Late last week we were finally able to start installing our hardwood floors at the new house. It’s going well (we’re getting it done with our own four hands), but it’s proving to be a time intensive project – which is not necessarily the type of project you want to take on when you’re short on time (we’re scheduled to move in this weekend and would like to be completely done with four bedrooms and a long hallway by then – egads!). So once we’re breathing a bit easier and a bit further along, we’ll write up a play-by-play of how it all (literally) is going down. ‘Til then, enjoy this still-dusty pic of the first room we have officially completed: our master (well, we still have to get the baseboards and quarter round in).
As much as our timeline has me sweating bullets, it’s nothing compared to the Cathy-comic style perspiration that I was feeling during the first step of this project: just getting the dang wood home. Allow me to paint sketch you a picture. Lumber Liquidators called me to say my order was in and ready for pick up. Clara was napping so Sherry stayed home with her and I ran off to rent the $19 truck from Lowe’s or Home Depot that they suggested to pick up our lumber (it was a pretty huge order that definitely wouldn’t fit in our car – and renting a truck from blue or orange was cheaper than LL’s delivery service, so they recommended that). Off I went to Lowe’s, where I purchased all of my quarter-round molding for the four bedrooms and the hallway we were tackling (Lowe’s doesn’t let you rent their truck unless you’re making a purchase, but since I needed that stuff anyway it worked out well). Then I headed down the street to Lumber Liquidators.
Now, I knew my order would be bigger than our kitchen’s cork floor (which I was just barely able to fit in our Altima, btw) but I was still a bit shocked when I saw the massive stack of boxes being trucked out on a forklift. Was that really all ours? Gulp. It made me very glad I had rented the truck….
…that is, until they started to lower the load onto the truck bed and I noticed one of the tires was squishing down a little more than the other three from the added weight. It definitely wasn’t flat, it was just a little lower than the others on air. Which was enough to turn me into a Nervous Nelly (not to be confused with regular Nelly). But the Lumber Liquidator guys were great and forklifted my materials in a way that seemed to take the brunt of the weight off that tire – and we all agreed it looked okay enough to take it slow and drive the three short miles down the road to the new house.
Well, it turned out to be one of the longest 3 mile drives of my life. First of all, the load proved to be pretty unbalanced. Between my worries about the tire and the fact that the boxes of flooring were stacked pretty high (and not strapped together as tightly as they initially appeared to be), every time I turned I could see the boxes lean one way or the other. And this was despite taking turns at like five miles per hour with my hazards on in the right lane.
After a few turns I got a sense of how to shift the load back to an even-ish center, which thankfully squelched the visions that I had of myself in an overturned Lowe’s truck watching my new hardwood floor boards get strewn across the road and crushed by oncoming traffic. And since there were just a handful of turns between me and home, I figured it would be smooth (albeit slow) sailing the rest of the way.
Then it started to rain.
In all of my stress about the unbalanced load, I failed to notice the storm clouds that had rolled in without any warning. Awesome. It wasn’t just a drizzle, it was a sudden downpour… and I had dozens of boxes of hardwood floors being protected by nothing but cardboard in my truck bed. Hello blood pressure spike!
Luckily a previous occupant of the Lowe’s truck had left a large plastic drop cloth in the truck bed (something finally went my way!) so I was able to pull off onto a side street and cover everything before it got too wet. Of course it took me a few more death-defying turns to get off and back on the main road, but crisis mostly averted.
No more than one stoplight later, the rain stopped. Stupid thunderstorm. But it was still a bit windy, so my hasty cover job with the drop cloth was now coming back to haunt me and the plastic was starting to flap loose from the truck bed. Cue a few more turns to stop and remove the drop cloth completely.
I had barely made it a mile from Lumber Liquidators at this point.
My pounding heart was probably visible through my rain-soaked shirt, but fortunately my next two miles were far less eventful. I soon arrived to the new house, a few hairs grayer but with my hardwoods and truck perfectly upright and intact.
