C Note(s)

Entry 8, Day 348. Almost my anniversary for my move-in date here to #BastionofBayne - I'm excited and disappointed simultaneously. The first time I did my walk-through with my realtor, Julie, that my gut was telling I should buy this property. I still feel that excitement almost a year later. After I purchased the house, and walked in as the homeowner on 7/7/16, I was inspired! I'm adulting now! I'm a grip disappointed because even after all the sweat equity I've put in over the past year, there still yet so much more I want to accomplish. There were a few initial items I wanted to take care of aside from the usual forwarding of my address, etc. Name this address as a check-in on Facebook Select a motif for the entire house Create a mantra The reason for the check-in on FB is I've done this previously so why break precedence? The reason for the motif for the house is simple: It's the vision statement, like a corporation. If you have a motif,...

Entry 6, Day 211 . My mantra for the house, which I've titled Bastion of Bayne, was a damn good idea. Functional Now, Pretty Later I knew if I had a slogan, a motto, a mantra, a statement, like that, I would have an objective that would drive all of my decisions on home improvement. In my experience if I have the power of that, then I'll be alright. I also decided that I wanted to document my progress with writing, photography, and videography since I like benchmarks of success. I created a sub-journal within C Note(s) as Bastion of Bayne Journal for the writing aspect. On my YouTube Channel, I created a playlist for videos (and photography) of Bastion of Bayne. I digress . A few weeks ago I was able to truthfully say all the items that should be working are now working. In my previous entry, I lied when I stated that Phase I - Functional Now was complete! You see, the GFI's in the kitchen would wired incorrectly so all the outlets on the same circuit as tho...

Entry 5, Day 54 . Monster day of productivity yesterday!! In fact, two victories to close out Phase I - Functional NOW, Pretty LATER. The initial pantry area was plumbed and wired as the laundry room (see previous Entry 3 for details) Here is a picture summary of the preparation of the area to be converted into back into a pantry ... After my self-assessment, and brief discussion with the general contractor that got this place up to financing standards for Washington State, I felt confident in moving forward with my plan to relocate the washer and dryer aka laundry center into the garage. For several reasons 1) reclaim a pantry for dry goods 2) in the unlikely event of equipment failure the water and/or other fluids or whatnot will be contained to the garage, and/or running down the driveway instead of the hardwood floor that's taken a beating anyways. 3) the noise can be mitigated better out in the garage than inside a closet. I talked to the MM Comfort Sy...

Entry 4, Day 44 .  I crept downstairs early this morning so I could indulge in a guilty pleasure of mine... Review the mess that my party was left behind. The kitchen The dining area The living room Plus the Seahawks pop up, Watershed banner, and Mike's table outside. We said goodbye to the final guest much earlier than I wanted but it is what it is. This was always a sign of an epic party! We didn't have everything functional but as I predicted; it didn't matter. They wanted to see the house and more importantly my happiness. I was so grateful for the show of support and participation.  My sincere hope it was a great primer for future parties at B.o.B. I'm confident it was. I learned so much from party prep, and then certain functionality and layout. I'll know what to do better next time. Speaking of which, until next time ... #BastionofBayne #notmoveinready #elbowgrease #sweatequity #homeTLC #keepdigging

Entry 3, Day 33 . A productive morning for yours truly! Comcast technician, Austin, killed it by 1) being on time, arriving at the beginning of the 2 hour window 2) a solid install job. The B.o.B. is no longer #Comcastrated About the same time, Adam Wolff of Wolff Plumbing, arrived to assess my plumbing issue by converting the current laundry room into a pantry which I'm confident was a pantry before the previous owners choose differently. Well, I'm choosing to reclaim it, and move the laundry room into the garage. After he assessed with his apprentice, Ben, they were able to quote labor and materials, and I agreed to it. Hopefully it'll be less, but I won't hold my breath. In addition, the estimate job time is 1 day, so we scheduled it right away. Might be done by Open House! BEFORE ...  BEFORE ...  #BastionofBayne #notmoveinready #elbowgrease #sweatequity #homeTLC #keepdigging

Entry 2, Day 30 . Wow. It's been a month, however it seems so much longer. WCP and I totally smashed on the backyard today. While I was hacking away with a weed whacker, she was grinding it out with my #OfferUp purchase of a lawnmower. The battle was won today, but the #WarOnWeeds continues on! A bro (Cory) tried to resolve my crazy electrical problem, but in the end it's this fucked up crib. He stated he wanted to try again. 12 days left to the Open House... #BastionofBayne #notmoveinready #elbowgrease #sweatequity #homeTLC #keepdigging 'los; out

Entry 1, Day 20 . The past three weeks I’ve been adjusting to home ownership. Actually I should say, re-adjusting to home ownership. You see, a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I was married with a house that was in the middle of Leave-It-To-Beaver-ville. It’s been hectic to say the least! My first tenant moved in last week, which happens to be my little sister. As I sit nightly on my back step, I think on what needs to be done. I bought the house knowing it was a fixer-upper which was far from move-in-ready and needed tons of TLC with elbow-grease. I’ll consider every minute of effort put into the house will be sweat equity. Although, I’ve received a very warm neighborhood welcome, and many congratulations from friends and family, a little bit of sadness pricks at my heart when I know my mom isn’t around to see my accomplishment. In addition, witness the transformation from a house that was abandoned for 5 years to eventually a beautiful home. My Dad has seen pictu...