Nail Gun Differences

BF, “When you see your parents, can you ask your dad if he has a nail gun I can borrow?”

TMF, “Um, okay.  Uh…what kind of nail gun?”

BF, “I need a 12345ABCD blah blah blah.”  It sounds like the Charlie Brown’s teacher’s voice.

TMF, “Huh?  Never mind, text me what you just said.”

Unfortunately my dad's nail gun isn’t big or strong enough for BF’s current framing tasks. 

This little guy is used for furniture and cabinetry.  You know, small stuff.  Thanks Daddy, BF will use your cool nail gun for future projects.

THIS is BF’s new fancy nail gun.   

It’s a little bigger than my dad’s gun.

It’s another great BF Craigslist buy.  The seller was a construction worker moving to the Carolinas for better work and to be closer to family.  According to BF, he was really nice and even nicer for selling this nail gun at a great price.  

 

Sneak Peak: Spiral Staircase

Here’s a sneak peak at our spiral staircase.  This was another great BF Craigslist purchase.  

We haven’t decided the color yet, but it the staircase will definitely be powder coated.

I think the staircase is a strange juxtaposition of feminine and masculine.  The railings have an intricate flourish design.  The steps remind me of the diamond plate pattern you find on truck toolboxes.  The steps may be have a wood covering in the future.  Also, I'm not sure if the flourish railings are too girly for me.  We'll see...

Who Knew Glue...

Who knew glue could be so expensive? Apparently a five-gallon bucket can cost upwards of $200.  To make things worse, we need seven to eight buckets for our hardwood floors.  

We decided to glue down our floors instead of floating them.  The floors will have a more substantial feeling while walking across them.

Always looking for a great deal, BF found the buckets off Craigslist.  Ironically the seller recently purchased the same house we really wanted to buy back in May 2011.   Small world.
  

While describing the buckets over the phone, the seller made a mistake by telling BF, "I just want them out of my garage."  To quote Dave Ramsey, "There goes your walk-away power."  The seller and his wife were so desperate to get rid of these buckets, they sold them to BF for $40 bucks each.  

Hmmm...$200 vs $40.  I think BF deserves a high-five. 

About

After seven exhausting months of house hunting, Internet searches, turned down offers, stress, and hope, my husband (BF) and I (TMF) bought a house in our hometown of Jacksonville, Florida.  The house is a huge fixer-upper, but it has lots of potential.  The house was a previous foreclosure and there were “interesting” tenants living inside up until the day we closed.  

We are on a tight budget and a semi-tight timeline.  BF loves Craigslist and saving as much money as possible.  We both work full time jobs and feel guilty when leaving Bailey, our beloved 11-year-old beagle, by himself for long periods of time. 

 BF and the Wonder Beagle

Some interesting facts...

• BF is extremely handy and I am not.  This is the source of many jokes and frustrations.
• BF is very optimistic and I am not.  This is the source of many arguments and sighing.
• BF is coordinated and I am clumsy.  This is why I stay out of his way.
• BF doesn’t mind physical labor and I do mind physical labor.  This is why I cook his dinner and wash his clothes. 

Although it feels great to be a homeowner, I sometimes feel frustrated because of the massive renovations that need to be completed before we move.  The to-do list seems to grow every time I think one project is done.  I wonder if I sound like a broken record when asking, “What did we get ourselves into?” 

I hope you enjoy our adventures in renovating our first home.