Mr. Man's Reno

Of course after we finished the big kid's room we had to do the littlest one's. He had the smallest room in the house and we decided to move him into the spare room. That way all his toys can live in his room too. Hurray!

We started right after christmas. This was another of those crazy closet, too many layers of wallpaper and bad stippling on the ceiling kind of rooms. This one had a light but it was off centered (I have no idea why).

We closed up the closet completely and moved it to the opposite wall. There's a big chimney that runs up the house there and has our furnace vent inside (so I can't take it down). B built Mr. Man's new closet alongside of it.

We put in a new ceiling fan/light properly centered and many more plugs. I picked a light grey for the walls. It works with the cream baseboard colour. Mr. Man wanted bright blue curtains and I painted his dresser Spiderman red. The floor in his room is white too.

Now the kids have great bedrooms. We don't. I'd like to say our room will be next but it won't. I think maybe the little room that used to be Mr. Man's and is now B's office would be a faster project for this fall/winter. Plus I have the colours picked out :)

If you were wondering about my funky little picture collages go to PicMonkey.com and check it out. It's pretty fun.

the Superstar Reno

We started this bedroom reno last April. I know, it's taken me forever to get decent pictures. I blame the teenager. She's messy.

So a few years ago she asked for her room to be redone for her birthday. We said sure. As soon as we finish the laundry room (another post).

I did a post here about the painting and sanding and sheer volume of work.  I didn't do a post about the start of it, though I did take pictures.

Our house is old and some of the bedrooms have tiny closets. The door is tiny and the width is tiny but the length is crazy. Hangers don't hang straight and the back of the closet is basically unusable. So we decided to take out the door, build the closet out, add some shelves and hang folding doors.

It was a lot of work. Lathe and plaster is fun to destroy, not so much to clean up!

There were so many layers of wallpaper and paint that it took me forever to get it stripped. The trim in this house is beautiful but it too had layers of paint. I got to strip it with a spatula and a heat gun. Because we don't know for sure if there is lead paint (but there probably is) I got to wear B's mask. I don't think I'll ever post a picture of what I look like wearing it. So don't ask!

I also took down the stippling on the ceiling because it was gross. Thankfully that went fairly easily due to the under layer of wallpaper. Really? Wallpaper on the ceiling? Anyway, B rewired the room, added many more plugs (remember a teenager lives here) and also added a ceiling fan/light. This room didn't have a light in it at all so this was a huge improvement.

There you have it. Another room done. We only have about a dozen more to go!

Renos are fun Right?

So this is what I got up to on my 2 weeks off work...

This is the Superstar's room. We promised her that it would be next on our reno list and since she's away at Grandma and Grandpa's for the summer (well part of it anyway) we decided to git her done.

These pictures are pre-primer. I got all the wallpaper off (really, there were layers and layers of the stuff. It was even on the ceiling) and B got the cracks mudded and roughed out her new closet. Amazing how much work this all is.

The Superstar picked a lovely teal colour for her walls and after I got the primer on and the ceiling painted a very bright white, I slapped it on. I'd show you but today is very overcast and that room is super dark right now.

I'll be painting the baseboards and B is putting up the closet frame and doors this weekend and then, hopefully I can paint those, do some touch ups, and then paint the floor. B will wire the fan/light and get all the plugs finished (she went from one plug-in and no overhead light to 4 plug-ins and a big fan/light).

Then it's time to move the furniture in... get the drapes up, the bed made and her stuff back in place before she gets back next week.

Think we can do it?

going... going... gone...

So you all know I live in an old house right? It was built in 1901 and probably around the same time someone planted 4 lovely spruce trees (well actually 6 but today I'm only telling the tale of 4 of them).

Unfortunately those 4 grew rather tall and being very close to the house, they decided to do what all big trees do when cramped for space...

they wreaked havoc...

they have heaved the ground and made a mess of the driveway...

dropped all manner of cones and branches and needles everywhere making it impossible to grow anything around them...

they throw pitch at you and your car whenever you are near...

and they started dropping loads of pitch on our new tin roof which I'm told causes the paint/finish to come off and the roof to rust...

I have to admit even with all the reasons we had to take them down I just about shed a tear. I feel like I'm in mourning...

I'll miss the birds, the squirrels, the presence and the history of these 4 beautiful trees...

Fortunately as I sit on our porch breathing in the fresh pine smell,  I dream about apple trees and wildflowers and white picket fences and soft grass and morning glory and...

Change isn't always bad...