Category: Personal

In the last week, we’ve had two days worth of work.  Unfortunately, weather and holidays cut the rest short.  We resume on Monday.

But, I do have to say, the two days have seen major progress – like beams!  Day 1:

It seems like not much work for the hours they were here, but I’m assuming that propping it up properly can be a pain.

One of the photos, you’ll note, is of dirt on the patio.  This may end up being a lingering problem.  See, our old patio had no rise from the ground at all.  That means every time it rained, mud would cake onto the patio.  It’s actually a real pain to clean off since you can never quite get all of it if it’s dry, and you risk getting mud on yourself if you use water and walk through it to clean it.  It would appear it’s back, though much less so than previously.

There are a couple possible factors in this unexpected problem (the concrete guy said this one would fix the problem of it being too low), and only one can be fixed by us.  One possible source is the walkway that connects to the patio from the side of the house.  It is also too low and lets mud just run freely down it with a little stream of water.  The other potential factor is the neighbor’s yard.  After seeing all of our work, they had a giant tree removed by our same tree guy the day they were prepping our backyard.  Because there’s a slight hill, every time they’ve done work in their backyard, we get extra mud.  So, we can eventually pull out the walkway at some point, but we’ll likely end up with the lingering extra mud problem for a while.

On Day 2, the extra supports were completely removed:

And, perhaps more importantly, the half of the roof that was cut short to accommodate a tree that never should have been there in the first place is being extended out to match the other side.  Yay!

I also spoke with the contractor today about the roof.  He was going to try and find matching shingles, but we asked him to go ahead and price out getting shingles for the entire patio roof and the cost of having him do the whole thing rather than an odd patch.  It’s a reasonably small area, so it shouldn’t be too much more.  Even better, it doesn’t obligate us to do the entire roof right now since you can’t see the shingles to the rest of the house from the back.  So we can put off the main roof replacement for another year or more without worrying about matching shingles again.

I’m upstairs now, because Bitter started watching season three of The Tudors.  I am only on season two.  But it just occurred to me, it’s not like I don’t know how all this ends up.  What will become of Anne Boleyn?  Will she ever bear Henry a son?  Will Henry succeed in bringing about an English reformation?  Who is his Jane Seymour character, and why is the King looking at her like that?  Stay tuned for the next exciting episode!

I mean, you know they aren’t going to change it so the Pope sails to England, throws a few holy hand grenades, and restores the Catholic Church, but for some reason I still don’t want to watch ahead.

Now that we have a real patio going in, we want real furniture. Sebastian also wants a new grill to replace the current one. It’s charcoal, which is nice, but it takes forever to really warm up. We’re unlikely to plan ahead when deciding to use a grill, and we also don’t need one quite as large as what we have now. (We don’t entertain large groups.)

So, it’s off on a search for patio furniture for me. First, lessons learned:

1. Stores really only put their expensive lawn furniture online.  It looks nicer than your average crappy white plastic lawn chair.
2. At some point, lawn furniture got very expensive.  The chairs I got for my apartment balcony that now sit on our front deck were $25-30/each and the tables were about $10.  I finished off the balcony with a small outdoor rug for about $25, some decorative string lights for $20, and a couple of citronella candles for $5.  For anything other than the crappy white plastic chair, these prices seemingly do not exist today.

With that in mind, I was on a mission.  After looking at $700 side tables and $1200 chairs, I lost some context for budget-friendly.  I also didn’t know exactly what style Sebastian was imagining.  Did he want white plastic chairs or an actual matching set?  Sofa, or chairs?  Tables or none?

My first suggestion was this set at Wal-Mart.  With the flexibility of the trays that become tables and the many ways you can re-arrange the sectional, it really isn’t a bad price.

