Fixer Upper Update
It’s been a hot minute since we’ve last updated on our fixer upper. We’ve been spending our weekends and weeknights giving it much more than a facelift. In the beginning process, the majority of our time was spent in demo-mode. We had some #demofail, but made some progress with removing the carpet, kitchen appliances, and countertop.
So this is what we’ve been up to since…
We hired licensed professionals to do big projects: asbestos removal, all new repipe/plumbing, all new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC), all new windows, installing drywall, and all new main floor tiles and bathroom tiles. It was nice to hire professionals to do these projects because they would finish in a few days to a few weeks. Since the majority of our budget went to those big projects, it leads us to DIY the rest of the projects. And DIY = takes time.
Removing kitchen Soffit
We guess back then it was the style to have a dropped kitchen ceiling for the soffit lighting. We wanted a more open feel, so we raised up the soffit lighting area to be flush with the ceiling.
Before // The kitchen ceiling soffit is lowered compared to the rest of the kitchen/dining area.
After // The kitchen ceiling is now flush with the rest of the room.
Removing Drywall
We call this OCD drywall demo. It took months for us to remove all the drywall from the exterior walls of the house. Removing the drywall from the exterior walls enables us to install insulation and keep our home energy efficient. We also discovered an unexpected surprise: termite damage on some of the wood studs.
Living Room // OCD drywall removal
Repairing Termite Damage & preventative measures
We got the house fumigated for termites prior to purchasing the home, so finding termite damage wood behind the drywall was another unexpected expense we had to get fixed. Some wood planks were like brittle crisps! Well, at least our home is (more) secure with the new studs now. We also learned preventative measures to take against termites. Did you know there’s a good chance termites can reside in new wood? Wayne sprayed the new wood (along with the old wood) with Boracare. They also love areas that are damp, so keep your exterior walls away from direct water.
Them termites were hungry.
Installing Insulation
To make our home energy efficient, we installed rockwool insulation. We definitely feel the difference already in maintaining interior temperatures and soundproofing. If you plan to DIY insulation installation, take the proper safety precautions. We wore respirators and coverall onesies to avoid skin exposure to rockwool insulation. It can cause acute irritation of the skin, eyes and the upper respiratory tract which causes difficulty breathing and can lead to infection.
Holiday lawn decorations? Nope. This is curbside delivery. We got pallets of insulation delivered and had to move it into the house.
We used a knife that resembled much like a serrated bread knife to slice the insulation. We joked that we were making a giant layered cake.
Stay tuned for part 2 of the Jou Fixer Upper Recap…
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