Home Sweet Construction Zone

I lovingly refer to our house as the 'construction zone'. I've gotten quite accustomed to weaving through boxes on my way to make coffee, and keeping all of the doors closed, so the cats don't accidentally rub against a saw, or step on a razor blade, or swallow a screw, etc. However, I have to say that I am excited for the day that I can have guests over without having to give the 'our-house-is-a-construction-zone-please-don't-judge-us' disclaimer. It gets old, and even I am getting sick of hearing myself say it.

And no, I did not stage the above shot. I was photographing the formal living room this weekend, and almost leaned back on this death trap. Jeff claims that he was testing the nail gun on this scrap piece of wood, but I'm hard pressed to believe that it took him ten tries to figure out that it was working properly.

Anyhow, the whole living-and-working-in-the-house-you're-remodeling thing is not as glamorous as HGTV led me to believe.

Literally, every corner of the house is being occupied. Be it a rug, a curtain rod, or a power tool -- there is something resting in every available nook in this house. It is nerve racking as I constantly feel that any one of the numerous piles-of-stuff that we have stacked to the ceiling could come crashing down with one false move.

Anyhow, in less dangerous news, something else I've noticed about living in a construction zone: I can't live without my iPad. It is, hands down, the most brilliant product I've ever owned (besides the mothership, of course) -- and I don't know how people survived this whole remodeling process without being able to carry a beautiful baby TV with them from room to room.

Let's not even talk about the carport. I dream of the day that our cars will have shelter from the rain.

And yes, I'm pretty sure our neighbors can't wait for that day either. 

The thing about remodeling a house that you just moved into is that everyone wants to "come see the new place", or "come see what you've done so far" -- and let me just tell you, it ain't pretty. Half of our house is covered in construction-grade paper, the other half is holding the furniture and stuff that will eventually go on top of the floors that are currently cover in construction-grade paper. It's a mess, people; and it loses it's charm after about 10 minutes when you realize there is no where to sit down -- because, apparently, every chair we own is also occupied.

I don't want this to discourage any visits as I have gotten really good at "giving the tour" when people come over -- not to mention, I started a blog to document the remodeling process, so I obviously don't have any secrets. However, if you want to come visit, you must (1) bring alcohol and/or your working gloves, or (2) take us out to eat ... which we've discovered is our parent's trick -- and. it. works. every. time.

Here's to our home, sweet, home construction zone. Happy Thursday!

Ryan

Weekend Wrap-Up

Disclaimer: This guy gave me his head cold this weekend and I have been hopped up on cold medicine for approximately 24 hours -- I am a little loopy, and take no responsibility for any typos and bad jokes that may ensue. 

This weekend, Jeff brought out the big guns:

We began the ominous task of hanging a new chair rail and assembling our own wainscoting in the dining room on Saturday, and I have to admit -- we felt pretty legit.

Jeff got a miter saw for Christmas, and this was the first time he has used it. It even has a laser.

And yes, I am pretty sure we broke every rule that I ever learned in wood shop by putting this saw in the middle of the room with no eye protection, and me running around barefoot... but we're learning. Jeff is still working on this project, but here's a sneak peek:

I also started painting the trim work in the dining room, and finished taping off in the formal living room and the foyer. I know that doesn't sound like a major accomplishment, but I went through three roles of Frog Tape and it took me all weekend; so, I apologize for needing a moment of recognition.

I am pretty sure that I will be able to paint trim in my sleep by the time we finish this house. And you should get used to seeing photos of the process here, because it will likely be my only project for the next 2-3 weekends. 

In other news, I didn't quite get around to cooking a new recipe this week (like I mentioned here) -- so, one night I poured my butternut squash soup into the crock pot to make myself feel like I had tried something new, and I put my sandwich on a frying pan to heat up. In my book, that is cooking.

School started back on Monday [after a two-month-long winter break] so my system is in shock and slightly resistant to the idea of class and projects and studying; so, bare with me over the next few days as I adjust -- there may be more posts about what I'm eating than about remodeling projects, but I'll try to stay focused, I promised.

Here is a bit of iPhoneography from this week to put this cold-meds-induced post out of its misery:

A heavenly moment after Jeff set up the miter saw:

Jeff being asked to hang work at the pin-up show we went to last night:

The beginnings of my first project this quarter:

 Our date night on Thursday night to see Django Unchained:

 And Toby, on one of our walks this week:

Happy weekend, all.

Here's to hot tea ... and cold meds.

Love,

Ryan

Cabinet Fever

Before we had even closed on this house, Jeff and I purchased the above mid-century modern china cabinet off of Craigslist. I saw it, fell in love, and convinced Dad to drive us to the absolute-middle-of-no-where-Georgia to pick it up. She has been my remodeling-muse ever since.

Here she is on the day we moved in -- back right corner:

And for the last three months, that is where she has stayed; stuck in a corner, alone and empty -- sans china in those lovely cabinets.

I am happy to report, however, that we finally have movement.

Here she is from the back:

Ignore the ivory trim work as it will all be painted white (see window) this weekend. And yes, that is the current state of the formal living room -- a product of the painting party I mentioned here. 

Here is the wall that the beloved china cabinet will live on for the rest of her days:

Note: the dining room is currently awaiting wainscoting, white trim, clean floors, etc. Everyone should actually just pretend that they never saw this post as I plan to do a major before/after post once the rooms are finished. I suppose I'm ruining the surprise, but I'm pretty much dying for this particular shade of gray. Pun intended.

So, who wants to come over and clean that chandelier one crystal at a time?

In other Craigslist news, look what we bought for the foyer:

Apologies for the poor iphoneography, but this piece is currently disassembled in the family room. The top piece of the buffet is a liquor cabinet ... with a light feature. The 1950s were just so damn cool.  

Oh, and you want to see a peek into the current state of said foyer?

To quote my beautiful Mom on this one, "the color really is not as bad as it looks in photographs".

Here's to mid-century design, liquor cabinets with swag, and turquoise mermaid harbor walls.

Ryan

Prep Work

This weekend we hosted a painting party --  and made some substantial progress in the formal living room, dining room, and foyer. While I am anxious to show you some "progress" shots from the party, I thought I'd first share some moments leading up to the big day.

 

I'll be back soon with some before and after shots from the party, but in the mean time -- here is a sneak peek to keep you a'comin' back for more. 

Happy Monday, all.

Ryan

Pinteresting

Foyer Inspiration via Pinterest

Confession: This nonchalant let's-just-go-room-by-room remodeling strategy is starting to get to me. My composure is starting to fray around the edges when I walk into Target and Anthropologie, and I am beginning to feel the overwhelming urge to buy throw pillows, and candles, and ceramic animals; things that we absolutely do not need right now. (Unfortunately, all we need right now is wood caulk, and spackle, and blue painting tape.)

In order to curb the design compulsion, I decided to start a Pinterest account strictly for the house. Here she be: NixGlennHouse -- ahhhhhhh, feels good. Pinterest somehow makes me feel more organized; it's like a filing cabinet ... for my brain.

I will slowly begin to fill the boards with inspiration for each room; so, in case you get sick of looking at unpainted trim and tablecloth covered windows on the blog - feel free to stop on by our Pinterest page to get a peek inside my...er...brain filing cabinet?

Cheers to it almost being Friday.

Ryan

P.S. In case you're wondering what Pinterest is, click here.

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.