Are We Done Yet?

These house projects.....they just never end!  :)  Fortunately, we are a family who embraces hard work. So, onward!

Cue the Insanity

Home remodels are WORK. Let's be honest. But home remodels in the middle of school, work, baseball practice, football practice, softball practice, and life in general? That's insanity.

 

We have a couple different projects going on right now, all in various stages. We have painting going on, in the entry way, living room, dining room, and kitchen.......walls, ceiling, and some trim. We also have flooring removal going on to set up for tile and carpet. The tile fun starts today, and the carpet goes in in a couple of weeks.

 

Our house was built in 1989, so that means that the majority of the stuff in the house dates back that far. Especially the old wood trim and doors. It's the typical 80's coloring. Most of the stuff around the windows is in great shape, so we are simply painting that stuff a bright white. The floor trim was totally destroyed by the previous owners, so we decided to just rip all of that out and start over. The living room has six awesome windows that are excellent for diffused, north-facing light.

 

 

 

 

 

All the walls inside the house are being painted. We did the upstairs right when we moved in, so that section of the house is totally complete, as is the family room. Now we are tackling the remainder of the downstairs. The kids LOVE to paint, so I always include them in the first coat.

 

Side Note: I'm not sure what the hell the previous owners did in this house, but the walls have a crazy amount of dents, nail holes, etc. and I have spent more time and money on spackling and texture spray just to bring these walls back to looking 100%.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also ripped out all of the old flooring that covered the entry way, into the dining room, and the kitchen. I really dislike anything cherry wood colored, so I knew the second I saw this house that the flooring would be one of the first things to go. So we had Dana and Veronica (and boys) over to rip out the flooring. It was a faux wood, floating floor, so a project that we figured would take a couple hours ended up taking 9 minutes. Score! So we sat around eating pizza and having a few drinks for the rest of the night.

 

 

 

 

 

The last thing we did to clear the floor for the tile was scrape out the old vinyl flooring that was in the downstairs bathroom and kitchen area, and get rid of the blue underlayment (??) that was under the wood flooring. All of the tile is being picked up and delivered today (thanks Dad!!) and we'll do a preliminary layout (or two) to determine how this tile is going to go. Very exciting, and so thankful to have family that doesn't mind jumping in and getting their hands dirty to help out.

 

 

Easter Weekend

What an incredibly busy weekend for us! Friday night was the quiet before the storm, so we enjoyed dinner and a movie. As soon as Saturday hit, so did the madness. Carter had an early morning game, which didn't go so well (story of this season, for sure), so we quickly put that behind us with a packed weekend.

 

First thing's first - that giraffe finally had her baby! I've been watching this unfold since the beginning of February, so it's about damn time, April! The baby came out at 5'9" and 129 lbs. He looks like a toy! I just want to be locked in that stall so I can play with him all day. And since I can't have one of my own.......

 

We also got a lot done around the house, in preparation for some much bigger projects.  We got some patio globe lights and got those installed to the underside of our canopy. I'm not sure if this will be the final home for these lights, as the fire pit project is quickly approaching and the lights might be relocated to that area of the yard. Or maybe we can do both - no final decision has been made.

 

 

We also did more painting - because why not, right? The paint to the inside and outside of the house has definitely been the biggest project because it needs the most updating. Though we are 70% done with the inside, the entire exterior needs done. It just never ends with home-ownership, does it? ;)  This specific project was an accent wall in the entry way. There is a bathroom (which also needs updating) that shares the wall, which will be part of a larger project. It has a pocket door which has been a total thorn in my side since the day we moved in. I HATE that pocket door. It will be yanked and a sliding barn door will be added as a replacement. The flooring throughout the entryway and the entire dining room will also be yanked out and some light colored travertine will be the replacement. I can't stand that dark flooring, so I'm really looking forward to pulling that out and getting something lighter in those large spaces.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We also spent some time over at Settlers Park relaxing in the sun while the kids played. This bipolar Idaho weather is really messing with me - I need a steady 83 degrees, please! No more wind, no more rain.

 

 

 

We also tackled a quick project that I've been meaning to do for about four years now. ;)  I made these little garden stones for what seems like everyone BUT me. So I put the kids' hands into the muck and made our own stones for the backyard flower beds. A few years too late, but hey, now I have their little handprints for myself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Easter, of course. We didn't color any eggs this year because it really seems like such a waste. I never turn around and use the eggs, so we just stuck with the plastic, candy-filled ones the Easter Bunny brought.

 

And while we didn't see the Easter Bunny himself, I think he sent a little helper. :)  Our neighborhood is flooded with ducks right now, constantly in the front and back yards.

Project Complete: Master Bathroom!

This project was fun most of the time and challenging other times. I swear, the former owners had NO clue what they were doing with 99% of the stuff they did in this house. There were definitely some "WTF" moments. Ok, a lot of them. ;)  But I do have to say, being knee deep in this project with Matt and my parents was a lot of fun.

 

One of the funny moments was my "girl" hammer. Yes, I got this stupid thing at Walmart. It's a 6-in-1 tool, but it's versatile, damn it! ;) My old one broke, of course, so I ordered a new one and it arrived towards the end of this project. My dad actually used it a couple of times, against his better judgment, and it DID get the job done THANKYOUVERYMUCH. And we have picture proof that he touched the "worthless" P.O.S. ;)

 

 

Love you dad!!!

 

So here is the final product. When I moved in, there was dark sage green paint covering this entire room. Thankfully, the attached walk-in closet was a normal cream color, so we focused entirely on the bathroom itself. We lightened it up with new LED lights and lighter paint selections. I knew I wanted an accent wall, and I have lots of this teal/aqua color throughout my entire house, so it made sense to utilize this color on a smaller accent wall so it wasn't overwhelming. I found a print that was such a perfect fit, though I wouldn't normally put a print this size in a bathroom. I think it really capped off the room. We kept some of the light fixtures, for the time being, and updated the other fixtures so they all matched. For now, the tile in and around the shower, and on the floor, will stay, though that is another project that is on the list. Overall, I am thrilled with the outcome, and can't thank my parents enough for their help.

 

 

 

 

 We will be finishing up the master bedroom makeover this weekend. The paint is done, but we have the plank wall to complete. I'm most anxious to see how that turns out.