demonstrating proper cutting techniques.

There were three other women in the class with me. Watching Kelly cut are Kathy (middle) and Sandy (right).

Sandy cutting her fabric.
Sandy cutting her fabric.

 

Kathy's fabric.
Kathy’s fabric.

Truly, the thing about quilting I love the most is combining colors. And while I could never see a quilt with these colors in my house (it doesn’t go with my other colors), I can appreciate — and absolutely love — the vibrant, rich, variation of the colors Kathy chose for her quilt.

All of us did well with color choice. I just didn’t do a good job capturing images of everyone’s choice because I was busy cutting, pressing, and sewing.

Kelly was even kind enough to capture some action photos for this post…

Rare capture of ToadMama in action!
Rare capture of ToadMama in action!

The lady you see in the background is Sandy.

We all need to return to finish our block assembly (we ran out of time). Kelly Ann admitted that was the first time she’d taught that format, and the cutting took us longer than she expected. So we’re all hoping to make it back on February 23.

I’ll be there. Of course, it’s easy for me since the cutest little quilt shop in Warrenton is within easy walking distance.

ToadMama in action!
ToadMama in action!

I hope to see all you other ladies again, too.

Kelly and crew, I’m sure I will see you all sooner.

More on the class later when my quilt is all done! Or at least, after our late-February continuation class. 🙂

The Big Transformation

Shortly after Hubby and I moved to Warrenton in October of 2011, I discovered a cool consignment shop where I bought this funky little table.

My funky little table.
My funky little table.

I loved it. Hubby hated it. The high-gloss white was a bit much. As were the furniture tacks around the edge. But I thought it had character. And I knew I could paint it one day.

Fast-forward a year.

Hubby removed the tacks for me this morning before I left the house with the table.

Table with tacks removed.
Table with tacks removed.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, today was a big day for me. My very first chalk paint workshop at The Empty Nest.

The Empty Nest , 92 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia
The Empty Nest , 92 Main Street, Warrenton, Virginia

The Empty Nest is a delightful shop owned and operated by Janet Metzger, a woman who is as nice as they come that LOVES painting, sewing, and just about anything else crafty. She’s quite talented.

Janet is a proud stockist of Annie Sloan Chalk Paint (ASCP). It’s that paint which first drew me to Janet’s store. I was beyond excited when her store opened last July. I even made sure I went to the grand opening.

I’ve always liked decorating furniture. And ASCP is the perfect furniture paint. It requires no sanding, no stripping, no priming. Heck, you don’t even have to remove the hardware if you don’t want to. It’s easy peasy. As long as you know how to use it.

And today, FINALLY, I learned how to use it.

I’ve experimented with it before, without a whole lot of success. So I was really ready to see how things were supposed to be done.

That sweet Hubby of mine bought me a gift certificate for today’s Bring Your Own Piece Workshop. Which is where my funky little table and I spent the day.

Ready to paint.
Ready to paint.

There were five other women in the class with me. None were keen to have their faces appear in photos. I hate having my picture taken, too. But I did manage to capture some shots of their projects to share.

Color Board
Color Board

The first step was deciding what color or colors to use. I chose Graphite for the top, Old Ochre for the base, and two accent colors, Emperor’s Silk (red) and Arles (yellow). I wanted to add some unique color but, for Hubby’s sake, didn’t want to go too crazy. He’s a little more conservative than me.

Okay, a lot more conservative. But anyway…

It was fun watching fellow students transforming their own pieces.

3_painting_class

4_painting_class

6_painting_class

5_painting_class

Of course, Janet was there every step of the way. She consulted on color choices, demonstrated techniques, coached, chatted, cheered us on, etc. She fed us lunch, too, which was provided by my favorite Great Harvest Bread Company.

7_painting_class

Have I mentioned how much I like Janet and her shop? Just about every person who has come to visit us in Warrenton since The Empty Nest opened has been dragged into her store. She’s going to get sick of seeing me one day…

8_painting_class

One of my classmates was kind enough to take some pics of me. So I could prove that I really did participate.

9_painting_class

Do I look like I was having fun? I was. Really.

10_painting_class
Stencil on clock.
My experiment worked.
My experiment worked.

13_painting_class

 

LOVE this red chair!
LOVE this red chair!

 

14_painting_class
What a pretty clock!

 

Cutest little nightstand ever.
Cutest little nightstand ever.

Every single student left with a very cool, hand-painted piece of furniture. It was awesome. I couldn’t wait to get home with my “new” piece.

My "new" table.
My “new” table.

See how cute it looks in my foyer?

I am really happy with how it turned out.

Here’s a shot of the table in the foyer from a couple weeks before Christmas…

Before shot.

And here’s the table after its big transformation…

17_painting_class

It fits my style and decor so much better than the glossy white table. The Old Ochre color is so much warmer, and it lends itself much better to the whole distressed look.

I like that color so much, I think it’s going to go on my dining room chairs, too.

See, Janet? I will be back soon. I have to buy more paint!

So… what do you think?

 

Painting Furniture the Empty Nest Way

Tomorrow is a big day for me.

A day I have been waiting for since July, which is when The Empty Nest opened as a brick-and-mortar shop right here in Old Town Warrenton, Virginia.

I wrote about the grand opening back in July.

I was excited then. And I am still excited today. Because since July I have visited The Empty Nest many times. It’s a lovely store run by Janet, an even lovelier woman. And tomorrow, through one of Janet’s Bring Your Own Piece Workshops, I am going to learn how to paint furniture the right way.

You know, so this doesn’t happen any more.

We’ll either be using chalk paint or Miss Mustard Seed Milk Paint. Or both?

Either way, I am excited.

Look out, world. ToadMama is going to be painting! 🙂

I’ll be sure to share more after the fact.

Wish me luck!