Dining Room Remodel

So maybe I didn't get a pre-remodel picture of our dining room either. But this is what it used to look like - with family meal in full swing.

Ryan got a new 3 foot ladder for his birthday that I am using to wet the wallpaper. I'm pretty sure that you're not supposed to step on the top. The kids and I got that room scrapped clean in 2 days. I've taken to rewarding them with frozen yogurt for their hard work. I really feel like I am getting the better end of the deal.

Sometimes it's fun to jazz up old chandeliers with Chinese take-out boxes when you're celebrating the Chinese New Year. They were unused, lest you think we grow mold and bacteria on purpose. Can you see Carl hard at work? After this project, and before the next, Ryan decided to take his Dremel and round off all the corners of kids' plastic scrappers. The whole time he was muttering something about spackling all the new nicks and scratches.

This room took the longest to complete because we couldn't decide on a light fixture. We finally decided on this fine drum light. You might think it looks familiar. This brand of this light is hanging in many LDS meetinghouses all over the US, just not this style. Also notice the beautiful platter rack Ryan made me to house my thrift store treasures from Japan. He got some big new tools so that he could make it for me - a great investment!

Here are the curtains I made to finish the windows. I hope to never use a slippery polyester fabric again. That project probably took three years off my life but it is done and we love our dining room. Come over for dinner whenever you are in the neighborhood.

Home Remodels 2017

Cold weather puts me in the mood for taking down wallpaper. Something about the smell of old paste makes me really nostalgic. It also gives me and the kids something to do when we are trapped indoors. These pictures were taken a year ago when we started these projects. Don't worry, we finished them a long time ago. In fact, I think Alice has grown 5 inches.

Those are 10 layers of wallpaper you see being torn from the wall. No small task, but the kids love doing it. To the right you can see the completed stairs and landing. Ryan did a great job putting a substantial handrail in.

We found this original hanging light stored in a dark basement corner. It looked so much better here than the 1980's etched glass number that until recently graced the stairs.

 The next project was fixing the downstairs bathroom. The beautiful oak wood trim and door had been painted with three coats of white paint. It takes a lot of toxic paint stripper to get that off.  This was the nastiest home improvement job I have done to date.

Once again I failed to get a pre-demolition picture. I was just so excited to get all the paint, tiles, claw-foot tub and over-sized vanity out that I completely forgot. Or maybe it was the fumes from stripping the wallpaper that clouded my memory.

Ryan was in charge of removing the built in cabinet that was nearly unusable because the toilet was right in front of it.

 Here is an example of wallpapering the ceiling. The ceiling is so easy to do once you get used to the numb sensation in your arms. There are no windows or doors to cut around.

Before: (photo from previous owner's for-sale photo gallery)


After: The finished bathroom with a Moroccan flair. The key to a great bathroom is ease of cleaning (hence the vinyl that looks like tile but doesn't have dirt-trapping-grout, and the solid-surface countertop with integrated sink lacking a grime catching joint too).