Ceiling Fan Installation

Last night, Jeff decided to put an end to my nagging and install the ceiling fan in our bedroom.

Currently, each of the bedrooms have flush mounted overhead lighting in the center of the room:

While original to the home, we have decided that we will slowly replace each of them with more modern fixtures. The problem is, these lights leave huge holes in their wake.

Hanging a new fixture requires crawling in the attic, installing a brace, and covering the hole with ceiling medallion.

Scott came by to give Jeff a hand with the project:

The install was going rather smoothly at first. I was enjoying photographing the attic; happy not to be tall enough to help with the project ... and then, they started to mount the fan -- and I walked in on Jeff trying make this work:

Yep, the medallion was too small.

Luckily, we found a similar medallion in the shed that was purchased in 1983. August 22, 1983 -- to be exact. 

You don't believe me? Here's the receipt:

As it turns out, Paw Paw forgot to measure, too; and we were left with two ill-fitting medallions. Go figure.

Having consumed two glasses of wine at this point in the evening, I gave the go ahead to install the 30-year-old-wrong-sized-medallion, and made Jeff promise to cut and plaster some drywall into the holes. Here's how the rest of the install unfolded:

And, finally, two hours later ... success:

I love the look on their faces.

So, we have a fan.... and four small holes in our ceiling.

I suggested that we stuff fuzzy holiday socks in the holes, but Jeff went with a more pragmatic solution: cardboard.

So, there it is. One step forward, two steps back.

Here's to living and learning, and to all of the hard work went into that fan. We will definitely report back on the drywall and painting phase of this project.

Happy Friday, all!

Ryan

Master Bedroom - Progress

The master bedroom was the first room that we took a hammer to. We needed a space that was ours. Somewhere that didn't remind me of my grandmother, somewhere that wasn't covered in saw dust, or spackling -- and somewhere that we could relax without feeling the overwhelming urge to paint something.

While we are far from finished, I feel that a progress report is appropriate. Here is what the room looked like before we moved in:

Our first order of business was removing the wall of gold-leafed mirrors.

To be fair, the wall of mirrors was quite the statement. I mean, it was bold - right?

As much as I admire my grandmother's design decisions, we decided to return to the days of old -- sheet rock. (And by we, I mean Jeff.) That wonderful human being removed each tile one-by-one (only breaking a few) and donated them to a friend of ours.

Mirrors and wallpaper gone.

For the next two months, the room was in varying stages of construction and disarray. We purchased a new mattress, refinished our dresser, and even painted the ceiling the wrong color. It's a work in progress, but I think it's time for an unveiling.

May I present to you ... our bedroom:

What do you think?  The walls are blue, and...um...so is the ceiling (whupps).

What's behind curtain #1 you ask?

The master bath.

Yep, this room is pretty far down on our priority list as we'll likely bring in a contractor. So, for now, the curtain will remain closed.

Back to the main event. Ta daaaaaaa:

 

I'm pretty pleased with how it's coming along; however, we still have quite a bit of work left to do. Here's the run down on our master-bedroom-almost-finished-to-do-list.

1. Finish painting the trim:

2. Put in quarter-round molding around the base boards, and clean/polish the floors:

3. Install our ceiling fan (and get rid of this guy):

4. Put in crown molding around the ceiling -- and perhaps repaint the ceiling (the right color).

5. Finish painting the shutters that go over the main windows.

Currently, the shutters are half-painted and waiting their turn in line...in the place where all painting projects go to die:

6. We also need to replace the light switches, vents, security boxes, and outlets:

7. Oh, and the doors need to be painted (and perhaps new hardware).

This may just be me being mean at this point, but we also need to (8.) hang art work, (9.) buy a rug, and (10.) find a new comforter set for the bed. I can almost hear Jeff rolling his eyes right now.

Anyhow, the list is never ending - but I'm okay with that. It's slowly becoming ours, and I have no doubt that the room will evolve over time.

Here's a before and after shot for the road:

And one more, because I can't help myself:

Have a great night, all. I am going to go drink a glass of wine and pat myself on the back.