Ice Box. How I plan to convert an Ice Box to a Refrigerator.

I've been thinking, nay, pouring over the many options there are for my tiny kitchen in my tiny Bungalow. What I know is this. When my bungalow was built in 1930, there was no electricity. The cookstove was woodburning (or coal) and vented to a chimney. This part of Knoxville wasn't really Knoxville. The Gay Street bridge was not yet complete. There were a few farms around and a few small communities. There were still guys delivering Ice. My bungalow would have been on a main-enough thoroughfare that an ice truck would have delivered. My house would have had an Ice box - at least at first when it was new.

Now I want a period kitchen. I do. But I have come to terms with the fact that I cook far too well and often for this to be a practical thing. It would be doable if I did not also work and was not also a single parent. If I was Sally-homemaker... I'd push for authenticity and we'd see how long it would last. Alas, convenience will win out and I'm just not *that* eccentric.

But I'll still get my ice box. Ice boxes are still available for sale by people who use them as armoirs, liquor cabinets, and storage. They seem to be running about $300 for something nice on Craigslist. Much higher at Antique shops. I'm more of a Craigslist girl. Besides, if I got something too perfect, I'd feel bad about what I was going to do to it...

Who else has ice boxes? Boaters. Boating people have Ice boxes that they often use with ice blocks and they often convert (retrofit) them into condenser type refrigerators. I'm using the term "often" loosely here, but they do it more often then, say, people converting oak, tin-lined ice boxes into refrigerators for their kitchens. I may be a member of a very small and exclusive club here... So, going with boaters, there are companies that sell retrofitting refrigeration kits. These kits are "remote operation". That means that I would have the "guts" of the fridge someplace other than in the kitchen. Someplace well vented and cool. Like the basement. That keeps the noise and the heat out of the kitchen!

I will have to make some modifications to the old ice box. I plan on it being a refrigerator only (I have an upright freezer I will keep in the basement for frozen foods). Chances are I will need to bolster the insulation a little, drill a hole and install weatherstripping in addition to the retrofit kit.

I'm looking at an ice box tonight!

Here's an article on insulating refrigerators:
http://www.fishingandboats.com/boat-refrigeration.html
And a place that sells conversion units:
http://www.seafreezeinc.com/products/conversion_units.html

These guys make conversions but put the ice box up on wheels:
http://www.antiquevintageappliances.com/turn_ofthe_century_conversions.h...

Has anyone ever done this? Comments? Suggestions? Admonishments?

Still haven't closed. Thinking about the fireplace.

I'm all ready to close. I have the insurance bought, the title company on standby, my mortgage is all set, etc. Everything on my side is complete. The seller, a bank, is dragging its feet! Very frustrating.

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad have gone back to Florida. Dad laid the tile for the impromptu hall bathroom fiasco-er-project in the current house. It looks great! I know he wasn't happy, but I think he's a bit of a perfectionist. The floor was very uneven and the tile was all seconds, so I didn't give him much to work with. I plan on finishing laying the couple of tiles to finish the job (3 or four maybe - the tile nipper was not cooperating with Dad) and then grouting tonight. With any luck, it will be beautiful and dry by tomorrow and we'll be able to install the toilet and the vanity. It is not quite as much fun working on a house that is not mine. ;) But it's still a little fun fixing anything up at all. I also hope to be able to take pictures of the bus to try to sell it.

Meanwhile, I was thinking about the chimney that is falling down in the bungalow. I could take it down. I could... And I could replace that space with a turbine roof vent. But I like the chimney and it is an important one - it is one for the Kitchen and my bedroom. If I want to use a wood burning stove, then I have to have a chimney. I don't yet know if this is at all practical or doable, but I'm thinking about it. One option seems to be to have the chimney rebuilt partially and relined with a flexible stainless steel liner. A "Flex King" has a warranty even if the home owner installs it... But is that the preferred method? If the bricks are taken down anyway? Hmmm.

I'm making another link category for chimneys and masonry.

Terrifying adventures in cleaning out the garage

Lets move the bus out of the garage so that we can take pictures of it and sell it!
OK.

We have to dig it out first.