It’s got simple clean lines, it’s brown, and it would give us seating for up to 7 with two tables, and it can be arranged so it doesn’t take up too much space on the patio.  But, it’s still more than $620.  And Sebastian said it was too fancy.  I wasn’t expecting that complaint, just the budget issue.  But okay…

So I went looking for plain stationary patio chairs.  I checked IKEA, and they weren’t any better on prices.  I liked the Arhulma series, thinking I could get two corner units and some plain chairs.  But then I did the math and we really weren’t any better off.  I also happened to be near IKEA the other day, so I stopped just to peek.  I’m glad I did, the pieces were not that sturdy, were much lighter than they appear online, and simply not worth $120/chair, plus the cost of getting cushions made.

On the way back from a party the other day, I also stopped into Lowe’s, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Target in an effort to see what they had in stock of the “slightly better than plain white plastic chair” variety.  I took snap shots of everything that jumped out at me for Sebastian to examine from home.

Home Depot was first and had a pretty small selection.  But, I did snap this photo of a label of one option from my cell phone.  Here, the chair sells for $50.

It’s a good look, and it’s relatively easy on the budget.  I’d ideally like to seat 6 people, so it’s half the price of the Wal-Mart option, provided I can find cheap side tables to work with it.

Then it was off to Target next door where I found one possibility for the same price.  It’s slightly different, but it works.  Again, with the brown shades I love.

They also had more of the chairs I bought a couple of years ago, so there was also the option of just getting two more of those and pulling the ones I have off of the front deck.  But, we have grown on the idea of having chairs out there, so they will stay.

Then, off to Wal-Mart.  They had nothing.  In fact, only two of all of the sets they had online were even in the store to look at, and neither were comfortable.  So I suspect I dodged a bullet there.

Heading on over to Lowe’s next door, I found two potentials – and they were nearly identical to the two chairs I found at Home Depot and Target.  I snapped pics just because they weren’t quite the same.  As you can see, the seats are actually smaller than the others.

The price of the one on the right is the same price as the similar version at Target, so it’s all a matter of style and comfort.  However, the price of the one on the left is actually $10 more than the one at Home Depot which actually has a larger seat.

Sebastian chose the one from Home Depot based on the pictures.  So, once this project is done, I’ll head over and pick up 4-6 of them.  Now I just need to find the right side tables to work.  And citronella options.  I’ll probably reuse my old rug if it will fit out there.  I like it too much to not try it out there.  And then when we get Sebastian’s grill sold and a new gas one bought, we’ll be ready to entertain outside!

I got my eyes checked a few weeks ago.  Turns out my eyes have gotten a little bit worse.  Last pair of frames I got from Lenscrafters.  This time I decided to go with the optometrist’s optical shop.  Took ten days for the new frames and lenses to arrive.  A few hours after putting them on I realized that I wasn’t seeing right.  The left eye is crystal clear, but the right eye is still fuzzy.  The sunglasses I got for the old frames are better, but I still don’t see 20/20 with them.  I called back the optometrist and told them I think something is wrong with my prescription, and they gave me the expected “It might take a week to get used to the new prescription” mantra.  Adjusting to a stronger prescription I can understand, but I should see clearly from the get go.

So I stuck with it until last night at Silhouette, when I realized the animals were all completely fuzzed out, even compared to my old lenses.  I didn’t really notice how bad it was until I was looking down at the animals.  Called up the optometrist again today, and told them I still couldn’t see straight.  They scheduled me to come back next Thursday.  Meanwhile I have to shoot a match Sunday.

So screw it.  I took the sunglasses lenses out of my old frames and put my old lenses back in.  If I had gone to Lenscrafters, I’d have been able to work all this out in a few hours.  It’s going to be weeks before I’m seeing properly again, and considering I’m already out close to 400 dollars, I’m not exactly happy.

We waited for the patio to cure, and now we have to wait on the weather. Off and on rain predictions have put us in a holding pattern until next week. That’s actually not terrible news since it gives the patio more time to cure. It still looks good, even the general contractor wasn’t expecting it to turn out that nice.

