Dumpy McDumpsalot.

Ed wants to know 'Who you calling Dumpy McDumpsalot?!'

I'm thinking maybe we need to change our names to Mr. & Mrs. Dumpy McDumpsalot due to the amount of crap we unloaded from various RHN disassembling projects into the big green open-mouthed monster in our driveway. 


However, of course, that would mean we upgraded from Wrecky McWrecksalot because holy sheet!rock people! I seriously cannot believe the amount of demolition we have done to RHN. I have been trying to wrap my brain around the amount of work we have done to the hizzy and while it seems, in theory, to be a decent amount, the full 12 yard green open-mouthed monster proves that theoretical ‘decent amount’ to be a freakin’ ridiculous amount! So just for nostalgic reasons let’s do a run down of what The Wrecky McWreckalot’s turned Dumpy McDumpsalot’s have done:

• Wall air conditioner removal (along with various water logged pieces of holy sheet!rock and rotted wood studs – oh, right, and trees.)
• Took out the built-like-Fort-Knox front entryway closet.
• Sawzalled the pool into various pieces. (Oh dear lord! The stank that accompanied that removal was beyond revolting. Yuck!)
• Removed all ceiling fans from all rooms.
• Removed all poorly installed electric – and with that the fire hazards – in various rooms of the hizzy. Smokey the Bear would be proud.
• Removed all broken plumbing.
• Removed all mold and areas of sheet!rock that accompanied it.
• Removed all insulation in gutted areas as well as the mold stuff in the garage.
• Fully gut the kitchen. And when I say gut, I mean GUT. We took it down the studs and subfloor.
• Fully gut the bathroom and like the kitchen we gut this sucka down to the studs and subfloor.

Phew! We have done a lot of work since May - hence the need for a big green open-mouthed monster. So, my friends, just because I know you all LOVE some good photos, I will share with you the monster filled with RHN remnants by the Dumpy McDumpalot's and the cleared areas that no longer look as if we run a dump yard.

That is where the red tile from the kitchen was piled.  

What?! Where's the 'cest' pool? 

The deck grew! 

No more homemade redneck grill stand. 

Ed's beloved garage all clear. 

 Along with cleaning off the deck, clearing out the tile that was from the kitchen floor, the old countertop,cabinets, sheetrock, subfloor, and other miscellaneous pieces of crap we found many, many, MANY spiders and some were not the friendly type. My dad was picking up some of the old subfloor off the deck and saw what he called an alien spider - it was a brown recluse - and woah baby. It got Ed's boot treatment. In addition to the brown recluse we had at least 500 giant moths fly out at us. Seriously, it was like freakin' Albert Hitchcock was writing a movie on hidden camera. So gross. In the shed we have wolf spiders - we saw about 4 of them. You want to talk alien spiders - these suckers are HUGE!! We are talking the size of my palm (almost) and hairy and their eyes were big enough to reflect the light of my flash. I took pictures, but for the sake of wanting to keep my sister-in-law, Marilyn, and various other readers reading, I'll skip the show and tell. But Mar, when you come to stay - these are in the shed. Not the house. 

We bought our dryer! The long lost significant other that the washer was longing for is now accompanying his love in the garage. Awww, sweet appliance love. 

Sorry to interrupt this lovefest, but theres more! We purchased (finally) the trim kit pieces that finish off the recessed lighting in the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. They look awe-some! The height we gained in the kitchen ceiling feels like 20feet. It may have only been a foot, but for us giants, that's huge! 

In the bathroom, we took out the old fan/light/heater combo in the ceiling due to the warning from Will that it was a HUGE fire hazard. So we added a recessed light and a new fan to the ceiling and dad patched and painted it! We need one more coat of paint on there before we can install the finishing trim.

FAN!

So there you have it and I'm sore all over again just looking at all this work and lifting. I'll tell ya, those bags filled with tile and holy!sheet rock, and the water softener, and the old basement flooring Mandy and I tore up, and the cat-pee smelling closet drawers, and the kitchen countertop and cabinets, etc. etc., are all so very heavy, especially when you add the element of water...you know, rain? Ed and I began tiling the bathroom floor and I'm so in love. After that we build the vanity top and install the toilet. Then comes the monstrosity known as the kitchen. Le Sigh. 

Let's Step Off The Beaten Path. Shall We?

