...Okay...so I lied. I do have ONE update that warrants it's own post. I finally got tired of only having one pull string light fixture in the basement workroom, and decided to do something about it other than continue to use a shop light on an extension chord.
There is an exposed junction box in the ceiling (it's an unfinished ceiling in that room) that supplied power to the original light fixture. Since I wanted to put all of the new lights on one switch at the door, I disconnected the light fixture from the junction box and ran a new wire from the box to a new switch location. Then I ran a new wire from the switch location to the first light. I stopped at this point and made all of the appropriate connections in order to get the first light working as a way to check my work up to that point.
After confirming that the first light was working, I installed the remaining ceiling fixture boxes, and ran the appropriate wiring from the first light to the second, second to third, and so on. While I had light in the room, I finished all of the connections and installation of fixtures in lights 2-4 before turning off the breaker and connecting the load wire to light one. Once I turned the breaker back on...let there be light! It works perfectly and there is now MUCH more light down there for me to find tools and prevent accidents.
At some point, I will be replacing one or two of the simple one bulb ceiling fixtures with hard wired shop lights. The great thing about already having a ceiling box at each light is that I can use that as a junction box when wiring the shop lights. This will also provide a good opportunity to run a wire to an air compressor that I got for free that I will be putting in the basement soon.
I love it when a plan comes together...
Friday, November 16, 2007
Pre-Holiday Slump
In case no one has noticed, the last update was posted in the middle of October...about a month ago. Although we have gotten some things done around the house, they are fairly menial and non-deserving of an actual post. We moved our bedroom furniture into our newly painted bedroom, and cleaned up around the house a bit.
I had to build a slat system for the bed since for some strange reason the queen bedframe rails were too wide for the queen box spring that we have by about a half inch. How does that happen? It's a universal size as far as I know. But in either case, the frame is built and I feel the bed is more sturdy. Ever since we bought that thing and I saw the side rails that the box spring is supposed to sit on, I've had nightmares of our expensive new bedframe breaking...bleh. Not now!
We also got a dog! He is an 8 month old black lab named Jake. He has been a really good dog so far, and continues to learn everything that we try to teach him very quickly. Luckily he enjoys car rides, meeting new people and dogs, and is GREAT with small children.
I have some time off during the holidays this year, and I'm hoping that we'll get some things done during that time. I think our main objectives for the winter are going to be the following:
Quite a list, but if you don't think big, it's hard to keep moving forward. More to come soon!
I had to build a slat system for the bed since for some strange reason the queen bedframe rails were too wide for the queen box spring that we have by about a half inch. How does that happen? It's a universal size as far as I know. But in either case, the frame is built and I feel the bed is more sturdy. Ever since we bought that thing and I saw the side rails that the box spring is supposed to sit on, I've had nightmares of our expensive new bedframe breaking...bleh. Not now!
We also got a dog! He is an 8 month old black lab named Jake. He has been a really good dog so far, and continues to learn everything that we try to teach him very quickly. Luckily he enjoys car rides, meeting new people and dogs, and is GREAT with small children.
I have some time off during the holidays this year, and I'm hoping that we'll get some things done during that time. I think our main objectives for the winter are going to be the following:
- Tile & finish the master bathroom (shower ceiling, walls, and bathroom floor)
- Build a corner vanity for the powder room and install sink and faucet
- Build a mantle for the fireplace (hopefully before Christmas)
- Install recessed lighting in the living room
- Install crown molding in the living room, dining room, hallway, office, powder room, master bedroom, and master bathroom....basically everywhere on the first floor except the kitchen and master closet.
Quite a list, but if you don't think big, it's hard to keep moving forward. More to come soon!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Nice Fresh Paint! (MMR4)
So yesterday, after working from home, I was able to get an early start on painting the master bedroom and the hallway. I started with the ceilings, applying two coats. I though I was going to need three after looking at the old yellow ceiling showing through the primer, but after the second coat started to dry I realized two would be enough. Let me just say the difference is amazing, and I have the pictures to prove it (coming this weekend I promise).
After making fairly quick work with of the ceilings, I turned my attention to the bedroom walls. It would have been faster to get the hallway finished first so as not to be inclined to take a break between the large bedroom and small hallway later in the evening, but I wanted to see some instant impact. We chose to go with Behr Eggshell Enamel in Wild Porcini. It's basically between tan and light brown. We think it work well with the different shades of wood in the room, light floors, and dark furniture.
