Consistency

As I lay in our new bed, I have decided to attack the stack of magazines on my nightstand. It may look like a hoarding scheme, to be truthful! A enormous, large, splendid stack! Dating back from this month to countless months ago! How and why so? Two reasons, one excuse. I love free. When visiting my hometown I usually have the chance to grab a handful or so that were passed on from one to another after the selling date on the shelves. Secondly, I have only paid for one magazine subscription in the last... ummmm, maybe 3 years? I am fortunate to get many for free. So they pile up and on nights like tonight, I grab a drink and hit the stack. 

Currently browsing Better Homes & Gardens (September '13.) The picture and caption caught my eye. Recently, as in this week, we upgraded our bed size and made changes around in bedrooms bout discussion was focused on picking a new bed frame for us and our guest bedroom. Should we stick with consistency? Should we not? What should be the same? Different in rooms? 

We now have 2 out of 3 bed frames white. (Not original plan, but whatever.) My thought is - what is consistent at your residence? What stays the same throughout?,or does it? If'd love to hear and see your thoughts from you! 

To the next page.....

-E-

"Must Do!"

The "must do" on my summer list was to work on our master bedroom. When we purchased our house, all of the rooms with the exception of the kitchen and master bedroom, were painted a beige color. The kitchen was sponge painted with a yellow blend and the master bedroom was purple. As in, K-State purple. If you need a reminder, check out this post! I love purple. My bedroom at my parents' house was a shade of purple! However, this was a bit too much, and too dark. 

We had gone back and forth with what we wanted to do in this room. At first, my initial idea was a light gray because I have loved how it made our kitchen and lower living room look. Very calming. Although, as we worked on the master bathroom, we thought that making the rooms feel similar would be best. 

We tried two paint samples and decided on option #2. It was a grayish-green color that felt spa-like! Calming, sophisticated, and complimentary to our end look. 

We took off the doors in the bedroom that we knew we would be keeping. Two sets of doors (both to closets) were not installed correctly and the door jam was not installed correctly, either. Since we will eventually replace those, we did not bother painting them again. We used Valspar Ultra White on the primed doors. 

Z worked on patching the walls where previous cracks had been. 

There were many cracks near the windows.

A preview of the bathroom painted with the color we chose for the master bathroom & master bedroom!

In the last two weeks, we have:

• painted the master bathroom
• painted the master bedroom
• painted ceilings in master bathroom & bedroom
• installed crown molding in the master bedroom
• replaced 1/4 of the baseboards in the master bedroom
• started to paint our bed 

It's funny how my "must do" summer project is progressing so quickly! I am very happy about it, though! In a few weeks, my Mom has graciously offered to help with projects around the house. Hopefully final touches of painting will be done in our bedroom at that time! (Baseboards will be a piece here, piece there kind of project.)

 Next up? Man bathroom. Pictures to ensure of these projects soon.

Hope your June has been enjoyable thus far, whether you have the summer off, have the opportunity to travel, or are trying to beat the heat!

-E

Stairway to Potential

It was around this time last year that we began to get very serious about our house hunt. It just seemed as though things were lining up to make it a great time to start looking a bit more seriously. When we met our outstanding realtor, Tom, I felt as though we were on the latest HGTV House Hunters episode. We were asked what were the things that we weren't willing to settle on, things we would be OK compromising with, and what was on our ideal wish list. 

Cue to the part of the episode where the realtor tells the prospective home buyers that they may not be able to get everything that they want in their home, and to be prepared for it. Our list wasn't astronomical, but there were things we wanted both in our "won't budge" list and "dream" list.

On our "won't budge" list, we had:

• A basement
• At least 1 car garage
• Decent sized yard
• Minimum 3 Bedrooms
• Good school district 

On our wish list, we had:

• The things listed above on our "won't budge" list
• 1.5+ Bathrooms
• 3+ Bedrooms 
• Dining Room area
• Hardwood floors
• Fenced yard
• Close to E & Z's work

I am sure we had more, but these were the "must have" and "dreams" we had listed. Fast forward to our house. We were pleasantly surprised that we got all of the things we had on our "won't budge" and "wish" list! The one that I was the most surprised to get off of our wish list was having over three bedrooms. Since we live away from the area that we grew up, having a guest bedroom / office was ideal. That way, when we have visitors (which we love hosting!) we had a place for them to stay. No hotel needed! 

Unfortunately, over the last months, the 4th bedroom has become our "catch all" room. YIKES. It was a disaster, to say the least. But, its location next to the attic and up another flight of stairs, made it great to keep things in before we could organize it. Perfect to close the door and the mess. It was one of my goals over my Winter Break to organize this room and make it a bit more functional. I am excited to see the progress in this room! 

