DIY: The Addiction Continues by Aileen Fish

I am beginning to think the endorphins cause by all the manual labor, mixed with the pleasure of seeing the finished result, has me addicted to DIY projects. The truth might be that these projects are the result of an aging mobile home. Either way, in between heat waves I've been making progress.

Our deck is a sad sack made with plywood, rather than nice redwood decking. It was painted white when we moved in four years ago, and had reached the point where hosing it off wasn't getting it clean anymore. The budget is only slightly less sad after the bathroom remodel, so when I saw Valspar Porch Paint in Lowe's a few weeks ago I decided that was the answer, for now.

This is the sorry state of the deck top three years ago before I threw down some rugs and cleared off some junk.

I chose a grayish-taupe, Weathered Oak, I think they called it. It covered in one coat and a gallon did the whole deck surface! You can see toward the front of the photo how I really need to replace the plywood. Overall I love the look, but it made the lattice and railing look very tired.

From the front, the lattice and railing didn't look too bad but the steps were in a sad state, and when you're the deck, you can see how the rails weren't getting clean anymore.

Lowe's had a booklet of paint colors for the porch paint...yeah, they saw me coming, LOL! I chose a slightly darker coordinating color, Covered Bridge or something like that, and went to town. And I very quickly began to wonder where Huck Finn was when I needed him! I think a sprayer is the way to go for lattice, as the paint brush left drips on the back side of where I would be working, and by the time I finished a section and went to the back, the drips were drying. Let's just say this isn't my best finish.


Still, compared to what it was, I am so pleased. I do need to pot some plants if the heat wave doesn't kill them, and get the BBQ back into its spot, but it looks so much better even with things out of place.

The next project is laminated flooring in the hall and kitchen. Since the weather outlook shows no end to 100+ degree weather, I will be working early in the day. And you can bet I will have picture to share!

Aileen Fish used to spend all her time on the computer either writing, formatting, or making book covers, until she got bitten by the DIY bug. Her latest release, Chasing Lord Mystery, has been hovering in the top 50 of Amazon's historical short stories and Regency best seller lists. She hopes to have a new release in August. You can stay on top of her book news at her website, http://aileenfish.com

Romance Author Has a #DIYFail by Melinda Curtis

Some of you may remember a DIY post Aileen Fish and I did in May. We both finished those bathrooms. And I was content.  Really.

Then somehow a few weeks later, Mr. Curtis and I found ourselves redoing our hall bathroom. Like any man (not that I'm stereotyping, but you ladies know what I'm talking about), Mr. Curtis believed this water-soiled linoleum to be a perfectly acceptable representation of us to our guests.

• DIY Note: If your linoleum is discoloring, chances are there's a water leak somewhere - toilet, faucet, wall. Act quickly to avoid something as large as this. I thought the kids were messy!

And so, we ripped up the linoleum (an activity conducted during our puppy's naptime - she protested by insisting she be in my lap). That's me scraping off the glue from the concrete slab. For those of you more versed in home improvement than I, you might note I left the guest towels up on the towel rack - LOL!

Lo and behold, before we'd laid tile one I decided the vanity needed updating and Mr. Curtis decreed it time to replace the toilet with the tallest, most powerful (and yet water saving) toilet on record. I promised the paint would look good and the hardware knobs modern. He promised the toilet would fit under the "banjo countertop" - an extension of the vanity counter over the toilet (great storage).  Tiling went well (thank you to Costco for some great looking tile).  Painting the cabinets a chocolate brown went well (despite me painting cabinet doors and drawers in a 100+ degree heat wave in our garage).  

Enter the fail...

Turns out back in 1988 when this house was built, they built our vanity out of high quality, thick wood, not plywood. They don't make hinges like that anymore (certainly not in brushed nickel).  And the drawer handles require extra long screws. It took some figuring out, but Mr. Curtis came up with a solution - our drawers/doors have great looking handles. You won't see the 1.5" gaping hole unless you open the cabinet door. I wonder what they would have done on Bath Crashers?

The toilet Mr. Curtis picked out is the one from the TV ad where the kid flushes a bowlful of golf balls. Water efficient and utility rebate (yay!). Since Mr. Curtis is 6'5" and neither of us are spring chickens, we were excited to have a toilet seat that is chair height (17.5").  Installation was easy. And then we went to put the lid on...fail. Big Fail. HUGE #DIYFAIL. When Mr. Curtis measured and assured me the toilet would fit beneath the banjo countertop, he didn't take into account the extra height mastic (tile glue) and tile would add.  I tweeted to American Standard (maker of this beauty) requesting a special lid - no such luck.  The toilet must either come out or a new countertop must be installed - one that doesn't have a banjo extension. Which means we'll have to take out or cut the wall mirror above it. And while we're at it, why don't we take out that outdated lighting, too? Mr. Curtis was unwilling to give up the toilet.

