Tuesday, July 3, 2018

Video: Epbot Renovation Update!

Hi guys!

Our whole house renovation is chugging along, so let me show you what we've done so far:


And just for fun, here are a few progress pics from my Instagram Stories. (Be sure to follow me there for sneak peeks, silliness, and LOTS of kitten videos.)
  
 I'll be changing out every outlet and switch in the house - which is another tutorial we'll be filming. I'm excited to use a new kind of clamp outlet that *should* be less tedious and time-consuming than the traditional ones, though, so there's that. 

 MY MAN.
 

 My pet project. (Get it? "Pet?" Hurrhurrhurr)

 Oh! Here's what that carpet looked like fresh out of the attic, with the blackened paper wrapping:

 (Upon examining the paper wrapping later, though, we learned it's actually from '74, not '64.)


 See? No green was showing at all when we found it!

And for those of you who need a good (horror?) story prompt: we ALSO found a change of men's clothing in the attic, stuffed into a grocery bag. The jeans were partially inside out from when someone pulled them off, belt still in place, plus there was a wadded up button-down shirt.

No blood stains, though, or I'd've been calling the cops. Ha! And... EEEK! Amirite?

And finally, because A) I actually like this selfie, which never happens, and B) the #BadJokesForFOE hashtag is contagious:

(Yes I filtered. My skin is NOT that smooth. But those eyebrows are alllll me. :D)

Please keep those questions and suggestions coming for what you want to see in the house! Next I'll be showing you how to change out a ceiling fan, toilet, and outlet plugs, but after that we can cover wall tiling and patching, sink faucets, door handles, paint, a dishwasher install... so many options.

We're also kicking around the idea of doing a podcast style Q&A - maybe we could even livestream it? - for general house questions. It's all up to you guys, so sound off!

Stay tuned for more, and have a great 4th, fellow US 'bots!

52 comments:

  1. Your eyebrows are AWESOME! As a gal with bushy brows myself, I can only aspire to such elegance!

    Oh, and the renovations are pretty great too. ;D

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    1. Bushy brows fist bump of solidarity! They take so much work/maintenance, but I love me some thick brows. :D

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    2. Can we have a brow tutorial? Pretty please?

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  2. as a kid who grew up in FLA in the 70s I am nostalgic for that terrazzo floor! (not so much the vinyl tile and shag carpet)

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  3. KILLING it with the eyebrows! Long time lurker, first time commenter...

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  4. I would LOVE a podcast with you two!

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  5. The vinyl tile looks like spilled Spaghetti-O's.

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  6. Still can't get over how much you two tackle, and how quickly! My dad and I have just started my laundry room, and at our rate, it's gonna take all summer to complete. You two are doing a whole house! (You're totes my heroes, you guys, btw.)

    And ya know, I think we had that same carpet in my folks' basement. In a house built in the mid-70s. So nasty...

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    1. John is a MACHINE when you give him a project; he literally forgets to eat and thinks of nothing else. I've had to hold him back quite a bit so we can film as we go, and so I can get in there to do the tutorials myself. Otherwise I suspect he'd be nearly done by now. ;)

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  7. that tile and carpeting! Wow. It reminds me of what we found redoing my dad's old house. Red, velvet wallpaper!

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  8. Wow, awesome work!

    I'm curious why you decided to hang the drywall sheets vertically instead of horizontally. After all the flooding here in Houston during Harvey, I heard a lot of comments about how it's so much easier to just rip out and replace the whole bottom sheet.

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    1. Ahh, I hadn't heard of it being used horizontally, but that makes a lot of sense in a flood zone. We don't really have that concern here, though, and John says it's easier for him to go vertical.

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  9. Susanna Sharp-SchwackeJuly 3, 2018 at 7:01 PM

    I'd love to see you guys figure out how to use the tile somewhere for something. Even if it's hidden somewhere, it would be a nod to the house's past. (And I kinda like it, but not for a floor! LOL)

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    1. We talked about sticking the carpet in one of the small closets. :D :D :D We've only got 3 full tiles of the vinyl stuff, though, and that tiny strip of carpet.

