Category Archives: Housing

Kitchen Update

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We are close to completion on our kitchen remodel. All that remain are a few more door and touch-up work. I’m so excited about the new look and very grateful to Jenny’s dad for all of his helps. I posted some new pics on the house page.

We have also completed the move as of Wednesday. We used All-Tex Movers and were very happy with them! They showed up on-time, wrapped our furniture really well, worked hard, all spoke English, and were very nice. After our last experience with professional movers, I was skeptical, but it worked out just fine.

Winding Down

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Things are a little crazy at the Box house these days! Our move is scheduled for Wednesday morning with All Tex Movers. I’ve never used them before, but they got good reviews from various customers and the BBB, so I’m giving them a try. I was very disappointed with the only other movers we’ve hired, so I’m a bit uneasy about these guys. I’ll post a review after we’re done. So far I’m impressed.

With that deadline in mind, we are furiously trying to pack up the apartment while also doing some of our final CARES events, babysitting, working at SWA, and working on the house. Here are some highlights:

CARES – Unfortunately, it has been decided that we will be the last CARES team at our property. We are disappointed since we’d hoped another team could pick up where we will leave off, but God can work all things together for the good for those who love Him. Instead of a new team, the staff will be taking over event duties, so the residents will still have fun stuff to attend. We have a lasagna dinner Friday night and a pie event on Sunday afternoon. After that, only our goodbye pizza party will remain.

House – Due to illness and busyness, we haven’t been out to the house for the last couple of days. We have swapped out the outdoor lights in front and finished painting the kitchen a pretty blue-gray color. Jenny’s dad plans to come up on Sunday to continue working on our cabinets. I ordered a DIY wireless alarm system made by Honeywell that I’m really excited about. It should arrive soon.

Packing – Jenny has worked hard and packed up tons of stuff. Some of it is already over at the house, but much remains. Since we’re paying the movers by the hour, we’re trying to get as much of it boxed up and stacked in the garage so it won’t take so long for them to load into their truck.

Next week you probably won’t hear much from me on here. Our new Internet connection won’t be set up until next Friday, and we’ll be busy packing and unpacking most of the week. Perhaps I can sneak in an update or some pictures if I have time.

Kitchen Remodel

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We have big plans for the kitchen that don’t require spending the tens of thousands of dollars that a typical remodel might require. The simplest (and cheapest!) thing we’re doing is painting the light green walls a nice blue color. I’m sure there’s a better term than “blue”, but I’m a guy and only know primary colors.

On Monday a company called Miracle Method is coming out to refinish our laminate countertops. We thought about replacing them, but that’s pretty expensive and seems wasteful when the main thing we want to change is the color. Miracle Method has a special painting process that will magically change our butcher-block countertops to a more modern black with flecks of white.

This part seemed pretty straightforward a week ago. Then we learned that MM couldn’t remove the built-in cutting board that was over the dishwasher, so we would have to do it ourselves. The trouble was that under the cutting board was a gaping hole rather than wood, so we had to buy a small section of laminate countertop, have Jenny’s dad cut it to fit, and install it in the space. Unfortunately, this required removing the dishwasher, which didn’t want to come out. Then when we disconnected the dishwasher’s water line, after (we thought) shutting off the water to the house, we were horrified to see/hear/feel high-pressure water spraying from the open pipe until I figured out how to shut it off! I don’t know how long it actually sprayed, but it felt like twice as long. Finally we got the plug installed in the countertop and put the dishwasher back in place.

The third major component of our plan is refacing the countertops. Jenny’s dad works for a company that makes cabinet doors, so he is helping us get new doors and veneers for our cabinets. The original honey oak cabinets will soon be gleaming white with hidden hinges and brushed nickel pulls. On Saturday after the countertop plug mini-project, we pulled off all the cabinet doors and molding. I’ll try to post some pictures soon.

Saving Energy with Fluffy White Stuff

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One of the house projects that excited me most was improving the energy efficiency of our new house. Built in 1983, it only had 6-8 inches of insulation in the attic. That amount was probably the minimum required by building code back then since energy was so cheap and people didn’t think much about energy efficiency. To bring our house up to the recommended amount, we needed an extra foot or more of blown-in insulation, which would keep our home cooler in summer and warmer in winter. I was also interested in a radiant barrier, which is a special type of aluminum foil that’s attached to the underside of the roof to reflect heat and keep the attic cooler.

I got very similar bids from two different companies and gave the job to KMD Comfort Zone in Fort Worth. Their three-man crew arrived early Wednesday morning and immediately got to work. By lunchtime they were done. Our attic now looks like the inside of a Jiffy-Pop bag – shiny foil on the top, fluffy white insulation on the floor with all the ceiling joists buried. They also installed an attic tent, which is a zippered covering to prevent air from leaking through the pull-down stairs. I wish I’d taken before and after pictures. I might take an after picture when I have a chance. The crew worked really hard and did a great job. Unless your home is only a couple years old, it could probably use more insulation, and a radiant barrier would be helpful for the summertime if you live in a hot climate like Texas. I highly recommend giving KMD Comfort Zone a call.

The Word is Out

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Some of my loyal readers already know our big news through other means, but in case you haven’t heard, we just closed on a house yesterday. We had to keep it a secret until we told our apartment manager, which we kept postponing until a replacement CARES team was in place. It’s been killing us to keep this a secret because we’re really excited about the house. However, since it means stepping down from CARES and moving away from all the friends we’ve made, it’s definitely a bittersweet time for us. We’ve enjoyed serving as a CARES team, but we’re ready to move on and have more space and time for our growing family.

The house is in north Euless, a mile or so from the apartment we lived in right after our wedding. It’s two-story with 4 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. The bedrooms are all upstairs. It has a big fenced yard for Brenden with room for a swingset. The downstairs layout is circular with lots of open space, so it’ll be nice for entertaining and for Holly’s running spells. If you want pictures, here’s a link to the listing, but I don’t know how much longer the listing agent will keep this webpage up.

We don’t plan to move until April 21 or so since we’ll still be running events for our residents through April. In the meantime, we are packing up and doing some work on the house. We’ll be plenty busy through the end of April, so please pray for our sanity!