Making Progress

Scott took some time off work and we, correction, he is making progress.  With the help of his father and our friend Tony, we now have all of the drywall back up in the kitchen.  Along with some new lighting!



I also had the opportunity to use my new GAS stove.  I didn't make anything special, but it was still nice to say goodblye to 1983 whirlpool electric and hello to 2010 Bosch gas :)  

I also decided to take a couple of days off, and have tackled the trim work in my entry way.  I also hope to have Evan's room finished this weekend, and will post those pictures soon.

More updates coming soon! 

Lessons learned:  I hate painting trim, but I already knew that.

One more shout out to Tony.  Thanks so much!

Kitchen Granite

We got the granite installed.  I wanted to do something a little bit different, but I also don't want to spend a ton of money.  We basically decided on black pearl for our perimter counters, and venetian gold for the center island.  However when we went to preview our stone, I did not like the venetian gold.

So the rep took us to the remnant section, and we found an amazing stone for the center island.  Typhoon bordeaux.  Basically, all remnant stones are sold at the cheapest price, so we ended up getting the island stone for about half the price it would have been if it wasn't a remant.

And it is amazing, or at least I think so.

Lessons learned:  Shop the remnants!

Kitchen

The Kitchen is the big project.  We began this process a couple of weeks ago, or actually, Scott began. 

Here are our goals for the kitchen renovation

• Remove drop ceiling
• Install new backspash
• Move cooktop to wall counter, and convert to gas
• Install granite
• Install a chimney hood
• Paint
• And the list goes on......

So far most of the prep work has been done.  Thanks to Scott!
Here are the before pics.

Not so great, but a lot to work with.

Demolition photos

Lessons learned: Let Scott tackle things on his own, he usually figures it out.

Dining Room

The Dining Room.  Finally I have before pics!

Lots, and lots of wallpaper. So I started with buying a fabric steamer for about $30 at Target.  That combined with a wallpaper scorer and a scraper, got it down.  It was a slow process, but needless to say, it came down and the walls were in great shape.  The kids even helped with the clean-up!

Once the wallpaper was down, Scott added some nice trimwork to the bottom half for a faux wainscoating look. Then the painting began.  It was a three week process off an on before it was finally finished.  Lots of paint to cover up the trim. 

I also decided to add a stencil to one wall.  I knew what I wanted the end result to look like, but didn't really know how to do it.  I basically just wanted a very slight sheen of a stencil.  So I asked the girl at Home Depot advice.  And she basically took the paint color I had and tinted it 15% darker.  I had no idea they could do that!  The end result was exactly what I wanted.

It is hard to see in photos but, here is the stencil. Very subtle.

I also decided to take a stab at making my own floral centerpeice.  If you look close, you can also see the carpet we put in.  It is textured, kinda fun.

Finally, the finished product.  Still have some accessorizing to do, but all in all it is complete.

Changes made:

• 
  
  Removed wallpaper
• 
  
  Add wainscoating
• 
  
  Paint
• 
  
  Paint stencil
• 
  
  Change chandelier
• 
  
  New carpet
• 
  
  New centerpeice

Lesson's learned: You can tint paint!, You can use a cheap fabric steamer to remove wallpaper successfully.

Half Bathroom

The half bathroom was my second conquest. It was pretty easy, just paint.  Again, I wasn't good at the before picture.  But here is a quick run down of what I did.  Painted the vanity from oak to black, painted the walls and trim, and replaced the hardware, countertop and faucet.

Here is a mid-progress picture.

With original countertop and faucet

Here is the bathroom with the new vanity and faucet. 

We still have to do the floors, I am thinking a black and white tile.  I also did a few craft projects for this one.  Who knew you could decopage a trashcan?

Ignore the floor, I promise I am replacing it soon. 

Lessons learned: You CAN decopage a trashcan, all for less than $5

Alexandra's Room

Alex's room was the first room I tackled and it was pretty easy considering, we used her same theme from the old house. There was only border in her room, so the wallpaper removal was pretty tame.This was my first try at covering up the wood trim.  Coat of primer, two-three coats of paint.  A lot of work, but the end result was well worth it.  The windows are a nightmare, and I have actually given up on window panes in some of the other rooms.  I was not very good about taking before pics, but here is the after.  Overall, pretty pleased.  It is amazing how quickly paint can change a room.   We went from a dingy painters grade off white, to a pale purple.