Category: Current House

Nailed It

Published on by Our Humble Abode9 Comments

Well, almost nailed it.  Guess what?  We’re thisclose to finishing the main bathroom.  Over the weekend, Ben put up most of the trim.  Then he ran out.  Of course I couldn’t wait, so I filled holes and caulked all the seams I could.  It’s looking a little rough, but we’re getting there.

But nothing is ever simple with us.  That plan we had talked about a few months ago must have been forgotten, thus causing an argument or two.  First off, the door trim.  Ben cut a piece of the casement for the top, but it looked wimpy, and I insisted suggested he beef it up to five inches.  (That’s what she said.)

While annoyed, he must have agreed because he didn’t protest.  The toilet nook (doesn’t that sound cozy) was easy to agree on.

However, the vanity area had many issues.  For starters, Ben forgot that I wanted false drawers on the front of the vanity.  Sure, we could cover it with a flat piece, but I think it needs some more character and bling.  Good grief, I want to use pretty drawer pulls.

Until Ben decides he wants to work on that, we’ve still got this going on.

He cut a piece of trim to go along the side of the counter top, and I’m just not feeling it.  Just too bulky.

And I really don’t like the way the end looks against the linen closet.

Most likely we’ll add 1/4 inch thick by 3 inch wide trim instead to make a border around the closet end.  Because the walls aren’t perfectly straight, we’ve got a gap to fill at the back of the closet.

Basically, the visible side of the linen closet will have shaker style details similar to the kitchen cabinets we built for our first house.  And faux drawers to match, please.  Then we still have to cut thin strips to cap off the chair rail.

To cap it off, we’ll add crown molding, which I still have to find.  Something simple with a little bit of detail would be great.

Gotta sand down the filled areas to get ready for priming and painting.  Perhaps between scraping wallpaper off I’ll find some time.

I know Ben gets annoyed, but I’m fairly certain he likes the results, despite my uncanny ability to request changes.  Hey, I have a vision and I’m not good at compromising.  Haha.

What differences do you and your spouse have about projects?  Did you get a project almost done over the weekend?

It Started With a Four Year Old

Published on by Our Humble Abode35 Comments

Last night, V and I had an impromptu wallpaper removal party.  And he sent me the invite.  Over the past few days, V had been slowly working on peeling wallpaper from the small area under my desk.  Once he got that off the wall, he turned his attention to the small area by the breakfast nook window.  Because I’m a good mom hate the wallpaper, I joined him.

Ben thought we were crazy, but didn’t object.  Fortunately, it peeled off easily.  Well, the design part peeled off easily.  The paper split, leaving the glued paper on the walls.  In many places, full sheets of the patterned parts came off quickly.  And in about an hour, we had all the ugly blue paper off the walls in the kitchen and office.

 

I’m happy to see the kitchen lighter and brighter, but I know it’ll be a complete pain to tear off the glued paper parts.

Lucky for me, I can work on this when I’m in the mood.  Hmmm, how often is one in the mood to remove wallpaper?  I guess we’ll find out.

For now, we’ve got a mock Tuscan look going on.

But I guess the crazy blue wallpaper wasn’t all bad.  Now the crazy things the previous owner did are completely obvious.  Like these five(!) nails randomly above the kitchen window.

And three more above the breakfast nook window, because, you know, everything is better in odd numbers.

My office has a few issues, too.

Like a wall full of pin holes.  Seriously, a little cork would have been better than this:

Gah, I love wallpaper…NOT!  Well, at least I’ve got time to work on it.  Anyone know an easy way to get the paper off without further damaging the walls?  Raise your hand if you want to come over and help.  Ah ha, I see you in the back.  Come on, I’ll feed you and provide the booze after.

Gimme a Giveaway: A. Heirloom

Published on by Our Humble Abode285 Comments

This giveaway is closed.  Thanks for entering!  See who won here. 

Happy Friday, everyone!  We’ve got a great giveaway from A. Heirloom today.

This fantastic shop has dozens of state and country cutting boards, each bamboo board custom-made.  So you can choose the state you live, your home state, a state you’ve visited, or which ever suits you.  To further customize your board, place a star or heart on your city.

Of course I’m partial to Montana:

And Minnesota:

Here’s everything you need to know to get your hands on one.

The Goods: One cutting board of choice from A. Heirloom.