For the hallway, we just used plain, un-tinted, white. Since the hallway is a bit on the narrow side, we wanted to make sure the paint we used in there would make the space feel bright. We also figured that since we love color so much, and have all sorts of nice, rich colors in the rooms, that it would be kinda cool to make the hallway feel like a little art gallery. We'll be installing a wire system with halogen spot lights to highlight some wall hangings. Should look pretty cool.
The last item on the painting list for the evening was to touch up a few seems in the powder room walls that needed more spackle work. The seems still aren't perfect, but you can't tell what is new paint and what we did a few weeks ago, so that's a plus. And let's face it, although I think we do a pretty good job with all of the work we are doing, we are by no means professional spacklers.
Pictures coming soon...
After making fairly quick work with of the ceilings, I turned my attention to the bedroom walls. It would have been faster to get the hallway finished first so as not to be inclined to take a break between the large bedroom and small hallway later in the evening, but I wanted to see some instant impact. We chose to go with Behr Eggshell Enamel in Wild Porcini. It's basically between tan and light brown. We think it work well with the different shades of wood in the room, light floors, and dark furniture.
For the hallway, we just used plain, un-tinted, white. Since the hallway is a bit on the narrow side, we wanted to make sure the paint we used in there would make the space feel bright. We also figured that since we love color so much, and have all sorts of nice, rich colors in the rooms, that it would be kinda cool to make the hallway feel like a little art gallery. We'll be installing a wire system with halogen spot lights to highlight some wall hangings. Should look pretty cool.
The last item on the painting list for the evening was to touch up a few seems in the powder room walls that needed more spackle work. The seems still aren't perfect, but you can't tell what is new paint and what we did a few weeks ago, so that's a plus. And let's face it, although I think we do a pretty good job with all of the work we are doing, we are by no means professional spacklers.
Pictures coming soon...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
All Primed and Ready to Go (MMR3)
We have finally begun the finishing stages of the Master Bathroom and Hallway. Last night we primed the walls and ceilings in each area. The plan is to paint both ceilings tonight, and all of the walls tomorrow night.
I labeled this as MMR3 due to the inherent risk of catching primer drops with our eyes...something that I am apparently the world champion of. We use BULLS EYE 1-2-3, and find that it works equally well on new drywall, spackle, and old plaster. Just after the primer, even I can barely tell where the seems between old and new are. It's certainly nice to be finishing up the crappy work and doing more of the cheap instant impact stuff.
I labeled this as MMR3 due to the inherent risk of catching primer drops with our eyes...something that I am apparently the world champion of. We use BULLS EYE 1-2-3, and find that it works equally well on new drywall, spackle, and old plaster. Just after the primer, even I can barely tell where the seems between old and new are. It's certainly nice to be finishing up the crappy work and doing more of the cheap instant impact stuff.
Monday, October 15, 2007
I Hate Wall Prep II (MMR1)
Finally we are ready to paint. We spent the weekend sanding all of the walls in the master bedroom and hallway, and then cleaning up all of the dust. Three notes here:
1) I very much dislike sanding ceilings.
2) Spackle dust doesn't feel good in your eyes. (Yeah, I know...wear goggles...but after 30 seconds of sanding you can't see out of them)
3) Despite all of the spackle drips on the floor, we were happy to see after a quick mopping that they will still look awesome after a final cleaning.
Tonight we will be priming the two areas all at once to reduce the number of rollers that we have to either clean or trash. Then we'll paint both ceilings, and hopefully put a first coat of paint on the bedroom walls. We're pretty excited to see this change.
1) I very much dislike sanding ceilings.
2) Spackle dust doesn't feel good in your eyes. (Yeah, I know...wear goggles...but after 30 seconds of sanding you can't see out of them)
3) Despite all of the spackle drips on the floor, we were happy to see after a quick mopping that they will still look awesome after a final cleaning.
Tonight we will be priming the two areas all at once to reduce the number of rollers that we have to either clean or trash. Then we'll paint both ceilings, and hopefully put a first coat of paint on the bedroom walls. We're pretty excited to see this change.
Monday, October 8, 2007
I Hate Wall Prep (MMR1)
I HATE wall prep. Let me say this again....I HATE WALL PREP. I'm not sure if it's because the actual task is just boring and tedious, or if it's because we have been working on 4 rooms and a hallway all at once and are now in the middle of preparing all of the walls for primer and paint. The first coat of spackle doesn't get to me, and is actually fairly rewarding despite all of the inside corners.
