Still busy

Don't think, gentle reader, that just because major combat operations have ended that I haven't been busy. Since the "Comparisons" post, I have done quite a bit, although one much-needed, but major and time-consuming, task won't get done this summer: refinishing the upstairs floors (and repainting all the upstairs rooms — sigh). I kept thinking that it would only take 3-5 days to do that, but after this summer where everything kept taking so much more time than I thought it would, I remembered that I have a handy resource that tells me how long it takes to do things: this very blog. Back in 2013 I refinished all the floors and repainted, and it took me over two weeks. And I was also complaining the whole time about how long everything was taking and how much more I thought I would get done. So that's on me.

Anyway, I decided to make my future job of refinishing the upstairs flooring much harder by adding lots of furniture. A mostly satisfying (there was one uncontrolled fit of fury against a piece of furniture but we both worked through it) and 2-3 day long project was "fixing" Sasha's room, which now sports impressive new bookcases, a different furniture arrangement, a cleaned up desk and a completely revamped closet space. Sadly, I don't have before and afters for these, just afters, but you'll get the idea.

New bookshelves — which barely hold all of Sasha's books

Note the dresser now at the foot of the bed

A clean desk — a never before seen miracle!

The old bookshelves, which fit very neatly in the hall to the bathroom

The bookshelves were all of one day and a little bit of the second; the rest of that second day was spent, however, tearing out the ugly and old plastic and rubber storage "system" that has been in that closet, with Lilya hating it intensely, the whole time we've lived here. It had a clothes rod only on the lefthand side, limiting Sasha to a very small number of shirts and suits packed together in a way that made it hard to get things in and out, or even see what's there. Well, no more:

After removal of the "system" (I patched most of those holes btw)

After installation of a proper clothes rod, Target organizing cubby and top shelf

I also took care of one of my two remaining issues with the bathroom, namely caulking and sealing everything (tile edges, tops of tiles, floor and corner seams, and toilet base. 

Note: caulked tile edges, corners

This may seriously be the most seamless caulking job ever

Out of focus, but a pretty decently smooth corner

Edge sealing with light switch

Edges and corners 

Tile edge, toilet base

Today I also decided to take care of three small things that have been on my list for several years:

1) patching cracks around the side door that might be letting in water with hydraulic cement. No photos, 'cause that's not visually very interesting (or appealing)

2) Repainting the inside of the front door. A few years ago (the paint can informs me it was Fall of 2015), I was installing a new lock and handle in the front door when there was a spectacular accident with a drill that got stuck in the on position. It chewed its way through a significant chunk of the front door and caused some pretty heavy damage (like holes all the through the door, chunks missing, etc.) before I could get it unplugged. I repaired the door with Bondo (and got a new drill), the same filler they used to use to fill in dents in your car, but because it is a bright white, it contrasted rather poorly with the dark brown door, so it was painted. 

The "modern" look

After sanding and painting

I thought a second coat might be necessary and, over time as the Bondo absorbed the paint, it was — you could see a little but of pale white through the paint (you can see it a bit here, and it's from right after the repair). So I've given it a second coat. It's the same paint (from the same container), and I'll have to wait until it's dry, but it's not looking like a perfect match right now, which will mean repainting the whole thing at some point...

3) This house has never had a working doorbell while we've owned it, but the worst was when it appeared to have one. People would press it and eventually leave, thinking no one was home, but it reality, it just didn't work. So, at some point it was removed, but the small hole by the door has bugged me increasingly over time, so I filled that in today as well. Again, not so exciting, so no pics.