It has been a busy past 2 weeks and we are coming up on the 3 month anniversary since Project Hillside was purchased. The floor is now complete and it turned out remarkable. Lots of positive feedback from our guest over the Thanksgiving Holiday. Attached are a few photos.

I was literally blown off my seat with the quotes for flooring. On average they were coming in at about $15/sq foot for everything, which would run us $3,000 for the tile, materials, and installation. We knew we had to do better than this. We had a remarkable experience at Giant Flooring and picked up some really nice Italian porcelain for 99 cents a sq foot (saving $3/sq foot, $600 total savings). I hauled it back to project hillside to avoid delivery charges. Next, we went to the local Lowes and once again the staff were willing to give me tips and tricks. I picked up all the backboard I would need (10 sheets, $10/sheet, 5x3 hardiboard), the thin-set, as well as the hardiboard screws. Total cost of supplies was about $150. Next, I embarked on a job I thought would take a few hours, turning into about an 8 hour job. I laid all the hardiboard myself, with a total of about 600 screws. My process was:

1. Level floor where required
2. Thin set applied with 1/4 trough
3. Place cement backer board on floor
4. Ensure level
5. Screw (about 50 screws per board)
6. Ensure level
7. Move on

I would say it was about 30 minutes per 5x3 section and I had 10 sections, with cuts. So, 5 hours of that, plus other time doing additional prep-work, etc. The end result was a floor with backerboard installed and ready for tile. I hired someone to install the tile for $400. I did not want to do it myself because I wasn't confident with my cuts and I honestly didn't have the time.

Grand total for the floor: $750
Total savings: $2,250

The porcelain

Installing backer board

Making progress on backer board

We've made tremendous headway in the kitchen this month. Getting the cabinets complete, flooring well underway, and what else but the appliances selected, ordered, paid for, and delivery date set (less than 4 days away!). We used a local company in Kingston, PA (Voitek Appliances). Our budget for the kitchen was sliced down after we decided those Jenn Air commercial grade appliances really aren't a logical decision. We were able to purchase the microwave, fridge, oven, and dishwasher for just under $3,000. We went with the Frigidaire Gallery collection, which will add a nice touch but keep the budget in line. Photos will be posted soon. Here is a snap-shot of us dreaming while in the store.

Amber got the call from Kraftmaid to schedule the delivery of the cabinets. You answer the phone, it's early November, and they announce themselves as Kraftmaid and they are calling to set a delivery date. For a split second you think, "wow! We'll have cabinets for Thanksgiving!" Before your brain can fully complete that thought they say, "How does December 18 sound!" Err .. cabinets so far have been the slowest part of the entire process. I guess it is good news though, they will be in before 2010 and (crossing fingers) before Christmas.

Here is a peak at what we ended up going with.

Our love of the sunroom and living room continues to grow as we enjoy being able to decorate the only "finished" rooms in the house. A few weeks back we picked up some new rugs.

I can't say it enough, I know, but the demo in the kitchen still has me physically drained! After 4 days of non-stop work I had my little trash can filled up, well, all 10 yards of it! We had this monster dropped off. I have a vivid memory of thinking to myself, "If I had my Silverado I would just go to the dump myself." After I wasn't able to find any dumps AKA landfills (PA doesn't seem to like them, or I suppose Virginia just loves them and has them everywhere?) Amber made a call to get a dumpster delivered. When it arrived I chuckled thinking how funny it is going to be when it is picked up with hardly anything in it.

HAH! I nearly ran out of room! Total weight, 2.4 tons. That's right, after the weigh in at the landfill the receipt showed a total weight of 2.4 tons. I move all that weight myself .. hey, I'm pretty impressed. The plaster was so thick and heavy it makes since. The metal grates in the wall were also a monster.

Note to any DIY folks that are going to embark on this .. if you are doing more than 1 area of the home get the biggest bin you can!

We haven't updated in a few weeks but that doesn't mean we haven't been busy. With all the internal guys and insulation complete the time came to hang the drywall. Once done, it was sanded, creating another giant mess. Finally I was able to get in the kitchen and clean things up. The drywall looks wonderful. I also put a temporary utility sink in so we have a sink back in the kitchen.

Let's face it. The hardwood floors were dirty. Considering 80 years of grime, old carpet covering them, and general wear and tear, what do you expect? We took a mop and mop bucket and would go to town. Once done, we weren't pleased. I wasn't squeaky clean. The squeak you get when you walk on them with bare feet. The mop and bucket wasn't cutting it. A few clicks on Amazon.com led me to the Bissell Flip It Heat Select. It has two tanks. You put water and the solution in one and the other tank collects the old water. If you flip it to one side it's a vacuum. The other side is a heater water (it heats it) mop and on the pullback it sucks up the dirty water. I spent about $100 and a 2 days later it arrived. I must admit, I read the reviews and honestly didn't think I would get the results I got. I'll let the photos speak for themselves but to sum it up, this thing (even after 2 original mopping) made our floors squeak! The water it picked up was disgusting (pictures show). It wasn't dirty water, we are talking sludge dirty water (like NYC curb water!).

The Machine

The dirty water once used

The sludge from the floor in the bottom

After

This past weekend Amber and I changed the kitchen again. As of now (subject to change of course!) we are considering solid cherry wood cabinets. This would replace the solid wood white cabinets we were going towards previously. We also took the hood over the range out of the design, replacing it with a mounted microwave and cabinets around it. Here are the updated designs.

It's official, Amber and I are reporting to a new boss at Project Hillside. Meet Oliver. Oliver snorts like a pig, sleeps a lot during the day, and seems to fall asleep, even while working on designs, all the time.

Oliver is our new little puppy. He is a full breed pug and a joy to have around. He loves roaming around ProjectHillside. I'm sure you'll see our new boss in many posts to come.