At first I was using the good 'ol fashion plain paper tape for all of the seems, including inside corners. The use of Bon Tool Sure Corner Drywall Joint Tape has made inside corner frustrations a thing of the past. The two metal strips that run down the center of the tape maintain a straight seem and prevent the tape from pulling out of the corners too much. This has been a critical element in maintaining my ever shortening patience during the joint taping that we've done.
Once the initial coat is down and dry, I don't even mind the second coat, third coat, or the sanding. The thing that has been killing me is preparing the walls that aren't new drywall. Since our house was built in the 50's, the walls are old school sheet rock (i think the sheets are 8 feet long and maybe 16-24 inches wide) with rough and skim coats of plaster over top. These walls are actually pretty nice...at least where the builders did a good job of making sure the numerous seems were hidden. However, it looks like there was either a primer applied to the plaster, or a few coats of paint, and then at least one layer of wall paper. Simple enough to remove, right? Wrong. Over time, the first layer has begun to separate from the plaster in some places, and still holds tight in others. Trying to scrape this stuff off has been a long and arduous process, and was followed by washing all of the walls down with the water and vinegar solution (that I mentioned in a previous post) to remove any remaining wallpaper glue.
Inherently, there are areas of the walls where we gouged the crap out of the plaster. This past weekend, we decided it was time for our own skim coat so we can put an end to the bedroom remodel. Now we have to sand all of the walls down, prime, and check for any spots that we missed. I've found that once you get the first coat of primer or paint on the walls, if there is a spot on the wall that needs additional attention it will rear it's ugly head at this stage.
...I hate wall prep...
At first I was using the good 'ol fashion plain paper tape for all of the seems, including inside corners. The use of Bon Tool Sure Corner Drywall Joint Tape has made inside corner frustrations a thing of the past. The two metal strips that run down the center of the tape maintain a straight seem and prevent the tape from pulling out of the corners too much. This has been a critical element in maintaining my ever shortening patience during the joint taping that we've done.Once the initial coat is down and dry, I don't even mind the second coat, third coat, or the sanding. The thing that has been killing me is preparing the walls that aren't new drywall. Since our house was built in the 50's, the walls are old school sheet rock (i think the sheets are 8 feet long and maybe 16-24 inches wide) with rough and skim coats of plaster over top. These walls are actually pretty nice...at least where the builders did a good job of making sure the numerous seems were hidden. However, it looks like there was either a primer applied to the plaster, or a few coats of paint, and then at least one layer of wall paper. Simple enough to remove, right? Wrong. Over time, the first layer has begun to separate from the plaster in some places, and still holds tight in others. Trying to scrape this stuff off has been a long and arduous process, and was followed by washing all of the walls down with the water and vinegar solution (that I mentioned in a previous post) to remove any remaining wallpaper glue.
Inherently, there are areas of the walls where we gouged the crap out of the plaster. This past weekend, we decided it was time for our own skim coat so we can put an end to the bedroom remodel. Now we have to sand all of the walls down, prime, and check for any spots that we missed. I've found that once you get the first coat of primer or paint on the walls, if there is a spot on the wall that needs additional attention it will rear it's ugly head at this stage.
...I hate wall prep...
Friday, October 5, 2007
Work Shop Shelving Unit (MMR 9)
It seems to be a recurring theme that older houses have less storage space than new houses. This becomes a particularly glaring issue due to the fact that much of our stuff is still packed away due to the ongoing renovation. We all know I'm not going to go around and dust it all (MMR1).
Fortunately, we have a very large partially finished basement. There is utility room (furnace, water heater, electrical panel), a walk in storage closet, a fairly large storage room, and a nice sized workshop area. These spaces are all in addition to a pretty substantial "finished" area, and by "finished" I mean paneled walls, linoleum tiles, and drop ceiling.
Since we are getting closer to finishing some of our renovation and the need for items such as the electrical supplies and circular saw is dwindling, we decided it was time to start thinking about where we were going to put all of the tools and building supplies. After searching the internet for "Heavy Duty Storage Shelves", I had found enough different ideas that I figured I could build my own.
We have a perfect wall right behind the opening of the workshop door for a shelving unit 8 feet long, about 6 1/2 feet tall, and 2 feet deep. This made the supply list pretty easy to come up with. I went with 4 shelves total. The lowest shelf is right next too the floor, just to keep items off of the floor in case of water accumulation in the basement. Between the 1st & 2nd,and 2nd & 3rd shelves, there is approximately 19.5 inches of height (which is just enough for some big rubbermaid storage bins). Between the and 3rd & 4th shelves, there is approximately 16 inches of height since I figured it'd be less likely Dee or I would really want to heave large and bulky items up there.
