Because You're Worth It

Our decision to renovate was based on our decision to make this our forever house.  So when we considered finishes and function, the choices we made were what best suited us.  Not resale.

But when people ask us what were some of the best decisions we made during our renovation, the top two answers are less about us or pretty finishes...and more about taking care of our investment.  Because it's worth it.

And funny enough, neither were in place at the end of the renovation.  Both were installed shortly after the "end".  Let me explain...

1) A Surge Protector

When we dug out and finished our basement in 2011, we kept the electrical panel where it was.

Look to the Left

There it is!

Forgive the bad iPhone pic.  I am not a professional photographer. 

It's on the wall next to the TV, but the simple doors painted the same color as the wall help to make it "disappear".  Yet it's totally accessible.  I'm happy we kept it accessible, because we've needed to have access to it far too many times than I wish we did.  I'll explain...

Access

Same place as always, but upgraded during the big dig and finish.  Which was great, because during the even bigger renovation last year, we utilized that capacity.  But what we didn't do was this.

Surge Protector

Back up to the middle of July.  Renovation complete.  So many details, all executed.  So happy. 

Less than a month later and out of the blue, there's a surge in the hydro transformer across the street.  I'll spare you the gory details.  But one detail I missed was to make sure we installed a surge protector.  Of course. 

We lost our microwave, sump pump, basement bar fridge, many many potlights (not just the bulb but the whole can) and...the brand new range oven.  Dear God.

Luckily, there's a happy ending.  The range was new, so it was serviced for free and saved.  Wal-Mart was having a sale on microwaves.  And our contractor is amazing and replaced the brand new blown electrical....and installed a surge protector. 

I'm told electrical surges, like the one we had, happen less frequently than someone you know winning the lottery.  But for a few hundred dollars, that cute little box can save a whole lot of headache.  And if there's ever a surge again, I'll be happy to replace the protector instead of half the electrical items in my house.


2) A Furnace Humidifier

Our old house had laminate.  Our new old house has hardwood.  And lots of it.  Combined with a long, cold, dry first winter, you get this.

G A P S

Silver lining?  I could get rid of some runaway paint.

I'm a glass-half-full kind of person. 

But to be honest, the gaps really were freaking me out.  Then, my contractor stopped by for a question I had and I think the gaps freaked him out, too.  I was in contact with his HVAC guy within the hour.

I lived with laminate floors and wood trim with 20 coats of paint for over ten years.  What did I know about swelling and contracting wood during winter?  I know a lot now.  And that humidifier is currently working overtime.

Humidifier Thermostat

This is on the front of the furnace.  It's cranked up to 45% because the humidity level in this house is sooooo low.  How to know when to back it off?  Look for condensation in the corners of the windows.  This sucker has been in place for 3 weeks now and I have yet to see any.  Yikes.

From Behind

It's hard to see the actual unit, as it's on the back of the furnace.  But it's directly connected to a water supply.  I'm crossing my fingers the humidity will make the boards swell up soon.  These gaps are making me crazy....

So there you have it.  Two of the best decisions we made during our renovation.  Which together cost less than a half of a percent of the total cost of our projects. 

Because they're worth it.

Free Art

This free art may not be for you.  But it's the best kind of art for me.  Partly because it's free, but mostly because it happened like this.

That is my kitchen table with my husband and my first born taping together some art.  It just happened.  I had nothing to do with it.  And I love it!

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw this picture on the weekend.  Those pieces of paper came from a website called www.blockposters.com.  You upload your picture and it creates a wall size poster using 8-1/2 x 11" paper.  I don't know anything about the website, Steve probably found it on google, I take no responsibility for it. 

What I can take responsibility for -ok, Steve can take responsibility for- is the fun in putting it together and the finished product. 

First Day of School

Up On The Wall

We love love love this shot of all 3 monkeys.  And we had an open wall in the basement that needed something.  It's where they play, so it's only fitting...