In the meantime, I’ve looked at more lights and furniture. Since I mentioned that I love brown as a color, I thought I would share some of my favorite brown light finds on my search for perfection – within a budget.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like we’ll be able to use any of these. They don’t have versions that would work for the front with the features we’d like.

Top Left & Clockwise:

1.  I like the cracked glass look of this one as opposed to the similar brushed nickel version.  Unfortunately, we’d have to get three identical ones.  While it’s budget-friendly, I’m not sold 100% on the brown, and I think the motion detection option in the front is handy.

2. The back plate is brass, otherwise I generally like this.  I get the feeling I wouldn’t like it as much in person though.

3. I like this one a lot.  I was looking at a similar piece at a lighting shop yesterday, but again with the daylight sensor and motion detection issues.

4. Nothing about our house is particularly contemporary, but I still think this style would look great.  Unfortunately, it’s budget unfriendly to get two small ones and a bigger one for the front.

5. This one hints at that slightly nautical theme, and I like that it’s not perfectly clear glass.  But, once again we find that there were no options in brown for motion detection.

6. I like that this one is very different.  There’s a bigger version for the front.  It’s also less budget-friendly than other options, and I also fear it kind of mixes styles.  Our house is a really odd mix in and of itself.  I’m not sure adding another really works.

That said, I did try going to a lighting specialty store to see more options, and to see if they could beat the box stores on price.  Price is not the final straw here – I would be willing to ask for a slightly larger budget if there was something that just hit the right look.  I suspect that if it really was a better option, he’d be willing to pay the higher price.  But, with higher prices comes the expectation of better service.

In my case, it would have included the expectation of a staff member even talking to me.  But that didn’t happen.  I walked in and got stared at, but with no greeting.  I made my way around the store looking for outdoor lighting and passed three people who appeared to be staff and not one said a word.  I was looking at fixtures and price tags in the room I finally found with the outdoor lamps and no one bothered to even stop and talk to me, even though staff members eventually came into the room.  It’s too bad since I did find some decent (but not perfect) options in there.  I would have been willing to look at catalogs if they had any or would have given me the time of day.  So, for anyone else in SE PA looking to spruce up their home with some new lights, I would have to recommend against going to Light World in Trevose.  It’s too bad since we’ll also need new fixtures for the living room, dining room, and den.

I have one more lighting specialty store to hit that’s not too far from Sebastian’s gun club.  I just want to make sure that we’ve made the right decision.

Next non-working day installment: Furniture!

Viele Menschen jagen mit Hunden.  Nicht viele Menschen erkennen dass Katzen sind auch Jäger.  Richtig gelehrt, Katzen töten können kleine Nagetiere.  Sie lassen sie auf Ihre Haustür, in Ihre Schuhe, oder in Ihrem Bett.  Aber einmal getötet, sie machen einen leckeren Eintopf.  Ihre Katze is stolz auf seine Beute.  Respektieren Ihre Katze, und essen Sie die Jagdbeute.

Aber Katzen können sich selbst Beute.

Bitte, Katzen und Pythons mischen nicht.

Amadeus ist mein Lieblings Katze.

Bitte entschuldigen Sie mich, mein Deutsch ist nicht gut.  Ich liebe Amadus, aber er ist ein sehr schlechtes Katze.  Er genießt zerstören Rollen Toilettenpapier, und wachte er mich in der Morgendämmerung.  Amadeus hat nicht mit mir lebte für mehrere Jahre.  Er gehört zu einer ehemaligen Freundin.  Bitter is allergisch auf Katzen, so kann ich immer einen im Haus mehr.  Wie traurig.

While we wait for the concrete to cure, I’ll tackle another issue in our patio repair/makeover.  I mentioned in a previous post that we need new lighting fixtures in the back. I think the ones out there are almost as old as I am. I am torn, so I’m turning to you interwebz. However, know that when I ask for your input, it doesn’t mean I’ll take it. No offense meant by that, it’s just that I’m a woman.