Then it hit me that I had to unload the darn thing. I had completely failed to think about this step in the process. I was alone. Sherry was still with Clara at home – where it never even rained (cue me screaming “What?! Was the cloud just over my truck?! Am I Eeyore?!”). Clearly I didn’t have a forklift at my disposal, so I sucked it up and started wrestling the boxes one by one off the truck and into the house. All 50 of them…
I think it took me a good hour to get them all unloaded. They were heavy (56 pounds each, I later learned), unwieldy (each one is about five feet long), and they all had to come down from the truck bed, up a few stairs and through a narrow doorway in the garage, before I could stack them in the dining room to acclimate before installation. There was no way in heck I had the energy to take them all upstairs at that point, so that would have to wait for another day. Between nearly giving myself a panic attack driving them home and then hauling 2,800 pounds of wood inside (seriously, I did the math) I figured I earned that much.
That was Clara enjoying the new flooring the day after it arrived. Here’s hoping she enjoys it as much once its out of the box and laid across her floor – because that’s what we’re working on today. Woot!
lizzzzy says
So, the real question that begs to be answered is…
Did you get the truck back to Lowe’s in time?
lizzzzy says
Nevermind! I just saw that question was answered.
YoungHouseLove says
No worries!
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
Yes! I was cutting it close (and might have even been a little bit over) but they didn’t charge me any extra.
-John
latoya says
Seriously, your drawings had me LOL’ing at work. I have to get off of here before you get me in trouble. Still laughing. Glad you got them home without any further mishaps!
Kristen | Popcorn on the Stove says
Eek – that’s quite an adventure but the flooring looks great!
PS – Those sketches are hysterical :)
JB says
I almost never comment. But the drawings made me laugh so much I had to let you know. Good luck in the new house!
Rachel says
You had me at AAAAAACK!!! Haha! Glad it turned out ok in the end… and thanks for posts like these, they keep the projects so human, I just love it!! (Our mulch delivery/spreading/etc went much the same way… did you know that super windy days are not the best for landscape work?? AAAAACK!!) :)
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, I can just picture that mulch flying gracefully in the air…
xo
s
Sarah says
I’m having second-hand anxiety reading about your drive home! We spent the weekend moving, which seemed like an endless cycle of loading and unloading the car.
Kari says
Dear Lord! I’m about to fund a kickstarter to get you guys a truck.
PS, this post almost made it to my #1 favorite of all time, but nothing will ever beat out the “had me on the edge of me seat” thrill of the dumpster bag post.
Jill in Colorado says
This is one of my favorite postings ever, too! Thank your art teacher in school; loved the silly drawings, hilarious! Also, loved the cartoon references you dropped in there. You had me laughing so hard when I looked at your Nelly link too. Best ever!
Courtney says
I’m jumping on board the “More John Comics” train. New once a month feature? I think so!
YoungHouseLove says
I love that! I’ll never forget this comic, which turned my mega frown upside down- or at least made me feel a little less stabby…
https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/03/oh-snap/
xo
s
Kasey M. says
Bwhahaha – bloggess moment?
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, seriously!
xo
s
Julie says
Rent or buy a hand truck!
Evelina says
Way to go John! What a crazy story. It’s going to look so amazing when it’s done though!
PS – I love all the links throughout. It makes your story that much more animated!!
Sasha says
Wow, sounds like a lot of hard work. Look forward to seeing it all laid down.
Loved the rendition by the way :)
Ann says
Hil.ar.i.ous. The drawings are hil.ar.i.ous.
Laura C says
Love the sketches – they’re fantastic. I can imagine how sore you must have been after unloading that truck by yourself! Well worth the effort, though – the flooring is looking good!
heather says
Love the pictures! Heres a tip..never underestimate the value of a six pack. It’s very rewarding to do all the work yourselves but buying some beer for helpful neighbor will not only take the load off your shoulders, it can bring new friends together…untill he finds out you quite frequently have projects ;)
Lauren @ The Highlands Life says
What a crazy day! It’ll pay off in the end and maybe you’ll be able to laugh about it one day.
