It’s already Wednesday around these parts. Don’t you love the bonus short-week after a long weekend? In true form, we spent our Victoria Day weekend getting stuff done around the house and enjoying some time with family and friends. While we didn’t do much relaxing, we definitely managed to squeezed a bit of BBQ and a few cold drinks under the maple tree into the holiday.
On the getting stuff done side, I was able to finish cutting in a new flower bed at the back of our lot, which is already looking good thanks to some plant donations from Jeff’s grandma — thanks Mildred! I’ve also lucked out with the weather in the last few days (rain) so the new plants are looking happy and healthy so far. We also cut the grass, relocated a few lilac sprouts, and reseeded the our front lawn. Jeff also put together a really gorgeous planter box… but you’ll have to wait until next week for those details.
The other major task this weekend was continuing work in the attic. Just over a week ago, when we were enjoying all of that nice cold weather, I pulled out my remediation/ick-proof outfit and crawled up into the attic to begin relocating the insulation from over the bathroom.
Cute right? Notice the especially flattering way the fabric gathers around my mid-section. Ready for the attic runway.
The attic insulation wasn’t as deep as I was expecting, so while icky (everything feels and looks like a mouse nest up there) the work went relatively quickly. Of course, like working in any attic, the biggest challenge was shifting around on support boards (so you don’t fall through the upstairs ceiling) and not standing up too quickly (so you don’t bash your head on the roofing nails). I would say I had the entire area cleared in about two hours.
Relocated pile of dirty fluff
Fluff-free zone over the bathroom
Oh ya! We also found another house surprise! The box I was using as a sled to shift the insulation (as I scooped it out with a dust pan) was actually an old radio box. Unfortunately, the box was empty, but we looked it up on line and it was a massive old radio.
Kinda’ neat! The box is about 3′ wide. HUGE for a radio.
Part-two of this whole attic process took place this weekend. As you may remember, our current bathroom doesn’t have any venting, so part of our pre-renovation to-do list includes prepping the back end of the venting so we are ready to roll next month. After picking up an EnergyStar (ultra quiet) fan and associated parts at Rona, Jeff rented a hammer drill and got to work putting another giant hole in our house.
Unfortunately for Jeff, it was significantly warmer this weekend, so the attic wasn’t the most desirable place to work. But, he’s great and managed to muscle a hole through the double brick rather quickly.
Hello outside! That’s about a 4′” hole.
The hard part actually came when we tried to install the vent on the exterior. Up a 30′ ladder, we did our best to drill holes, insert anchors, and attach the vent. Unfortunately, we don’t have an impact drill, so this took a lot more time and effort than we expected, especially since our dryer vent install went so smoothly.
But, we eventually got it fixed tightly to the brick. While everything should have been wrapped up on Monday, our only tube of exterior caulking exploded on us (whaa whaa!), so I still have to climb back up there this week and put on the finishing touches; just waiting for the rain to stop. We did use a can of rodent-proof expanding foam to fill any small gaps from the inside, so we aren’t too worried about leaks or pests.
Phew! One more item off of the list!
Remove the kitchen ceilingGet plumbing and electrical quotesRelocate attic insulation from over the bathroom areaInstall the back-end of the new exhaust fan- Remove, strip, and refinish trim window/door
- Order all supplies/products
- Gut the bathroom!
Really, what we’re left with is trim refinishing and ordering and purchasing supplies (our vanity arrives on Friday, and our tub has shipped from the warehouse!). Actually, I’ve gotten a few emails asking where exactly we are getting all of the goodies for the remodel. As promised, we’ll be spilling all of the beans on where we’ve sourced all of our stuff; stay tuned on Friday for details.
For my Canadian friends, how did you spend the holiday? Any time spent up a shaky ladder?
For the next few days, I’m sitting in on a few blogging classes, courtesy of Bing, at 
A Swell Place to Dwell