My first instinct when I open up the outdoor lighting sections of the Home Depot and Lowe’s websites is to look at the pretty brown lights. I adore brown. If I could wear brown every day, I would. I go over board on the brown. But, fortunately for me, brown is a nice simple decorating color. Then I realized that we’re getting white gutters. Overall, the trim of the house is a combination of white and blue while we also have some dark red brick and cream stucco. (Don’t ask, it’s hard to explain how all these textures and colors work.) Obviously, based on photos, you can see these lights will go up against the brick. The trim around the door will remain for a while until we pull out the door and replace it with a sliding door that will likely be white, possibly with some blue trim depending on our options at the time. So silver seems like a more neutral color choice in all of this.

That said, I’m not sure I’m 100% sold on the color and styles available for the budget. So, that’s where you come in, Interwebz.

Choice 1: This is the first light I found that somewhat caught my eye. There is no “collection” so the same fixture would have to be used in the back and the front. There is no motion detection, a feature we would like for the front, but not for the back.

This sounds a little odd, but our house, when you look at it for a while, kind of reminds you of a boat.  It doesn’t look like a boat, but maybe because it’s the kind of house I would expect to see on a lake or near a marina.  This light, for some reason, speaks to that feel.  That may be a bad thing.

Click to enlarge all photos.

Choice 2: The lamp on the left is the second one I found that caught my eye.  It has the perk of coming in a collection that gives us more choices for a different light for the front of the house.  The one on the right is the first of those two choices.  The larger light again does not have motion detection for the front, which kind of sucks.

I was not a huge fan of the lamp for the front.  It is much taller than what we have now, and I’m worried it will be too prominent for a relatively small  space.  (Most of the front of the house is a wall of windows with only a sliver of brick between them and the door.

Choice 3: This is the same light for the back, but another of the collection to go out front.  Again, there is no motion detection for the lamp that would go on the front of the house.

The lamp for the front isn’t really a “match,” but it is from the same family of fixtures.  It’s about 3 inches shorter than what we have in the front now, so it would work.  It’s als0 a much cheaper combination than the last choice which makes me a bigger fan.  Yay for budget-friendly!

Choice 4: These two don’t actually match.  One is from Lowe’s and the other Home Depot.  BUT…the lamp choice for the front comes with a motion detector – a plus.  Obviously, the fixtures will be on different sides of the house, so the match issue may not really be much of one since they do have some features which are somewhat similar.

So, this is it for the silver fixture options.  I’m still considering browns because there are some that I think are more the style I’d prefer, and I don’t think we should rule brown out.  Fundamentally, it’s still a neutral color that would work well with the brick.  I may also go back and look at some black fixtures.  I don’t think I want that much contrast out there, but I’ll take a look.  It’s the color of most lamps in the neighborhood that aren’t brass.

Yesterday, the concrete guy came by to check on the status of water in the piling holes.  They were pretty full, so he knew he had to bring a pump today to get them emptied in order to pour the concrete.

This morning, we woke to the sounds of them working on the frame and prepping for the concrete to go in around 7 or 7:30 (the clock is on Sebastian’s side, so I’m guessing here).  Right before Sebastian left, the concrete truck arrived.  That was exciting.  Even more exciting was watching them work.  The concrete truck waited in the alley while Norm’s two assistants brought it over one wheelbarrow-full at a time.  Norm mixed it up to to fill in all the important areas, and then one of the other guys took over smoothing it down for hours.  He left shortly before 3pm.  That was a long day of smoothing out concrete.

I have to admit, I was most shocked when they started putting in lines where there were none before.  And this is why we’re reminded why it’s better to hire pros for some projects.  The simple lines and the pattern that they added to the newly created border transformed that patio.  This home is clearly a starter home, so you can never get too fancy with any decor.  But, because of that, details have the chance to stand out.  And this, when I look outside, really stands out in a good way.

I have to say that this was a fantastic investment.  We got a great deal with the contractor, and I would not be shocked that even in a down market, that Sebastian would see every dime from this project back – and more.  It’s that big of a difference.