New Couches!

They are here! My couches came in! 

If you want to know the tale of how the couches got into our apartment, keep reading. Otherwise just enjoy the photo. The delivery folks were scheduled to get to our place on Wednesday, which was perfect because our Thanksgiving dinner was planned for Saturday. They were late, hours late. It was almost six when I called the company we ordered from but they were already closed for the night. So, I did what any normal stressed-out pre-Thanksgiving hostess does. I went and got a manicure. But, as soon as my nails were wet my phone rang and the couches were a block away. Blarg!

I was so giddy I couldn't sit still! James called and I was thinking he would say something like, "They are lovely, good choice baby!" What he actually said was that the three delivery guys refused to bring the couches upstairs because there was no way the couches would fit! I threw a fit. I knew that if were took off the door jamb we had an extra inch of room. The delivery folks said that I could not take the door jamb off. I called the company and left three voice mails and sent a bunch of emails. The drivers drove away.  (Sidebar story, my Nanny just had these couches delivery to her house. We had no idea we were ordering the same couches! Anyway, I was able to measure for the exact dimensions of the couch.)

Friday morning, I call until I reach a human and explain that I know the couches will fit. They first told me the trucks have all left for the day but they will see if they can make a special arrangement. An hour later, I got a call from a delivery guy who said he would be to our house in 30 minutes. I b-line it home, becuase, ya know, I was running errands for our party! At this point I had only had coffee to eat and I was kinda running around like a crazy person. This one guy and James manage to get these couches up the stairs and in our apartment in less than 30 minutes. I know, I know, they are total Hercules. 

The Floor: Day Two

At the concert =)

After our grueling day finishing the floor in the master bedroom, we headed to a concert in Central Park to see the Black Keys and Foo Fighters. It was amazing! I was exhausted! 

Room number two was the guest room and was slightly more complicated in layout. We have a HUGE (8x7') closet that I wanted to install flooring in as well. The previous tenants painted the closet floor black (eye roll here). Why do people do things like this? 

First we needed to remove the poorly installed shelves. Who ever installed these bad boys were screw gun happy and used about three coats of paint too many. 

Glenn and JD used our screw guns on the reverse setting to remove the screws. When they were done we had a cup full of various size and colors. The wood was various thickness and quality and depth.  You would think at this point in the game I would naturally assume that everything in this house will be backwards.

For the moment, that middle piece of shelving unit is going to hold James' tools in our larger than necessary utility closet. (Pictures to follow)

Can you see the angled corners?

Installing the underlayment became a piece of cake, although cutting it to fit the closet was a challenge (We cut it with adhesive side facing down and when we turned it over it didn't fit because it was not symmetrical  Oops!) 

James chalking the inside closet wall

We used a chalk line to fine the center of the room and measured out from there to make a straight and square line against the closet wall. We did this because the wall behind the closet is not square and we wanted the rows throughout the room to be layed square. If we didn't do this we would ran the risk of getting to the end of the room and having to install a piece of laminate that looks more like a triangle then a square. Also, chalkers are awesome. Its like a measuring tape, but instead of a metal strip with numbers on it its a piece of string with blue chalk on it. You flick the string and you have a straight bright blue line to work from. 

To lay the first row the boys did an incredible amount of measuring and cutting to fit the laminate in the triangle corners of the closet.  James had to use some kind of grown-up protractor because the sides of the closet come in on an angle. You seriously have to see this piece of work to believe it. In order to keep the 1/4" space from shifting as James hammered in the corners the boy stood on the installed laminate. 

For the rest of the room we used the same process as Day One. This room was a piece of cake after we finished the closet and we actually finished quickly with almost an entire box of laminate. We purchased an extra 10% but really managed to use a lot of cut pieces in other sections of the floor. If our rooms were longer and we had been forced to use more full pieces (we only used one full board per row) we wouldn't have as much left. 

Sign, sealed, delivered. 

Before we installed the last piece we signed it and put the date. 



We have the greatest friends! 

What's in my tool box Wednesday

Me & My Stud Muffin =)

I am so lucky to be married to such a stud-muffin. I am also lucky that he already has almost every tool I'll ever need. So, while I'll be spot lighting some of my favorite and most useful tools in this series, tonight I am sharing a "tool" that will save me many headaches. 

As soon as we got the keys for our apartment, I pulled out the tape measure I keep in my purse and got to work measuring everything in our new place. From the dimensions of each room, to the windows, to the fixtures, I have it all in one place. I can order the fabric for my window treatments, start arranging each room with the furniture we have, and get a better sense of what furniture we still need. Download the Apartment and Furniture Measurement Sheet. It is somewhat specific to our apartment but can be modified as needed. 

I also have been carrying a "look book" with me where I keep paint samples, receipts, and photos of things I find on Pinterest and in magazines that inspire me! 

Au revoir!