I've mostly been living in my house instead of planning new projects. Then my mom got sick and then she passed away.
BUT I have a new project. My dad has bought a new house in the next subdivision over. He got it for a song, which always means there is work to do. He called a contractor and had them come in and provide an estimate. It came in way higher than he wanted to pay. Or that made sense to pay. The estimate was 12 grand to move a couple of doors, remove some wainscott made of 1980s paneling, remove wall paper and paint. $7000 was just for removing wall paper, wall repair and painting.
Here's the thing. I can do the cosmetic stuff. Granted, I can't move a door. Or remove a closet. Or build a closet. But I can take off wall paper (even though I *hate* it) and I can skim coat and I can paint.
The kitchen and breakfast nook, before:
So, yesterday, Liv and I spent about 5 hours total and stripped (most of) the wall paper from the kitchen and breakfast nook. And we skim coated. It still needs sanding.
Wallpaper removed. Skim coat on.
Our kitchen is next on my project list. My budget, though, is tight. I need to spend less than $1000.
The floors are in good shape. They are an attractive ceramic tile, which is nice. I don't think I want to do anything to/with those. Also, the appliances are updated. We bought a stainless stove and dishwasher in 2009.
The cabinets, on the other hand, are in need of help. They are decent quality and in good shape for the most part. They are not, however, attractive. They have oddly shaped inset panels. The pulls are in the center of the doors, which I understand is standard for fine cabinetry, but they are hard to use. The kids generally just grab the corner, which is wearing away the paint. (I'll post pictures later, but I have to clean off the cabinets first. Right now, I wouldn't let anyone see my kitchen in the state its in.)
At the moment, my plan is this:
- Paint the cabinets. I think an antique glaze might be a nice finish.
- New hardware. I've picked out some iron hardware that looks nice.
- Tear out the soffits and build shelves near the ceiling.
- Add crown molding.
- Replace the countertops. I would love a granite tile, but ceramic is certainly an option.
- Tile the backsplash.
- Possibly replace the sink.
- Paint the dining nook, which means that I need to do something with the wall and the wainscot.
- Replace the range hood.
- Build in the microwave, somewhere.
- Revamp storage for my pans and lids.
- Update the lighting.
(The following are from Emily Smith's Faux Painting site)
These are white with antique glaze...
I can't say that I am a fan of the wallpaper, though.
The picture below is from Apartment Therapy. I love the fact that the cabinets are painted, but are a light colored neutral rather than white. And, of course, I love the green walls.
Tonight, in the midst for cooking supper for my bunch and my dad who is visiting, I decided to do "something" about the open shelves in my kitchen. And what I decided to do was eradicate the plastic. So I put my baking supplies into glass jars, and put my metal canisters on the shelf and it looks really great. I did have to paint above the stove-- evidently I forgot to do that before. But it is done, for the moment. Now I just have to decide what to put on the open shelf above the stove. It gets hot enough that I am worried about putting just anything up there...
Today has been a catch up day. Yesterday we were without water. Not because I forgot to pay the bill this time, either. We were installing the new cabinet and nicked the water line and it was the next day before our plumber could get here. That was fun (not). All three kids and no water. And it was a wasted day because we couldn't do any more work on the cabinets. And I could not do laundry.
I did, however, work on my web portfolio. It looks kind of nice now, and needs to be translated to a brochure. A guy at one of the computer shops in town was asking me if I had one...
My cousin Joshua gave me the address of his Myspace where he has a couple of awesome songs that he has been working on. It always shocks me when someone I have known forever does something so cool...
I did get the Christmas tree taken down before we ripped up the kitchen. I guess that is something. And I did get Olivia's defective FurReal pet returned. She spent the money on a bike helmet and elbow and knee pads. She is a happy as she can be. She *loves* riding her bike. And Todd loves riding with her. He has so much fun with that.