As I was sitting at my desk today I began thinking of the next blog post I was gonna thrill you all with (ha, can you sense the sarcasm?).  Then it dawned on me, why not write a post about something that does (and doesn't) have a lot to do with RHN. This thought occurred to me as I was piling items into my 'shopping basket' on various sites - all sites that had to do with home improvement and not - and if you know me, you know that I LOVE me a full on go-get-um-cowboy challenge to beat the other guys lowest price. Yup, you read me right, cowboys (hate that football team) and cowgirls (an appropriate moniker for said disliked football team), I want to divulge to you how I shop. To me, this method of shopping is normal and not irrational whatsoever. This is mostly due to the fact that, hi, we have (in the last 2.5 years) dropped serious cash on a wedding, honeymoon, purchasing a home, and now full renovations, thus leaving the Brandt's quasi-house-poor. Yay! Ah, no. Wrong exclamation. Boo! Ah, yes, now it's correct. 


Christmas is a few months away and dealing with the quasi-house-poor status is a slightly stressful situation that I am not liking! Well, have no fear, RHN cowboys and girls, crazy-deal-stalker is here! No, I haven't lost my marbles just yet, but I do have solutions and honestly, so far so good. Check it out, yo. 


First: Sign up for discount sites, blogs, couponing sites. Yes, they send a lot of e-mails, but holy meatballs, you can score awesome stuff for mere pesos. Because of the emails, I suggest opening a 'new' only deals email. Some sites I love and use/visit everyday are:

• hip2save.com
• ebates.com
• shopahome.com
• couponmom.com
• theclymb.com
• gilt.com
• ruelala.com
• tanga.com
• 1saleaday.com
• savemore.com
• woot.com
• beyondtherack.com
• retailmenot.com
• onekingslane.com
• travelzoo.com

Second: Always, always, ALWAYS Google for additional promo/coupon codes and even if some sites say they're expired or only have an 85% success rate, try them anyway. Seriously, JCrew is notorious for honoring a coupon that had 'expired'. 

Thrid: Sign up at shopathome.com and ebates.com for cash back deals. Think I'm kidding when I say CASH (as in American Benjamin's) back?! I'm not. People, cash is a serious word, and I do not kid about cash - and Johnny Cash was just as serious. See? We go way back, JCash and I. So, the dilly-o with ebates is this... you go to www.ebates.com and sign up. Then you find your site you want to shop through. Then you click 'shop now' and whal-la! you're at your site, shopping with coupons, and making money. Really?? For a few extra clicks it's a billion% worth it. Want to see? 

Can you see where they are paying me $32 for this quarter to buy stuff that I was already going to buy?! $97.34 since I started! If you want a referral, comment below and I'll send you one, just leave your email addy. I only say this because it's a shameless plug for another $5 in my pocket. Oh and this site will offer 2x cash back at times. I bought Cman a backpack for school - yes, a cool one - for 12% cash back! Cha-ching!! Oh and any Lowes/Home Depot shopping I do online I do through ebates as well. We just bought a dryer and got 2.5% cash back on it. Do you see why Ed leaves me to the shopping? 

Fourth: Bragging rights are going to shine here. I have to tell you the deals I've scored as of late (early xmas). Hip2Save.com posted a promo code for Bath and Body Works - Buy 3 Get 3, plus 20% off, plus free shipping - even on clearance/sale items - and cash back. Um, what?! Are you even kidding me right now? So I visit and $30 later I own: 4 foaming hand soaps, 3 body washes, 5 anti-bacterial hand sanitizers, 1 body spray, and 3 lip glosses. That's less than $2 an item plus 3% cash back on the $30. The other day I picked up some restaurant.com coupons for a restaurant Ed and I love - 4 gift certificates, a $25 value each for $8 TOTAL. Yes, $2 a piece got us $25 off our bill at one of our favorite places (so I guess $23 off). I sent one on to my brother and kept 3 for date nights. So, today, I visit theclymb.com and I see that new customers automatically get a $10 credit. Oh, what's this?  Free money just by signing up? Ok! So I look around and SIGG water bottles are $9.98 + shipping (MSRP $30).  I tricked theyclymb.com (don't tell!) and signed up 2 times and got 2 $30 water bottles - one for free, the other for $1.98 ($20 in credits)- both plus $7.98 in shipping. Yes, friends that's $16 for $60 in water bottles. Yay xmas gifts! If you want your FREE $10, use this link.

I know I have spoke about finding deals in the past especially on appliances, but really? How often does one shop for appliances? I'm so very glad I could share with you how I bargain hunt 
for 'normal' items when I am on a serious mission with not so seriously deep pockets. I am on a mission for a kitchen sink - best price and cash back and of course free shipping. I think I found my happy place, but have a little more work to do. I know my traveling buddies have a few travel websites up their sleeves for airfare and such. Sites like theclymb, ruelala, gilt, etc. add new 'stores' every day and each store is 'open' for a length of time. So check back to see what they have. Maybe they have a store opening thats selling a particular brand of boot you've been lusting after for $60 off...yep, that totally happened to me the other day. Ed bought me a pair for xmas. yay! 


