We are staying in my childhood home this summer. I have so many fond memories of growing up here, but the house needs some TLC. We are starting to renovate the house to make it more comfortable and modern. It is a bit of a hall of fame/shrine to the 1980s right now. We did a couple of projects this summer.
Basketball Court Removal: We removed the concrete slab that was once a basketball court between the house and the garage. We played for countless happy hours there, both basketball and wiffle ball. At one time, we had three baskets and lights, including an 8-foot high rim. The basketball rims and lights were taken down years ago, and all that remained was the concrete slab. The slab was in two sections, the first put in by my grandfather, Art Heikkala, and the other section by my dad and his teacher friends. An excavating company quoted us $6,000 to remove the concrete, add topsoil, and seed the grass. We saved money by having my cousin’s husband, Tom, come with his skid steer for the day. He is an experienced skid steer driver and we were able to remove all of the concrete. It was a long day, and I want to thank him for helping us. We then contracted the excavating company to dump and spread topsoil and sow seed with straw. Hopefully, the grass will be in by next summer, and we plan to put a fire pit and portable seating area to enjoy the cool Upper Peninsula evenings. I might even plant another tree.
Bathroom Renovation: The second-floor bathroom was dated and frankly, a bit disgusting. We couldn’t find a plumber or a carpenter to renovate it, so we did it ourselves. My brother Andy takes after my dad and is good at carpentry, electricity, plumbing, etc. I was skeptical that we could do it, but once we got going, it was not as bad as I thought. In May, we removed the plastic tiling and cabinets to start. We next removed the carpeting and the cast-iron tub. A search on YouTube showed the best removal method was to sledgehammer it into pieces and take it out. My brother and I then laid new flooring, took out the vanity and toilet, and replaced them with new models. I learned a lot from him, and thanks, Andy, for your patience and effort in getting the job done. I think I made about 10 trips to the local Ace Hardware store to buy parts and tools. We finished installing the sink and toilet and started using it with the ceremonial “first flush” yesterday. Next week we will install the shower. Doing the labor ourselves saved a lot of money.
There is still a lot to do! The next phases will be to replace the old asbestos siding and install new windows. The four trees I planted last summer (white pine, 2 oaks, sugar maple) survived the first year. Our biggest challenge are the numerous white-tailed deer that roam our neighborhood. The other day I saw 9 of them just a few houses down the street. Especially during the late winter and fall, they forage for all they can. I didn’t think they would eat pine trees, but they do! Oliver, Andy, and I added fencing around the pine tree behind the garage. It is growing back so we think it will survive.
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