Home Improvement

A Hole in the Wall

Published on April 14, 2014April 14, 2014 by Our Humble Abode28 Comments

Just a few days ago, our dining room had a large 8 foot tall door in a room with 8 foot ceilings. From day one, we didn’t like how it looked in the room. And the header-less wall wasn’t the most rigid.

This summer we have grand plans to replace the remaining windows and siding the house. It’s a big task, but we’re anxious for the change. Each big project is usually broken up into many smaller segments to make it more manageable. While the weather was warm last week, Ben and my dad pulled out the big door, leaving a slightly larger hole.

Together they built a sturdy header and a knee wall to build the space to fit the replacement window.

So, why a window instead of the door? Well, we will replace the bay window with a sliding door and extend the deck over. We’re 95% sure this was the layout when the house was built.

See that little brown rectangle on the bump out? That’s where the deck railing was attached and painted around. Right around four feet wide, this will become a perfect walkway. Which allows us to better use the covered section of the deck. Instead of a grilling/smoking station, we’ll have shaded seating. The area behind the grill will become the deck extension.

Back inside, my recent paint job isn’t looking so hot.

Rather than adding small pieces of sheet rock to fill in, we plan to recover the entire wall. Some outlets and switches will move, and the texture is terribly mismatched from the door install. Small seams are more likely to crack, too, so we’d prefer to avoid that situation.

That big, expensive door didn’t go to waste. At 6 feet wide and 8 feet tall, proportionately it is better suited for the 12 foot tall entry. Ben pulled out the old door and picture window.

Replacing it with a thick header for stability, leaving room for a smaller, transom style window above.

Voila, new front door. Most exciting to me is the amount of light this door lets in. Several times, while walking past, the light catches my eye and my first reaction is, “Who left the door open?”

Clearly we still have work to finish it up. Exposed header and yellow foam insulation isn’t going to cut it.

Big, exciting changes, though.

Goodness Gray-cious

Published on April 8, 2014April 8, 2014 by Our Humble Abode19 Comments

My quest to repaint the entry, living, and dining rooms took a lot longer than I expected. First painting the new crown and waiting for it to thoroughly dry. Next, a last coat on the tongue and groove wall.

Followed up with a first coat of paint on the walls. Then tackling the ceiling where my shoulder and neck started cramping. I ran out of wall paint and went back to get a third gallon, but we had issues matching the color, so the walls are slightly different from my original color. But, now these dingy peach walls:

Are no more. Totally worth the days of plowing through. Instead we’ve got fresh light gray walls to bounce the light around. Make no mistake, the room is still one thousand miles from done, but much improved.

And hey, we’ve got a solid color. No more patched sheet rock or paint swatches.

Unfortunately, I can’t say they’ll stay that way forever. The too tall French door will become a standard window and the bay window a sliding door. After replacing the windows, we’ll update the window trim to match the rest of the house. If I nail down my stair railing plan soon enough, we might be able to replace it soon, too. Say it with me, no more orange stained oak!

For now, I’m just happy to have baseboard (and the entertainment center toe kick!) and blank walls.

This was unfinished far, far too long.

Whenever I paint, I pull out every nail, patch it, and then start anew. Which is why I have only a few frames on the walls. Still deciding on the rest.

Even so, I’m not desperate to slap things up in an attempt to hide something ugly on the walls.

And that’s the power of paint. Or love, as Huey Lewis might say. Sweet, sweet victory. Even if I will have to do it all over again after windows.

Hung Up on Horns

Published on April 3, 2014April 3, 2014 by Our Humble Abode19 Comments

I’ve still got one coat of paint to finish the ceiling, but the rest of the entry, living, and dining room painting is done. It’s amazing how much lighter and brighter everything looks. Especially the entry. Boy has it come a long way over the last month or so. We started with this beige box of ugliness:

And now we’ve got a modernized, slightly rustic, light space.

Peachy beige walls looked sad and dingy, especially against my vintage Longhorns.

To create a light backdrop with warm texture (not the heavy knock down), Ben hung tongue and groove pine planks.

Installing simple crown moulding throughout the room for a crisp edge helped finish off the top of the accent wall.

And giving it three good coats of white paint to finish it off for a neutral backdrop.

Along with the freshly painted light gray walls, the room feels clean and fresh.