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  10. You found the carpet that used to be in my basement! I wondered where that went. :)

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  11. My house had that carpet's kissing cousin through the entire downstairs. Mine had a bit more avocado and cream blotches mixed in with the rusty orange and yellow. Living room had the entire 70's time capsule: the avocado/rust/yellow color scheme, the shag carpet, the picture-o-wood paneling, polyester double-knit curtains THAT MATCHED THE CARPET AND SOFA! And I must not forget the macramé and pucca shell plant hanger for the plastic fuschia.

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  12. I mentioned to my husband that it was really cool that you were doing these videos, as I know being on camera has generally been out of your comfort zone, and his response was, "Really? But she's so good at it! Natural and engaging." Thought you oughta know!

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    1. Aw, thank you both! It's been a journey, and I'm really pushing myself - but I'm glad it doesn't show. :)

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  13. Nothing constructive to say about the actual content of the post but giiiiiirrrrrrllll them eyebrows!!! YAAAAASSS. (PS I came to say this before I even saw your caption).

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  14. This was so much fun, can't wait to see the tutorials! I have to admit, until you explained it, I was a little bummed out to see that faux brick go in the kitchen. Subway tiles would look so good in there!

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  15. I loved the walk through! Also, you are gorgeous, and everyone deserves to filter. (I used to joke that I wasn't going to lose weight, I was just going to learn to use photoshop. But now phones do it for me!)

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  16. I am very impressed with how fast you guys are moving through this reno! My hubby and I are working on clearing the fence line on 11 acres so we can put up new fencing that will be baby goat safe. Texas has been brutal this year (111 today), so we’ve only been able to work mornings and its been killing me. I tend to be like John, I just want to work until I get it done!

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  17. EEEK! The clothes in the attic! Now find out what's under the closet floor in the pink room!

    Jen, can't believe how brave you're being with the selfies and videos lately. Really proud of you! And you look gorgeous and sound confident. Do a tutorial on how you managed to get over your discomfort (or how you can hide it so well) because I really wish I could find some comfort when I'm in front of a camera!

    KW

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    1. Thanks Kate! You're one who knows just how hard this is for me, and it's only taken, what, ten years? :D The funny thing is I really love making videos; just hate looking at myself later. But I'm working on it!

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  18. Jen, you are so SUPER AWESOME in the videos, please keep them up! You could totally host a TV show! I hope no creatures jump out at you...ha! Also, it's fun watching a renovation project even though I have no intention of doing anything remotely like that myself (that tile looks like what we had in our kitchen in the 1970s). I'm in the midst of painting the walls and handrail of my stairwell - thanks for the painting tips video, btw! #notape ;-)

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  19. I have to agree, it would be awesome if you could keep doing the videos. Any subject would do, watching you and john is quite relaxing and entertaining!

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  20. I love these videos and you look so fabulous and in your element when you're making them. If you have time I would love a tutorial on how to do kitchen backsplash/tiling as we're currently working through remodeling our kitchen. I would love some ideas/suggestions on finding lighting, and paint colors as well because I struggle to come up with that part of the vision. That carpet looked suspiciously like the stuff in my childhood home in one of the bedrooms.

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  21. Love the progress! We just removed a wall ourselves, and now are into removing the soffet. We've been hiring someone to move all our electrics, but I'd love to see what that actually looks like! Maybe you're already done with the fun stuff in the wall, but we're always paranoid about the house burning down and skip it.

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  22. Thanks for sharing all your hard work. I thought the 70's linoleum on my kitchen floor was bad but that cheese pizza tile is crazy.

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  23. Is the door opening on the rebuilt wall wide enough for wheelchair accessibility? We just went through a situation needing to move my 97 year old aunt, who lives independently, and she has one of those spiffy walkers that needs similar clearance as a wheelchair. I don't know your market; maybe this isn't an issue. It seems like it might be a bonus feature though - the layout of that house invites having an older parent living with a family.

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    1. Oh, this is an excellent point. Any remodel involving construction should look at universal accessibility, as that's the cheapest time to make adjustments. In our last house, the 80's remodel had used the cheapest doorknobs available. Every time they failed, I replaced them with a lever style. Eventually we'd have done the whole house!
      calonkat

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    2. That *is* a good thing to keep in mind, though in our case both bathrooms could never be accessible, so we wouldn't bother trying to make the other doorways wider. (The baths are both so tiny you'd have to change the footprint of the whole house to allow a chair or walker to get in either.)

