The Part of the Program Where We Want it Done Already...Cabinet Fun

There are a few issues with commercial buildings converted to condominiums. Water pressure. The higher up in the building, the more challenge it poses. Windows. More often than not, they cannot be opened. Storage. Even when the building begins life as an apartment building, this is a big issue. In most parts of the country, apartments are considered temporary living. As such, you shouldn't need any real storage apparently. If you are lucky, you might have an extra storage closet on the patio. Maybe.

Kirby Lofts has been many things over the years. It started life as Kirby Lumber Company and went on to be a department store, an office building, condominiums (complete with intriguing scandal), executive apartments, and back to condominiums. While there are some decent closets, there isn't nearly enough storage for Eric's armor, bikes, and various sundry sporting/recreation items and the kitchen was not exactly designed for someone who did any real cooking. The previous owners had addressed the lack of counter top by adding a very heavy and very huge metal bar table. 

Yet again, the requisite before picture.

It had to go.

So with the counter (finally) chosen, it was time to get crack-a-lackin' on the cabinets and new peninsula. Well before meeting with LeeAnne, Eric and I had done our homework and devised a plan. I had Pinterest and was not afraid to use it. To save on the overall renovation cost, we kept the existing cabinet "boxes" for the most part. Our only alterations - moving the dishwasher from the corner (where its door would hit the oven door - talk about a really stupid design decision). We decided to take advantage of the ceiling height and add another row of cabinets along the top. The doors and drawer fronts were to be replaced with shaker style doors and fronts. I wanted them to be soft closed. 

Kitchen inspiration (or reno porn)

The peninsula was a bit harder for us to get our head around. The only thing I knew I wanted was reclaimed wood on the front of it. For the rest of it...well, we knew we wanted more storage, a home for our wine fridge, and lots of counter space. This is why it is good to have an interior designer and clever contractors. LeeAnne knows kitchens and baths. She helped us navigate the design so we would get what we needed. Between her and David, our cabinet maker, they came up with some pretty amazing and innovative ways to give me the look I wanted with the storage we needed.

It's starting...OMG...YAY!!

Once work started on the cabinets, we no longer had a functioning kitchen. Since we were moving the dishwasher, the plumbing was disconnected. Dishes were now being done in the guest bathroom which was...challenging. A glass or two may have committed suicide. 

After weeks of feeling like nothing was happening and would never happen, the kitchen began taking shape very quickly. I was taking update pictures every day.

Insert witty caption here.

David knew I had wanted inset doors but could not have them without either rebuilding the existing cabinet boxes or giving up my soft close hinges. He managed to come up with a way to "fake" the look of inset doors by adding trim between the doors. LeeAnne and I were not 100% sold when he attempted to explain what he was doing but the results are pretty stellar.

So very pretty....

Weeks before the build out began in earnest, LeeAnne and I found a place in the Heights that specialized in reclaimed wood called Wayne's Barn Wood. We sort of ignored the "by appointment only" bit on the website and just showed up. Fortunately for us, Wayne happened to be there. It was so much fun walking through the stacks of old barn beadboard, beams, flooring, and molding hearing where each reclaimed piece in his shop came from. Like nearly every other person I've met in Houston, he was friendly and unfailingly polite. 

The white trim was from a dry goods store in Missouri from the turn of last century.

Another great touch by the cabinet maker were the slide-out drawers in the pantry. David made the back of the drawers higher so things would not fall behind the drawers. Even LeeAnne was pleasantly surprised by this elegant touch.

Convenient storage for my severed head collection. KIDDING. That's what the freezer's for.

Before we knew it, they were at a stopping point. The pulls would not be added until after the painting was done. And the painting wouldn't happen until after the counter tops and back splash tile were installed. 

The Part of the Program Where We Want it Done Already...Part 1

After the nail biting and subsequent heart break of bidding and declining a property in the St. Germain due to some issues that only existed because of the relocation company guidelines, we found and bought a place in Kirby Lofts (Main Street). Well, when I say we...I refer to our realtor, Mary, and me. While I had been talking to one of the folks working at the St. Germain, I was told that another better unit was to be listed. There were also three listings at Kirby lofts. Over a 24-hour period, it was decided that I would be flown to Houston for an overnight. Eric had to stay in California due to work. So I had become the Decider. (Gulp!)

