We are diving right into the renovations and embraced a second week. While we didn’t have anything hired out this week, we did have extra helping hands of family. We had a slower week but accomplished so much on the weekends. So enjoy these next few days of work and be sure to check out all those before bathroom photos!

Day 8 – Tuesday, August 30, 2022

With the trees gone, the tree trimming company was able to bring out their stump grinder to finish up. It was a very cool process to watch as the machine is remote controlled. It took them about 2 hours to complete all three stumps. I was also excited because our city picked up all the disposable trash that we can accumulated from the landscape removal. We had a friend in between jobs who was very kind to come over and paint the living room with Ty’s mom. In addition, we had all the carpets cleaned in the house which was relatively cheap at $40 per room.

Today’s Man Hours: 10 | Total Project Hours: 110

Day 9 – Wednesday, August 31, 2022

With Ty and I both working full times jobs and going hard for 8 days straight, we did not make it over to the house. I also was prepping for an interview the next day and needed to study…

Today’s Man Hours: 0 | Total Project Hours: 110

Day 10 – Thursday, September 1, 2022

Interview day in the morning and found out that night I got the job! Worth the day off. I was pretty worn out from the day but wanted to do a little bit so I went to the house to paint three exterior doors. I also chose to paint the window trim contrast as well. With aluminum windows, the grey trim made them look more intentional and not stand out as much.

Today’s Man Hours: 2 | Total Project Hours: 112

Day 11 – Friday, September 2, 2022

After trying to keep the previous mantle, I decided I wanted a more modern look. The mantle had been built onto the supports and wouldn’t slide off which led to me completely dismantling 😉 the mantle and pulling everything off. I looked online but mantles were pricey and decided I would wait til one showed up on Marketplace. I gave the fireplace a nice fresh coat of paint while Ty painted a second coat on the living room.

Today’s Man Hours: 8 | Total Project Hours: 120

Day 12 – Saturday, September 3, 2022

We got a later afternoon start but put in good time. Ty’s dad came over and did about 4 hours of wall paper glue steaming. Ty and I got to work painting the entire front formal room and the entry way. It was fun working together and looked so good no longer seeing yellow in the main spaces.

After a quick coffee break, Ty and I came back and worked on the bonus room. We tore up all the carpet and hauled it downstairs. We removed the remaining vents so that they could be replaced. And after 8 hours each, we were worn out for the day.

Today’s Man Hours: 20 | Total Project Hours: 140

Day 13 – Sunday, September 4, 2022

Power in numbers! You can accomplish so much with just a few extra people. My sister came into town for Labor day and we got to work! We make a great team knowing how to work with one another. Plus I was able to teach her a few new tricks. SO to get started, Ty’s dad came by and put in another 4 hours on wall paper glue steaming. We are so thankful for him doing that while we tackled larger projects.

Emily and I started with the red bathroom. We started by removing the hall bathroom cabinet. Emily started spackling the walls while I worked on caulking all the trim. We did not prime because it was a paint and primer, but the bathroom will need a third coat. But its already looking good! We spent the afternoon in here while Ty was finishing the final cut in on the kitchen.

We took a break for dinner at one of our favorite places in town. Emily and I caught a second wind and decided we would tackle a bunch of little but big things starting with the bathrooms. This small single vanity is the master bathroom. The cabinet was built into the wall so we started by removing the cabinet to open up the small space. We also removed the shelf above the window and all the other little things.

We made our way to the hall bathroom where there was carpet on the floor and removed the tack strip after that. In the tub area, we removed the gross glass panel on the shower so renters will be able to put up a shower curtain and then proceeded to test clean a spot in the shower to see if it is salvageable.

Then we came back to the master bedroom and prepped the room including removing all the carpet, caulking the trim, patch the walls, removing old curtains, and taking off all electrical covers for paint prep. We cleaned up our little messed then ended the night with Netflix and ice-cream.

Today’s Man Hours: 30 | Total Project Hours: 170

WEEK 1 HOURS: 100

WEEK 2 HOURS: 70

TOTAL RENOVATION HOURS: 170

Thank you for following along and keeping up with our rental renovations! Stay tuned for all the updates with before and after photos, cost breakdowns, and links to all the video updates.