Playroom

Ok, I admit, it's not the right size.  Or perfectly trimmed.  Or taped together with 100% precision.  But it's free.  It's the kids.  And it makes us smile when we see it.  Maybe we'll brainstorm a border or tweak it or replace it with something bigger down the road. 

But for now, it's perfect. 

I am not art-y.  I don't know this website.  But I plan on visiting it again when I'm stuck for more artwork somewhere in the house.  The gallery of posters is inspiring me....!

Not Done Yet

This renovation has been a huuuuge job. 

We ended up gutting two entire floors, rewiring the whole house and added a last minute staircase replacement.  And a deck.  We've been in the house for 3 weeks now and work still continues.  But the deficiency list is now one page long instead of three. 

I can see light at the end of the tunnel! 

Back to where we left off, the outside.

Before

And here's where we were a few days later.

Progress

The tall wall covers the back of our neighbor's shed.  It was such bad old siding, there was no other way to camouflage it than to clad it.  The fence is intentionally less private.  The gaps allow for some sun to shine through.  

There's been progress inside, too.  Like window coverings.

Living Room

Dining Room

Ignore those boxes.  The piles are getting smaller and smaller.  Really, they are.

Pantry

And I'm getting more function out of my favorite 4' x 4' space in the whole house.

That's the thing about a renovation.  Settling back in.  I'm trying to be careful about finding the right place for the right things.  If it doesn't fit, I'm putting it aside and considering Craigslist or Goodwill.  But if it's something I love, I'll wait for a year (sorry, Steve).  It's an Oprah rule: if you don't use it for a whole year, it's a purge candidate. 

Then there's the whole repurposing things I loved in my house before the renovation...remember this little banquette?

Pre-Renovation: Kitchen

It's found a place in the basement!

Post-Renovation: Playroom

I'm so happy it works.  I was afraid it would end up on Craigslist, too!  Right now, it's jammed full of toys and flanked on either end by white 8-square Expedits.  That means it's not pretty or organized enough for a good picture.  I'll leave you with that mental image.

At the end of the day, as disorganized as I'm feeling, I'm loving our house.  We're settling in nicely.   It's feeling like our home again.  :)

Deconstruction

I've been quiet on the blog...which means I've been busy at home. 

But I've been struggling.  Because none of it seems very blog-worthy.  In fact, it's all opposite of what I've posted.  Everything I've done.  Now it's un-done.  This is not progress.  Well, you could argue this is progress, just in a different way. 

Progress toward demolition.

!!!!

Here goes:

BEFORE - organized mudroom

AFTER - hooks drilled into cleat

BEFORE - styled livingroom

AFTER - basement couch, coffee table gone, rug rolled

BEFORE - dining room

AFTER - table & chairs sold, pictures away, staging area

BEFORE - dining room other view

AFTER - boxes for storage, goodwill pile

BEFORE - welcoming basement

AFTER - 1/2 an ikea kitchen, rolled rugs, bannister removed

I'm documenting "befores" of the 1st and 2nd floor.  I'm mega-stressing over clearing out half a house.  I'm dreading/anxious to be moving into a local furnished apartment for three months. 

I can't wait to get this party started...!

Pantry (Almost) Perfection

Amid the sickness that would never end, I managed to get a little project done.  What else does one do while housebound with germs during naptime?

Last we spoke, I started here.

And got as far as a freezer.

Then I got busy.  First, I ran an extension cord to the utility room beside the pantry.

I know, really not pretty.  And not the best source of power.  When we wire our main floor, I'm going to have an outlet wired down here for the freezer.  Consider this temporary. 

Also, that hole in the wall.  That is an additional pull for the cold air return.  It just happened that we needed to place it here.  Which works well for the freezer, and my conscience, because I know it can breathe.

And freeze.

Then a few days later, when we only had the first two men down, I took the big boy with me to the store.

I considered MDF or some kind of white wood planks that were 3/4" thick.  But they only came as wide as 12".  So instead, I chose 1" thick pine panels to make deeper shelves.  I almost went 16", but ended up with 14".  Not too deep, not too shallow.

