The Glass is Full

I guess I was wrong. Not only did they finish the dormer upstairs, but check out my brand new roof. She's a beauty!!

Game On!

I realize that it has been awhile since my last post. But, you can't post anything when there's NOTHING to write about. After a long and unecessary hiatus, the game is finally back on. I'm not even going to go into why we were on a break, but just know that it was not in my hands. If I had complete control over this project, we would have already been back in the house and had our first fabulous party!

I was at the house about an hour ago and saw the hole in my roof - wohoooo!!! According to Frank (that's not his real name - i am going to protect his identity incase he shows up dead one day and we are identified as suspects b/c someone "overheard" us say that we wanted to kill him) the framing, siding, and windows should be done by Thursday afternoon. I'm normally a glass-is-1/2-full kind of girl, but I just don't believe it. Let's just pray that it doesn't rain.

Quick, somebody call 911!

I had my first heartattack at the age of 30. At least I think it was a heartattack. It might have been a mini-stroke. Either way, it wasn't fun.

I walked into my house, which is a complete disaster, and saw THIS:



My beautiful dining room ceiling, which was NOT supposed to be touched, is ripped and drawn on. It looks like a 3 yr old got a hold of it! This is when I had the heartattack/mini-stroke.

On another note, we have stairs!! Here are a few pics of the framing that is taking place in the attic and my new staircase. It doesn't look like I'll be able to have overweight guests from the look of those stairs though. If anyone wants to come visit the Burlesons, you better cut out carbs and sodas or else you'll be sleeping on the couch!

Quick update....

So, the house has been leveled, and no, we did not tear the entire thing down to start from scratch. I'm amazed at the number of people who actually think we did that! There was a 3 inch difference in the foundation, which apparently is a lot. But, the 3 inch diff is gone and we are good to go. Will's meeting someone at the house tomorrow to chew them out. I'm not sure why and I feel sorry for the first guy on the scene, but according to Will, they deserve it. This house stuff can make you an angry angry person.

My stress level had gone down quite a bit. I've picked out plumbing fixtures (it takes awhile to look at 1.6 million) and I've picked out my kitchen countertops. I found a tile company that doesn't like to rape people, and the house is level. Life is good.

Legal Disclaimer*

*Will Burleson has in no way contributed to the postings on Pimp My Bungalow. He is not responsible for any of the entertainment that Pimp My Bungalow has provided. If you have laughed at any of the postings, please do not think that Will is funny. Will Burleson feels that he is being falsely represented and would like his name removed. I told him that it was physically impossible. I could remove his name but I’m not going to. If you receive an email from him with his own blog which counteracts Pimp My Bungalow, please delete at once.

I'm blaming it on you, Mom

My life would be so much easier if I wasn't so picky. It's all mom's fault! Granite or Marble in the bathroom? A normal person would just pick one and go on with their life. Me? I care too much. I have to research each, review the thousands of color choices, and once I think I've made my decision, I change my mind. What if I want to repaint the bathroom in 5 years and my original choice doesn't look good anymore? What color towels can I have with the countertop color? I think about these things. It makes my life very stressful.

Top 10 things I'm stressing about:

10. We have to have the house leveled. Construction has stopped until we find someone to level it. The first guy we talked to can't get to it until February. WHAT? FEBRUARY?? Is there really a big demand for this?
9. Countertops in the masterbath, as mentioned above. I have nightmares about picking the wrong one.
8. Plumbing fixtures. Do I choose the Orleans series or the Botanical series? Did anyone know that there are 1.6 million different bath faucets to choose from? And I need to see all 1.6 million before I can make a decision.
7. Backsplash in the kitchen. Will wants one tile, I want another. Normally, we compromise and I get my way. But, I don't think it's going to happen on this one. I'm not dealing with defeat very well.
6. Railing on the new stairs. I am probably the ONLY person in the world that thinks about this more than just a few minutes. Does anyone notice the railing on stairs? Probably not. I do.
5. I've packed away my guestroom and I need to get something out of there. The only problem is that it's in the far corner of the room. It might take me hours to find this one little bag of grosgrain ribbon. And, the air conditioner is off. It's 127 degrees in there.
4. Will got to pick out the appliances. The range is 30 inches deep. Most professional ranges are 27 deep. Cabinets are 24 deep. If I have to have my kneecaps replaced before the age of 35, it's Will's fault.
3. Bathroom tile. These tile guys are getting away with murder. Can someone really quote me $25 per sq foot to install 22 cent tile around my tub? How can he live with himself?
2. My wood floors. If anyone messes them up, I might kill them. It won't be pretty.
1. Did I mention that we have to have the house leveled, and that there's no activity at my house until we get it done? The house leveler must not know that I'm living with my in-laws. The longer we wait, the longer I live there.

Demolition

Demolition began over the weekend, and the construction workers better be glad I was out of town! I'm sure there's nothing worse than a nervous and overly-picky client who thinks she can do a better job. Will and I went over Sunday night to check out the work. There's no turning back now!

Can I get an AMEN?!?

We have a permit!!! And, I think there is a construction worker at my house as we speak. He may just be sitting there, but at least he's on the premises. Now the big question is where do we put the dumpster? It's too big for the driveway and they aren't allowed in the street. Just curious....why wasn't this thought of 6 months ago? But, as Will says, "Not everyone is as smart as you are Mimi."

"Say a little prayer for me....forever, and ever....."

Now I'm going to have that song in my head all day. I need help. Make a wish, say a prayer, rub Buddha's belly...whatever you have to do. We STILL have not gotten the permit from the city of Georgetown to get started. It's way too early for me to get this mad!

Pooping in Luxury

According to my aunt Martha, the Toto toilet is the latest and greatest in technology. After seeing this, I might have to agree!!

http://www.cleanishappy.com/

If I have any money left over in my budget (does that EVER happen??), then I might consider investing in one of these. I'll be the most popular kid on the block. I'll be the talk of the town...the gossip on the school bus! All of the kids will want to come over and do their business in my toilet. "Have you been to the Burleson's to poop in their toilet? It warms your butt and then cleans it! Dude, that's sweet!"

Labor (Intensive) Day Weekend

Labor Day is for the birds. I'm going to rename the holiday Work Your Ass Off Weekend. Once a year, everyone should pack up their entire house and strategically fit everything they own into their guestroom. It's a lot of fun, I promise!

And We're Off!

Part 2 of the Burleson remodel is finally starting! After months (actually years) of planning, we have finally set a start date. We break ground on Tuesday, September 4th. This week, we are packing up, moving everything we own into the guest room (it’s a big guest room), and are starting to move in with the in-laws. Wish us luck with that one! We are planning to redo the kitchen/pantry/utility room, renovate the master bathroom and closet, and add a bedroom and bathroom upstairs. Hopefully this will only take us a few months, and that we are back into our house by Christmas. Will is much more optimistic than I am. I’m setting very low expectations so that I don’t have to duke it out with the general contractor.

Here are some pictures of Part 1, which took place about 3 years ago. We replaced all of the old wood with new Hardie Plank. We also repainted the house so that it wasn’t the same color as my skin. In true Burleson fashion, we started out doing it ourselves. That quickly ended when Mimi noticed that the house down the street was painted in 3 days, and I had been working for 3 months on a 10x10 section. Who knew paint brushes were a thing of the past! I quickly outsourced the work and we finally finished the project. Now, it’s time to tackle the inside!