Splash of Fun

I've squeezed in just one little project this week, and it was more decor than anything else. These homemade kitchen canisters are handy for your kitchen space, and can be designed to any style.

Plus, they're quick and easy to make!

Draining, French Style

It rained for almost three weeks straight while we were moving in and beginning to settle. Though that made for soggy boxes, it turned out to be quite a blessing, because we learned early that we had a big problem.

We knew the basement had no flooring, and it looked like they had removed a carpet because of water problems. What we didn't realize until moving in (yes, this is definitely something to find out BEFORE signing anything... we're learning a lot!), was that it still had the water problems. The rain wasn't all staying outside. It was seeping into the basement. What to do?!

With a little research, I discovered a new minor hero: Tim of Ask the Builder. So far, I haven't dug into his site, but the reason I appreciate it, is because he had a simple, inexpensive solution to our problem: a French Drain. It pulls the water away from your house, so you don't have to dig up the basement or add a sump pump to solve your water problem! We decided to try it.

A day-and-a-half of work and about $50 later, we had this French Drain in our back yard. (We need to smooth it out a bit, still)

Of course, now that we have it, our forecast has been full of sunny days! Finally on Wednesday we had rain and snow. And it all stayed outside. So, we're waiting for one more downpour, just to be on the safe side, then we can fix things up in the basement.

I didn't take pictures along the way, but in case you're wondering, here's how we built our French Drain:

In the Beginning...

Since we were willing to do a little fixing up, we got a lot more house than we thought we could afford. It just happened to have some holes in the walls and doors, some peeling wall paper (under paint), and a few random missing elements (i.e. the linen closet door, appliances, some screen on the back porch... you get the idea)

Our goal was to find a duplex or a home with space to rent out which would help to offset the mortgage payments. This house includes a one-room 1st floor/basement area that's perfect for a one-bedroom apartment. On the main floor, we have a 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom home. And here's what it looked like when we bought it...


The house has a great yard!


Which does mean lots to do outside!


Stepping inside, we fell in love with the open feel.
Of course, what you can't see are all the holes and
peeling wallpaper... That's where the fun starts!


I love the dining room and the kitchen layout.
(Thankfully, it's not actually blurry in real life!)


Gotta love the BLUE master bedroom.
(It's actually bigger than it looks here)


And here is where we'll be doing a LOT of work–to turn
this into a nice apartment.