Since each shelf is effectively 2 feet by 8 feet, it was easy enough to cut two standard sheets of plywood (4' x 8') right down the middle. The framing was made out of 2" x 4" studs, but keep in mind that if you want 8 foot long shelves, you need to get 96" 2x4s, not standard studs (standard studs are shorter than 8 feet because when combined with the top plate and the bottom plate in wall framing, the finished wall is 8 feet and not 8' & 3").
I decided to use screws for this project for two reasons:
1) I think that they hold pieces of wood together stronger than nails (as I'm sure most will agree).
2) If I ever want to take the shelf apart to move it, I can. I'll just need to remember to number the pieces so I can put it back together the same way.
I'd say this project took about a half a day for just me to build. Not too bad. If you have specific questions about how to construct the frame, feel free to drop a question in the comments below this post.
Fortunately, we have a very large partially finished basement. There is utility room (furnace, water heater, electrical panel), a walk in storage closet, a fairly large storage room, and a nice sized workshop area. These spaces are all in addition to a pretty substantial "finished" area, and by "finished" I mean paneled walls, linoleum tiles, and drop ceiling.
Since we are getting closer to finishing some of our renovation and the need for items such as the electrical supplies and circular saw is dwindling, we decided it was time to start thinking about where we were going to put all of the tools and building supplies. After searching the internet for "Heavy Duty Storage Shelves", I had found enough different ideas that I figured I could build my own.
We have a perfect wall right behind the opening of the workshop door for a shelving unit 8 feet long, about 6 1/2 feet tall, and 2 feet deep. This made the supply list pretty easy to come up with. I went with 4 shelves total. The lowest shelf is right next too the floor, just to keep items off of the floor in case of water accumulation in the basement. Between the 1st & 2nd,and 2nd & 3rd shelves, there is approximately 19.5 inches of height (which is just enough for some big rubbermaid storage bins). Between the and 3rd & 4th shelves, there is approximately 16 inches of height since I figured it'd be less likely Dee or I would really want to heave large and bulky items up there.Since each shelf is effectively 2 feet by 8 feet, it was easy enough to cut two standard sheets of plywood (4' x 8') right down the middle. The framing was made out of 2" x 4" studs, but keep in mind that if you want 8 foot long shelves, you need to get 96" 2x4s, not standard studs (standard studs are shorter than 8 feet because when combined with the top plate and the bottom plate in wall framing, the finished wall is 8 feet and not 8' & 3").
I decided to use screws for this project for two reasons:
1) I think that they hold pieces of wood together stronger than nails (as I'm sure most will agree).
2) If I ever want to take the shelf apart to move it, I can. I'll just need to remember to number the pieces so I can put it back together the same way.
I'd say this project took about a half a day for just me to build. Not too bad. If you have specific questions about how to construct the frame, feel free to drop a question in the comments below this post.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
The Office (MMR 8)
One of the rooms on the main floor of our house that was originally a bedroom when we moved in has since been converted into an office. There was a nice large closet on the same side of the office that the bathroom was on, so we closed the closet to add more square footage to what would become the master bathroom. The first step was to remove all of the moulding around the closet opening, as well as the hardwood flooring inside the closet to be used elsewhere if needed. The old sheet rock and plaster walls were removed from the inside of the closet as well. Once the demo was finished, we simply framed in the old closet opening to match the existing wall. After some drywall, spackle, primer, and paint, the room is now ready for some office furniture.
We are currently using this room as an office / closet until we are finished with the master..."area". I use the term 'area' because I'm not sure that a bedroom, closet, and bathroom are the only components typical of a master suite. In any case, I know that some people will argue that by closing the closet we have lost an official bedroom if we ever sell the house. We, however, think that converting that space for the creation of a master bathroom and powder room will more than make up for it. And if need be, we can always add a small corner closet in the room to turn it back into a bedroom, albeit a small one.
We are currently using this room as an office / closet until we are finished with the master..."area". I use the term 'area' because I'm not sure that a bedroom, closet, and bathroom are the only components typical of a master suite. In any case, I know that some people will argue that by closing the closet we have lost an official bedroom if we ever sell the house. We, however, think that converting that space for the creation of a master bathroom and powder room will more than make up for it. And if need be, we can always add a small corner closet in the room to turn it back into a bedroom, albeit a small one.
