Tuesday, October 30, 2007

no time

sorry... there is lots to update on the house, as well as shoots that have been accumulating. for now though, i have no time to post extensively. there's still a lot to do in the 10 days left.

if you want to help us move, we are doing so on saturday nov. 10th. email me if you can
info@nolenphotography.com

Friday, October 19, 2007

week 6

well, this is supposed to be the post that i show all the finished work. 6 weeks was my goal anyway. it sort of reminds me of the show "flip that house" where the people go in really naively and in the beginning they're asked how they expect it will go and they're like....

budget: $1,000
timeframe: 1week
est profit: $1 million

during the show, TLC will make you think they're about to file bankruptcy because of all the added problems they found that they weren't expecting. it'll show them crying or throwing a temper tantrum. their family dynamic crumbling. then in the last minute of the show they go back and ask them what it really took and they look all tired and realistic and kind of laugh as they give the update which is like...

over budget: $50,000
actual amount of time took: 4 months
actual profit: $40,000

and they're always kind of disappointed but totally relieved... and we're like shut up you just made 40,000 dollars!!

well, this is not really an analogy but more of an aside. we're NOT flipping this house nor are we way over budget thankfully. but we have experienced the great stress of renovating a house on a timeline with limited financial resources. so here i am near the end of the episode saying that this is when i wanted to finish but we're still at least a couple weeks away.

the real news this last week was that 1. we rented the helena house, which was what this whole thing hinged on, and 2. i sold my jeep. talk about sentimental.


the house in helena was every bit of a remodel that this new house is, just on a smaller scale. it is where we learned to do most everything. we love this house and really weren't planning on moving until about a month and a half ago. we've pretty much fixed this house like we want it and it fits us so well. but, with a baby coming and a crazy dog that was supposed to settle down after year 3, it would soon become a little cramped. we are thankful for God's provision.


i've had the jeep since my sophomore year of college. it made me cool on many occasions. in fact, it played a large role in landing a girlfriend who eventually became my wife. it was hard to watch it just sit in the garage the last 3 years but lets face it a jeep is a completely impractical car. it was actually a lot harder watching someone else drive it away... to mississippi at that. anyway as a friend expressed to me so gently the other day, i need to grow up. here are some updated pics.

our new office


the long awaited bathroom remodel

plumbing and pantry

Monday, October 8, 2007

week 4&5

well i got a week behind in posting, so hopefully you will find a lot of change.

first, it's worth noting that i thought i was going to die or at least go to hospital in an ambulance in week 4. apparently ceramic tile is the sharpest thing in the world. a broken piece met my soft leg and cut it about an inch deep. i looked down, in relatively little pain, and saw blood flowing like a river. my heart sank. i had no idea how or if i could stop it. i stood there with my hand on it for about 5 minutes wondering how i was going to get to the phone without getting blood all over my new hardwood floors. anyway, my dad was quick on the scene and he and 6 firemen agreed that stitches were needed.... not tomorrow, as i would have preferred but immediately. so for the first time in my life i was in the "trauma room" undergoing some mild surgery. the good news is the doctors know my name now. all in all, it set me back about 6 hours but i did manage to get some good pics just for the blog.... i saved them for last if you want to see. WARNING: don't scroll down if you don't like blood.

other than that it's been a lot of painting the last 2 weeks. basically every room in the house has gotten 1 layer of kilz and 2 layers of paint. i used to really hate painting but for some reason this time it's not been too bad. on that note i should really thank my mom who has been working at the house with me (and sometimes by herself) whenever she has a free moment. i pretty much run everything by her before i do something.... and when i don't she still usually lets me know she thinks, which i appreciate.

week 4, i FINALLY finished the sheetrock in the kitchen.... now my newest least favorite thing to do. i also gave up on my idea of trying to save the tile in the bathroom and just tore it all out. week 5 my friend josh came up from orlando to help me for 3 days. it was really fun and a huge help. we painted and layed tile in the kitchen.... he was really good at it. also, the ac/heat was finished up, so we now are working in a cool house. just in time for the 90 degree october weather.

this week should be plumbing and hopefully finishing tile... maybe starting hardwoods instead. the end is approaching but there are still some huge projects left. the yard for instance, which i won't bore you with on the blog, is an out of control beast. i don't even want to think about what it's going to take to tackle it. all in all though i don't think i'm going to be much beyond my 6 week timeline for the inside renovations. here's some pics for you enjoyment.... remember the last set of picture looks like a CSI crime scene... okay not really... i did't post the bad ones.




mom doing her thing & the long awaited thermostat

"the injury", not as great as michael scott's