Home Improvement

A Weekend of Difference

Published on October 27, 2014October 27, 2014 by Our Humble Abode2 Comments

Whew, I’m exhausted today. Over the weekend we knocked out several projects. First, I scraped the popcorn off our ceiling. This is my second go round, so I knew what to expect and followed the same steps as before. Being home alone, I couldn’t move our big bed out of the room completely. So I pushed all the furniture to that end of the room. A layer of plastic protected everything, then I covered the floors and doors.

Scraping went quickly. With one half done, I cleaned up the floor and pushed the furniture to the other end. Repeat same process. I learned something from my last session: when you reach a seam, scrape with it, not against. If you go against, you could catch the tape and cause unnecessary damage.

Speaking of unnecessary damage, someone patched an area near the light fixture. Even with the popcorn, the patch was noticeable.

I’ve got that spot, a crack, and small nail holes to fill and smooth before I can prime and paint. I accidentally peeled the mesh tape off when the mud was wet, hence the hole. So I have at least two more coats to go here.

It doesn’t seem like it’d make a big difference, but it’s nice to see a smooth ceiling. Over the weekend, Ben spray textured the recently wallpaper free wall to match the other two. With that dry, we trimmed out the rest of the room, windows, and doors.

Clearly, I have plenty of priming and painting in my future.

Our other walls are heavily orange peel textured, unfortunately. At least the three painted walls with match.

While we had texture going, we finished the knock down in the dining room. I’ll share more on that process soon. I’m so close to having a painted bedroom I can taste it. Or that’s sticky caulking on my thumb as I lick off chocolate. Doesn’t matter, our bedroom is seeing real, noticeable progress.

Light Bar

Published on October 6, 2014October 6, 2014 by Our Humble Abode8 Comments

Several years ago, I bought this lamp for 10 dollars at a vintage shop. The broken, ribbed blue shade wasn’t looking so great, but the base was ace. Now you can have ‘The Sign’ stuck in your head.

I recovered the shade with navy linen and put it in the boys’ updated room and called it done.

And it never gets used. We read bedtime stories in the living room, then brush teeth and tuck the boys in. Essentially, it was a decoration. One that could be used in another room. Our family room is a tough space to light because there aren’t floor outlets so cords are a tripping hazard. The only place to have a plug-in lamp is on the bar.

Oddly enough, I’ve been pining over this lamp from Schoolhouse Electric and recently realized how similar the base is. Even if it is the shorter cousin with more junk in the trunk. Because it’s all about that base, ’bout that base. Oh jeez, I need to take a break from pop radio.

So, I took matters into my own hands and made a few quick changes. A new shade from Target + a stained round wooden base from Hobby Lobby + a little spray paint = Schoolhouse look-alike.

To get the base right, I stained it with Minwax Special Walnut. The bottom of the lamp is open and hollow, so I essentially made a large toggle bolt to hold the wood in place, but not permanently attached. I started by drilling holes in the center of the round and a piece of paint stick. Gluing a nut to the top of the paint stick made up my toggle.

After putting the bolt in and tightening it halfway, I slipped the wood strip inside and cranked the bolt.

Keeping a little pressure against the wood will allow the bolt to snug up.

To give the neck a little spruce, I sprayed it with Rustoleum Dark Walnut paint. Add a new shade and it’s finito.

Not a bad knock off for less than $20, including the price for the base. Adding a wood base and new shade to any gourd lamp could give a similar look.

Now it sheds light on the bar area and adds some height.

Honestly, I’m stupidly excited about the new look. Schoolhouse has some amazing pieces. Sadly, I have a hard time justifying that cost for a lamp.

Sometimes though, I get lucky and find similar items. Like this wool blanket that is a dead ringer for their Kelly Green Throw. That my friends, is why I love thrifting.

Marble Topped Box

Published on September 30, 2014September 30, 2014 by Our Humble Abode1 Comment

Everyone has ugly things that are necessary for life. Feet, cords and wires, and remotes, to name a few. Hiding feet is an easy change. We still (going on two years now!) have to build doors to hide the cords in the entertainment center, but that’s a different project for another day. That leaves us with remote controls. Perhaps your situation is different. Maybe you’ve got a fancy universal remote. We don’t. Nope, there’s one for the tv, another for the receiver, and the controller for the Play Station (our dvd player). Before this, the three squished together in a too small open tray on the coffee table.

To give those ugly necessities a home, I built another recessed lid box. With a twist. I paired a 1/2 inch MDF base with a marble tile top.

Following the same process, I crafted the simple box, using our remotes as a dimension guide. Two coats of Tate Olive inside and out for a touch of color. Then, Ben cut a 12 inch square tile (left over from the master bathroom shower) to size for me and drilled a hole in the center.

A semi creepy pull from Hobby Lobby is a fun accent. Kind of looks like bird claws, no?

Hobby Lobby knobs come with the bolt attached to the pull. Sometimes it’s nice, when turning knobs into towel hooks, but other times, it just adds another step.