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Kitchen Updates (MMR 7)
The kitchen has gone through some fairly significant changes since we bought the house. We made quick work of the 70's paneling on the walls by replacing it with an inexpensive wainscoating. We added new chair rail with some nice detail to cap off the wianscoating, which allowed for imperfect cuts to be hidden.
We removed all the cabinet doors, added some trim around the edges of them, and primed/painted for a new look. The hardware was also replaced, and a section of cabinet was removed to make room for the installation of a dishwasher, because we all know that I'm not washing any dishes.
The existing dark, retro ceiling light was replaced with a nice new ceiling fan/light combo. The walls were given a fresh coat of paint, and a small LCD TV was mounted on one of the walls. A power supply and cable supply still need to be added, but at this point that is more of a luxury than necessity.
We still need to replace the countertop, for which we bought some nice discounted granite tile, and install some new flooring. I think for the time being, we will be using a dark laminate wood floor. It certainly won't match the rest of the house, but with the colors we used it should look pretty nice.
We removed all the cabinet doors, added some trim around the edges of them, and primed/painted for a new look. The hardware was also replaced, and a section of cabinet was removed to make room for the installation of a dishwasher, because we all know that I'm not washing any dishes.
The existing dark, retro ceiling light was replaced with a nice new ceiling fan/light combo. The walls were given a fresh coat of paint, and a small LCD TV was mounted on one of the walls. A power supply and cable supply still need to be added, but at this point that is more of a luxury than necessity.
We still need to replace the countertop, for which we bought some nice discounted granite tile, and install some new flooring. I think for the time being, we will be using a dark laminate wood floor. It certainly won't match the rest of the house, but with the colors we used it should look pretty nice.
Dining Room (MMR 5)
The dining room is by no means complete, but we have made some big steps in making the room more pleasant to live in. We started by removing all of the old, ugly wallpaper. We did this with a white vinegar - warm water solution in spray bottles. For those of you who have never removed wallpaper, or haven't employed a vinegar solution, this is a very cheap and effective way to do so. We peeled most of the loose paper off before spraying the walls down, and then went to work with the solution. It took a few minutes of soaking to start breaking down the glue, and once that happened we were able to make quick work of the walls. I will note that the wallpaper was on plaster walls, which may have made it slightly easier then removing it from regular drywall...but I'm not sure.
Once we finished removing the wallpaper, we did any spackleing and sanding that needed to be done, and then primed and painted. There is an off white chair rail throughout the room, and we decided to go with two tone green. They are the same color (at least when you look at the color swatches), just different shades, with the darker green below the chair rail, and the lighter green above. For some reason I prefer to use Behr paint that we get from the local Home Depot...I like the finish and texture of it. We also paint all of our ceilings with Sears Easy Living White Ceiling paint, again, preferring the finish over other choices we've played with.
After painting, we installed double curtain rods over each of the windows with matching pull back hooks. We also installed a new dimmer switch for the light, but still have not had the time to replace the light fixture itself.
Once we finished removing the wallpaper, we did any spackleing and sanding that needed to be done, and then primed and painted. There is an off white chair rail throughout the room, and we decided to go with two tone green. They are the same color (at least when you look at the color swatches), just different shades, with the darker green below the chair rail, and the lighter green above. For some reason I prefer to use Behr paint that we get from the local Home Depot...I like the finish and texture of it. We also paint all of our ceilings with Sears Easy Living White Ceiling paint, again, preferring the finish over other choices we've played with.
After painting, we installed double curtain rods over each of the windows with matching pull back hooks. We also installed a new dimmer switch for the light, but still have not had the time to replace the light fixture itself.
The Manly Meter Reading System
I would like to note the incorporation of the Manly Meter Reading System. This self devised system is used to indicate to our readers the extent to which the activities in a particular post are Manly. A scale of 10 - 1 will be used in each posting title (MMR #), where 10 is the most manly (like tearing a tree out of the ground with your bare hands) and 1 is the least manly (like stencilling little designs on woodwork or something of that nature). Examples of activities that will warrant high Manly Meter Readings would include, but are not limited to the following (not in any order of significance):
Framing
Cutting
Demo
Electrical
Plumbing
Installation of Flooring
Multi Media
Various Other Construction Activities
Home Brewing
I am including this indicator so as not to promote extreme hazing from friends.