This room has a far way to come, even from where it is right now. Out of all of the bedrooms (especially) this bedroom has the most work to be done in it. The trim has never been painted, the doors are in poor shape (punched in??), and the floors need some love. Overall, it has a way to come. But, getting it organized was a huge step in that direction!

I am not sure when it will start its transformation, but I am excited for it to happen when it does. My Pinterest boards are bursting with ideas of how this room will transform. I see lots and lots of paint, window treatments, chalkboard paint, a desk.... Oh, the ideas!! I anticipate that this room will really get its start either summer or this upcoming Fall when the highly anticipated IKEA opens in our area!

If you have a home office or dream of having one, what would be your "must haves" in yours? Or, what do you dream about having in one? What do you love about it? I would love to hear your ideas!

Four Months Later

Early last week, Z and I were outside (as we typically are in the evening) ensuring that all of the plants were adequately being watered and spreading some fresh, leftover mulch in a flower bed. Within minutes of one another, two neighbors who were out on a walk and run, respectively, stopped to compliment us on our work thus far! Both mentioned that the place had much more curb appeal than when the last owner lived here. It was nice to know that our hard work is not only be noticed by us, but by our neighbors as well! They were both such sweet compliments.

This week in discussing house projects with two different friends, both brought up a great point - what have we been working on exactly since mid-March? Z and I see the work firsthand, but what about you guys? The compliments on the exterior of our house had me thinking about the interior, too. What have we completed in the last four months? (As of July 19th, it was four months to the date that we took ownership of the house and began to unpack our cars!) It is highly rewarding to look back and see what all we have accomplished to make our home, truly ours, and make repairs to it. I hope you enjoy the photos and taking a peak into what we have been working on! I know, I have been enjoying doing it!*

Here's the quick stats on our home... 

4 bedrooms  |  2 . 5 bathrooms  |  side-split  |  built 1966

Hallway

Before

After

What did we do?

• Fresh coat of "Seal Gray" paint 
• Fresh coat of "Ultra White" trim
• Moved thermostat to left wall (originally in dining room)
• Installed new light fixture
• Changed door fixture (front door and coat closet)

Work still in progress?

• Fresh coat of "Ultra White" on front door
• Replace hinges on coat closet
• Replace closet door

 Dining Room

Before

After

What did we do?

• New curtain for back door (courtesy of E's Mom)
• Move thermostat from this room

Work still in progress?

• Replace light fixture
• Paint dining room (keeping chair rail)

Kitchen

Before 

Before

After

What did we do?

• Installed cafe curtains (courtesy of E's Mom)
• Deep clean and shine of cabinets
• Laid shelf liner in all cabinets
• Installed window tint in all windows
• Removed old shelf liner, primed and painted, installed new liner in pantry (not pictured)

Work still in progress?

• Undecided - Possibly paint cabinets and or walls 
• Complete kitchen remodel (upcoming years)

Formal Living Room (Upstairs Living Room)

Before

Before

After

What did we do?

• Tinted one window

Work still in progress?

• Tint second window
• Paint entire room
• New trim - ?

Master Bath

Before

After

What did we do?

• Removed linoleum floor 
• Removed shower pan and surroundings
• Removed vanity
• Removed toilet

Work still in progress?

• Lay new subfloor 
• Install new floor, vanity, shower
• Tint window
• Install new window treatment
• Install beadboard or tile
• Paint

Master Bedroom

Before

After

 What did we do?

• Primed and painted both closets (not pictured)
• Installed new window treatments 
• Install new medallion for fan
• Replaced fan

Work still in progress?

• Replace hardware on closets and doors
• Paint walls and trim
• To be decided: Rebuff hardwood floors or choose new flooring (considering Armstrong)

Home Office (Bedroom 1)

Before

After

 What did we do?

• Nothing yet!

Work still in progress?

• Prime and paint closet
• Change hardware 
• Paint trim and walls
• Rebuff floor

Guest Bedroom (Bedroom 2)

Before

After

  What did we do?

• Primed and painted closet
• Patched and sanded walls
• Painted walls "Weeping Willow" by Olympic
• Paint trim

Work still in progress?

• Rebuff floor
• Change hardware
• Install new closet door
• Install new light fixture

Guest Bathroom (Hallway Bath)

Before

After

What did we do?

• Replaced water controls (shower)
• Installed new curtain rod
• Installed new shower head

Work still in progress?

• To be decided - paint
• Change drawer pulls, hardware, sink controls and accessories to match throughout 

Upstairs Bedroom (Bedroom 3) 

Before

Before

After

What did we do?