So, there you all have it. In my opinion, scoring the best deal is a challenge and a game; to others it's a hassle. It's all how you view your wallet and time. I hope this helped someone - even just on one item - get the deal they deserve. Your wallet will thank you! 

Not Dancing Around This One.

Dudes, Dudettes, and everyone in between .... HOLY MEATBALLS!!! Red House Nine has a kitchen. Sort-of. Ok, so RHN has an almost kitchen and Ed and I couldn't be happier. We worked all weekend to install just about all of our new cabinets (still few to go) and holy sheet people! These took a TON of man-handling and shimming and did I mention man-handling? but woah, baby! These lit our fires! Ready? 
Disclaimers first: 1.) The blue is going bye-bye. We already have another color going in. 2.) There's stuff. Everywhere. Deal. 3.) We have yet finish. Ok, show and tell tine.


First: The before. Yeah. Le Sigh. 

 

Now: Happiness Pie!!

The aftermath:

Good night, RHN world. Until the next time we visit the kitchen. 

The Goods.

I was wishy-washy on revealing our cabinets so soon in the kitchen overhaul process; however, I figured all of you amazingly faithful RHN readers deserve a treat.  So, are we ready??

They're gorgeous, aren't they?!


I have to give street creds where they're due. RHN props to my dad for heading over to the hizzy before 8 am (!!) to meet the two tiny men than man-handled each piece up the front walk into the living room. Those men earned their pay today with 30 total pieces. Yup, 30. Onto the heavy (Arnold) lifting weekend. 

Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry September 15th!

Today between 8-9am, a holiday usually celebrated in December, is being celebrated at RHN. A team of Jersey shore guys Santa's are rolling their big ol' box truck sled and delivering a whole mess of back breaking work toys to RHN, and we couldn't be more excited! Yes, you read that right. We are excited about back breaking work. Seriously, I felt like my inner six year old grabbed ahold of me and wouldn't let me fall asleep last night because of what the next morning was going to bring. (You know you've hit adult status when cabinets and recessed lighting make you excitedly giddy.)

Maybe I'll post a picture of a cabinet. Maybe just so you can see them in their boxed up glory. Or, maybe not. 

Calling Sore Arms. Party of Three.

Grouting tile walls sure is a workout. Cutting recessed lighting holes in the ceiling sure is a workout. Painting non stop, also, is a workout. You would think we should look like Arnold after all this muscle building business, but no. Sad monkey. However, even though we aren't gaining giant biceps, we are gaining things like a fully tiled, grouted, and (quit playing with your) caulked shower, four recessed lights in the living room, mudded holes where the ugly ceiling fan used to be, another recessed light in the bathroom, and most importantly a fan in the bathroom - in the words of Katie and Philip: FAN! My dad, Ed, Cman, did a lot of the work because it involved electrical and if I were to even give that a shot, the house would end up either on fire or not functional; both neither of which we are willing to experiment with. 

The bathroom is really starting to take shape.  Let me share with you a sneak peek into the world of RHN's only full bathroom and Ed's home for the past few weekends. Lookin' good, eh? 

And here is a real sneak peek into what Ed has REALLY been up to. That's all you're going to see. His handy work is pretty spiffy and I lurve it. However, in the words of Eddy: "This is why Will was the builder and I'm not." I think Ed is definitely envious of Will's abilities and know-how. 

While up in the attic wiring the bathroom up all pretty, we found a shiv and an address label. Apparently, William V. Giles 4th was a bad ass and possibly was the original owner of RHN. My dad, Ed, and I discussed possible scenarios in which William V. Giles 4th would need such a prison tool and we came up with some pretty hilarious stuff.  So, RHN reader(s), got any story lines? Here's the evidence you get to base your story line off of:

Cabinets come this Thursday and we are stoked to get those puppies in. Oh, and here's to hoping my sister and brother-in-law are a-ok down there in the Virgin Islands. They had/have hurricane headed straight for them... 

Master ...