Framing
Cutting
Demo
Electrical
Plumbing
Installation of Flooring
Multi Media
Various Other Construction Activities
Home Brewing
I am including this indicator so as not to promote extreme hazing from friends.
Inaugural Post
Welcome! To kick it off, a little bit of history on Adam & Dee, our house, and the progress that we've made so far...
Adam & Dee: We were originally introduced by mutual friends in April of 2004. After hitting it off right away, we spent the next three years learning about each other, skiing/snowboarding, traveling, and having a great time in general. I (Adam) am from Bucks County, PA, and Dee was born and raised in Southern New Jersey. We love the outdoors, especially when it's cold out, and are both fairly easy going people. We got married in April of 2007, and are currently in the living/renovating situation that I would imagine many newlyweds find themselves in. We have been doing all of the work ourselves (except the plumbing, which scares me for some reason) in an effort to save a ton of cash.
Our House: We bought a house in Southern New Jersey in August of 2006. The house is a brick Cape Cod (I think) that was built by the original owner in the 1950's. Being built by the original owner (who was a carpenter), is certainly a blessing in most cases....notice the most? It means that the house is very well built and extremely sturdy. I would liken it to an above ground bomb shelter. The only drawback is that when doing major renovations, like moving walls, it can get a bit tricky since the house is built like an above ground bomb shelter.
The Progress So Far: The first thing that we did on settlement day was remove ALL of the old carpeting, padding, and staples. The thought of what had accumulated in there before we arrived was not a pleasant one, to say the least. After that, we started removing wallpaper, scraping loose paint, and patching holes in the walls. We managed to prime and paint the living room and dining room fairly early in the process, which made an immediate impact and carried our motivation forward. Next, we decided to have a little fun with DEMO! Well, after gutting a bedroom, two full bathrooms, and numerous closets, all remnants of that...interesting... baby blue and powder pink tile are gone. I'd like to note that although carrying two WHOLE cast iron tubs seems like a daunting task, even with your brother-in-law's help, I consider it much easier than breaking them up and then cleaning all of the enamel shards out of my skin. We ended up claiming the space of a few closets and a hall bath, to make a hall powder room, a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, and a roomy master bathroom. As of right now, we are finishing the painting in the hallway, and are ready to polish off the master bedroom and begin tile in the master bathroom. More details to follow on each project as we go, but that should do well as a catch up.
Adam & Dee: We were originally introduced by mutual friends in April of 2004. After hitting it off right away, we spent the next three years learning about each other, skiing/snowboarding, traveling, and having a great time in general. I (Adam) am from Bucks County, PA, and Dee was born and raised in Southern New Jersey. We love the outdoors, especially when it's cold out, and are both fairly easy going people. We got married in April of 2007, and are currently in the living/renovating situation that I would imagine many newlyweds find themselves in. We have been doing all of the work ourselves (except the plumbing, which scares me for some reason) in an effort to save a ton of cash.
Our House: We bought a house in Southern New Jersey in August of 2006. The house is a brick Cape Cod (I think) that was built by the original owner in the 1950's. Being built by the original owner (who was a carpenter), is certainly a blessing in most cases....notice the most? It means that the house is very well built and extremely sturdy. I would liken it to an above ground bomb shelter. The only drawback is that when doing major renovations, like moving walls, it can get a bit tricky since the house is built like an above ground bomb shelter.The Progress So Far: The first thing that we did on settlement day was remove ALL of the old carpeting, padding, and staples. The thought of what had accumulated in there before we arrived was not a pleasant one, to say the least. After that, we started removing wallpaper, scraping loose paint, and patching holes in the walls. We managed to prime and paint the living room and dining room fairly early in the process, which made an immediate impact and carried our motivation forward. Next, we decided to have a little fun with DEMO! Well, after gutting a bedroom, two full bathrooms, and numerous closets, all remnants of that...interesting... baby blue and powder pink tile are gone. I'd like to note that although carrying two WHOLE cast iron tubs seems like a daunting task, even with your brother-in-law's help, I consider it much easier than breaking them up and then cleaning all of the enamel shards out of my skin. We ended up claiming the space of a few closets and a hall bath, to make a hall powder room, a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, and a roomy master bathroom. As of right now, we are finishing the painting in the hallway, and are ready to polish off the master bedroom and begin tile in the master bathroom. More details to follow on each project as we go, but that should do well as a catch up.
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