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  24. Aww, you look lovely! Such beautiful eyes! You two are doing a great job on the house as well, can't wait to see what comes next!

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  25. That was so the carpet in my room growing up (although I had the full shag version) until for one of my birthdays I got to redo my room. I was so excited to watch it go! The house had been renovated in the early 70s. During a recent remodel, my parents found teal pineapple wallpaper hidden behind cabinets.

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  26. Thanks for sharing your renovation! We just bought a house, built in the 1950s, that needs some updating and TLC, so this comes at a great time. Looking forward to your tutorials!

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  27. You guys are awesome. One thing that always holds me back from starting big projects like this is managing the trash. How do you dispose of all the old paneling, sheet rock, tile and other stuff that has to come out during a reno? Do you rent a big container from a waste management company that gets emptied every so often? How do you know what you need, how do you get it, how much does it cost, and what do you need to do to prep for it? Any insight would be appreciated!

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    1. I will generally go on Craigslist and find a dumpster there. You want one that's going to be big enough for your project, stays long enough for you to finish your project, and has a flat fee. You don't want them to charge you for drop off then pick up then dump fees etc. As for prep, most of them will either be a trailer type like we used or a roll off dumpster, both of which will just sit in your driveway. Word to the wise: code enforcement looks for dumpsters in driveways so make sure you have your permits ready if you're doing something that requires one. :)

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  28. I also had the full shag version of that carpet in my house when I was a kid. My family moved into the house in 1974 and the house burnt to the ground in 1985. I'm pretty sure that carpet would still be intact if not for the fire. Thanks for the *shudder* memory. XD

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  29. That carpet!! Bahahaha!! I can't believe that tile. It looks like puke to me. But hey, maybe it hid the dirt. 😂

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  30. Man, the faded part of the carpet was just what my bedroom used to look like! Now I am wondering if green had been there too! :P

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  31. Oh man, how nerdy, I just squealed with glee when you said you are going to be doing a tutorial on changing switches and outlets!!! We still have a bunch that need changing and I’m the electrician of the family, go figure. And Jen, harty-har-har nice punny joke! I almost wish I was actually on FB just for FoE...

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  32. The faded part of that carpet looks like what my parents used to have in their living room! And - Wow the things you find going through a house!

    We redid our Pepto Pink bathroom downstairs and are hoping to leave the upper as-is since we want to sell within the next few years, but these tutorials are super handy. Hello building a wall... that could come in handy - though I'm not sure I'd want to move or replace one but if I had an open area, building a wall to divide an area - not bad...

    Love the studs in the pic!

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  33. I've been trying for 20 minutes to find the app you use to put text on images; I remember you mentioning it a while ago but I cannnnn't seem to find it! Thanks!

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    1. These were all in my Instagram Story, so I added the text there. I reeeeally wish Snapseed (the app I use for photo editing) had such an easy-to-use text feature; they DO have one, but it's more restrictive and only lets you add fancy banner-style wording.

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  34. Those are some good lookin' studs, all right. ~eyebrow waggle~
    I hope there's some lighting tips coming up later in the project, because I need help with my bathroom light situation!

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  35. I am always seriously jealous of your brow game!

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  36. That carpet looks like what one used to use as ground cover for dioramas in school! Moss and leaves, hello!! LOL!

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  37. Oh, I remember carpet like that from my childhood.

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  38. I know this is weird, but I have a deep love of tacky decor, and that carpet and tile combo is just perfect to me. XD I’m currently renovating an old 70s camper, and I’m looking for tacky stuff to incorporate in the overall look. I absolutely love these videos, btw. I enjoy doing handygal stuff around the house, and learning new skills from you has been a lot of fun. :)

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  39. I have to say that tile brings strong childhood memories of trying to sweep the kitchen the floor. We had flooring just like that and it hid all dirt, drips, and dog hair! you could never tell when it was clean or dirty. Keep up all the good work. I do find great inspiration in all your geeky goodness on your blog.

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