Renovation Lesson #111

Eventually the hunt will be over and little details will make the room feel better.

We found this Amy Butler comforter at Bed, Bath & Beyond this weekend. Clearance plus wedding gift cards meant that we walked away with this baby for $30.

Now all we need is a headboard...

Renovation Lesson #110

Projects are never really done.

Well, maybe if you aren't married to me you wouldn't have to repaint your bathroom. But considering that both Jus & I were done with the light blue we are super excited to paint the bathroom green. The color makes the subway tile pop and I can't wait to get the rest up!

Renovation Lesson #108

Sometimes things don't go as you've planned.

Like when your husband spends a month & a half hanging drywall and after you texture the walls you go to paint and the paint starts cracking.

Then you have to scrape all of your new paint off.

But next time you'll remember that it is essential to prime the walls after texturing the walls and before painting.

Renovation Lesson #105

When you move into a house with a laundry chute be sure to watch where you are going whilst walking around the basement.

I've run into the corner of the laundry chute twice.

It hurts just as much as you'd imagine it does.

EDT Yes, I changed the spelling, sometimes I'm an idiot.

Renovation Lesson: The Part Where I Loose My Cool

Yesterday marked two months since we closed on the Behemoth, this weekend marked two days full of work on the house, some frustration and (unfortunately) we ended it being residents at our little house.

Friday we discussed moving and were on the fence as to whether or not we should make the move from our little house to the Behemoth. Saturday I walked into the big house and realized there was no way we could, because when I walked in I saw this.

Jus & his dad had been at this house Thursday night and decided that the plaster that lined the stairway was not salvageable so they started pulling down the plaster. Saturday I walked in to see piles of plaster on the stairs with nothing tarped, no plastic hanging in doorways and freshly painted rooms standing open. Needless to say, the house was covered in a layer of dust.

I know that when the living room wall came down many of you complimented me for being able to handle such a big project, but I have to tell you, this was my breaking point. I could not handle walking into the house to find everything covered in plaster dust. Jus heard about it (a lot), his dad heard about it (a little), and in the end I left the room because I couldn't believe what a mess had been created and how much work was left.

Luckily, Jus knows how to calm me down, within an hour the house was properly cordoned off and the piles of rubble were up. We stood at the base of the stairs talking about our options with the staircase. If you'll remember the staircase was a huge monstrosity that partially led nowhere.

It was decided that we'd start stripping the sides of the stairs so we could see what we were dealing with. My little sister, Banan, and I started pulling off the drywall that surrounded the steps and we found an older staircase under the current staircase.

Said staircase was wallpapered in 1950s gold grasscloth.

(Jus & I LOVE this!)

Then Jus got his saw and chopped the stairs in half (technically a little less that half).

And now we have a normal sized staircase!

(That's Jus's dad, the other culprit in getting my house all messy!)

How was your weekend?

Renovation Lesson #106

I'm exhausted. We spent all day Saturday & Sunday working on the house and are back at it today. The living room is one coat of wax away from being ready and we're cranking the rest of the rooms out (well, except for the kitchens, that's gonna take a while).

One thing I've learned about myself is that I'm fairly ADD when it comes to projects. The other night while waiting for the ladder I decided that I should start stripping the wood in the front hall. So sure enough, I got some paint stripper and got to work.

It's a lot more work than I thought. Probably not worth doing but it looks terrible right now so I'll keep at it for the time being.

The front entrance isn't all bad, while stripping the wallpaper my mom uncovered this wonderful vintage wallpaper. We're guessing it's from the early 20th century & thinking it'll stay.

How did you spend your weekend?

Renovation Lesson #104

When your husband tells you to go and buy the kind of caulk that's flexible don't buy silicone caulk, even though it sounds like it's extremely flexible.

Silicone isn't paintable and in the week since I bought silicone caulk we're still trying to scrape it out.