Vagabonds Find a Place in Their Home...

It took two weeks but it was worth it. My last post was the beginning of the upheaval. It took 4 days to move everything we were required to move to the garage and downstairs. 

THE PAINT:

The painting started Monday, June 27th and was completed Friday, July 1st. The painters were very nice and quietly worked away upstairs while Claude and I worked away downstairs. We timed our meetings and away from the house times so there was someone here all the time. It was a treat to come upstairs for lunch or at the end of the day and see what had been done. 

The biggest concern for us was how our quickly chosen color would work. The plan was to use the color the first floor was originally painted, Desert Sand. Loved this color. However, the painter brought a swatch to the house and put it against our walls and it was many, many shades darker that the original. We quickly flipped through his book of color samples and picked Bavarian Cream. He held it up to our old paint on the walls and it was close but a little different. We both liked and made the very quick decision to use Bavarian Cream as our paint color instead of Desert Sand. Now, we didn't have a carpet sample to confirm all of this, we just went with what Claude and I both felt best. So, the first test was to see it on the walls and hope we liked it because that is what we bought. 

This picture is of one corner of the living room with Bavarian Cream painted around the moulding and down the corner. The centers of the walls is Desert Sand. We were feeling good when we found this sample of the difference in the colors. A little but not too much. 

I also found this when I went to get a soda out of the little fridge. That tall can in the center of the top shelf is not ours. I think our painters were enjoying keeping their beverage cold. 

Painting was finished Friday mid-day. Claude and I were now free to move things back into the rooms that would not have carpet. And, we were able to put back the wall decorations. We also put the drapes back up in the dining room. It felt great to have some of our things back where they belonged. It was also a good time to make sure everything was cleaned off well before putting it back in its place and to toss more things as we went through our belongings.

THE CARPET:

Claude called to set up the carpet installation and found they could not start on it until the Thursday, July 7th. They figured it would take two days and they would be finished on Friday the 8th. The problem, we were invited to Owensboro to attend an event there and had reservations for Friday night in Elizabethtown so we could get me back to a meeting Saturday morning at 10am. After talking and thinking, we determined I would stay Friday for the carpet guys to finish instead of leaving that until the next week partly done. Claude would cover our bases in Owensboro. As it turned out, the carpet guys (there were two of them) finished by about 1pm. Claude was able to help move the end tables and some other little pieces back into the house from the garage before he left for Owensboro. I would work until 10pm before my body gave out putting back things in the upstairs.

The first day the carpet guys cut a large piece of carpet out of the center of the living room and turned it upside down in the breakfast area. They moved the big living room pieces in to that room. Claude and I took up residence in two of the big living room chairs and watched the process. I have never seen this work done before and found it absolutely fascinating. The man working the living room had been doing this for 19 years. He had not one ounce of extra fat on his body. He was perfectly made to do this job and he was very good at it. He was kind about me taking all my picture and video of the process and explaining when I had a question. 

First, both of they guys sat in this position for a lot of the work they did. I just ached watching them.

Second, was the process of getting the carpet into the crack between the floor and the wall. The long stick is to stretch the carpet. The other long weighted stick is then whacked with the carpet guys knee while shoving the carpet into that crack. If my knees weren't aching enough watching them sit, doing this work with their knees just did me under.

These two guys had been friends for 30+ years. They had worked together for most of that time. It was like a ballet watching them do their work. It is hard work. The air conditioner had to be turned off for them to keep the carpet flexible. But they worked hard and precise and finished early each day. I learned a lot observing their work.

When they finished, they moved all the big furniture back to its appropriate location. Claude put some of the pieces from the garage in the house and then headed to Owensboro. I was able to finish all the things in the garage with the exception of the things for Claude's office and the old radio that Claude wanted to clean and work on before we returned it to its position. I moved all my clothes from the basement back into our closet and hung all curtains and drapes with the exception of the guest room. I was struggling with it, even with the aid of a step ladder, and I didn't want to mess up the paint trying to get it right. 

When Claude got home Saturday, he was able to move his clothes upstairs and took care of his office and the old radio. Together we got the  drapes up in the guest bedroom. 

We loved the new carpet and paint. It is just perfect. The carpet is so very soft it is a pleasure to walk on. This was well worth the two weeks to get it all done and back in place. Claude said the house has never looked better.