Sofa!

We found a sofa on Craigslist on Saturday. It happened to be only a few blocks north of our place... so we carried it home. With multiple rest breaks along the way. 100 bucks!

Zorro REALLY wants to help Brad take a nap on it...

The New Roof - a fundraiser

So this is far from as philanthropic as the title makes it sound...

As some of you may recall, our house came with a few pieces of abandoned furniture and a bunch of doodads and knickknacks. And we don't want 'em.

So over the next few weeks, I'm gonna try to sell it all. Craigslist, Ebay, Ebay Classifieds, Apartment Therapy Classifieds, Etsy. I'm calling it our New Roof Fundraiser... 'cause we need a new roof. And new roofs cost money.

We could also stand for a new sofa:

And a chandelier:

I'll keep y'all updated.

Urban Heat Island Effect

Sorry we haven’t posted for a little while, we’ve been busy getting estimates for electrical, plumbing, HVAC, plastering, and a new roof.

One of the biggest problems with traditional asphalt shingle roofs is they attract a lot of heat. This causes two problems.

1. Contributes to Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI)

2. An increase in annual utility bills

UHI occurs in metropolitan areas and is essentially a micro-climate version of global warming. Beyond the obvious problem of creating an increase in utilities during summer months, UHI causes modifications to wind patterns, an increase in precipitation in and downwind of cities, and even an increase in pollution. While I do not have any statistics on hand, I have seen numerous different statistics and documentation on these matters.

For those of you who believe Fox News over scientists and that global warming is fake, you can’t argue against saving money off your utilities. A lighter more reflective surface will drastically decrease your monthly payments compared to a traditional asphalt shingle roof.

We decided to go with a light-colored standing-seam metal roof. These roofs are economical, durable, and they will look good on our house. From snow to sun exposure to hail, standing-seam metal roofs hold up very well in extreme climates (such as Chicago). Additionally, they have an excellent SRI (solar reflective index). So as a result we will have a good looking roof that is durable, economical, and earth friendly.

Re-claimed Brick Patio.

It was such a beautiful day yesterday we spent the day working on the backyard. This is an "in-progress" photo. By the time we finished it was dark out, and today is just a miserable overcast day. The granite pieces we've found scattered around (was at one time edging, but it is not just buried in the yard) are the edging barrier between the recycled brick and the yard. Now we just need to tear down the chimney in the attic to have enough reclaimed brick to use as pavers. The eventual goal is too also build a pergola that extends from the house.

Today's project: Painting the living and dining room!

House: 1 - Awnings: 0

YES!!

Awning #1.

DOWN.

(Thanks, B-Rad!!)

Cork Flooring

When we purchased the house we already knew that we would need new flooring in most of the rooms, because the adhesive used in for linolium and tile floors that were popular forty years ago destroys the aesthetic of the wood floors. Then we tore up the carpet and discoved the floors in the living and dining rooms weren't in very good state.

So we decided to just re-floor the entire place. We looked at many different options, but we wanted something that was sustainable, durable, and obviously looks good. Our solution? Cork flooring. It comes in either 1'x1' or 1'x2' tiles and is relatively easy to install. Now we are just debating on the color. I'm more for C and Jessica is more for 2.

Let us know if you have an opinion. Keep in mind that the walls will be different shades of grey, the trim will be white, and the electircal outlets and switches will be white.

Our helper.

So much for my claim that Zorro is a good helper... This is how he "helped" with the painting of the porch floor.

The big footprint in the middle is a result of Brad's rescue mission.

Sorry for the crazy eyes and the horrible mess of boxes and mops in the kitchen... you know how it goes.

Rendered

A quick rendering... new paint and a metal roof. 5 bazillion times better.

Maybe only 2 bazillion...