Master Bedroom Door

The door that was on the master bedroom was a pocket door. We wanted a regular door so that it could be locked and also so it could be opened & closed without making a lot of noise like the pocket door did.

Yesterday, Wednesday the 23rd of September, Jason worked on putting in the new door. This door was also a bargain corner find from Menard's for $20 (it's a $100 door). We found out why it was in the bargain corner while trying to put the doorknob in...the hole that is drilled for the doorknob is off-center. Jason will have to cut a plug for it and re-cut the hole, so this project remains unfinished until he can do that. Still, it's very nice to have a door I can open & close quietly so I don't wake the kids up when they are sleeping.

The Basement

Finally, we've been able to work in the basement! There was a weird work bench type of thing, old cold air return duct work that wasn't attached to anything, and a tarp partially attached to the ceiling/floor joists that all needed to go before we could put in our own shelving. Jason also tore out some cobbled up shelves and an unnecessary door at the bottom of the basement steps.

Here are pictures. The first two are from the second time we saw the house (our offer had been accepted but were still awaiting the closing) as "before" pictures. The rest are the process of us making it our own, tearing out what we didn't want and building shelves to hold our things (a good portion of this is now storage for my sewing/costuming things). We started by tearing out things on Saturday the 19th of September and I finished by putting things on the completed shelves Monday the 21st of September.

Kitchen Progress

Another reason why I can't put some of the things away is the fact that we are going to be rearranging the kitchen. The stove was next to the sink and the dishwasher was across from the sink next to the refrigerator's spot.




We prefer to have the dishwasher next to the sink, so we decided to do some rearranging of the layout. Also, the spot for the refrigerator was too short, so we had to take the cupboards above it out before we can put the refrigerator in its spot.

Sunday night the 13th of September we got a start to the project:

A Mess!

Jason will be making shelves for the basement so we can store our things up off the floor just in case the sewer ever backs up again. He will also be making an area in the basement for me to store my sewing/costume making things.

There are so many projects that need doing, the shelves have taken a "back seat". So, our things are sitting around the main level until I can put them away. It is driving me nuts, because I like to have everything in its place!

Curtains!

After the plumbers came, I cleaned the upstairs tub (it wasn't draining so we had the plumbers fix that too) and hung up the shower curtains we had gotten.

Here's the "before":



Here's the progress:

(I had to take the picture in the mirror,
or I couldn't get the shower all in one picture)

With the exception of the kitchen and stairway, every window in the house had blinds. I prefer curtains because they are softer and more personal, whereas blinds feel more institutional. Curtains cut down on echo as well.

I had taken the blinds down in Anna's room so we could paint, which still hasn't gotten finished. So, on Friday (Patriot Day) September 11th, 2009 I started on Anna's curtains. I finished them and got them hung on Monday the 14th. I will be adding a swag of sheer pink fabric, with metallic silver swirls, held in place by 3 wooden crowns (which we have yet to make). I haven't bothered to make the swag yet, because I don't want to put it up until the painting is done. I still need to work on tie backs as well.

Here's the "before":



Here's the progress:

While I wait for shelves for the basement so I can put things away out of my way, I am working on curtains. The vertical blinds that were in the master bedroom clunked together in the breeze of the ceiling fan, which is pretty annoying at night. That and we sometimes bumped the blinds in the night, which then make a loud clattery noise. So, I decided that our room would be the next to receive curtains. I have the majority finished and hung up, though I will be adding a muslin "stripe" to them. I am also going to be making a valance, as well as tie backs.

Here's the "before":



Here's the progress: