We are guilty of setting goals for ourselves and are...unrealistic difficult to meet. So then when we see we're getting close we push even hard to finish. I wish I could say "this will never happen again" but I know us too well.
Our goal was to finish before vacation. We got really close. Really, really close. Some of the reason we got close, but haven't finished is because the store ran out of supplies, specifically trim boards. We cleaned out the rack and were waiting for them to get more. They had a few left but they were all the curved and trim isn't supposed to be curved.
Walt Kowalski did a great job on the trim. He hates corners. But luckily, the rough barn style trim worked well using straight cuts.
Here's the bathroom. We did finish the trim on the floor in this room. We finished the upstairs trim in all the rooms, actually. It was the first floor baseboard trim we didn't finish.
I learn something every time I do a bathroom. (Ok I learn a LOT every time we do a house, but specifically the bathroom.)
We hung the waterproof drywall in the bathroom, then added the cement board so the tile would stick, then added the tile. This is great, but it sticks out about an inch. I didn't think about that in the beginning, but the edges were all rough. I could have used caulk just to cover the edge, but it wasn't very pretty.
Instead, I found small tiles used for backsplashes. I cut them apart and glued them to that small edge. Perfect.
Here is the vanity, light bar, and recessed lighting. Oh and you can see the finished baseboard. There will be no problems seeing to put on your eyelashes in this bathroom.
The kitchen gave me gray hair. The kitchen gave me MORE gray hair, that is. We got a great deal on cabinets that were wrong for a much larger house. We didn't have a plan, but we couldn't pass up a bargain. To use the most cabinets, maximize counter space, and work around plumbing in the basement, we moved the cabinets at least 15 times. Lots of great ideas for future projects. The solution this kitchen was to get rid of the dishwasher and use the sink base an island.
It worked out great. Chainsaw Johnny measured, produced, delivered, and installed (installed!!) the countertops. I will admit I am I'm jealous of all of that counter space. Very jealous. And jealous of all the cabinets and drawers. Drawers! *sigh*
I love doing tile. It is very methodical and mathematical. Knowing the house would be occupied by dogs and cats and kids, instead of laminate, we did a ceramic tile floor that looked and felt like old wood. Except for the laundry room (which also has tile floor) we used it on the entire first floor.
Here you can see the finished steps, too! Walt Kowalski has a great style. He picked a dark gray chalkboard paint to accent the enamel white of the kicks and railing. Yes, it shows footprints if you wear your shoes upstairs, but they aren't slippy. (Don't wear your shoes in the house!)
Grout. A dark gray grout. Do you see a gray theme here?
I got a shoulder workout taking off that grout. The tile floor felt like old wood with lots of grooves. but those grooves also caught a lot of grout and required elbow grease to remove it. (Like my yellow "curtain" aka old bedsheet?)
Upstairs there used to be a wall at the top of the steps. We removed it and needed a railing in its place. I've never built a railing before. With the help of Walt Kowalski, I measured and planned and figured it out. Drilling the holes to hold the spindles into the bottom of the handrail was the scariest thing I have done. It was a "don't screw this up" moment. I measured so many times!
We used the same trim around the baseboards around the ceiling for a "crown molding" type look. It really finished off the upstairs nicely. (It also showed the unevenness of the ceiling in some places.)
Looking downstairs to the entrance. Front door needs trim. Steps on the left need a quarter round to finish. All small details for later.
Looking into the living room and kitchen. You can't tell in this photo but it was 98% humidity this day. You can see the finished countertop with a bar seating area. The stove was a garage sale find 2 years ago. Still need to finish the trim.
Looking into the kitchen from the living room. We added the bulkhead between the kitchen and living room to give a little definition and add some recessed lighting over the bar.
Laundry room. I'm not jealous of this. well only jealous because mine is full of crap. (Anybody want some crap? Free to goo home! Yeah, no takers. ) The washer and dryer will go on the right.
We learned a LOT. I can't stress LOT enough. Many tears, many beers, many, many drops of blood and sweat. Vacation was just enough time to regroup and talk about what we want to do different next time. Yes, there is a next time. And we've already started the next time. Crazy? Yes, yes we are crazy.
