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!
Melissa says
Your recount made for a good laugh! If anything can go wrong it will….the best laid plans….etc. Thanks for the laugh and sharing your harrowing moments!! Glad you (and the flooring) made it safely :)
Ali B. says
Okay, first, I am sooo sorry that all of that happened. How awful!
However, I am sooo glad that even after a bazillion posts and half a bazillion projects that stuff like this still happens to you guys. It gives me hope.
Dani says
Thats how I feel about Sherrys sewing posts, hehehe!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Jessica says
“Am I Eeyore?”
Love this post, just LOVE it! The floor looks great so far… y’all are just too good!
ka says
The post was funny but I feel guilty for laughing at the same time because of the hardship you were facing. I couldn’t help myself because the sketches was so funny.
Elizabeth says
that was very funny! pretty much exactly the same type of disaster that would happen to us! You poor thing! Glad you got it all done and now you can tell the tale :)
Adriane says
Tricky hey!
I imagine myself removing all the carpet on my second floor and installing some wood too. But it’s not a easy job!
I’ll wait for the great tips from you guys!
Good luck with the rest!!
Lauren says
Oh, the not so good times of DIY! :) Have y’all ever thought about trading the car for a pick up truck? Might pay off in pocketing money from truck rentals, not to mention lowered blood pressure. :)
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve definitely done the math but we’re not sure our occasional need for a larger vehicle (which only runs us $19 to rent) is worth buying a whole new car/truck/suv. Maybe down the line if our family grows a larger car (or something that can pull a trailer!) would be a good choice for us that we’d get more regular use out of :)
xo
s
Bridget says
Oh my gosh. This. is. awesome. I now want to do drawing re-enactments of all my own DIY adventures. :)
BeccaK says
Seriously, the glare in the sketch with the flying drop cloth about made me spit my coffee all over my computer screen. Classic, truly classic.
Andrea says
Your drawings cracked me up and made me laugh out loud at work! I’m sure the finished floors will look amazing and be worth all your hard work (and extra gray hairs) :)
Brenda says
If you ever decide to pursue something other than blogging, you could definitely do a comic strip. I feel so bad for you, but not bad enough that I couldn’t laugh at the hilarity.
kristi@SimplePrettyThings says
Oh I wanted to show you this: http://pinterest.com/pin/132856257730200658/
For your dining room corner cabinets
YoungHouseLove says
Gorgeous!
xo
s
Meg A. says
Oh my gosh, I feel like we had the same weekend! Well, you guys definitely take the cake for the drive home with the wood… but my husband had to haul 22 boxes of wood upstairs and he also calculated the total weight. He then reminded me multiple times about the 1,000+ lbs of hardwood he hauled upstairs. Haha, men!
Linda D. says
Oh, John! I FEEL for you! Even as I snorted my ice tea laughing! The drawings alone had me laughing out loud. Combined with your story, I was laughing so hard my husband came in to see what had so amused me.
Hope this was the worst part of the floor story and this installation goes smooth as silk!
Koliti says
Wow! Stick-figure John had a tough time! John deserves an extra scoop of ice cream :)
Love your re-enactment drawings – plus you probably don’t have to color & balance correct them like a photo.
Once I rented a BIG truck from Home Depot to bring home 7 doors for my hallway – I’m 5 feet tall, didn’t have any trouble reaching the gas pedal, and the doors are hollow-core – so I was able to unload them myself when I got home.
Your story is MUCH better! And your flooring has the Official Clara Seal of Approval!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Koliti!
-John
Shana says
OMG – this totally sounds like something I would do – it’s just so hard to imagine how much large the order is or how much space it’s going to take up. But what really rang true was the getting home and realizing I’m alone in unloading it – that’s usually when I end up crying and calling my poor husband.
The comics were awesome!
Eilene says
My heart rate increased while reading that. That would happen to me (in my best Eeyore voice) Loved the drawings!
Lacey says
Good ole John – riding with his arm hanging out of the truck even in the rain.
YoungHouseLove says
Haha!
xo
s
Lauren says
This sounds like something that would happen (…has happened…) to my husband and I while attempting our own home-DIY. Take comfort in knowing you’re not alone, and best of luck with the project! It will be worth it!!!
KarenH. says
yay for happy endings! :) And even more for Cartoon John and his exciting adventures–I do hope this will not be the last we see of him in cartoon form ;)
your completed room looks great and you can totally move into the house without baseboards or quarter round installed–way harder to move in before the floor is.
And having seen your adventures here, i am now completely resolved to hire someone to install the tile in my sewing room in the basement–if only to avoid having to drag all the tile here myself :)
Erin says
I lost it at the Eeyore part! This is probably one of the funniest posts I’ve ever seen! The sketches are priceless…. I’m a nurse and I know my husband gets fed up with hearing my frustrated stories from work, maybe I’d find a more receptive audience if I drew out the “play by play”!
Lindsay L says
Wow… amazing. Great story though. I’m sure you’ll laugh about it someday, especially if you read it while looking at your drawings! So funny. Oh man. I’m glad you survived and know your floors will look amazing! Way to go!
Laura says
Lets hope that was the one hiccup for this project. There’s always something, it seems. Our kitchen faucet install this weekend took waaaay longer than planned. Gotta have. Contingency, I guess.
YoungHouseLove says
You’re right! There IS always something! So it’s nice to think that’s it and it’s out of the way. Might be of comfort to John, haha!
xo
s
Alyssa M says
I gotta ask . . . how much did you save by renting versus paying for delivery? And would you do it again?