The floors we’ve seen so far look great. Can’t wait to see the rest. The upstairs already looks like a different place with the blue trim gone and new floor down.
Jodi says
Oh man, this sounds like MY luck! Thank you for always posting the real side of things! (P.S. Looove the drawings!)
Lily says
You poor thing! Congratulations on making it to the house in one piece, that sounds incredibly stressful.
Reenie says
Cute drawings. What an ordeal…and workout!!!
Ted says
You know…that sounds like the kind of thing that I would do including down to not planning how to unload and having to unload it all myself. It makes me feel better that someone that has a lot more DIY hours under his belt would do something that I would. But, the floors are looking good!
bridget b. says
oh wow. this is exactly the kind of thing that happens to me when i undertake DIY projects! i always wonder is it just me, so thanks for sharing, now i don’t feel so bad! :)
awesome illustrations btw. love your attitude about the whole thing!
Laura says
Have you been pleased with the quality of the wood? A good cabinet maker and friend of ours was not pleased with the quality they received from this company and had to reject a lot of the wood. This is a huge nuisance because the company is not local so returns are a real problem. Would you recommend them? We have a local provider about 15 miles away that is more expensive and the nearest Lowe’s is 25 miles. After that the nearest lumber is about 70 miles. You see that the “gas” factor plays in.
YoungHouseLove says
We have been very happy with it. We have used LL products in our first house (oak hardwoods) and our current house (mocha cork) and loved that as well :)
xo,
s
Renee says
Glad you guys are brave enough to put your lives out there for everyone to see, but I seriously don’t understand why you guys procrastinated and didn’t get on some of this sooner. There’s no way I or anyone I know would let a house that needs renovations before move-in sit for 7-8 months and then say out loud how rushed I feel getting some things done before move-in.
Also – are the floors in the bedrooms going to run perpendicular to the flooring in the hallway?
YoungHouseLove says
All of the flooring will be put in seamlessly (no transitions between any rooms, and all running the direction it needs to in order not to warp (perpendicular to the beams in the attic).
As for why we didnt do this before, when would we have done it? Haha! We haven’t had a spare moment between the book tour, the holidays, and working on a ton of projects to complete and sell our current house. Plus finishing one house before starting on another helped to keep us from getting too overwhelmed :)
xo,
s
Syd says
“Renee” has been making sport out of harassing you so she can run back and chuckle about it with her snarky friends.
Laura says
I know this is a silly question, but how can I figure out which way the floor joists run on a second story? I had to rip out carpet in a closet and I thought I might be brave enough to do just that little spot. :)
YoungHouseLove says
From what we understand, the way flooring is run in a house is consistent on the upper and lower floors due to those joists, so if you have any hardwood on the first floor, just match that direction (we have some in three rooms downstairs, so that was a nice hint, along with the beams in the attic, about which way to run ours). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Penny says
Not really Syd. Most people don’t have the luxury of overlapping their living arrangements like J&S have, so yeah, I too find it irritating to see them whining about time constraints before their moving date, when they’ve had over half a year now that they could have been doing stuff to prepare. I get that they’ve been busy with “the book tour, holidays, and projects for the current house”, but I find it EXTREMELY hard to believe there hasn’t been a “spare moment” to fit ANY of this stuff in. All of the stuff they’ve done so far in the new house could have easily been drawn out and done in bits and pieces over time. They really didn’t have a spare couple hours to tear down curtains until now? Yeah right. If that actually were the case, I would highly advise them to rethink their priorities – there has definitely been some current house projects that could have been omitted. Painting the sunroom brick, “beefing up” porch columns, window boxes? Those are all things that are J&S’s personal taste and definitely could have been omitted and freed up their time for getting the new house ready for move-in, so there’s no mad rush at the last minute….like there is now. In my opinion, they’ve totally wasted the huge gift they were given of having their homes overlap. Hate on me all you want.
