We're still here... and still working away

Wow – it has been a year since we became home owners! It is so hard to believe, and yet by the progress made on the house, it has come a long way. We know we’ve been blog neglectors over past months. There has been a bit of a lull in project completions as of late, but now that it is summer again we are back in high gear.

Remember This?

This summer it became this:

Which is turning into this:

Granted, at this point we have one wall done, so there is more to go, but even that has made a WORLD of difference. So excited to have an all new kitchen.

Also on the docket for this summer is air conditioning (yes – we’ve been suffering without it the past few months!), a new kitchen floor and refinishing the hardwood floors. Our goal – by the end of summer have the main floor of the original part of the house done. Stay tuned – we promise to keep you better up to speed with the progress.

Picture Problems

I'm in need of some technical help. We've got a great picture on our camera that we'd like to share you, but problem is the little guy is shy and doesn't want to leave the camera. When I view my pictures on the camera's view screen, the picture is there. However, when I hook up the camera to the computer the picture doesn't show up. I've also tried putting the memory card into another device to pull up the picture that way, and it doesn't come through that way either. I know that there is still room on the memory card because I've taken pictures sense then, and I can get those off.

Any suggestions on what else we can try to get this picture off?

Not all fun and games...

Remodeling an older home is .... well.... not all fun and games. We've gotten use to taking an extra trip or two to Home Depot / Lowe's for each project after we're sure we got everything the first time. We're getting use to whenever you're ready to call a project done there is always one last streak of paint that needs to be sanded down. Sometimes it does feel like its more of one step forward and two steps back, but what we were not at all prepared for was what we found in our basement last weekend.

Ogden has had a good amount of snow thus far this winter. The snow wasn't a bad thing. What did us in was the two days of serious RAIN that we got last weekend that melted the snow and then over saturated the ground. There was a crack in the exterior wall, and it just couldn't take it.

It spread throughout the man-cave and into the hall:

And ran along the footing on the north wall of the man cave to take over the utility closet.

Fun, huh??

As the water was seeping under the tiles, all of the tiles were ripped out so there wouldn't be any mold issues. (no worries, those tiles wouldn't have stayed with us regardless).

Removing the titles didn't stop more water from coming in though.

Fortunately the rain turned back to snow on Sunday afternoon so we got the water under control. Terry then took to digging outside on Monday and Tuesday to figure out what was going on. That is when the crack was found.

Before this came up, we were about half way done with laying tile in our front bathroom. Its looking great, and when that is done we'll have one room complete! Exciting room reveals are now taking a back seat to stopping water damage. This house is nothing if not and Adventure!

Merry Christmas!

Hi Friends!

Yes, it has been nearly 2 months since we've updated our blog. We've been working like crazy on the house and traveling a ton between UT and ID. Between it all, keeping you current via this site has taken a back seat. We apologize.

Our Christmas was amazing, and one of the biggest reasons for that was our house was ready (enough) for us stay in. YES! We got to spend our second married Christmas together in our very own house.

Since we last updated, much has happened - painting in hallways, built-ins and kitchen, got a fridge, and started adding furniture where we could.

While we wouldn't trade our Christmas in the house, we can't quite call it done yet. We still need to tile the front bathroom, and have the floors done (hardwood or carpet depending on the room). Some may say we're more camping than living in the house. No TV (satellite/cable), no Internet, no real bed, no functioning dishwasher or garbage disposal. But the air bed is comfortable enough, the heat works, we've got season 4 of 24 on DVD, and the kitchen is fully functional even though some of our gizmos and gadgets are still in Boise.

Here is a look:

Bedroom -

Kitchen -

Even Gary has settled in nicely - as seen here with his Seal he got for Christmas from "Grandma" and "Grandpa" McBride.

Its amazing to think that Christmas last year we had no clue that we'd spend this Christmas in a house of our own. Its crazy to think of how far this house as come in the past 6 months, and we can hardly comprehend what it will look like next year. All we know is that we are exciting for the adventures ahead. We look forward to officially moving back to UT. And we appreciate all of you friends and family who follow along with our adventure via our blog.

May 2009 bring you all of the best!

Happy New Year!

On the Inside

While a lot happened on the out side of the house, a WHOLE LOT happened on the inside as well. We finished painting the living/dinning/office. We found a light fixture for the living room. And we had a party as we pulled up the nasty carpet to reveal the beautiful unfinished hardwood floors. The pad under the carpet was... not much of anything. We had some discussion if the pieces of pad looked more like corn flakes or gram crackers, but after we swept it all together we decided in we actually had a sand box in our living room.

And in the end it was beautiful!

You're just going to have to trust us that the pictures do not do the blue justice - it really looks great.

But WAIT... There is more!!

We also got paint in the front bed room.

It is amazing what a coat of paint does to make these look clean and new. It is a great feeling to have most of the behind the scenes work done so we can keep moving forward with tasks that at the end of the day you see progress with. We're getting very excited about what's happening in our dear home.

On the Outside

Lot's happened at the house on our last trip to Utah. Thanks to a dedicated and determined mom, we found a great and affordable concrete guy who redid our walk way, and we also got the front steps cleaned and painted. We're so excited about the improvement in curb appeal!

What is left to be done outside? On our next round of pictures we will have the hand rails attached. We also still need to paint the main door. Next summer we'll go big with landscaping and all of that fun, but that is still a ways away.


Our big debate is what to do with the remaining two bushes that line the door. Do they come out now, or do we keep them until we decide what we want to do with landscaping in that area? We'd love your thoughts on if they should stay or go now? We also welcome any suggestions of what plants would be great there that we can look into next summer.

What is that??

On the first weekend of October we had a bit of an adventure that we've been meaning to share. It all came about out of the desire to be out of our storage unit in Boise. Our trip to Utah coincided with Conference weekend, and as many of you know, VERY rarely is there a Conference weekend in October that does not include rain in Utah.

Rain - what's a little rain when you're moving stuff from ID to UT? That's what tarps are for, right??

Our plan was to leave Friday night after securing our load. However, after it took 3 hours and 2 trips to Home Depot to get enough tarps and clamps to feel good about the covering, so we decided we'd get some sleep and head out first thing in the morning. 5:00 on Saturday morning we hit the road in the dark and in the rain. 45 minutes outside of Boise Mary looked in the rear-view-mirror as a semi passed allowing her to see something flapping in the back of the truck. We pulled over to discover that ONE corner wasn't secured enough and our tarp was shredding!!!

To our good fortune there was Wal Mart in the town and 45 minutes, 1 additional tarp, 1 towel, 1 waste basket, and a 20 piece bungie cord set later we were back on the road.

And it only took us two more hours than normal to make the trip. But along with that we will never forget listening to the first session of Conference on the radio and learning that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is building a temple in Rome.

For all of that effort, here is what our final carefully wrapped load looked like.

What, you may ask, were we transporting that was worth all the effort? The Bear Lake Monster? A dragon our friend Haggrid left to our care? Or maybe a couch and an elliptical machine. :) If you ever need help packing furniture to move in an open bed truck in the rain - just give us a call. (or learn from our lesson and PICK A DIFFERENT WEEKEND).

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween from our family to yours!

A message from Ron Howard

Ok, ok, so we have been not the best at the blog updating thing lately. Moral of the story - when we are in Utah we need to be sure and pack our cable to get the pictures from the camera onto the computer so we can show you our progress.


In any case, updates coming soon about our latest adventures with the house. We've made a lot of progress over the past weeks, so exciting things for you to see are on the way.


In the mean time.... 'tis the political season. We hope you'll indulge us as we break from housing updates for this posting. Our political junkie cousin shared this video with us this afternoon, and we had to pass it along. If nothing else, hopefully it will bring a chuckle. Feel free to click on the link below, or scroll to the bottom of the blog to see what everyone's favorite red haired child actor turned director has been up to.


http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/cc65ed650d

Goodbye Fitzers! Hello Open Seas!

We had a great two weekends at the house. We got big things done, and we’re feeling great about our progress.

It all started out with a battle in the front yard. The cavalry arrived in the form of the Cutright family. It was a tough fight. The battle was not without casualties. The Fitzer bushes were mean, and called in their best troops – the wasps that had a nest in one of the bushes. Badges of bravery go to Steve and Dave who took the stings and fought on with valor. In the end, our secret weapon made all the difference – Kathy driving the GMC Safari! Who knew the family van was such a work horse? (ok, we had a clue when it pulled the Dodge Caravan out of the sand at Sand Hollow two summers ago ;) )

We also want to give a special call out to Sara, Ryan, and Hannah for being wonderful with rakes, ruthless with weeds, and all around great at running errands.
Here’s the before and after – talk about progress!

Here is Sara next to one of the culprets who met its match.

Working hard or hardly working?

J/K - we couldn't have done half of the things we have without Steve's help!

Our great work on the first Saturday spurred us on to getting even more done than we were hoping for on this trip. With renewed energy we turned our attention inside. Thanks to many extra hours by Terry and Steve M. throughout the week, we were ready to… brace yourselves… start painting the living room/dining room on Saturday.

We got white on the ceiling of both rooms, and our lovely Open Seas paint in the living room. It’s a first coat at this point. Grandma’s comment when she saw the pics was “Is it really that blue?” Well, maybe. It may just be a bad picture. It may just need the second coat of paint. Or, if you like it, yes it is that blue. ;)

Before: After:

We can’t wait to get back down and finish painting those rooms and hopefully get paint on the front porch as well!

And the winner is....

Thanks for taking part of our poll. We thought it would be fun to make our blog an interactive experience, just as we hope that our house will be an interactive place for us all to get together and have a good time.

Without further ado.....

The location of this fabulous wall paper in our house was... the entry way!! Congrats to the 41% of you who got this right. Either you have an excellent knowledge of 50's interior design or you've been to the house. :) To those of you who guessed elsewhere, our first thought would also be that this paper shouldn't be your first impression of the house.

But now that we've found it, its made its way into a special place in our hearts. Don't worry. The majority of it is coming out. The three main walls of the entry way from floor to ceiling of this stuff would be just too much. However, don't forget about it. It is too unique to disappear for good. We won't say more at this point. Just know its not all going away. That would just be sad.

On a side note, we've added a new permanent section to the bottom of the blog, so when you have some time to spare, scroll all the way down.

Yard Sales Rock!

Saturday we acted on a whim and went yard sale-ing. The thrill of the hunt is something not to be missed. As those of you know who've had the experience, some outings are amazing, and some are nothing but "crap-fests," but either way its a fun way to spend a Saturday morning.

Saturday we hit the jack pot. We found a moving/estate sale. The man moved back East. He left pretty much everything behind. What didn't sell was being bulldozed with the house to make way for an extension to a new subdivision.

Terry decided a while ago that we need a bumper pool table with poker table top for the "man cave." Did we luck out! We found one in condition that was practically like new. It was a steal, so we now have our game table ready to go (until then it will act as our dining room table in our apartment).

We also got two chandeliers, extension cords, paint guns, work lights, decorative shelves, and Christmas lights for next to nothing. It was AWESOME!

Oh - and check back again soon - information to be revealed of where that killer wallpaper was located, and just what we're going to do with it.

Sick Dude!

The moral of the story - don't smoke!

We spent Saturday cleaning walls. Take a look at what we had to overcome...

The gold star of the day went to Bonnie (Terry's mom) for finding out that a good coating of 409 plus HOT water along with the orange cleaning solution works wonders. Go Mom!

We were very encouraged at the end of the day. We are very close to being ready to start priming, and after priming comes painting! We'll be around for two weekends in September, so we anticipate having something if not a lot of things primed by the end of that trip.

Based on this picture of the kitchen, would you believe the rest of the house looks like the pictures above?

Major kudos to Steve (Mary's dad) for his energy to take the knobs and hinges from a dingy dirty bronze looking color to a shiny brass. Go Dad!

However, don't be fooled by the appearance that this room is done and ready. The counter tops are coming out, so its going to get worse before its done. But let's take moment and enjoy where it is today.

Without Further Ado... Pictures!

Here are some pics from inside the house.
Think possibilities....



Here is the living room taken from the entry, and the dining room taken from the living room. (the library is off to the right). Isn't the table in pic 1 awesome? It has a real slate top and it came with the house - what a perk! (it may have something to do with it being way to heavy to move long distances - or short distances for that matter)

Here is the kitchen. To the left is a breakfast nook, and through the door on the right is the dinning room.


This is the master from its entrance. Pic 2 is the master from the top. The walk-in closet is on the left and the master bath is in the middle.

This is the front bathroom. (aren't the pink tiles with green paint groovey?)

This is the front bedroom (currently being used for storage of drawers)





The stairs going down... The great pine room (aka "the man cave" or "the humador")


This sun room was an add on to the house. The fireplace was once outside. Now it is lovingly called the monstrousity, and it will be leaving us in the future.

Note: pictures taken after the first work day. Not any HUGE improvements happened that day aside from us making our own messes.

Pictures to come of the laundry room, down stairs kitchenette, downstairs bathroom, downstairs bedroom, and back yard.

So how is this remodel going to work? Good question. We are still going to be living in Boise through the end of the year (possibly a bit less). We'll be fixing this baby up while we are in town a couple of weekends a month, and we'll be getting some help from professionals on some things as well. Then it will be all ready for us when Terry's work gives us the green light for the big move.

Satuday we let Gary come check out his home-to-be. His little tail was wagging as he ran room to room. He gave the place a through screening, and aside from some dust, he found it to his liking.

The Work Commences

What a weekend!

Friday afternoon we FINALLY got the keys, and we spent some quality time at the house. Initial emotion was pure thrill and excitement - this was our house. Visions of many happy years to come flashed through our minds. Second emotion came after realistically looking around - boy this is gonna take some work! Just as we started to wonder what we'd gotten ourselves into, we got a call from our neighbor Bob. (We're sure he will come up periodically in this blog. He lives around the corner, and is the neighborhood go-to guy. He was the one who had the keys to the house and first showed it to us). He wanted to bring our first house warming gift. Inspired by the movie Its a Wonderful Life he brought us some salt, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of sparkling cider. He also gave us a BEAUTIFUL glass chandelier for our dining room. It is going to look great.

That set our weekend off on the right foot. We are so blessed to have fantastic friends and family who heard and heeded the call for help. Whether you can from a different state, a different county, a different city, or a different block, we can't express enough how we value the help. We got paint scraped, walls puttied, faucet leaks fixed, a new toilet seat on, banisters cleaned, drawers and doors removed for cleaning, and kitchen cupboards scrubbed. To the naked eye it may not have looked much different at the end of the day, but when we stepped back we saw it.

This week could be a challenge. We are excited that we are probably another good work day or so away from being able to get to the stuff that will make a noticeable difference quickly. The problem is - that work day won't come until Saturday. We're quickly learning that patience is going to be a virtue we're going to learn through this process.

Finish Line in Sight

We are SO close to home ownership. Tomorrow is the big day. It is a week late, but we are just grateful that it is happening. In truth, last night we were dead in the water and contemplating how to write a blog entry sharing that our great plan for a blog would be changing because there was no dream house.

But miracles really do happen.

We were having issues with paperwork. The lender needed information stating exactly when we'd be moving back. However, that isn't set in stone. We just know that Terry's work sent us to Boise for two years, and those two years are up at the end of the this year. Last week we thought we'd given the lender enough to make it work. And slowly from there it all fell apart. Yesterday morning we got the call from our agent that the lender had denied our loan, and he didn't think anyone else would take it.

Then this morning we got a call from our agent saying this is a story straight out of the Bible. Just like Lazarus - what was dead is now alive. Our mortgage specialist kept the faith and found us a lender who not only approved us, but wanted us to close today!

So Mary signed, and signed, and signed, and signed this afternoon. Terry is currently in Southern Idaho on business, so Mary was given power of attorney. Terry got to review the documents tonight. Minus a few clerical misspells, everything looks great so the paperwork will be processed and recorded and then... HOUSE!

We owe GREAT thanks to Mark Handy with Custom Reality and Chris Handy with One-on-One Mortgage. If anyone is going into the housing marking, these guys really go to bat for their clients.

If any of you in/near Ogden have some free time on Saturday, come on by. We'd love to give you the tour, and if you have any elbow grease to spare, we'd be very appreciative of that too.

Pictures of the inside to come soon!

We're Blogging! - and Housing!

Brace yourself - the McBrides have entered the 21st century and are joining the wide world of blogging! We appreciate all of you thinking we're fascinating enough to have a blog before now. We finally agree that we will have exciting things to share on a regular basis.

Which brings us to our bigger news, and the main purpose behind our blog - we're buying a house! If there was ever a thing that seemed meant to be it is us and this house. It was love at first sight. The story line of this blog saga is something similar to that of Princess Diaries or She's All That. The girl has a great personality which draws you to her, but she is in need of a serious makeover. So, with this blog we are going to take you with us through the story to show you the princess that is revealed in the end.

Through the negotiation process we were able to get the seller to agree to a new roof, and from the picture below you can see progress is already being made.

Fingers crossed - everything will fall in line and we close on Friday. Once that is done the real blog fun will begin. We'll show you inside the house, and share our vision for it all. Think HGTV gone digital.

More to come soon. We can't wait to share with you our diamond in the rough, and the transformation (we hope) it will go through. We are excited to have you be a part of our turning a house into our home.