YoungHouseLove says
We saved a few hundred bucks – so although it was rougher than we expected, the wood got home safely in the end. In hindsight it definitely would have been easier to get it delivered, but we never could have guessed those crazy surprises like the tire and rain would pop up. You never know which project will end up being the tricky one (we’ve hauled stuff in rented trucks all the time without any issues and then this happened – haha!).
xo
s
Shannah says
This post seriously made me laugh out loud. At the office.
Thanks for breaking up a long back-to-work-after-the-holiday-day!!
Jennifer @Fat and Appy Modern Art for Children says
The Eyeore line was the BEST! Don’t we all feel this way, sometimes? Great post, funny drawings. On a personal note, hardwoods are up next for us (uhm, after patio and pergola) and Jonathan will be installing them, so I am completely hooked on learning from you two.
Kristin says
HAHA! I love these pics!
Suzette says
These illustrations are cracking me up!!! Love it! Glad you got it home safely and are already seeing the results of all your hard work.
alisha says
The flooring looks great in your bedroom!!!
and your sketches are hilarious!
Chaucea says
Awwww, John! *hugs* You poor thing, that sucks.
Must be nice for Sherry being able to slack off and lounge around at home, eating bon-bons and playing with the kid, eh? (I’m kidding, I’m kidding. I imagine she’s been frantically packing things up.)
Anyways, your sketches are awesome and hilarious! I think more reenactments like these are needed for future (but hopefully not so frazzling) capers! :D
April says
Well bless your heart. If it was me, I would have been in tears unloading those boxes after that journey home. Just think, you’ll have a good laugh at that story for years to come.
Katy @ Go Gruber says
Way to stick to it John despite all the setbacks! Good for you guys installing all the floors yourselves. That’s not an easy task by any means! I’m excited to see the finished product in all the rooms. GOOD LUCK!
Kay says
So glad you (and the flooring) made it home safely! My blood pressure was rising just reading this–I can’t even imagine what it was like during the moment!
Audrey says
John, those sketches are AWESOME!!!!
Bill says
What are you going to do with the quarter-round?
How did the last few rows go? Did you rip the last row, create a small arch, stomp it down, and face nail?
Did you use rosin paper as an underlayment?
Was the flooring pre-finished?
Bill
YoungHouseLove says
Yes, the flooring was pre-finished (you can read how we picked it here). As for the installation q’s, we’ll cover all of that (with pics) when we get a little further along and write that post out :)
xo
s
Skittle says
Great post! Wonderful re-enactment! Reminds me of my husband driving his truck to Charlotte (an hour away) to pick up a free washer/dryer set only to have his truck break down. My dad then drives his Suburban w/ trailer attached to go pick him up & about a mile later, one of the tires on the trailer literally bursts. So then I drive to Charlotte to save the day by taking my dad to buy a new tire for the trailer & then follow him slowly home to be sure nothing else went wrong. So much for the “free” washer/dryer set, 3 vehicles making the trip plus the cost of a new tire. I so wish I had thought to take a picture of the truck up on the trailer with the washer & dryer in the back. What a way to haul something. :)
Autumn Beach says
Oh my gosh…I just laughed so hard I cried. The story, the sketches…all of it gave me the giggles. The kind that perpetuate themselves. And I couldn’t stop! I usually don’t sit down in the middle of my day and read blogs. I usually wait until the kids go to bed. So glad I decided I needed a break, because that laugh was downright therapeutic. Thank you! The floors look great!
Krystle @ Color Transformed Family says
I have a feeling after reading some of the comments above that sketches are going to become a new part of the blog. I definitely liked them… they sort of reminded me of Layla from The Lettered Cottage and her happy sketches.
I have to admit John, I am stressing a little bit with you if the moving date is this weekend but I have faith that you guys will finish in time or at least in enough time to crash at John’s parent’s house for a few nights.
Marisa says
Thanks for lightening a rough day. John, I loved your drawings, they really pulled me into the action. Glad the story had a happy ending.
Cindy says
Question about the quarter round. Why do you need to istall quarter round if you are putting in new baseboards? I thought you only needed quarter round if you installed the floors with the baseboard still on.
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. That matches the look of all the hardwood floors downstairs (they have baseboards + quarter round) so we like that consistency too :)
xo
s
Gina says
Totally cracking up over the drawings!! :D
michelle p says
Wow! That’s a lot of wood flooring! I totally would have wussed out just thinking about unloading that! Its looking great tho! Are your backs screaming at you yet from all that floor work?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah we have sore backs, but we didn’t realize how sore the soles of our feet would be! I think just from carrying those boxes up and being on our feet a lot while laying flooring?
xo
s
Catherine says
I am nearly crying from laughter here. That last drawing did it. You nailed the eyes and the mood perfectly. Brilliant!
Amelinda says
I love the stick figures, Roo @NeonFresh would be proud!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha! She texted John a congratulatory little stick figure that cracked us up.
xo
s
Tirsa says
Oh man! I feel for you. My blood pressure rose just from reading it. When you said you went to pick it up by yourself I figured for sure you would have someone waiting for you at the house to help. I would have gone to bed after all that. Hope your back is doing O.K. john.
P.s.
the drawings were really great and funny. Would definitely like to see more in other posts. :-)
Danielle says
They look beautiful!
Heather says
What??? Am I Eyore? Too funny! Great pics too.
Yulia says
John Petersik: cartoon artist and comedian extraordinaire!
Clare says
I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t laugh, but it’s only to avoid crying. So glad everything worked out in the end. Reminds me of the time I bought a mattress and drove 15 miles across town with it strapped to the roof of my car. Good times…
Water Damage Restoration Murrieta CA
Maria says
So John can say, “I moved a ton of stuff into our new house…literally!” Way to go. We are packing for a move ourselves and I think I would like to remain ignorant of the weight we will be lifting!