YoungHouseLove says
Sorry our home decisions have you irritated, Penny! I’m sure 100 folks would do this stuff 100 different ways. As for the window boxes & porch columns, we wanted to see those through before we left instead of bailing without showing all the love to this house that we had planned. So we chose to do that over installing flooring/removing curtains in a vacant house that we weren’t ready to jump into until we were done here. With a 3 year old running around, you have to pick your DIY battles and keep from pulling your hair out, so I guess you could say that deciding to tackle one house at a time was a mental health choice. Haha! So yes, we’re short on time now, but we’ll make it work. Heck, sometimes we’re best under pressure :)
xo,
s
Laura says
Thanks for the info. I was worried you would say something like “just pull up a section of the subfloor.” You are so sweet to take the time to answer questions. By the way, it looks fantastic.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw you’re welcome Laura! Good luck with everything!
xo
s
meg says
Watch out Penny!! You’re probably going to get some crazy psycho email from Sherry telling you she’s traced your IP address since you disagreed with them!! :/
YoungHouseLove says
If we sent emails to folks every time they didn’t agree with something we did, well, that would be a full time job! Haha! I do send a few emails a month to people who repeatedly ask the same question just to help them find my response (we get 300+ comments on some posts, so it ends up saving me time in the long run to direct folks to our responses with a link via email). I just click on their IP address and WordPress gives me all of their previous comments and their addy, which they provided in their comments :)
xo,
s
Jessica says
But, really, in the end, who cares? This isn’t a time management blog, it’s a home improvement blog. And Sherry and John show us different ways they improve their home on a daily basis.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Jessica! :)
xo
s
hopeithelps says
So you DID have time to click on BOTH Penny’s & Meg’s profile and check their IP addresses? Makes me wonder do you actually check each and every commentators profile? A lot of people are also aware you send wordy passive-aggressive emails to anyone who disagrees with you! And yea.. there is a possibility that people can share the same IP addresses you know? Work Smarter, not Harder Sherry :) ;)
YoungHouseLove says
I’m not sure why clicking something sounds like it would take a lot of time. It only takes a second, so it’s less time than it took you or Penny or Meg to write these comments. As for my emails being wordy? They’re a sentence or two with a direct link to our comment response. I’m not sure why emailing people who come over and ask a question (and leave their email address) is a crime – and it tends to squash the repeat questions, which is a time saver, not a time waster.
xo
s
Jennie says
Speaking of aggressive (skip the passive) … I can’t understand the logic of these comments lately – it’s becoming a daily thing. I understand that there is a counter-discussion on another website for the purpose of snark. Whatever flips your pancake – carry on. However, why is there such a desperate need to critique John and Sherry’s time-management here in this comment section? (With a rather loose argument, if you ask me – how long can it possibly take to click a few times and then respond? WordPress does the work for you).
I think it is logical that Sherry would check an IP address for several reasons, including spamming / trolling. The fact that she reaches out to “disgruntled” readers is also not illogical. It isn’t working “harder” to know your customer … most smart businesses do it. Just my two cents.
Natalie says
The catty people over at that one website that enjoy “hate reading” are posting this comment thread and Sherry’s responses for fun because in their warped heads they think it makes her look bad. I came across that website a couple months ago and initially liked to look at it just to see what others thought of YHL’s design choices besides just the commenters on their blog (since most of those seem to be people loving what they do). The more I read though, the more it seems a lot of people posting on that website are mental with how irrationally angry they get at stuff John and Sherry do. The worst is when they make fun of Sherry for spending too much time on the computer! You can see that some of these people have hundreds of postings on this particular website so talk about the pot calling the kettle black! At least Sherry’s getting paid to be at her computer. You all are just sitting around waiting for something to “snark about”. And it’s really funny how excited and proud they seem to get when they think Sherry has been reading. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that YHL might look at a website with a huge 200+ page thread dedicated to their blog. It’s like these people get joy out of trying to get under someone’s skin. Someone who, to me, seems to be a pretty decent person. In my opinion, there is some constructive criticism on that website so if John and Sherry are reading over there they might get some good tips/ideas. However, please YHL, do not let these people get to you and don’t try to appease them. Seems like a losing battle to me :)
Sabrina C says
Oh, this gave me a chuckle! I loved the drawings! I must say that it also gave me relief as I am in the process of redoing one of my rooms and hearing the ups and downs of others makes the stress load lighter! Thanks for the inspiration!
