Shingle Samples and a Start Date!?! Oh Boy!

Guess what?!?!  Our Project Manager Curt from Dry Tech gave us the news that our building permits have been approved from the city!  Finally, we have a start date for our home repairs!!! Yessssss!!!

This Tuesday, the action is scheduled to begin in our sunroom attic. All of the insulation has to go before they start tearing things apart.  Which made complete sense to us, that blown insulation is messy stuff!  Cleaning this up after the tornado sent a tree through the roof and ceiling wasn't fun at all.

That blown insulation might as well be piles of dust, it took 3 shop vacs and killed 2 of them!!!

With a construction plan in place, our contractor informed us we needed to make a decision about the shingles for our new roof.   Then we got something fun... SHINGLE SAMPLES!!!!  Who the heck knew that would ever be fun (or that I would get so excited about it)?

The shingles we are choosing from are from Timberline- a line from GAF Roofing.  As we researched the brand we found that they have quite a few awards for their quality, look and value.  I was most impressed when I read that it won't need replacement for 30 or 40 years!!!  The product also comes with a nice warranty that can be transferred over to the next owner. 

I've never really thought about the look of our roof really.  I mean it is gray and looks like a roof, big whoop right?  Now that practically all of my neighbors have been getting new roofs I have started to notice their differences as far as shape, style and color. 

Here's the shape and style that is currently on our roof.  This was take just after the tornado with the tree still on our house, but you get the idea.

Pretty basic plain gray rectangles, right?  Again, never thought about it much before, but this is pretty darn boring looking when it comes to the new roofs I have been seeing up all around the neighborhood.

So we are pretty excited to be going with something that looks like this:

It is an "Ultra-Dimensional Wood Shake Look"- I'm loving it!

Since it imitates a 'wood shake' look I think it will give our home an extra touch of 'old' style that will fit our little 1924 Dutch Colonial much nicer than what is up there now.  We're going with Pewter Gray (the sample on the right in the 2nd photo in the post).

So there you have it, we start Tuesday and I hope to have some crazy pants demolition pictures to share next week!  I think Tuesday is going to feel as exciting as Christmas morning for us!  I can't wait, WOO-HOO!

Head Over Heels Friday: On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals and Sarah's Story

Happy Friday everyone!  It's Head Over Heels time!  I am really excited about this week's post, it has a little extra something special to it!

Meet Sarah and Kyle, owners of On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals based here in Minneapolis, I am Head Over Heels!

Photo from their Wedding Day via their website

Sarah is in the middle of an entire home redo project, not by choice though. Just over a month ago, the cute bungalow where she, her husband and two year old daughter Lucy lived fell victim to a house fire that destroyed their home and everything they owned. These pictures made me so sad!

The fire started in their basement due to a punctured aerosol spray paint can that ignited the flame from their water heater. The flames spread quickly through the rest of their home in a matter of minutes.

I just can't imagine seeing this happen to the home you live and build memories in, it's just awful.

I have written probably too many posts about dealing with the insurance process when you have home damages. As it turns out, I have met and connected with several people (including Sarah) dealing with the same issues because of our blog... which I have felt very grateful for!.  Most folks are victims from the tornado damage, but Sarah's was completely different with fire damage. It reminded me that the damage we are dealing with is so minimal in comparison to their situation. It broke my heart when Sarah explained that her toddler Lucy doesn't understand that when she goes home again all of her toys and things she loved won't be there.

After a few email conversations - as fate would have it - I discovered that Sarah and I work for the same company.  So it was only a few days later that we got to sit down and talk about our experiences with insurance, contractors, rebuilding and design decisions. Turns out we have a lot more in common than just our houses being busted up :) 

We both live in the same area (she's a NOMI gal too!), both work in a design related field, both are bloggers (check out the pretty pics on their blog!), and have a LOVE for vintage style!  When Sarah sent me a link to their rental business On Solid Grounds Vintage Rentals I was instantly Head Over Heels!  Anyone can rent from their collection for special events (perfect for weddings) or photo shoots. Take a look at some of these gorgeous items...

All items available on their "Collection" tab; photos via On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals



I don't know how she lets these go for rental?!?  I'd be hoarding them :) JK

Are you Head Over Heels for On Solid Ground Vintage Rentals?!?!

I hope you enjoyed meeting Sarah and learning about their story.  She has a lot of design decisions to make as they rebuild their entire home as well as replacing personal items they lost in the fire.  That is a WHOLE LOT of stuff to have on your mind!  I hope her story has a happy ending soon!

 If you have a moment please send some encouraging comments their way :) I am sure it will make her day a bit brighter!

Special thanks to Sarah for letting me share her story and On Solid Grounds Vintage Rentals!

The Cutest Thing Happened In Our Backyard...

Baby Bunnies!!!

Everyone all together now, "Awwwwww"

Our pup Sadie was the one who discovered these little guys in our backyard a few days ago during one of her potty breaks.  She kept digging her nose by our fire pit and was making really goofy howl-y type sounds.  Alex and I walked over to see what the problem was.  Alex pulled Sadie away and then when I saw something moving I freaked out!  My first reaction was that it was a rat, or a mole, or who knows!  Then Alex took a closer look and confirmed....

Baby Bunnies!!!  They had cute tiny round bunnies ears and their eyes weren't even open yet!  We are pretty sure there are just three of them.  It was impossible to get a good picture of all 3 since they just sort of popped up out of their nest and went right back in, but this was the best photo.  I think #3 was camera shy.

They were so adorable I just wanted to pick one up, but my 'I lived on a farm so I am a wildlife expert' husband reminded me to leave them alone (aside from photos of course).

After a quick trip outside their nest they hopped back inside their home.

And of course, Alex and I being the dorks we are, we had to name them :)

I hope I can get a few more pictures of Flopsie, Bopsie, and Hopsie once they get bigger or when their eyes are open.  Who knew we'd experience nature up close out here in the urban jungle?!?

Hope you enjoyed this full day's dose of cuteness!

DIY Vintage Window Frame Turned Burlap Bulletin Board

It was back in March I wrote my very first Head Over Heels Friday post.  If you take a look back, it was all about different ways you can use vintage windows for weddings.  I wrote that post at that time because fellow Minnesotan blogger Lauren had asked through blog comments for ideas on how she could use them for her 'Big Fat Farm Wedding'.  As blog fate would have it, Lauren and I have actually become real in person friends since then, and she and Jesse are pretty much our neighbors now that they moved closer to Minneapolis! 

 Anyway, when I wrote that HOH post I told Lauren that I would love for her to have one of our vintage windows (original to our house, just sitting in the basement) to use for their wedding.  With only a few weeks until their BIG DAY, Lauren decided to take me up on the offer!  Even though she is in the middle of wedding madness, she thought it would be fun to get together for some food and drinks while doing some 'farts and crafts'- as she calls it :) 

Our project?  This Vintage Window Frame Turned Burlap and Twine Bulletin Board!  It turned out perfect for their rustic barn themed wedding (check out her inspiration board here, so beautiful)!

So how did we put it together?  Let's take a DIY trip starting down in our scary basement, here we go!

The day before Lauren came over I had to get the window ready for this project.  First, I snuck under the stairs in our basement to grab one of the windows. The windows are all a dark green, Lauren was digging the chippy white type of looks, so once I pulled this window out I started cleaning it up to prep for paint.

Painting was pretty simple.  Since she liked the more distressed looks I didn't have to make it perfect and one coat of paint was fine.

Also, since we weren't going to use the glass I didn't even have to bust out my trusty blue painters tape!  I always hate that part of painting :)

Once the paint was dry it was time to remove the glass.  Alex considered this part dangerous so he wouldn't let me do it.  This photo was taken AFTER he broke the glass using a big rag towel (not sure why his hand is there?).  He wadded up the towel and pressed it down onto each pane so the glass would break out straight down under the frame.  This made it easier to clean up.  He put on some working gloves and carefully picked up the broken pieces of glass and safely disposed of them.

After those prep steps, the window was ready for Lauren and I to work on the project!  She arrived at our house the next day with tons of treats (including my favorite- CHEESE) and drinks.  Not gonna lie, it made this project pretty fun!  It was the first time I worked on a project with a friend and the social part of it made it seem like we weren't working at all.  Makes me think I need to have a 'farts and crafts' get together sometime (but maybe with an easier project).

Now, I didn't get a good photo of it, but underneath this layer of batting there is a piece of wood panel board from Home Depot cut to fit the size of the window frame (the wood measured 26" x 58"). 

Wood panel board + thin layer of batting cut to fit frame. Got it?

Next, we grabbed the staple gun and start attaching the batting to the panel board.  The layer of batting is to help make the board easy to pin pictures or notes to.  Note: make sure you know how to reload a staple gun! I think Lauren and I spent a good half hour trying to figure out how to reload the staple gun.  I really didn't want to ask Alex but we had to, then he of course laughed at us. 

Insert blonde joke: How many blondes does it take to reload a staple gun?  Answer: Still not sure, but more than 2 apparently :)

Here is a picture of the burlap bag we are using for this project.  It is the same style as the ones I used to make my pillows for the radiator bench (see that project in this link).  I got them at Online Fabric Store for only $2.40 each!  I cut the burlap sack along both sides (the long sides) so that we could open it up.  The sacks measured 27" x 40", so by opening up along the long sides the sack became a flat piece of burlap measuring 27" x 80"- plenty long to use on the board!

After we cut the burlap sack, we had to get the iron out since the burlap was quite wrinkled.  It is important to iron as best as you can on the highest heat with lots of steam so that the burlap will lay flat on the board. Does anyone else notice that ironing actual used burlap smells really weird/ gross???

Then, we grabbed our reloaded staple gun again to attach the burlap to the batting and backer panel board.

Once that was done I cut off all the excess burlap fabric.

The burlap bulletin board part is complete! 
After that, we had to flip the board over to push all the staples down.  Boy, there were a TON of staples!

Thankfully Alex came by to help with this part.  He grabbed some pliers and pressed all the staples down.  It was nice of him considering it gave Lauren and I a food and drink break :)

After all the staples were pressed down we grabbed the board and lined it up behind the window frame.  Note: the window frame is NOT attached to the board in this photo.

I did this because I thought adding twine would make a cute touch to the burlap.  Then, Lauren could also use clothespins and pin photos along the twine!  I used the frame as a guide for where I wanted the twine placed, then I just knotted it on.  Here you can see it tied on the back, if Lauren ever wants to remove it, it will be easy!

The last step was attaching the finished board to the wood window frame.  It is important to use thin nails so that you won't split the older wood in the window frame.  We used thin 5/8" nails shown here.

Once again, Alex stepped in to help :) After all the work on the board itself he didn't want us to accidentally split the wood with the nails.  You can also see where I lined up the twine on the back of the board.

Once the frame is attached to the board it is complete!  Ta-da!

Here is a closer look of the burlap texture, twine and distressed white wood finish.

Beautiful right?!?!

I am so happy with how it turned out and I had such a blast hanging out with Lauren in the process.  I also think it is so neat that a part of our house will be a small part in Jesse and Lauren's wedding day.  Then, it can be used in their newlywed nest!

So, do you love it? How perfect is it for a rustic barn wedding?!?
If you swing by Lauren and Jesse's blog make sure you send them some fun and encouraging wedding comments!  I know when I was a few weeks out from our wedding I was feeling a bit frazzled, I am sure Lauren would love some fun comments to get her excited about their big day!

PS- if you want to see what other projects we have done with our windows check out our Vintage Window Frame Chalkboard tutorial and our Hung Vintage Window Room Divider.

Just linked up to share this project!

Head Over Heels Friday: Layers of Dreamy, Textured White Bedding

 Happy Friday everyone!  What a week it has been, phew!  It was just on Monday that we found out our Master Bedroom was going to have to be painted due to moisture staining.  Since then all I can think about is my redecorating strategy, which is fun (and a bit maddening at the same time).  Thanks to everyone that offered up paint color suggestions for our master, we're still trying to decide on a color.

But there is one thing we are certain about for our bedroom, the bedding!  We are both Head Over Heels for white bedding!  We're talking lots of dreamy, fluffy layers and different textures of all white bedding!  It is simple and always looks so chic!  Whether neat and tidy, or cozy and messy, it still looks fabulous! 

If you think all white is boring and plain, think again!  There are so many looks you can have with different textures and fabrics.  Now, grab your goose down comforter and pillows and get em' ready to stuff into some lovely white bed linens!  I'm sure you'll fall Head Over Heels too! Let's take a look...

SF Girl By Bay

Lonny Magazine

Follow Studio



Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic



Country Living



Country Living



Piorra Maison



House Beautiful



Lonny Magazine

Oh dear, now I want to crawl into a big fluffy cozy bed and take a nap :)
Also- did you notice most of those rooms have light white walls or really dark grays?  Total opposites, but I'm liking both, hmmm the paint decision is so hard!

I know some people might think I am crazy to go for all white bedding when we have two pups (especially one that sheds a ton of wirey hair). But honestly, I think all white is the easiest to care for.  You just toss it in the wash and bleach as needed to keep clean and crisp.  It also makes it easier to keep multiple sets of sheeting (finding all white is pretty darn easy).  I am a freak about making sure sheets are changed and clean frequently, so having multiple sets on hand is a must!  (Alex thinks I am a little OCD on that issue).

