a corner

Here is a look at a corner of the kitchen. I thought a series of photos would be nice after browsing through the shots we took.

This is the original look of the kitchen when we were looking at the house. That piece of orange-ish laminate was peeling off the wall.

So, Dave (who was a helpful house guest) and I decided that we'd rip that wall down. Under the wall were the original slats and a lot of broken plaster. We spent a few minutes just knocking plaster down. It also looks like the plumbing for upstairs (the soon to be gutted attic level) runs through this wall and so there was no room for us to put up a stud. The first truly strange find in the house was a 50lb bar of metal with the words "Throw Out Monaco" on it. I can't imagine why this was used or left in the wall. I also found an original ad for an unknown singer/actor named Bing Crosby promoting cigarettes.

Next up - a shot of the corner with the drywall in place and holes cut for emergency water access and for power. We taped the seam and then used joint compound. This is the first application of the compound in this photo.



Here is the last photo we had on the camera. We'll add another this week. This shows the painted wall and the partially tiled floor. A major change!

Bamboo Flooring

The new bamboo flooring is almost done in the rental unit! It almost looks like a professional installed it. The wood paneling has also been covered by some nice off-white paint. From dark and outdated to light and bright! Here's the before.  After to follow!

Here's in flooring removal in progress...

And here's the almost done after...

Rental Unit

I will add photos soon but wanted to add a quick note about the progress on the rental unit for the May 1 tenant move-in date. What seemed like a daunting task is now approaching its end.

The goal -
1. Pull up all of the floors
2. paint all of the wood paneling (which turned into putting up some drywall as well)
3. lay hardwood in the bedroom and dining room
4. put in tile in the kitchen
5. cut baseboard
6. small things like replacing outlets, etc...

This morning I poured the floor leveler in the kitchen over the subfloor for the tile installation. For the most part the subfloor was in good shape.  I am happy to be done with ripping up the vinyl and the vinyl titles. The adhesive under them was disgusting. We are trying to be somewhat eco-friendly in the rental unit and will be more so downstairs. Low VOC paints, bamboo flooring, reuse of many materials. The problem is that building is inherently wasteful and non-eco friendly. I think the key will be to pre-order and plan for the pieces that we will use.

We'll post some more before/after photos later this week.

Before and After - Bamboo Floor and more

Here's another wonderful before and after photo of the rental unit.  Notice the wood paneling and vinyl faux stone flooring.  Cabinets will have to wait for the next time...

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Dining Room Decor

I've gotten some requests for more info on the dining room decor...  Here are some of my plans/ inspirations.

Here's my current china:

Room is painted a light brownish gray:

(third from the top)

Reclaimed barn wood details (photo from Australian vineyard below) - one large mirror:

Fabric swatch

Still need a bright accent color!

Lamp Roundup - Dining Room

Here are some of my top picks for dining room lighting!  Vote for your favorite.

Bridgett Pendant Lamp by Thomaspaul

IKEA Fillsta Pendant Lamp

The classic Nelson Bubble Lamp (in saucer shape)

Pharos Modern Pendant by Jeremy Pyles

Firefly Pendant by CB2

Dream option:  14.5 Five Pendant Chandelier from Bocci