To Enter:  Leave a comment, which can (but doesn’t have to) include our Just for Fun question.

Just for Fun: Which state would you least like to live in and why?  Florida because hurricanes?  California because the earthquakes?  Nevada because you’ve got a gambling problem?

Contest Closes: Thursday, August 23rd at 11:59 pm, central time.

Number of Winners: One!

Ships: Anywhere in the United States.

Other Info: We will select the winner using random.org and announce on Friday, August 24th.  Good luck!!

Simple Solution: Brokeback…

Published on by Our Humble Abode1 Comment

Couch.  Betcha thought I was going to say mountain.  Well, I didn’t.  Oh wait, I did.  Gah.  Back to the point.  Probably a year or so ago, the supports of our sectional broke.  Only because we moved it to get the rug under did we decide to fix it.  It only took two pieces of scrap 2 by 4 and screws, too.  I don’t make it a habit to deconstruct furniture, so I was surprised to find this is all that held our butts up each night.

Seriously, that’s a few scraps of wood, some string, foam, and fabric.  But the real problem were the pieces of 1/2 inch plywood, which should be attached, thus keeping the springs against the seat.  Instead, these pieces that should be flush come apart.  Every time someone sat on the couch, these pieces sagged, making an uncomfortable Lost watching perch.

For a quick, durable fix, Ben measured the depth of the couch and cut a scrap of 2 by 4 (left over from the garage wall he had just torn out).  Then he screwed into the plywood and the 2 by 4 on the other side.  Now we shouldn’t have problems, and if we do, I think a new couch is in order.

What took us so long to, in the words of my favorite redneck, git ‘er done?  What have you done that’s been a problem for a while?  Fixed any couches?  Maybe you’re shocked at how little furniture is actually made of?

Musical Rugs

Published on by Our Humble Abode19 Comments

By now, a lot of companies  have decided to partner up with bloggers to offer products in exchange for a review to advertise.  It’s definitely a perk of blogging, but not the reason we do it.  While I get many offers, if they aren’t products I’d usually use, want to try, or home related, I decline.  Well, Mohawk rugs asked if I’d be willing to review a rug, and I got excited.  Ben and I looked at the options and had a hard time agreeing.  He wanted a soft, plush or shaggy rug while I wanted something with pattern and color, less concerned with the softness.  Eventually we agreed on the multi color Cambridge rug, available at a few other stores, so look here to find retailers.

Surprisingly, it shipped quickly and I got the rug less than a week later.  I quickly opened and unrolled the rug to let it smooth out and breathe.

Happily, the background wasn’t overly beige, and the other colors were beautiful.  Sunday morning, we did a little rug switcharoo, complete with Sam cleaning the couch.

Some fiddling and shifting later, we had the rug and sectional centered on the window, looking lovely.

I’m happy to add more pops of blues and yellow, which will eventually tie in with the entertainment center.

I’m sure we could get away with an even larger rug down the road, but the 8 by 11 foot size is the same as the other rug we had in here.

Doses of yellow, blues, and grays tie in nicely, but I’m really liking the large pattern.

I’ll admit, I was hesitant to buy another rug online because Ben cared more about the texture than the look.  What if it wasn’t plush enough?  Well, this is just as thick as the last rug we had.  And the olefin material is soft, too.  But, I do have one problem.  This somewhat noticeable bare spot.  It’s not terribly obvious from far away or when the fibers are matted from foot traffic, but after vacuuming, the strands perk up and it is more noticeable.  Maybe I can exchange it, because I really like the look and materials.

But let’s talk about a happy surprise.  Because we put the new rug in the living room, we decided the best place for the old rug would be in the family room.  For some reason, I always thought this rug was boring with the sectional.  However, in the family room, the pattern looks more luxurious and modern.

I’m digging the lighter look, and this rug is more proportioned to go with the furniture.

If you give a mouse a cookie Amanda a rug, she’ll want to swap all the rugs in the house.  Ben obliged, moving the striped Flor rug into the boys’ bedroom.

I’m not crazy about the abundance of stripes going on in here now, but it will work until we find something else.  Still haven’t found a place for the painted chevron rug though…  I suggested the covered part of the deck, but Ben thinks it will get too dirty.  I suppose he has a point.

What rug do you currently have your eye on?  Maybe you’re playing a little game of musical household items?