fixer upper

barbara and i enjoyed taking down the "marble" backsplash and what little cabinetry there was from the kitchen.

this used to be the wallpaper in the kitchen

 

there were at least 3 layers in the hallway

ripped up the carpet and linoleum upstairs and rented a floor sander from home depot

linoleum area rug anyone?

the floors were stained only around the edges... classy people...

the downstairs floors are a whole other mess which we are currently avoiding... carpet over cafeteria style tile over mastic(tar stuff).  we have removed all except the layer of tar in the livingroom, but the dining room and downstairs hallway are the same...  nasty stuff.  we're currently using adhesive remover which we roll on, cover with plastic, wait an hour, and scrape off with a spackling knife.

adam took down the lower branches of the three giant cedar bushes around the front of the house so we could actually see... they will probably be taken down completely at a later date... especially the one on the side of the house in the pic below, because we can see the water if it's gone.

exhaustion

 meanwhile, inside: the boys' room is getting it's ceiling tiles removed and wallpaper steamed(thank you scott and tori for letting us borrow your steamer!)

those lovely brown spots on the ceiling were dollups of brown adhesive which had to be chisled off.

my mom steamed the shelf liner off the pantry shelves

we're trying to dive right in and not lose momentum.  easier said than done.  we need some electrical and plumbing work done soon and are probably going to hang drywall on the ceilings as removing the adhesive takes off the top layer of the wallboard that is currently up there.  both of our parents have been AWESOME.