Tag: DIY

Office Progress

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My office started as a concrete bunker style space in our basement.  Then Ben framed in the walls and added sheet rock.  Then the real fun began.  I designed a full wall of floor to ceiling bookshelves and a wall with a desk, workspace and open cabinet shelving.  Ben did a great job building everything!

Here is a work-in-progress shot of the bookshelves:

And the open cabinet style shelving, desk, and workspace:

Ben found a 2 inch think piece of Brazilian Cherry  hardwood to make my workspace countertops.  He actually had to join two pieces together to make it the right depth.  Then he used a floor sander to make it smooth.  Here he is right now:

Then he cut the pieces to size and added a few coats of clear polyurethane.  Ben cut and installed the marble desktop, too.  I’m telling you, he’s talented!!  Here is my office at that stage.  So ‘cited!

I also designed a wall treatment which Ben painstakingly installed along with some reclaimed French doors!

Then we painted the trim, bookshelves and cabinets white (along with the rest of the basement).

Yes, Master (Bedroom)

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We’re back to show how we transformed our master bedroom.  Yeah, it’s much better now.

Ben ripped out the old carpet and installed the Pergo floor shortly after he bought the house.  So, we ripped out the Pergo flooring (we both hated the hollow sound it made when we walked on it).  We came up with a simple 12 inch grid pattern for the trim and added it to the walls using MDF.  We also added crown moulding above the doors and windows.  Ben had the brilliant idea to add recessed rope lighting (on a dimmer) inside the crown.  AMAZING!  Then we sprayed all of the trim the same white that we used in the other bedrooms.  (Behr’s Vermont Cream color matched in Wal-Mart’s Colorplace brand). 

Then we painted the room Behr’s Squirrel.  I loved it, Ben hated it.  Soooo, we painted the walls a lighter version of Squirrel:

Yeah, neither of us liked that one.  Maybe a pale blue?  NOPE!  It was baby blue!  Ben wanted red.  I HATE red bedrooms (or rooms in general), but I was sick of painting.  We agreed that the bedroom could be red if Ben painted.  The red didn’t stay long.  We finally agreed (and LIKED!) Restoration Hardware’s Bay Laurel paint color. 

Then we got down to business!  Installing 3/4 inch thick, solid red oak flooring to match the rest of the house.  Here’s an action shot:

Yes, that is my talented husband.  After the floors were installed, we filled all the holes and joints. 

Here is what the room looked like at that stage:

Then Ben sanded the floors with a rented sander.  Feel the power.

We coated the floor with Waterlox Original Sealer.  We chose an oil finish to allow touch ups to be made.  Here’s the after shot!

So, that’s how we (Ben and a very pregnant Amanda) installed our red oak floors in our master bedroom.  The floors really enhance the bedroom and tie it in with the rest of the house.

Basement Progress: During

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We’re back to show the progress of our basement.

First, Ben framed in the walls and moved the duct work.  It ran through the middle of the ceiling and tall people hit their heads when they walked down the stairs.  Next,  we started hanging, taping, and mudding the sheet rock. 

The Framing Process:

SHEETROCK!!

Then, Ben laid 20″ square tiles and 6″ square tiles in a pin wheel pattern throughout the basement living room, office, bathroom and landing area.

After Ben (with some help from his brothers) finished sanding the sheet rock, it was time to start adding trim.  Miles and miles of glorious trim! 

We decided to extend our staircase to open up the landing area. 

Basement Progress: Before

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WARNING: What you are about to see is ugly and messy. 

Basement Living Room Before:

Every living room needs an ugly green couch and punching bag. 

My Office Before:

Small Bedroom and Laundry Room Before:

Large Bedroom Before:

As you can see, our basement was almost completely unfinished.  The large bedroom was the first finished room in the basement.  It was completed back in August 2007.  We figured we would need another guest bedroom before V was born.

Our First Finished Room

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Remember the before?

Well, here are the very shortly after photos.  This room has since been converted to the nursery.

First thing Ben did was install new, larger windows.  Then we trimmed around them and added decorative trim to the walls.  We threw our bed in (without a frame) and some of the furniture we had, which was very little.

Then we got real furniture…

And the man dresser stayed.  You’ll notice there is a shelf atop the white trim that wasn’t there before.  That’s because I can never leave pictures where they are for very long.  The shelf prevents a million and one nail holes while giving the trim a more finished look.