This long Labor Day weekend proved to be multiple Labor days indeed over at the hizzy. Although the tasks at hand weren’t overly vast in terms of size, they were vast in terms of numbers. Well, I guess with that statement I’m speaking for myself and my father because Ed was tackling a vastly epic project in the bathroom. Ha! I just went back and read that last line and whoa, Nelly!! That sounded slightly like TMI, but here’s the thing I wasn’t being gross – although I’ve been know for my inner 13 year old humor – I am speaking of conquering the giant that is the one and only full bathroom shower. Remember the pink and avocado one? The one with the rotted out tile in the shower and the faux (pas) plastic wanna-be rebath stuck to it with liquid nails? No? Here’s a reminder…

So, obviously, we gutted the hot mess of a bathroom (that was the fun part) and have since put it back together about 80% of the way including the gorgeous tile work Ed just completed in the shower. Ed is the Master Nipper - such a title my father and I labeled him due to his nipping abilities with the tile nippers. If he ever gives up playing in a hard rock band and considers rapping, he could dub himself Master Nipper and join the ranks of Master P and Grand Master Flash. He could lower the vdub and pimp it out with hydraulics and rims. He could get a gold gree-ill (teeth) and end every sentence with “yo, know what a dogs sayin’?” What’s wrong? Is that you hyperventilating due to laughter? I’ll give you a minute to recoup.

Ok, now that we have composed ourselves … while Master Nipper was workin’ away in the bathroom, my father and I installed two of the four recessed lights in the living room. We, well my dad, fixed a step on the attic staircase before someone broke an ankle; I painted the other attic access white in the upstairs hallway; dad began workings in Frumpka’s room; the dog –yo! It’s Lil’ Nipper- hung out on her blanket on the stoop; and Jen came over (brought a delicious lunch because she’s amazing like that!) and helped me tackle the huge ass job of painting the giant room and its trim. Oh, and by the way, the color of the giant room is awe-some. At first we were ehhh so-so on it because it looked taupe-y when wet (ha! name the band that released a similarly titled album). Now, don’t get me wrong I love me a healthy helping of neutrals, but taupe isn’t the neutral we were really aiming for. However, I was wrong and the color was right leaving the world of RHN hunky-dory.

 

Another happening at RHN this past weekend was whiskey slush’s. That’s right, kiddos; Jen brought us some homemade whiskey slush’s and holy meatballs (!!) they were delicious. We didn’t drink them while working – all functioning and collectively intact extremities are quite the popular commodity at RHN. So back to the epic slush’s… they are a combo of lemonade, limeade, a little sugar, earl gray tea (made strong), and Jack Daniels. All ingredients are frozen and then topped ginger ale when served. Whoa, baby.

So, while we wait for the cabinets to be made and delivered, we will be piecing the bathroom back together and installing the rest of the recessed lighting. Next up is the floor in the bath – oh the glorious floor tile – and constructing the vanity top. I bet you’re wondering why I didn’t share pictures of the shower, well I’m saving it all for the big reveal. Just hold onto your knickers my dears it should only be another couple of weeks.

The Story Of Frumpka And The Bad Kid Room.

 I can't believe it's Labor Day already. Seriously. Time really needs to slow down just a tad because even though I'm in my early 30's, I can't keep up! So, Ed and I have officially owned RHN for 4 months already and we have completed a decent amount so far. However, I want to chat about the 'bad kid room' aka Frumpka's room. Before you label me as off my rocker insane, there is a method to my madness and the spare bedroom/Ed's home office may be the ticket.


So, where do I start explaining? Ok, well, today I was studying and/or observing the mess that is the spare bed/Ed's home office and ugh. My father started to tackle the walls in the bad kids room and dropped his blade and putty knife most likely in disbelief or in hope that when he returns it won't be so bad.


Do you want to know why we call it the bad kids room? Why I mentioned the name Frumpka? Let me explain. This room is craaay-zee. The paint is plastic and green and fuchsia (and on the ceiling as much as on the walls). The closet has some craaay-zee ass letter stickers plastered about that could spell Frumpka. The joint on the wall is bowed out and the ceiling fan is missing a blade. The moulding around the door is half missing and split, and the light switch is literally punched through the wall. The outlets are painted their respective coordinating colors and did I mention the paint is PLASTIC?! Oh and we're missing floor moulding and a portion of the heating pipe is exposed with no cover. My insanity is 100% a tactic to ensure I just don't break down in tears every time I walk past/into that room.

That is the plastic paint specimen that we sampled from the bad kid wall.

Hey random pipe, sup kiiiid

Wonky-ness never looked so good. 

Bowed jacked-up tape joint craaay-zee.

So, what do we plan for the 'bad kid' room? Well, we were thinking of finding said plastic paint and rekindling our relationship with it. Bad idea? What's that? Ed doesn't look at that great in magenta? It's because he's so pale, right? Actually, we will fix the bad kid room and make it more of a bad ass room. Well, maybe not bad ass as in hells angles, but bad ass as in not pink and plastic. We will add a sleeping space for guests that come to crash at RHN and a desk for Ed to work from home from. He is so excited for that. We aren't sure colors yet or any of that fancy jazz and we will share when we decide, but for now I just wanted to share the bad kid room before its transformed into a bad ass big kid room. Off to go paint.