After securing the knob with the washer and nut, I used a hacksaw to cut off the rest of the bolt. Voila, a chic remote house.

We Did It

Published on September 24, 2014September 24, 2014 by Our Humble Abode21 Comments

Something crazy and exciting happened last week. While getting our usual groceries, I saw the new October issue of Better Homes and Gardens was out.

You know, the one with our DIY master bathroom vanity featured in the ‘I Did It’ column?

I flipped to the back page and saw our bathroom and faces and I’m sure a huge, goofy grin crossed my face. I resisted the urge to show others in the store.

I showed Ev and he said, “That looks like our bathroom. Wait! That’s you and dad!” Cracked me up! I’m not sure about you, but I never fully realized how much time, effort, or equipment went into styling and photographing a room. Stylist Char and photographer Edmund showed up the first afternoon to drop off three bags of cameras and lighting tools.

The next morning, Char came in with several bags of styling goodies. Soon after, our master bedroom was full of diffusers, stands, and other things I wouldn’t even begin to know how to use. They had a 10 hour day of work. Staging the accessories. Photographing, then nit-picking over the computer. Tweaking the rug ever so slightly. Changing the way the towel hung. Shifting a bottle a half in to the right. It was so fun to observe. Char and Edmund were awesome to chat with, too. Lots of fun stories to hear from their glamorous lives. After getting all the shots from their list in the master bathroom, the equipment went into the guest room for safe storage.

Oh, and we preëmptively took the doors off the hinges because the bathrooms are so small. Edmund said it was a genius idea and made everything easier. Day three in town, the main bathroom got a little attention. Prop rugs, towels, jars, bins, even cotton balls. Here’s a little peek at the first styling round of the shelves.

I did get to keep some of the goodies, too. From the master bathroom, I still have the only three added props: a soap pump, teal hand towels, and the jute chevron rug. The rest was already ours, just elsewhere in the house. A few more things from the main bathroom stayed. Lidded Jars, a few bins, and the toiletries. All things that had been openend or tags removed. Here’s where most of those accessories live now:

It was a wonderful experience. Something I was so nervous about. I asked Char a million questions about wardrobe options. I’m usually in jeans and a t-shirt or paint covered work clothes, so fashion is far from my strong point. Luckily, Kit, Char and Edmund were excellent at their jobs. We’re so honored to be featured! Thank you so much, BHG!

Course Correction

Published on September 22, 2014September 22, 2014 by Our Humble Abode49 Comments

As we’ve worked our way around the house, replacing windows, adding insulation, new siding, and painting, we’ve been thrilled with the results.

The dark gray lap siding is exactly as we had imagined. More of the back and garage end are lap siding than corrugated rust steel. Or what will be steel, because we still haven’t gotten to that point.

Actually, we have a tiny strip of rust. The channel the steel will fit in has started to change.

Now, we’ve come to the point we need to figure out the front. Honestly, Ben and I have gone back and forth over this many times. Waffling, as it were. Rust steel isn’t a super common siding, but it feels very western. Because it’s not typical, it has been hard to decide exactly how much we want.

For us, the steel has three big advantages. One, it’s very durable. Rated for 50 years as a roof, 70 on siding and can take a beating. After this past year of crazy weather, that is important to us. Two, almost no maintenance. Once installed, let it rust (you can quicken the process by watering) and that’s it. Three, we can install it straight down to the rock. With lap siding, we’d have to follow the grade, leaving several inches of foundation exposed.

Throughout this process, we’ve asked each other, “Will that be too much rust on the front?” After making the above Photoshopped version (and sharing it Monday), we’re back to thinking it is too much. A few readers said so, too, only adding to our feelings – thank you so much for your honest opinions! More than anything, we’ve realized this: if we’re so unsure, that’s a risk we’re not willing to take. Unlike a paint color, this wouldn’t be quick, easy, or cheap to redo.

So I did what any normal crazy person would do. Turned to Photoshop again, to side our house, quickly and commitment free. Here’s the same siding with privacy rails, remaining white trim, and plants.

Sure, the plants help break up the lower portions, but it still feels busy and top-heavy. We are 100% committed to keeping the lower rust to wrap around from the garage section, so that stays.

Now we’re going with all gray lap siding for the top.

Wood deck railings add a lot of character.

Plants give life and interest to the lower sections.

White trim and in my dreams, a dark door. Doesn’t it make a huge difference?! Convincing Ben to paint the door is a different battle, one I’m not expecting to win.

I tested out several other options, just to be sure something else didn’t win us over. A few shades lighter on the bump outs, to add a little interest, without being completely different.

Or carrying the rust up around the front door.

Nope, still like the simple, uncluttered look of the all gray upper. I threw the dark door in there for good measure. Ben admits it looks good, but doesn’t think it’ll hold up to use and harsh sun. Looks like I need to talk to a paint specialist.

Update: Here are a few other options involving more rust steel. Making just the peak of the bump out rust: