four months!
Avery is four months old!
Now that she’s a bit older I’m having fun dressing her like a little human. (Hopefully she’s not wearing pearls and carrying a handbag by her 12-month photo.)
I didn’t think I would go the bow/headband route, but I’m ok with these. (I might also be overcompensating for people assuming she’s a boy – gah, even dressed in pink!) But really, we kinda love the hats more. She definitely has Kyle’s blue eyes but the jury is still out on hair color. The little she has is brown, but sometimes we see hints of auburn. Red hair is super recessive in my family (yep, I’m the genetic anomaly) so we’ll just have to wait and see.
Avery continues to be a happy and wriggly baby. Her little personality is starting to come through and we’re constantly surprised by how much she’s learned in the past month. And we’re so grateful that we get to see that development. Between raising our daughter and running our business, there is a lot of work in our lives right now. But it’s the kind of chest-swelling work that nudges us out of bed early in the morning and keeps us going late into the hopefully-the-baby-is-sleeping night.
Finally, question time. Like most new parents with a camera within reach at all times, we’ve taken SO MANY pictures of this little one. Too many. (Yes, it’s possible.) I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately and thought you guys might have some advice. At the rate we’re going, we’ll have thousands and thousands of photos of Avery by the time she leaves for college. I worry that there will be so many that none will be special. So, parents (or anyone that’s particularly savvy in this area) – what do you do? How do limit the photos you take and keep them organized? Do you save your favorites and print them? (What a concept!) So far, I try to limit the photos on my iPhone to 1,000 (of which about 800 were taken in the last four months). This has actually taken much effort. The great thing about digital photography of course is that you can easily take 20 photos to get that one good shot and so I also try to quickly delete the duds before I grow too attached. Other than that – I’m not sure. The easiest solution is just to dump everything in iPhoto because hey, space is cheap! But what happens when Avery calls me up in 20 years asking for some cute baby photos? We try to live simply and I think this applies to digital content too. Opinions?
See Avery’s three month post here, her two month post here and her one month post here!
bathroom follow-up
It’s been four years since we finished our bathroom and about time for a good ol’ fashioned follow-up post (in fact, a draft version of this post was started nearly a year ago). We’ve had some crazy rain here the last few days, but this morning there was a fleeting moment of blue skies (and decent lighting) so I snapped some fresh photos for you.
Besides a few accessories, we really haven’t made any changes to this space since its completion. Our house is small so we opted for a modest yet efficient layout. However, since it is our only bathroom (yeah, the basement bathroom is still on the to-do list!) we wanted it to feel a tiny bit luxurious too (deep tub, radiant heat, etc.).
Despite the many doubtful comments I’ve received on the subject, my toilet paper roll art is still going strong! We used a clear acrylic spray on the pieces and our bathroom has a good exhaust fan, so moisture has never been an issue. I’ll probably grow tired of if at some point, but not yet.
The IKEA full-length mirror on the back of the door has been well worth that Liquid Nails experience. With only a small mirror above the sink, the full-length version also doubles as a make-up mirror on days when we’re both rushing to get out the door.
Back in 2008, IKEA didn’t have nearly the number of bathroom vanity options that they do today. Our solution was to attach a simple cabinet unit to a 3-drawer unit and wrap the top and side with teak plywood. (We like to put vanities on legs in small spaces, which makes them feel more like a piece of furniture and not so bulky.)
Our faucet and sink are from Kohler. No complaints. The only thing that slightly annoys my OCD side is that the faucet handles aren’t perfectly horizontal in the off position (we tried to adjust it but no luck so we’re not sure if it’s a flaw in the product of what). Another pro tip: if your sink is non-directional, install it backwards so you hide those ugly overflow holes. Genius, right?
We had a hard time sourcing simple, modern and inexpensive wall sconces, but finally found these from Restoration Hardware. Although they are pictured on the website with the shade facing up, they are designed to go either way. Or not. One of our sconces has failed twice in four years (with the shade separating from the housing as shown in the photo), so we’ll probably just replace both once we find a decent alternative. (Suggestions?)
Over the tub we vaulted the ceiling and installed a small skylight. With the small window above the toilet, there is typically enough natural daylight to avoid using any artificial lights. It’s a good way to start the day.
Opposite of the skylight is our exhaust fan. It’s a Panasonic Whisper Quiet and my only complaint is that sometimes it can be too quiet for guests. If you know what I mean.
One of the smartest moves we made in our bathroom was to add a 2×6 pony wall between our tub and the exterior wall. This allows for a small ledge that runs the length of the tub. It’s only 6″ but it makes a world of difference for storing items and avoids those ugly shower caddies. Better yet, the height means it’s easily accessible while showering or in the tub. Originally, we finished the solid teak ledge with teak oil but after a year switched to a spar varnish. It’s probably time for a fresh coat, but has held up remarkably well considering that it gets blasted with water on a daily basis. The white subway tile is affordable Dal-Tile. For the price I like this tile but every once in a while I have a pang of regret upon seeing higher quality tiles. (This was our first tile install job too so that might have something to do with it.)
We purchased our Kohler Tea-For-Two tub on Craigslist. It was barely used and we got it for about 1/3 of the list price. We love its depth and clean lines, but let’s be real – this is not a two person tub. Sorry Kohler. Although we only had space for a shower/tub combo, we’d definitely recommend going with a deep tub instead of the more standard hotel style. (Y’know, the kind that are so shallow that no one actually ever takes a bath in them.) Our shower fixtures are a combination of Kohler (Purist) with a Hansgrohe valve. Love it all. The valve controls both temperature and function and it’s nice not having a diverter on the tub spout.
The medicine cabinet was from the IKEA Molger line (though has since been discontinued). I like the design but sometimes I wish our more frequently used items weren’t on display. The back panel is a piece of masonite with a mirror attached, which I never really understood because it just multiplies the visual clutter. I’ve toyed with the idea of flipping the masonite and painting it a fun color, but it’s a low priority (obviously).
This IKEA hack was a spur of the moment idea, born from a desire to hide the exposed fasteners on the IKEA Grundtal towel rack. We had a scrap piece of teak plywood lying around so we just cut it to fit with two slits that go over the towel rack. Shortly after finishing the bathroom a friend commented that we should have made the teak plywood a bit longer and installed two hooks. Damn. That is a good idea. Oh well.
Ok, a serious topic – shower curtain rods. At first we reused our inexpensive IKEA rod, the kind that friction fits into place. Well, there is nothing more frustrating than your shower rod and curtain collapsing upon you during a shower and after a few times of this happening I turned to the interwebs for a better solution. Surprisingly, there wasn’t much. I finally found a Moen rod (through Amazon) that both screwed to the wall and had seamless cover plates. Victory. I also finally gave in and traded in my stainless steel shower rings for the kind with ball bearings. Go figure, they do work better (thanks physics!).
For our bedroom and bathroom, we experimented with a window and door reveal detail that involved installing (and painting white) a metal u-shaped reveal between the jamb trim and drywall. We like the look, but the install was a pain and there are some functional aspects that drive me crazy. Like, how do your terminate the reveal at the floor? Well…not this way. Basically we have a small dirt collector that can only be cleaned with a Q-tip. Word to the wise, don’t design stuff that requires a Q-tip to clean it. (Everywhere else in the house we axed the metal reveal and instead butted the drywall up to the wood jamb trim.) Those with a keen eye will also notice the abuse that the door jamb trim has received from the middle drawer. Despite our best efforts, I guess we can’t make a 102 year-old house perfect.
Ok, moving on. The floors! We chose a simple large-scale tile for the floors which we still love. But what we love even more is the electric mat radiant heat underneath. A small splurge but worth every penny. The system is on a timer so it kicks on early in the morning and then again in the early evening. If you do a system like this, you absolutely need it on a programmable timer. (We used to live in a rental house that had it but on a twist timer, which was frustrating because it takes a while to heat up.) The electric mat is only under the portion of tile that you walk on – the only part we goofed on was not running it under the vanity six inches or so (cold toes!).
We haven’t touched the teak plywood countertop yet and it’s starting to show some wear. The issues with using a plywood like this is that the teak is only the top ply so there’s only so much sanding that you can do before exposing the blond middle layers. So, another item on the to-do list. We’ll likely do a very light sand and then add a new layer of finish and cross our fingers.
Other miscellaneous items:
Paint: It’s not as apparent in the photos, but the space needs to be repainted. We must have been tired at the end of this project because for some reason we purchased pre-mixed white paint from a big box store. It looked ok, until we painted the rest of the house and realized it was quite a yellow white. Also, we bought cheapy foam rollers which shed in certain areas. Argh! NEVER BUY CHEAP ROLLERS. Felix also did some damage to the walls so a new paint job is needed. (See how we now need to redo rooms we’ve already done?)
Baseboards: We used a simple painted MDF for the base trim (held off the tile about 1/4″ and caulked between). It’s ok. Ideally I’d like a tile base but the MDF does the job.
Toilet: I never thought I could have such love for a toilet, but I do. We have the Toto Aquia and have never had a single issue (we don’t even own a plunger!). In fact, I’ll go as far to say that rarely do you even need the #2 flush. Best of all though, the streamlined design makes cleaning the thing SO easy. (No Q-tips needed!) We splurged on the soft close seat (which is awesome but does present awkward moments when you’re at a friend’s house and forget that not everyone has your same toilet). The finish on the seat is starting to fail but a new toilet seat every four years doesn’t seem too unreasonable.
Finally, several people have asked us about our sliding door and how we deal with privacy. Well, considering we didn’t have a proper door for the first two years we’re probably not the best advocates of privacy. However, it didn’t take long (ok, actually it did) for Bailey to figure out how to open the door with his nose. For this reason, we bought a door bolt to prevent people/dogs from creating awkward situations. Do we like it? I don’t know, we haven’t actually installed it yet. Furthermore, we’re not even really sure where it is. So here is a picture from the website we ordered it from:
Basically, we’ll need to router out part of the backside of the door (to the left of the mirror) to install the bolt flush. With the door in the closed position the bolt can be kicked out to prevent the door from sliding. It’s meant for a pocket door, but the idea is the same.
Ok…and this concludes a long-winded post about the smallest room in our house!
Want a comprehensive list of everything we’ve used. Here ya go. A play-by-play summary of how we remodeled this space? Boom!
ikea on a wednesday
It’s hard to fathom now, but I didn’t know about IKEA until I was in college. Growing up in Oklahoma, the closest IKEA (at the time) was in Chicago. I was a freshman in college and taking my first introduction to architecture course. We were discussing good (and bad) product design when my professor first opened our eyes to such Scandinavian joy. After that, I ordered a catalog and spent many a night in my dorm room thumbing through its pages (because that’s what all college students do, right?). Online ordering wasn’t available then but I did order a couple of items over the phone and had them shipped freight to my parents’ house.
In 2001, Kyle and I (along with several of our classmates) took a road trip up to Pittsburgh for an architecture student conference during winter break. It was a part of the country I hadn’t yet seen and my first experience with truly frigid temperatures. I will never forget sitting in an unheated school bus going to see Fallingwater. The northern kids seemed unphased but I was certain that frostbite was imminent.
Anywho. One of the highlights of that trip was a quick excursion to IKEA. I coaxed our friend into letting us borrow his car and then twisted Kyle’s arm into coming with me. Yes, I also made Kyle take this photo of me in front of the store. I was 21.
Fast forward 11 years and I’m now an IKEA veteran. I go at least once every couple of months, sometimes more. It’s a calming experience for me, no matter how crowded (weird, right?). I also have a ritual – after parking in my secret spot, I go through the exit, grab coffee, then back out and through the main entrance. I spend about 20% of my time getting what I actually need and the other 80% browsing and brainstorming. These days, IKEA is more like a hardware store to me – I look at products as supplies to some bigger DIY project. I also take notice of the store’s displays and the way they hack their own products.
Sadly, I had not been down to my favorite Swedish megastore since we bought the sleeper sofa shortly before Avery was born (one of the rare occasions when Kyle was with me). Today, that was remedied.
I think she had fun!
My shopping list only had a couple of items on it, but so much had changed in those 4+ months that I purposefully lingered in each department (while taking photos with my iPhone and trying not to be too much of a creepster). The highlights:
I really want a reason to own a few of these FRODE folding chairs or maybe one of the RASKOG carts (which both come in turquoise or dark gray).
I usually skip the side tables, but today I was excited to see these nesting guys from the PS 2012 collection.
Another gem from the PS 2012 collection, I kinda love this (especially for a kid’s room). Never mind that $550 price tag.
As I approach the kitchen/dining department, I try to keep my gaze straight ahead since I really, really do not need or have space for more kitchen things. But today, I gave in (but remained strong, only succumbing to a $2 scrub brush).
These bowls!
And these trays!
And perhaps a holiday cocktail in these glasses?
Ok, lighting. For me, IKEA can be really hit or miss in this department but I found a few things to keep on my radar.
I love these quirky reading lights. I’ve had several clients ask for recommendations on inexpensive reading lights for kids and these JANSJO LED ones seem like a great option.
I remember seeing an image of spray-painted IKEA pendants a long time ago on Pinterest and it seems like they took the hint. These FOTO pendants are fun and inexpensive!
Ok, let’s keep moving.
Well, well, well…looks like everyone’s favorite GRUNDTAL line now has fancy hangers!
I’ve bought lots of solid color sheets from IKEA in the past, but have always had lukewarm feeling for the prints. But I don’t know…these gray and white polka dots and red and white stripes could change my mind.
This rug (another PS 2012 item) reminded me of some of the felted products I’ve seen at craft shows and on Etsy. It’s big and bold and funky!
Finally, I saw this sliced wood graphic on a few different products and decided that I could go for it in gift wrap form. Naturally, they were sold out.
So what did I end up with? This light for the loft, some finger puppets, a scrub brush, a shower curtain liner and this snowflake tray. Yup.
Avery made it about 20 minutes before passing out but I guess the first visit can be a bit overwhelming. Don’t worry little one, I see lots of Småland in your future.
[Yes, I was originally going to also look at desk options for the basement office but now I’m thinking it might be easier to work on the main floor. It won’t be a dedicated office, but still a multi-purpose puzzle to solve.]
office space
Over the last few weeks, when friends and family have asked us how we’re doing I usually say, “we’re busy, but it’s a good busy”. And it’s true – each day starts early and ends late (and sometimes there’s a middle of the night shift), but it feels good.
And we’re making progress. Like ordering business cards! We went with a simple and clean design (thank you Anna!) and had them printed through Moo after hearing good reviews on Door Sixteen. Really, I was impressed with the whole process. Their website is well-designed and easy to navigate, the ordering process was straight-forward (we went with regular business cards printed on recycled paper) and we received them days before their estimated delivery date. (And gah, I’m such a sucker for clever packaging!) Since Anna’s blog referred me to Moo, I was able to save an extra 10% off my order and Anna gets $7.50 credited to her account. (If you want to get 10% off using my Refer a Friend link, here ya go.)
We’ve also been ordering various reference books and office supplies. (I love ReBinder products from Seattle company Guided Products, who offer more sustainable alternatives to vinyl.)
As far as office space, well…that’s still a work in progress. Although I was originally going to work in the loft, we’ve decided that one of the keys to effectively working from home will be for us each to have our own spaces. For now, I’ll be splitting my time between working and taking care of Avery, so it makes sense for me to have a more accessible office space. Even though we had plans to move the TV down to the basement and make that a guest/den area, we’re now thinking it will be a guest/office/play room. We’ll leave the sofa bed where it’s at, but add a work surface along the wall where the TV will eventually go. (Ooh! Do I smell a trip to IKEA? I think so. I haven’t been since Avery was born. WITHDRAWAL.)
Anyhow. The loft is currently an explosion of architecture, but we’ll be getting that space (and the basement room) in order over the next several weeks. (So y’know, it will look like a better organized explosion of architecture.) Now that we are a company of two, we’re also working through the logistics of computers, software, file sharing and data backup. Living in Seattle, we’re fortunate to have several techie friends to help us navigate those options.
We’re still adjusting to this new work-life balance, but so far, so good.
side yard roof
Here’s one thing we’ve learned in our 6+ years of remodeling: tackle the crappy jobs first. (Trust me, your future self will thank you.)
When we bought our house it was very much in a need of a new roof. Unglamorous but necessary, that became our first major project the following summer. At the time, we were young(er) and had lots of pent-up DIY energy, so tearing off a roof seemed like a moderately fun time.
Or not. For a few anxiety-ridden days we literally had no roof over our heads. (Our previous neighbor took this photo from her second story window, probably thinking “those crazy Zerbeys!” all the while.)
Our initial strategy was to shovel debris directly into the dumpster in the driveway. This worked fairly well for the north side, but not so much for the south (where we optimistically thought we could just toss shingles up over the ridge). Before we knew it, we were knee-deep in layers upon layers of old shingles, intertwined with rusty nails. By this point we were exhausted and hadn’t even started the actual installation yet.
Our poor little house. When we need perspective in life, Kyle and I look at these photos.
All this to say that when it came time to tackle another roof project, we were glad it was a substantially smaller one.
One of the things on our pre-winter to-do list was to build a small roof over the basement stairs. Although there is a drain at the bottom landing, it often gets clogged with leaves and needles so during heavy rains water ends up finding its way under the basement door.
So, we decided a new roof was in order. It seemed like a quick, knock-that-out-in-a-weekend-or-two project, but of course it never works out that way. Kyle started this project a month or so ago, but progress stalled as we switched our focus to Studio Zerbey. Fortunately, we had a break in the rainy weather earlier this week so Kyle spent an afternoon wrapping things up.
The design we came up with is fairly simple and reflects our goals to create something functional, aesthetically pleasing and affordable. The roof’s size and shape were dictated by the location of the dining room window sill and maintaining adequate head clearance going down the steps. Kyle used two cedar 4×4 posts that are attached to the existing concrete wall. To reduce the depth of the beams, we used two 2×8’s (bolted to the columns) and tapered the outboard edge to avoid a head-knocker situation. (We considered applying a finish to the cedar, but opted to let it gray out to match the fence and gates.)
For the sheathing and rafters, we matched the main roof using painted beadboard plywood and 2x’s.
At the house, the rafters are attached with Simpson clips to a 2×4 ledger board that is attached to the wall framing.
The tops of the beams were cut at an angle to account for the slope of the rafters (we decided this would be easier than bird-mouthing or notching each one).
In lieu of standard building paper, Kyle used Grace’s Ice & Water Shield to protect the plywood sheathing before installing the shingles. This is a more durable product and better suited for low-sloped roofs susceptible to wind-driven rain.
It’s a sticky-back product so installation can be a bit more time-consuming, but you also don’t have to fuss with staples.
With the underlayment on and fascias and flashing in place, Kyle installed the shingles (the easy part!). We used shingles leftover from the main roof project and because it was such a small area Kyle simply hand-nailed them in place.
It’s not so bad, right? This is definitely one of those projects where we could have done something fancier and more “architecty” but couldn’t justify the added costs or creating a focal point of what is essentially a service entry. Eventually (and before Avery is walking) we’ll add a guard rail that will match the design of the adjacent gate. It will be constructed as a removable panel in case we need to move things in/out of the basement at some point.
Where the roof hits the wall of the house, Kyle tucked a piece of flashing up under that row of siding and secured it with a series of nails. The flashing protects the joint between the two surfaces and helps direct water out and away. We still need to install a gutter and downspout, but Kyle picked those up today so y’know…maybe they’ll be up by Thanksgiving?
Obviously, this area still needs some landscaping and hardscaping magic as well.
Here’s a glimpse of how our front yard landscaping is fairing. Our neighbor’s Horse Chestnut is dropping all of its leaves in our yard (the nerve!) and our red-flowering currants pooped out on us, but other than that we’re pretty happy with how the plants are transitioning to winter.
The only plant remaining in the backyard portion of the side yard is the Winter Daphne. In fact, I think it is the only plant that has survived our six years of remodeling.
There has also been discussion about preserving part of this side yard for a future hot tub. (For hydrotherapy purposes of course.) Hmm, maybe that was a purchase that should have been made before six years of manual labor?