Leah says
Why don’t you consider taking a three day or so break from the blog to finish moving? I think we would all understand!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Leah! We’re moving on the weekend so I think we’ll be ok :)
xo,
s
Cate says
Definitely a favourite post! Funny and the drawings are brilliant. Thanks for the laugh on this wet, painty Tuesday!
Pip says
John you are such a hero! I can imagine the homecoming (if it were my hubby) – what took you so long? Is everything ok?…
Dont.even.talk.to.me.argh.stupid hardwoods.
Evie says
YOU WIN THE PRIZE! Whew, what a challenge, but you overcame it and as always you kept your good humor! I love the drawings, and I’m glad you and your family are in this world!!
Joanna says
So funny – I see publishing a DYI comic book in your future!
timothy says
that was the most hilarious illustration ever!!!YOU GUYS ARE HILARIOUS!!! Clara seems to like the wood though!! i see you don’t John! lol….
SJPBF says
Oh, John. Oh, John, oh John, oh John. This was the best post ever. I’m so sorry it all went a bit pear-shaped but it has led to me snorting diet Coke up my nose while reading this at work. And really, isn’t that what life’s all about?
Catherine says
Almost exactly what happened my husband! I was supposed to help unload but couldn’t even pick one package up. And ours were laminate! You earned a few beers tonight! Or a celebratory cake. Or at least an Epsom salts bath to counteract the agony you might be in tomorrow. Great job getting it home!!
timothy says
Also just curious where you go your cork floors?
YoungHouseLove says
Lumber Liquidators! Really loved them (pretty easy to install too).
xo,
s
Nancy Pants says
Oh! I’ve been there and feel your pain. I had a particularly difficult trip home from Ikea where I didn’t, apparently, process that I’d need to unload all my new furniture by myself. I wound up doing multiple trips where I “walked” the boxes up three flights of stairs and into my new unit. Oy!
Mary Claire says
Ha,ha,ha!! This seriously had me laughing and the comics were great! I’ve been in situations like this many times and it seems you can win for losing! So funny. Thanks for sharing. I guess you just have to keep your sense of humor. The hardwood floors are looking great!!
Kathryn says
As much as I feel for you in this situation, I am the self prolaimed QUEEN of Murphy’s Law, your stick figured renderings of your experience actually made me laugh so hard people around me must have thought I was the mayor of Crazy-town.
So, thanks for that!
Cindy_FearlessDIY says
Best. Graphics. Ever!!! LOL They really tell the story!
Since our own DIY adventures end up being more like a comedy than not, I felt right at home reading this post. Great job conveying the suspense, too! I’m so glad you got the flooring all home safe and sound. May the installation be much less eventful than the delivery! :-)
Rebecca says
Been there, done that- at our last home and my husband can relate with carrying off 60some boxes all by himself. I’d had a c section (so I was off the hook for unloading) and our 2nd babe was 4 weeks old when we decided to take on this project. Your post was all too familiar and made me laugh like a crazy woman- thanks for brightening my day! Best wishes and keep up the good work!
Barbara says
John, you are a manly man! You must have really, really wanted hardwoods!! I’d have probably just given up!!
Megan says
It’s going to look soooo nice though! Just think of the finished product and it’ll all be worth it.
Jennifer says
Thank you for the fantastic drawings; the story just wouldn’t have been the same w/out them. I think you should turn them into a flipbook. I can just picture the rain coming down and the plastic tarp flapping in the wind! ;0 I hope the rest of your remodeling goes much smoother from here on out! :)
Rosa says
Although I love your posts when their filled with actual pictures, this one with the comics was probably my favorite post of all time. I was laughing so hard, probably because I could relate to the “did this just happen to me and not the rest of the town?” feeling.
