Jason Lancaster » Renovation

Gearing up to move in

Jason Lancaster — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:16:51 +0000

Life has been very fast paced and I’ve been swimming deep in renovation projects since the first week of January. I’ll begin floor installation this weekend and the plumbing was finished yesterday. Most of the tile work and messy projects are behind us, which means fun finishing stuff is coming my way. The plan is to move in on March 1st so don’t expect to hear much from me until after. I will, however, continue to take pictures as soon as I find my camera. It seems to have disappeared during my camping trip last weekend.

EcoTimber Orchard Walnut: Green floors

Jason Lancaster — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 17:29:37 +0000

One of the most exciting things about renovating the house has been the time Emily and I have spent choosing the final “finishing” products. Picking the granite, wall, and tile colors; coordinating things, etc. Of them all, I think the most thrilling is the EcoTimber Orchard Walnut wood floors we chose. We did a lot of research and ended up concluding that FSC certified hardwoods are the only way to go if you want to make sure the wood you’re purchasing is legitimate. This floor is a pretty special floor with a really cool story and can only be purchased at certain times as the source is sensitive:

The wood used in this flooring is sourced from commercial Walnut orchards located in the Central Valley of California. Here, approximately 200,000 acres of perpetual Walnut orchards, maintained by hundreds of small growers, produce 98% of the U.S. nut production. When the Walnut orchards age, (approximately forty years), they lose nutting productivity. They are then cut down and replanted to start the orchard cycle again, with the first nuts produced in only four years.

The floors aren’t installed yet and this process won’t begin for another two weeks, as the floors need time to acclimate to my houses humidity and temperature. But I have a manufacturers picture that is absolutely beautiful. Enjoy, and look for some installation pictures soon!

Bathroom window

Jason Lancaster — Thu, 08 May 2008 16:04:28 +0000

After freaking about about my forgetfulness with the a bathroom window (I mentioned in the previous post), I went back last night and did what I originally meant to. Dad came over with an extra set of hands to finish things up and Emily stopped by to confirm the placement. Placement is about 8ft high off the ground, 12 inches height and 36 inches width. It’s still a bit dark in there but not nearly. Better pictures will follow.

Drywall installation

Jason Lancaster — Wed, 07 May 2008 18:37:27 +0000

The big day has come. I’m in the process of having drywall installed in my house. I spent an ungodly amount of hours at my house last weekend, sleeping all of 4 hours (if that) each night in preparation. It’s amazing how quickly the place transforms and how quickly you can realize a little mistake here or there like forgetting to put the window you planned in your bathroom above the shower for some natural light.

I came into the house today to check progress and thought, “oh my, my bathroom is really dark.” Then I remembered how I planned the window, how Adam and Ed talked me out of it one night, how I secretly wrote down to go back and do it again in my journal, and how I forgot about my tiny little journal entry. D’oh!

Since the drywallers didn’t show today, I’m headed over to the house to fix my mistake and prevent regrets for the next year or so when I shower in the morning. Pics to follow of my work today.

Drywall installation

The order of all things renovation

Jason Lancaster — Fri, 24 Aug 2007 22:41:52 +0000

In my experience with the home renovation, one of the hardest things to do is keep the running order of what has to be done when and how long it will take to do said project. You’ll often find yourself in situations like I’m in right now, where you’d really like to be drywalling, however that really isn’t possible because the electric needs to be run first. The problem with the electric is that our electrician (this would be the second one we’ve used) is not calling me back.Â I’ve contact a couple other electricians and received a couple of new quotes. Problem solved. Still though, a major pain to deal with.

Another one of those timing issues: My kitchen cabinetry was delivered 2 weeks ago (which ended up being 3 weeks early) and is stuck inside an unfinished house without drywall and no way to install until after we get the electric run.

I’ve resorted to keeping a moleskin notebook with me at all times that has a list of what I need to do when. It helps… some. Perhaps an iPhone application would be even better!Â

Pre-renovation

Jason Lancaster — Wed, 24 Jan 2007 22:35:49 +0000

If you’re wondering what my house looked like when I first purchased it, the following should serve well:

Let’s just say my house was a shaggy cool, wood paneled, faux brick, drop ceiling haven. It looks a bit more plain now, and believe it or not might actually look better in its current state!

Ok, maybe that’s just wishful thinking…