It ended up being a far easier decision than I would have imagined. The one unit in Kirby Lofts had the best layout and was the right size for the two of us. The price also allowed us a renovation budget - the prospect of making it our own was far more than I ever imagined. It was quickly purchased (after some battling with the relocation company...sense a trend here?) and we moved a month and a half after the ink on his transfer dried. Eric owning a home sight unseen made me nervous but I was quickly put at ease. He loves it!

The requisite before picture

Even though we moved here in October, it hasn't really felt like home. We had a set of renovations we wanted to do and that required us to keep some of our stuff in boxes. Logically, I knew starting over the holidays would be very difficult. That Houston is a vibrant and growing city with lots of people doing what we are doing so the good contractors are scheduled well in advance. That we were traveling a LOT over the holidays so we wouldn't be here necessarily to finalize projects and let in the contractors.

Doesn't mean I liked it. It's a well established fact that Eric and I are not patient. But as January came around, our itty bitty patience were thread bare. We had managed to get the place painted fairly quickly but everything else had seemed to stall out.

I blamed my taste in counter tops.

Choices...we had a few

When we started this whole process, the first thing I knew for sure was that I wanted recycled glass counter tops. More specifically, I wanted Vetrazzo Cubist Clear counter tops. LeeAnne, my friend our interior designer, was not familiar with them so we had to hunt them down. Only a handful of dealers carried them and there was only one person in all of greater Houston certified to fabricate them. The first estimate was so far off the mark, we almost had a heart attack - $20,000. The second estimate was far more grounded in reality but still too high for our taste at $8000. It was just too steep for replacing the size of the job. Further research revealed that it was not only too expensive for what it was but that it also stained. I was devastated. Fortunately, there were other brands. They were not as lustrous as the Vetrazzo but they were less expensive (by a thousand dollars or more) and more durable. We decided on ECO by Cosentino White Diamond.

The counter top decision was our last hold up. It was time to start!

5 Random Things I Have Discovered while Living in Houston

I know...I know. I owe you a bigger post. One is coming...I promise. With pictures of the new place and talk about how we are going to renovate and sock puppets! (Eric says no to the Sock Puppet...If you read my Your Moment of Heatherness Tumblr's "Things Heather Should Stop Doing in Public According to Eric", you will eventually learn why.) For now...the 5 random things I have discovered while living in Houston (so far):

• The majority of the people we have encountered have been polite, patient, and kind - particularly customer service types. That being said, when someone is rude it is far more jarring.
• There are some good Texas wines.
• Downtown Houston is really working on being a vibrant and interesting place. There was a Korean Festival, a night time flea market (every third Saturday!), and an urban foot race this weekend!
• The view from our place is pretty damn amazing.
• The First Unitarian Universalist Church of Houston is really a delight and has become a part of our weekends. (Surprising to some, I'm sure. But I was raised Unitarian Universalist and missed being a part of that community.)

Eric and I are trying to be as involved as possible so we are planning to go to the Downtown Town Hall Meeting Tuesday. So much awesome and we are only in our first week here! More later...but first...a shot out of the kitchen window.

I like to watch the elevator go up and down on the building being reno'd. "Ellelator go up...Ellelator go down..."

Launch in T-minus 30 Hours...

Moving is stress. It can be deemed good stress or bad, but it is stress nonetheless. Having a relocation company assist with your move is supposed to alleviate some of that in theory. In practice? Let's just say if you believe in their sunshine and lollipops description of your assisted move, I've got a bridge to sell you in Death Valley.

Eric and I are relatively low maintenance clients. We are diligent in our research and thorough in our preparation. We knew approximately how much our San Leandro property was worth. We knew exactly what we wanted in Houston. Our realtors love working with us because we ask smart questions and thoroughly evaluate our options before acting but do not drag our feet. There is no indecisiveness or wishy washy-ness.

