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Double Up

There was no break between the finishing of the restaurant and jumping into the next renovation.  I needed a break, but I felt this two-family needed me more.  I have a soft spot for a mess of a house with potential, and this one certainly qualified.

This is a spacious two-family that was in a little worse shape than shows here.  Truthfully I didn't take enough pictures early on.  I think I was too overwhelmed by the chaos, and zeroing in on specifics was too depressing.  SO, off we go from here which is about the first time I've been able to catch my breath knowing we have stopped the bleeding.


I can't call this is a backyard yet, but there have been some changes.


A retaining well to separate the parking pad from what will be a yard is now finished.


Because the property next door is owned by a family member, we extended the retaining wall and the parking pad across that property too.


Next came the sidewalk.


Then the parking pad and a new chain link fence.

While this was going on the plumbing, electrical, and HVAC was being wrapped up inside.
There were some do-overs involved and a couple new subcontractors brought in do things correctly.  The general contractor was also replaced.  You get the idea.  We'll leave it at that.


Tuckpointing of the entire outside of the building is progressing at a snail's pace.  


It's a crew of two so I'm cutting them some slack, but all that red dust is a bit of a pain.

In the meantime, I have been working on some of the interior details.


There is some nice hardware on the pocket doors.  Most of it is painted so I took on the job of removing the paint.  


This is what the regular door plates look like.


Below are the exterior plates for the front doors.  The top one is before the vinegar soak.



There's some serious work to do on  the front doors before the hardware can be put back.

.

These are in various stages of cleaning.


I searched for some automobile paint that complimented the color I have planned for the doors.
  

It's called Chrysler Bright Platinum.

Ordering all the light fixtures for both floors has been a fun but time consuming job.


Second floor lights currently being stored on my back porch.


And first floor lighting also on my back porch.

You'll have to wait for the reveal.  I'm just relieved this part is over.  It's great to have the opportunity to choose and coordinate the fixtures, but dealing with back orders and discontinued items, and deliveries is the shadow side of this chore.

Speaking of issues with lighting...I found the perfect small fixture for the four corners of the beamed ceiling in the dining room, only to discover they sold out the day before I placed the entire order.  Not only was it sold out but it had been discontinued.  After a pouting period I started the search for a replacement.  That didn't take long as fixtures that size are very limited.  I did find some through Home Depot that were the right size but only available in chrome.


That left me with no other option than to paint them.  I sanded the chrome and taped off the socket before I sprayed them a burnished gold.  Above is the test job before I did the other three.  However, in the process of taping I discovered the large ring around the socket that holds the glass globe in place was missing on one of the fixtures.  See what I mean?  It's this kind of stuff that takes some of the fun out of the job.  But, long story short, I ordered another one, removed the ring, and returned the fixture all with the blessing of Home Depot.

There are only four of fixtures above, so that takes care of one floor.


I am hoping to refurbish the original fixtures for the other floor.  Between the two floors there were seven in various states of disrepair.  I found new globes to fit the fixtures as all the original globes were long gone.  It remains to be seen how this project comes out.  


To simplify things a bit, the kitchens on both floors will have the same cabinets, floor tile, counters and blacksplash.


The floor tile is 12"x 24", the backsplash is a subway in glass, and the countertops will be Wilsonart laminate.


Both laundry room floors and bathroom floors will have this tile.


The 2" x 2" dark gray tile will be the shower base and the light gray, shown in opposite corners, is an 8" x 8" for the shower walls.


By the next post I should be able to show some of this tile in place and hopefully progress in a few other areas.


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