It was my first time planning something wood-related and having the store people cut it for me.  Should be totally easy, right?  Picture me in the store second-guessing myself 15 times while the kind sales associate stands there with safety glasses and a line up.  

Luckily enough, I got the department manager, and he helped me cut the panels to eliminate buying an extra 1x2.  Yes!

We got it all home, threw the pieces in "position," and I got excited.

Can you see it?  Storage beside and above.  With vacuum cleaner tucked nicely between shelving and door.  Beautiness. 

A few days later, after the next wave of sick, I got down to business.

I started low first.  I figured the first shelf will be the hardest, and if I screw up, it's so low, holes will be hidden.

Then this happened.  Hmmm.  Not the bracket's fault.  Not the wood's fault.  It's the ledge.  Since our basement was underpinned, we have a ledge in the back of the pantry where the new foundation wall juts out a bit.  Unfortunately, the studs creating the ledge aren't angled perfectly.  But it's nothing a wedge won't fix. 

And I made sure the other side was level when I screwed the 1x2 into the studs.  So when the wedge goes in, the shelf will be square. 

Yup, that was the hardest part.  The rest of the shelves went in smoothly.  Find the studs, screw in the bracket and 1x2.

Ta Da!!! 

I ended up forgoing a bracket in the middle of the long shelves.  Since the pine is 1" thick, it's not bowing.  If I end up with heavier items on the shelf, I might reconsider.  But for all those light bulbs and paper towel rolls, it's perfect.

My goal is to paint the shelving so it doesn't look so unfinished.  Maybe some baskets.  But for now, it's functional. 

How about the before and after, shall we?

Before

After

Once the main floor pantry is built, all edible dry goods will go there.  Anything DIY, paint, cleaner, or tool-related will stay here.  Which means, I'll need a new name for this little storage area that could...hmmm...

In the meantime, anyone who wants that old GORM shelving unit, come visit my curb tomorrow..!

Hardwood Dilemma

My first order of business when we moved into our home 9-1/2 years ago was to replace the hideous floating laminate and bad tile floors with hardwood.  No brainer.

Then we were gently reminded how forgiving those surfaces are....and how we were a young couple about to start a family. 

For seven years, I haven't once flinched at metal matchbox cars flying through my kitchen or livingroom. 

But now we have a basement with ceramic tile floor. 

Mommy needs hardwood.

Basement steps

The only unpainted wood in this house are the stained oak steps to the basement.  Our goal is to find something that will complement it.  

You can see two samples in the picture above, next to the stained oak.  We received the long sample on the right from our designer, who is using it at another project. 

 
Not the best compliment, maybe a little light. 

I visited a flooring store today and grabbed the sample on the left.  Engineered white oak, brushed, matte lacquered finish.  It brings out the dark veining in the stained oak.  And I prefer its matte finish for the whole main floor.

I don't know how you choose a hardwood.  So I'm moving it all around the house, trying to get different views of it in different lighting. 

In bad hallway lighting

I had to show this picture...doesn't that square of dark next to the wall color look a million times better than the tile and laminate?  ugh!

Next to the back door

Half natural light, half bad lightbulb light.

In front of back door

I like the grain that really shows in natural light.

Then I thought, hmmm, how do I know if I'll like this really dark hardwood throughout the whole floor?  So I took it into the basement to see how close it is to the wood-look ceramic tile down there...

Where's the sample?

Um, yeah.  Isn't there something about picking the same thing over and over? 

There it is - I think...

Obviously, we wouldn't have the grout lines breaking up the planks.  But I can get a sense of how the dark would look in a large space.  And -maybe- an idea of how much dirt shows on a dark floor.  I'm always seeing dust bunnies and fuzzies on the floor down there. 

I have to say, our reason (one of many) for doing this renovation is to bring the basement up through the house.  We just love how it turned out down there and want to create that same look & style throughout the rest of our home. 

So if it's good enough for the basement...?

We'll see what my better half says when he gets home from work ;)

p.s. if you're reading this and have suggestions on how to choose hardwood, I'd love to hear!