• Nothing - yet!

Work still in progress?

• Prime and paint walls
• Paint walls and trim
• New light fixture with fan
• Replace doors and fixtures
• Replace vents
• Rebuff floors and seal

Attic (Walk In)

Before 

Before

This area is used primarily for storage. Hence, no after picture at this time.

What did we do?

• Remove old insulation
• Added more insulation
• Added wooden plants to cover insulation
• Insulated door 

Work still in progress?

• Add insulation 
• Long term: Extend Upstairs Bedroom (Bedroom 3) into attic to create second Master Suite

Downstairs Living Room (aka Second Living Room)

Before 

Before 

After

What did we do?

• Paint all walls
• Paint built-ins & mantel 
• Remove old trim
• Install and paint new trim
• Remove gold fireplace screen
• Clean fireplace
• Paint fireplace with high heat paint

Work still in progress?

• Discussing other flooring options

Garage

Before

What did we do?

• Removed wooden cabinet (pictured in before picture)
• Repaired gap in wall in that area
• Added shelving options to side of garage
• Garage floor injected to raise sinking areas & fix step that leads into lower living room

Work still in progress?

• Discussing flooring (cosmetic)
• More storage / shelving

Basement

Before

After

After

What did we do?

• Removed makeshift shelving 
• Removed door to laundry area
• Rebuilt work bench area
• Paint and seal areas of basement

Work still in progress?

• Create more dedicated laundry room 
• To be decided with remainder of area

Half Bathroom (aka Men Bathroom)

After

What did we do?

• Nothing - yet!

Work still in progress?

• Install flooring
• Replace sink / mirror 
• Paint
• Install tile

Exterior of House - Front

Before

After

After

What did we do?

• Replaced storm door
• Replaced mailbox
• Replaced exterior light 
• Removed red house numbers
• Painted front door ("Barn" by Martha Stewart at Home Depot)
• Installed new house numbers in different location
• Landscaping (Install wall, mulch, plants, etc)
• Power wash 

Work still in progress?

• Painting ledge of door
• Install second wall (closer to house)
• Fencing (partial privacy fence)
• Continued landscaping

We have been working on other things, too, that were not pictured in these photos. Mainly painting closets, trim, and kick-plates for steps. As you can tell, too, some of the rooms are still a little bit messy, or a catch-all room while we continue to unpack and determine what is keep, throw away, or donate!

While we have only been in our home for 4 months, I am astonished with how much we have accomplished thus far! It may be small things, but, they certainly add up. And, we are both enjoying the process thoroughly! We are constantly running ideas off one another, sharing ideas, and truly putting our touch on our house.


Thanks for taking time to visit and see what we have been working on the last four months! With school starting back up shortly and my last semester of graduate school approaching, the projects may be slowing down a bit. But, nonetheless, they will continue! Stay tuned for the next projects! (The guest bedroom is coming along nicely!)

-E

Home, Clean, Home!

Home, sweet, home, is even sweeter when it is cleaner!

I have been posting photos of the projects that we have been working on throughout the house, or ideas that we are using for inspiration. However, I have not posted many photos of the house (in itself) without the projects going on! This weekend, a friend is coming to visit. I am anxious for her to visit,  see the house, & see the area! I am using her visit as the perfect excuse to take some snap shots of the house in its cleanliness stage of all! Projects have been cleaned up (mostly) for the weekend, & things are tidied up! I love the feeling of just finishing cleaning - whether it is an apartment, a room, or a home, it feels great nonetheless! 

Enjoy the photos of the house! Stay tuned - in the upcoming weeks we will be back to the projects! Looking forward to sharing the ongoing progress of the guest bedroom with everyone.

Entrance Hallway

Steps going downstairs to second living room, garage, "man" bathroom and basement.
Steps going upstairs to two bathrooms and all bedrooms.*

Steps lead up to all bedrooms & two bathrooms.*

Formal living room.

Dining Room.

Kitchen (View from Dining Room)

Kitchen.

Stairs lead up to fourth bedroom.
Guest bathroom.

Hallway to three of the bedrooms.

Guest Bathroom.

Guest Bathroom.

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Downstairs living room.
Door (with cat door) leads to basement.
Door on wall with TV leads to garage.

Downstairs living room.

Downstairs living room.


Although not all of the rooms are pictures (they are quite messy!), I hope you enjoyed taking a peek into our home and what we have done thus far. Someday I'll post the before and after pictures. Have a great weekend whatever you may be doing!

-E

*Since our master bathroom is nonexistent at the moment, I don't know if it counts as a bathroom truly?!? It does have plumbing ready to go!