I’m not sure why it’s so hard to find a decently priced contemporary vanity. Similar styles can be found at Room & Board and Wayfair for $1K plus. We found this vanity at Home Depot for $899: This Moen faucet $367 is simple and sleek: Lamps Plus is more than just lamps. We found a… Continue reading Bathroom Parts List
Bathroom Renovation
After months of procrastinating, we finally got around to renovating our guest bathroom! The old bathroom was a mix of old and older finishes – beige walls, beige vinyl tile, and painted over vanity with louvered doors: Here is a rough Photoshop image of what we were going for: I could tell by the threshold… Continue reading Bathroom Renovation
Fireplace Door Refresh
Step 1: Materials – Painters Tape – Newspaper – Fine Grit Sandpaper – Palm Sander (optional) – Rustoleum High Heat Spray Paint – Drop cloth – Work Gloves Step 2: Preparation Remove fireplace doors by unfastening four screws in each inside corner. Mine had thumbscrews, so it was easy to do without any tools. Cut… Continue reading Fireplace Door Refresh
Drapery Pocket
It’s always a mystery trying to figure out why a previous homeowner made certain renovation decisions. When we moved in, our basement had a bulkhead that butted right up to the top of the trim around the sliding glass doors: This made it impossible to add any type of window coverings and privacy was a… Continue reading Drapery Pocket
Blueprint Art
I have to admit that most of the walls in our house are bare. I believe that artwork for the home should be personal and representative of its dwellers. It takes me forever to find the right subject matter to represent the family and also fit our design aesthetic. Having a background in architecture and… Continue reading Blueprint Art
Birdhouses
I built these birdhouses a few years ago and have had mixed success. We’ve had birds poke around and a few have attempted to build nests. Squirrels have gnawed away at one of the openings: I recently took them all down to refinish the wood and add protection around the hole openings. I used metal… Continue reading Birdhouses
Kitchen – Before and After
After eleven weeks of construction action and inaction, the kitchen is finally finished. We’ve been using the new space for two weeks and couldn’t be happier. Although we didn’t make many major changes, the new layout is more efficient, feels more spacious, and has improved our day-to-day living. Pictures below: We chose a combination of… Continue reading Kitchen – Before and After
Solar Eclipse 2017
The empty kitchen presents the perfect opportunity to set up our DIY solar eclipse viewer! Instructions for this can be found at DIY Eclipse Viewer.
Demolition Day
Demolition officially kicked off today! We are now kitchenless over the next several weeks. We were able to relocate our old refrigerator to the basement and set up a makeshift kitchenette. Other appliances will be donated to Habitat for Humanity. Our contractor seems great so far. The only hiccup is a delayed dumpster delivery, so… Continue reading Demolition Day
Kitchen Plan
The existing kitchen has adequate storage space, but counter prep space is lacking due to a choppy layout (door to carport, entrance from vestibule, and entrance from dining room) and unusable corner: The new layout provides more continuous counter space next to the relocated sink and wider counters on either side of the stove:
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