We are now in spousal negotiations about the kind of NEW countertop I'm going to get in the hall bathroom and what to do with the bathroom mirror and lighting fixtures. Next weekend, my daughter is coming home from college with her boyfriend of 18 months (who has never been to our house before). Somehow, I don't think our guest will be seeing a finished bathroom. He'll be seeing this (no baseboard, no toilet lid). Tune in next month for an update on our progress!

When not exploring the DIY/Home Improvement field, Melinda Curtis writes the Harmony Valley series of sweet romances for the Harlequin Heartwarming line. Brenda Novak says: “Season of Change has found a place on my keeper shelf”.  Melinda also writes hotter romances as Mel Curtis. Jayne Ann Krentz says of Blue Rules: “Sharp, sassy, modern version of a screwball comedy from Hollywood's Golden Age except a lot hotter.”  Her latest releases are Gemma Rules, book 3.5 in The Hollywood Rules series, and Season of Change, book 3 in the Harmony Valley series.

Should You DIY by Aileen Fish and Melinda Curtis

Are you a DIY-er? Do you watch all those DIY/home improvement shows and think, "I could do that?" Well, Aileen and Melinda are here to tell you it's not that easy. Feel free to learn from our experience.

The Projects:

Aileen's: Since the bathtub in the main bath had cracked, I needed to replace the tub. The surround had me worried because of holes in the "tile" panels, so I was afraid of water damage. I also wanted a toilet that flushed well, and the vanity was ugly, so why not replace it, and redo the floor too, while I was at it, right?

Melinda's: Remodel my daughter's bathroom, taking out wallpaper, the fit-for-2 tub and replacing it with a tub shower, as well as removing the 27" square shower (perfect size for pixies) and using that space for a 2nd bedroom closet. Also to be done were re-purposing the old vanity and "Mirror, mirror on the wall" medicine cabinet.

The War Stories...

Aileen:My budget was tight, and I knew I couldn't afford to pay for help. I recruited my older daughter and my younger daughter's husband to help with the heavier demolition and to get the new tub in place, as I knew what I could carry on my own. What I didn't anticipate is the state of mobile home plumbing. If I were to do it again I'd hire a plumber.




Melinda: Call us wimpy, but we called a plumber to take out the tub, shower, and lay new flooring. Mr. Curtis knows his limits and they edge right up to water pipes. Unfortunately, we didn't supervise this process and arrived to find several pipes from the shower - including hot/cold water shut-off valves - sticking out of the floor and wall. After multiple discussions late Friday night (which included brainstorming work-arounds like built-in shelving and awkward closet placement), we got brave and called the plumber who agreed to return to make things right gratis (yes, for free!).  Lesson learned: be clear with the help about the dimensions and placement of closets.

Aileen: I was a good Mom and bought leather gloves, safety glasses and face masks beforehand. That doesn't mean I remember to use them. In an ironic twist, while doing the demo, my daughter and I did a "demo" of why gloves are important. We both managed to catch part of our hands between the hammer and pry bar. Mine was with no gloves, hers was with gloves on. This, children, is why we wear safety apparatus when working with tools.

Melinda: We hadn't realized that wallpaper in mobile homes is part of the wallboard. When we started to paint, every fixture hole and staple holding the wall in place showed. I was devastated. Mr. Curtis was in his element, having grown up doing wall finishes. At 9 p.m. he produced a spray rig, hopper and drywall mud. The bathroom was textured by morning and ready to paint the next night. Meanwhile, I was busy painting the vanity and mirror a chocolaty brown. Between coats, my daughter's 18-pound cat rubbed against all surfaces, which required repainting. Lesson learned: know the materials you're working with and shut out the cat!

The Finished Product...

Aileen's:

Melinda's:

So what do you think? Are you up for a DIY project? If so, what would you tackle?

~*~

When she isn¹t imitating a home renovation expert, Aileen Fish is busy at work on the next book in her Small Town Sweethearts series.

When not wielding a paintbrush, Melinda Curtis is busy at work on her sweet Harmony Valley romance series.