So we moved all this stuff that was on top of it, under it, leaning against it, in it, etc. and the tires were deflated. SO we fired up the compressor and filled up the tires and then tried to push the thing out. The wheels were frozen. I volunteered to steer. The wheels broke free and the bus lurched backwards down the hill with me inside. I couldn't see the direction that the wheels were in. The steering wheel unmounted from the frame and fell into my lap. they threw blocks of wood behind the wheels. The bus had moved a total of two feet, but I was already terrified. I had the door open to try to see which way I was turning the wheel. They pushed the bus backwards another two feet, but it rolled a little further and I was not paying enough attention to my hand and got my hand pinned between the door and the basement pole. Ouch. We got me unpinned and there was no damage to my hand. Light truck. Tried to get it out but it got stuck on the garage door. Tall van. Pushed the garage door further up and it lurched backward again. I steered it (with direction and help from others) to back into the driveway. They had to push it uphill forward and then back again to straighten it out so it wouldn't tumble down the hill.

I was steering, but I had no brakes and no clutch nor transmission. Terrifying! I hope somebody wants this bus and can love it and make it nice again.

I have insurance now

State Farm just called! They can insure the house! They have that information back to the mortgagor, too. I'll be happy to tell you what I am paying for insurance if you email me. ;) It is about what I thought I would be paying. :) It ended up being lower when I provided pictures to the insurance company because it has modern utilities. A breaker box and good wiring, namely... ;) Thank goodness for small miracles. Actually this whole thing seems to be a series of small miracles...

Getting There

I'm getting there. We finally have a contract back from the bank selling the property! Thank goodness for small miracles. They were very, very late, but my agent is still pushing to close by the end of the week! I am really impressed! Home Inspections are checked off, etc. The appraisal was done yesterday and the results are in! It passed and appraised for exactly the amount I am paying for it (who'da thunk it? Now just how does that happen to just happen that way EVERY time??? I'm not complaining... but LOL) The appraisal was sent to my insurance agent who is working on getting it insured, the title search is underway and my Realtor is setting up the appointment with the closing company! She'll call me back when she has an appointment. WOW is all I can say!
The place is smaller than advertised, as I suspected. I guess I'll have to be ingenious with my storage. IKEA and naked furniture, here I come!

Last night I went to my South Woodlawn Neighbors meeting. Nice folks! I think I ended up on the social committee to help plan the get-together in October. I was nominated for Governor at large. Cool! Be active in your neighborhood!

This is the home stretch! One foot in front of the other - I'm getting there! I am so excited!

Solid Foundation

It is OK!
So I'm going through with it. :)
A good house starts with a steady foundation, right? Well, the foundation may be steady or it may not. The recommendation is to watch, measure and see, but if it is repaired, it will take three piers at a cost of only $2700. The Olshan guy is sending me the information in the mail. He also walked over the rest of the house. He noted the sagging lintel (is that what that is called??? I had no idea. I lintle is the front porch roof) and said in his opinion, they took out two columns (mine, too!). He said he would put another beam in the basement with new basement jacks (and they can provide that service, too, lol). I think it doesn't look too hard to do myself though to get a beam and Ellis screw jacks for the basement.

All in all, though, he said it looked like a "solid little house with lots of potential".

YAY! Proceeding...

Structural Engineering

I'm meeting the Olshan guy at the house at 5pm. He's close by and he's doing me a favor by coming out to inspect it and give his opinion. No charge. Last night I stayed up waaaay too late learning about PEX plumbing and how to repair house foundations. These folks use a pushed preformed pile system - kinda like a string of beads pushed down into the earth to the point of stable ground. Then the house is jacked up under the existing foundation and set on top of the pilings. Underground. Hopefully it doesn't need much/many. We shall see! The idea is that I would then follow up myself and seal the cracks with injection epoxy - "set and forget".

I haven't bought the house yet, but I am nervous. I guess I want this to work out and make sense. I don't want a money pit. A project, yes, a money pit, no...

Keep your fingers crossed for my foundation and please send steady solid thoughts for non-shaky foundations or inexpensive repairs my way!
I did find this site that I thought was pretty cool: http://www.basementanswers.com/