This week, I got some work done in the downstairs bathroom at The Maple House! The bathroom is pretty small and I wanted to add some shelving that was tucked within the wall. There is protruding wall that has the laundry chute running to the upstairs bathroom. I don’t use the laundry chute and wouldn’t put clothes down there…what if my clothes got stuck?
I tore the drywall out and realized that the laundry chute was built out of beautiful lumber! These old houses were really built with some quality. I’m excited to see if I can leave the side and back sides of the chute in place and make the shelf from there. Most of the work is already done! I spent many hours carefully dismantling and removing the laundry chute compartments in the basement. They are in bad locations. I, and many of my contractors, have hit our heads and shoulders on these. They are also made from gorgeous tongue and groove lumber, so I carefully took them apart to salvage the wood. The basement is so much roomier!!!
Removing paint from the bathroom woodwork has been the worst. The door and window are the only raw lumber that’s been painted in the unit. When using my Silent Paint Remover, previously stained wood usually makes a slick coat and the paint just slides off. It’s a little more difficult with the raw wood, but I’m working it! I think stained wood will be stunning in the bathroom! I removed the bathroom and started restoring it. It has gorgeous Florentine glass that I love (I do NOT love cleaning the paint out of the starbursts). When I restored the last window, it took me days to remove all the paint. I used a combination of scraping, sanding, and chemical stripper. There were so many layers, it’s unbelievable. With the Silent Paint Remover, it took me about three hours to remove all the paint! Man, this thing was worth every cent.
Since the bathrooms are small, there is currently a tiny pedestal sink (a tiny vanity in the upstairs bathroom) with no room to set anything. The door swing really limits the sink/counter space that’s possible. I’ve decided to cut the door in half and turn it into mini French doors. This reduces the door swing by 50%! It has to work, since I’ve already bought sinks that won’t fit with the door as is. I finished removing the paint from the door and used wood filler to fill the holes where the old doorknob assembly was located. Hopefully, it stains a little to not be so obvious. If not, I just chalk it up to character. It tells the story of the house.
Wolverine is still inoperable and parked in the driveway. Wade and I have been debating whether or not we want to have it fixed. We suspect it needs a new alternator and battery, which is doable and not necessarily worth scrapping the truck over. While I love Wolverine and think the wolves howling to the moon on the back and interior is awesome, I never wanted a truck. I had wanted a big, cargo van. There’s something about my tools/supplies being left in the van, dry and secured, overnight or indefinitely, that is incredibly appealing. With the truck, I’m nervous to head to Home Depot with my extension ladder in the back. Those ladders are expensive! What if it gets stolen? Hauling drywall is also a pain if there’s snow or moisture in the back. There weren’t any vans for sale in my price range when we bought the truck and we needed to haul drywall, so we pulled the trigger and bought Wolverine. We may aim for a van and try to sell Wolverine for cheap to someone who’s willing to do repairs. We shall see.