Not only does the tongue and groove cover the giant wall of knock down, it also acts as a huge stud wall. Planks nailed into studs every 16 inches are completely secure, and the boards can easily hold the weight of art.

Don’t the horns and light fixture contrast nicely now?

Once our new windows come in, hopefully next week, we’ll replace the door and window.

Usually a fully white wall feels sterile and cold to me, but the knots and grooves keep it interesting.

I’ve never had an accent wall, but I have to say I love it. Seeing the horns and light against it just makes me giddy. My parents will be here soon, and I’m excited for my mom to see her horns proudly displayed.

The Ole Switcharoo

Published on March 31, 2014March 31, 2014 by Our Humble Abode6 Comments

Unfortunately I’m still not finished painting the entry, living and dining rooms like I had hoped. However, I did get a first coat on the ceiling and walls. We hauled the big furniture out so I didn’t have to work around it.

While the sectional was out, I fully realized how much the big beast closed off the room. Though I still have another coat to put on the ceiling, we moved the sofa, chairs, and coffee table to the living room.

When we replace the sectional, I want a normal sofa and two chairs. It’s amazing how much bigger, brighter, and more open the living room feels now. Walking completely around the couch is possible when it wasn’t before.

Seeing the open railing, and those coming in the door, is a great perk, too. And having easy access to end tables? It’s so convenient.

Cozy upholstered chairs would be nice along with a long, rectangular coffee table.

After nearly two years of living here with the same furniture arrangement, this feels so fresh and inviting. And gives us an idea of what we want as replacement stuff.

For now, the sectional awaits its fate in the family room. Where it awkwardly fills the space.

Though there’s still enough walking space to get to the back door, it’s much more cut off than the previous layout.

Most strange is the focal point it has to face. The wall and entry.

The behemoth is 10 feet wide by 7 feet long, so it won’t fit in the 14 foot wide family room any other way.

Another annoying thing about this? If centered on the rug, it’s close to the fireplace when lit.

Finally moving things around has made us even more sure we want to replace the sectional with a standard sofa and chairs. Now to agree on the perfect couch, which is more difficult for us than it should be. Ben wants leather, I want something with removable, flippable seat cushions. Typically those two don’t go together, so a compromise must be made.

The Fix Up

Published on March 27, 2014May 15, 2014 by Our Humble Abode12 Comments

Finding a diamond in the rough at a thrift shop or second-hand store is a thrill. Rescuing something that others consider trash is kind of fun. Taking something from ugly to beautiful while giving it a new life is an economical way to add to your house. By fixing up an old piece, you’re saving it from the landfill.

Which is Crucial Vacuum‘s goal. Crucial Vacuum supplies replacement parts for vacuüm cleaners and other small appliances. Too often, a vacuüm cleaner that just needs a little TLC gets thrown away. Crucial Vacuum wants to see how you are re-using, recycling, and repairing wherever possible. We’ve joined forces to host a fun little competition. Show us something you’ve fixed up/reused/recycled/upcycled and in one week Jess at Crucial Vacuum and I will choose one winner. That lucky winner wins a $100 Amazon Gift Card, courtesy of Crucial Vacuum.

We’re certainly no strangers to rescuing items from shops, Craigslist, or even the trash. Several years ago, I refinished a beat up bookshelf that originally belonged to my great grandparents. It happily lives in the boys’ room:

More recently, we pulled small marble remnants from a junk pile to top old end tables.

A thrifted dresser got a new lease on life after stripping down old layers to reveal a beautiful cherry wood Drexel dresser.

These five dollar chairs I scored didn’t look so hot before refinishing and upholstering.

To keep our couch usable, Ben fixed our broken couch support.

But the biggest saved from the trash project we’ve tackled is our reclaimed wood beam unique deck.

From that alone, we saved thousands of pounds of wood from the landfill. Even better, we have a sturdy, schmancy new deck. Now it’s your turn! Show us any projects you’ve tackled that have saved something from becoming trash. Anything goes. You can share a link in the comments section here OR post a photo on our Facebook page OR use the tag #OHAFixMeUp to share on Instagram.

This is not a sponsored post; we were not paid or compensated to share. Just love a fun, friendly competition with a $100 Amazon Gift Card winner prize provided by Crucial Vacuum.