While we were in Houston house hunting, our California realtor, Lori, listed our place and then held an open house over the weekend. Within 24 hours of posting, there was an offer from Bob the Buyer. Bob the Buyer was out of state but had spent a lot of time in our building. His kids and grandkids lived in the Bay Area and he wanted to purchase a second home there. He and his wife had been watching for units in our building. His friends in the building showed up to the open house first thing in the morning. Then they came back in the afternoon to look again. Whatever they saw, Bob must have liked because he asked Lori what we were looking for and what he needed to do to get it off the market rightthisveryminute. Lori gave him a range and told him we'd need proof of funds to remove the listing. He offered us the top end and promised to get us the information we needed on Monday. Before he could even send it, there was another offer significantly higher than his. Bob the Buyer matched the deal and we were done that Monday. No contingencies. No assessments. As is. Go us!

The next step was the relocation company buying it from us so we could have our funds to purchase our new home. That should be simple...right? Except they required all the inspections and assessments Bob the Buyer waived plus a termite inspection (for our fourth floor condo...). Sighs. Fine, fine. We get it. I mean even though they are acting as an intermediary, they still will own it. And should anything go wrong...it's theirs. Plus really it shouldn't take long to do these and fix whatever minor things they find.

Except whoever they hired to do our general inspection didn't seem to have a sense of urgency. It took two weeks to get him in here and then his inspection "recommendations" left a lot to be desired. A smoke detector that was missing a battery (it had died recently) was written down as non-existent rather than non-functional. He recommended a contractor be hired to fix a door that just needed WD-40. A few things definitely needed to be addressed and by a professional. But over all...he came across as an idiot. An idiot who was holding our sale hostage.

Meanwhile, in Houston, we decided to make an offer on a really amazing loft downtown. It met all of our criteria - close to where Eric would be working, in an interesting building, and in a truly walkable neighborhood with restaurants, stores, and a grocery store. Two story loft in a great old building (built around 1911; converted to homes in 2000 approximately). There were some things we would want to change but we had the cushion to do so based on our sale in San Leandro. An offer was placed.

There were a couple of things I wanted checked by the inspector. Things I knew could be a problem. One of them was the ceiling height for the bottom floor bedroom. I could tell by looking at it that it was not to current code (too much HGTV). If we renovated, would we be on the hook to fix that? We didn't have to renovate...but we really wanted the master suite to be downstairs. Turned out that not only would we be if we chose to renovate, we would be if we needed to relocate through Eric's company again. The property would not qualify unless it met current codes. We had to back out and we despaired of finding something until we moved to Houston. It looked like we would be in temporary housing for a couple of months.

Fortunately, a couple new properties suddenly became available as we removed our offer. In the morning Eric booked my flight and I left that afternoon for Houston. In a whirlwind 24 hour trip, I looked at three different properties and optioned one. Once again, the relocation company was there to make things more difficult unwilling/unable to give us proof of funds. After much fighting and gnashing of teeth, they finally produced the paperwork we needed. If all continues to go well, we close on the 16th of October! Just in time for our arrival! Instead of months in temporary housing, it looks like it may only be two weeks if all goes well. 

Tomorrow the movers show up, the electrician arrives to fix some of the minor stuff found in the inspection, specialists come to pack up the televisions (the relocation company insisted), and St. Vincent de Paul will take our furniture donations. (Because Catholic nuns housed me on Guam when I was pregnant with Avery, I try to donate to local Catholic charities whenever I can.) When all the chaos settles, Eric and I begin our drive to Houston!

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

Eric is the Planner in this duo. I would probably just sort of randomly show up to things but he is kind of in love with his calendar. (Should I be jealous?) We started our arrangements for Dragon*Con 2013 last year as soon as we got home from Atlanta. If you want to stay at a host hotel and actually enjoy the Con, it's pretty well required. By March, we (he) had planned out our summer pretty thoroughly - a trip to ComicCon to see my family, one to Portland for Trek in the Park, a visit from his mother, and Dragon*Con - three of which fell in the month of August. So when the move came up, we arranged all of it around our various plans. We threw in a couple of extra trips too to accommodate the realtor schedule. While we are in Houston house hunting, they will hold an open house. While we are in Las Vegas at a solar convention, they can show the condo again if need be. (Fingers crossed we get an offer before then.)

While we were at Dragon*Con, the condo was "staged". It's not like we forgot that this was happening. Certainly, we were steeling ourselves for this as we drove home from the airport. Still, nothing prepares you for motel art and fake plants and table runners and decorative pillows. NOTHING.