I just went back to the look at the pictures (specifically expressions) of your comic and laughed once more. Love it!
P.S. I love reading your blog! It’s my morning ritual!
Lynds says
We are doing the exact same project right now except we had to get on a ferry with our lumber liquidators delivery so we rented a u-haul. Luckily no flats! It was not pleasant to get them into the house, luckily we have some awesome neighbors with young strapping teen-aged sons!! Spent the last 4 days installing, we are sore all over and we finished less than half our project, oy.
Andrea says
You’re brave! :)
50 boxes? Wow!
I’m just writing because I have a question about quarter round.
Do you really need it? Don’t you like the look of just the floor and baseboards?
I ask because we installed our hardwood flooring with no quarter round and it looks gorgeous. Isn’t quater round used when you’re not taking the baseboards out, so you need to finish is off somehow? By what I see, you took the baseboards off. But it’s just my opinion. :)
Anyway, I love everything you guys do and all the energy you put into it. :)
YoungHouseLove says
The installation instructions for these hardwoods (in order for them to be warrantied) are that the wall expansion gaps have to be as thick as the wood itself (3/4?) so just the molding isn’t that thick, and we need quarter-round to bridge the gap and meet those installation requirements :)
xo
s
KathyG says
Good Job John! (Sherry, you are a lucky girl, my hubs would be so PO’d if he did that himself!)
My question is basically the same, but considering you ended up removing the baseboard after the fact, did you consider skipping the (yucky IMO) quarter round and going with a more substantial baseboard for a cleaner look?
YoungHouseLove says
Alas, we’ve never seen inch thick baseboards (that’s what they’d need to be to hide the 3/4″ expansion gaps) and we honestly think that would look weirder than traditional baseboard + quarter round (which is what’s in all of the hardwood-floored rooms downstairs, so we like that consistent look :)
xo
s
Devon @ Green House, Good Life says
Weird that the instructions would say to leave a 3/4″ gap around the edges…I’ve often wondered about the gap issue, since everywhere but the edges is nailed down, so there can’t be any significant expansion anywhere but the edges (and I really doubt that a whole board would expand 3/4″, much less the few inches on the end).
Also, I find this “flat tire” story very suspicious. First you show it being the passenger side tire, then it’s the driver’s side. Reminds me of that old story of the college guys who miss an exam because of a flat tire.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahah! I love that the tire switches sides in John’s sketches! It’s almost as good as the dog’s face in this sketch of yesteryear. As for the expansion, we’re actually using a different installation method, so it can expand and contract a bit more (which is supposed to really help with temperature fluctuations) so we’ll be sharing the details with you as soon as possible – hopefully on Thursday if we can get ‘er done by then :)
xo
s
jeannette says
i appreciate your candor on the logistics. the unloading would make it prohibitive for a lot of us who work on our own.
could you put your minds and perhaps the YHL hive mind to solving the unloading problem? i’ve had great luck with hiring students from the local university at $10 an hour. being specific about the scut nature of the work — you will literally be shovelling manure — makes great young friends and companeros.
YoungHouseLove says
Smart!
xo
s
Marin says
Holy Moly that’s a lot of wood to haul around by yourself! I’m glad you channeled your inner cartoonist, the pics were cute :)
Ally says
Your ‘mad’ face on the re-enactment WILL.HAUNT.ME.FOR.DAYS, JBoom :)
Good job! What a trooper you were through every obstacle and challenge thrown in your way! (They could use you in the Marines :)
verucaamish says
I think my head exploded. My hat’s off to you Jon.
addie says
“am i eeyore?!?” best. line. everrrrrrrrrrrr. hahahaha
i’m going to have to steal that from now on!
Jeanna says
John, it sounds like you went through heck, but I couldn’t help but laugh! Seriously, one of my favorite posts ever! Loved the drawings………. they were the best part!!