Are you Head Over Heels for white bedding too?

Do you have a room with all white bedding? I'd love to see pictures!

Tonight I will be working on a DIY wedding project with Lauren from Our Big Fat Farm Wedding!  We're making something pretty cool, I can't wait to share!  Have a fabulous weekend!

Permits and an Introduction

 I was able to share the good news that we had reached an agreement with our insurance regarding the repair amount for the damages our home sustained on the May 22nd tornado.  Nothing too exciting has been going on at our house since then (execpt a new wet wall), but I thought I would just give a little update. 

On Friday we reviewed our millionth revised estimate with our contractor and finally signed a contract to begin all the work (see damage list here).  Hooray!  It was pretty exciting!  Since we took that big step I think it is finally safe to stop saying "our contractor" and share who we have been working with.  We are pleased to introduce you to Dry Tech Restoration based in Hugo Minnesota!  

Dry Tech Thumbs Up!

We have been working with their General Manager Kevin and now our newly appointed Project Manager Curt. After the tornado, one of the hardest things we went through was choosing and trusting a contractor and we have been very happy with Dry Tech since the first day Kevin came to look at our house. We've also been thankful for all of Kevin's help educating us along the way regarding the repairs needed and the insurance process. So for a while blog friends, you will be along for our ride with Dry Tech Resoration until this house is whole again.  Alex and I will be taking on a few (smaller) projects on the repair list that we will share, but we certainly can't rebuild our roof, that would take some mad DIY skills :) After it's all done we swear to get back to our DIY ways!

*** Also (just in case anyone is wondering) we informed Kevin about our little blog here and got the a-okay to share this experience and their company with the blog world***

So where are we at now in the rebuild process? 

Permits, permits, permits!  Before any work can start we must have approved building permits from the city of Minneapolis. Note: Permits are necessary to regulate construction, maintenance, and remodeling so that the buildings will be safe; and to be certain that the work is done in compliance with city ordinances.  Just today our Project Manager went to the permit office to review our project with the city (hopefully it will all get approved) but, should they have any concerns they can also decide that there's a need to come out to our house to inspect the site/scope of work (I hope they just approve it of course).  So again, we are players in a new waiting game.

Side note: Does anyone else think of that goofy scene from Wayne's World 2 when you hear permit applications?  Or am I just a weirdo?

So....
Will the permits get approved?

Will the work start anytime soon?

Will Roco and Sadie ever stop going berzek when the Dry Tech team comes over?
 (It's super embarrassing for us)

Only time will tell as our Home Repair Saga continues...

See you tomorrow for a more fun post Head Over Heels Friday!

Add Another Room To The Repairs List...

Time to share a new unfortunate problem we now have... Can you believe it? More problems? Yea, neither could I, but it's true!

Yesterday, a pretty big storm rolled through Minneapolis and several surrounding cities. We have had plenty of storms come by since the May tornado, but apparently this one must have been the strongest. Thankfully our tarp held out, no issues on that side of the house. But I noticed in our master bedroom a big water stain dripping down from the ceiling to the floor. Booo!

Top to bottom...

On the bright side, I was pretty calm about it, could be much worse. I guess more than anything I was just annoyed to see something else we had to get fixed that probably could have been avoided if the repairs were already done.  But I was also confused as to what happened on that side of the house now?  The other side is the one with the giant hole for goodness sake! Alex took a look outside and noticed we had more facia missing from that corner of our house but that didn't quite explain the location of the water intrusion.

I immediately called our contractor for his advice on the situation.  It was just over a week ago that we finished up our agreement with insurance on the prior home repair amounts- I had no idea what to do with a new problem.  He came out to take a look and thankfully informed us that the moisture in the walls was pretty minimal and that the lathe and plaster could dry out.  His assumption was that water may have came through some of the flashing around our chimney which is behind the wall where moisture was showing. 

We had to call our adjuster (ugh, again) to inform him of the new development.  So, our master bedroom is now on the repair list as well.  We already know we are getting a new roof and attic insulation where the water came in from all the previous damage (see that list and images here).  Now a fresh coat of paint is all we need to add to correct this new issue.
 

Ugghhh, when will it end?

Anyway, on the bright side we know our master bedroom will be have to be painted (and I already hate the pale green color that is in there today)... So holy moly I need to figure out what color we want to paint it and FAST!  Well, not super fast, could still be a month until they get to the indoor repairs.

The Help Flag is Up!

Do you have a paint color you are loving right now for a Master Bedroom?   Hmmm...

I'd love to hear every one's ideas or suggestions!  Comment away please!