This is what hell would look like to me. Not shown - the one hanging above our headboard. You're welcome.

Apparently, a troupe of elves broke into our home and turned it into the lobby of an older (but still well cared for) Holiday Inn. 

When the movers came to take half our stuff (much like a divorcee would in California) and the cleaners did their thing, it was slightly traumatic. There were little things that still made it our home but the overall character had been made anemic. Returning from Dragon*Con and walking from room to room, I felt like David Byrnes repeatedly whining "This is not my beautiful house!" 

Now I realize my surrealist/pop art tastes are not the norm. Most people don't have signed prints by Lee Moyer, Scojo, and Saw. Most don't have photographs by Annaliese Moyer. Most don't have original art by Anna Kelland and Terribly Odd. Most don't hang action figures as art and proudly display their collection of Kid Robot toys. I get why they go for the blandest, vanillaest art and accessories. Our stuff would have been a distraction. 

Doesn't mean I have to like it.

The urgency to move will increase with every day I have to look at this table runner and the pot of fake daffodils (or whatever flower it is attempting to simulate) on the dining room table. Houston house hunting starts this weekend.

Penthouse? Really?

As you probably guessed by my last entry, we have the most ridiculous schedule the next two months. Movers AND cleaners are in Wednesday as we move half our stuff in storage to stage the condo. We go to Atlanta for the weekend and the realtor takes pictures of our place. We get back for two days and leave for a week to Houston for house hunting. While we are gone, they will be doing two open houses. Come back for a week or so, then Vegas (solar conference folks in da houz! Those kids can!). 

Depending on sales status, we are then packing the rest of our stuff and making the trek to Houston. The current goal (as of yesterday) is by the beginning of October to allow for yet-another-blood-test. 

We're seeing some great listings but Eric keeps threatening to put a bid on this penthouse. Sure the list price is only $299,000 but the monthly HOA is $3200. 

Seriously? There are several units up for sale in this particular building and you are asking for what in HOA fees? No wonder it's been on the market for almost a year! Eric thinks if we can get the price reduced and the HOA knocked in half it would be worth it. Because funny. I think he is delusional if he thinks he'll live through this move with suggestions like this one. 

Pretty sure this space was previously owned by a country rap pimp drug dealer.

How I picture the current owner - lover of old skool appliances, white marble, hot tubs, mirrors, white leather/chrome/mirrored furniture, fur, cowboy hats, and teeth bling. Wonder if they'll leave the water bed...

The Theory of Moving in Practice

Weeks of planning, discussing, and cussing, we had a moving plan. In theory anyway. Half our stuff would go into storage. Homejoy would come in and clean after the movers leave. Our home would be staged for photography and then for the open houses - all while we were on one of our trips out of town. Home would be sold by the time we got back from Houston.

Of course, what's nice in theory doesn't always work in practice.

The moving company charges nearly a $1000 for the additional move/storage. A smaller company could do our move but the items in that storage won't be insured by the other moving company during the official move. After some hemming and hawing and multiple discussions with  our realtor, we decided to go ahead with the cheaper mover since the stuff going is covered by our own insurance and is not anything we can't live without.  

Next obstacle. Bay Bridge will be closed during some of this so Homejoy has to show up an hour or so after the movers. And all of this is happening the day before we go  to Atlanta for Dragon*Con. It's okay...we'll sort our stuff to make it easier for the movers and have the cleaners focus on the rooms that are done or won't be touched by the movers.

Next obstacle. Pam had our spare keys. We  thought she had dropped them off with us the  other weekend but it turns out...wrong keys. She's mailing them to us. In the meantime, the realtor has Eric's set.

I won't have a panic attack...I won't have a panic attack.

Eric had some stressy moments this weekend. Hard to blame him, his travel schedule is insane. Much of this will fall to me. Still...I must admit I come super close to throttling him when he suggests  delaying anything.  I have to remind him that the further we delay...the closer we get to the holidays. "Rip the bandaid off, Eric. You're making it worse," I tell him.

Today we took down personal items and I almost started to cry. Without our artwork, without our personal pieces, this place is no longer home. Moving is suddenly more real. Why can't we just load up our condo onto  a truck and ship it to Houston??