The Laundry Room Remodel Begins! (Some "Before" Shots)

When our 8-year-old front loading washer broke down earlier this week, I was beyond pissed. With a slew of expenses this month - property taxes, repairs on the truck, and finally biting the bullet and getting my Subaru repainted- I really didn't need to spend another $600+ on a stupid appliance.

But when I begrudgingly dragged myself into Home Depot to pick out a replacement, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did they have a nice LG front-loading washing machine at a great price (it was on clearance because it was a floor model) but it looked a heckuva lot better than the aging Kenmore that it was replacing. Plus, it would play a cute little jingle to let me know when the cycle was completed! SOLD.

Even though our dryer at home still worked, we decided to bite the bullet and buy the matching dryer, which was also on clearance. While obviously this doubled my original budget, our dryer wasn't working quite as well as it did when new, and I worried that its days may be numbered. And, let's face it....I'm a girl and I like things to match. Sue me.

To sweeten the deal, our local PUD offers a $75 rebate on new energy-efficient washers. And we figure we might be able to get $100 or so for our old dryer on Craigslist. Since HD took an extra 20% off the clearance price of the washer and dryer, along with the rebate and CL dryer sale, we will hopefully end up paying right around $1000 for the set including tax. Score!

Anyways, now that the shiny new washer and dryer are in place, Henry and I have decided to finally tackle a complete remodel of the laundry room. Actually, the laundry room/mudroom/pantry/pet-feeding/storage room. We haven't really done anything with this room since buying the house, beside painting the walls (Hawthorne Yellow by Benjamin Moore) and the floors & stairs, which are original fir but had previously been painted a gross flesh tone. (Pretty much the whole house, including the exterior, was clad in various fleshy tones when we bought it. Gross.)

Here are some "before" shots that I took today.

(The new LG washer & dryer. IKEA expedit shelf haphazardly serving as shoe & recycling storage. Plus....my pathetic attempt at wall art!)

(Across from the W&D is this space, which holds our chest freezer, my awesome vintage Coleman cooler that I inherited from my Grandma, and storage for the vacuum and shopping bags, along with some items that don't fit in my kitchen, like an ice cream maker and juicer.)

(Next to the freezer is the water-heater closet. I can't decide if I love it or hate it...I mean, it's nice that it hides the water heater, but it's kind of awkward. Perched on top is my canning jar storage area, and the cat's feeding platform, which needs to be up high away from the dogs.)

(Next to the closet are the ugliest stairs ever built. Sooo many unanswered questions here...why is that platform there? What's up with the pole? Also located here is our unsightly dog food storage receptacle.)

(Here are the stairs themselves. I've already got plans for these...my Dash & Albert Tattersall runners just came in the mail and will be installed soon. The paint didn't hold up well on the treads, not to mention they are way too slippery for the dogs.)

(And the final shot: our "'landing strip", AKA: where we stash our stuff once we come in the back door. A place to hang keys & coats, a boot tray for wet shoes, and umbrella storage is a must! I'm looking forward to expanding this area to make it a bit more useful.)

So there you have it...our laundry room in its current state. I'm busy wrangling up ideas and inspiration for the remodel, and will post an update with some of my ideas soon. I'm really looking forward to designing this room from scratch and making it into a fun, functional space!

A Daily Dose of Gratitude

Today is just an ordinary day. Had a grueling Finance exam this afternoon, which frazzled me enough to add a shot of Bailey's to my afternoon coffee when I returned home. But the sun was shining, so the dogs and I decided to head outside on our sorta-daily walk up to Circle Drive. Handling three crazy dogs on leashes is no small feat, but it was all worth it when I was rewarded with a killer sunset once I crested the hill. I never get tired of them, and I am thankful to live in such a beautiful place where the sun dipping into the harbor sets off an amazing kaleidoscope of colors.

Heading back down the hill, enjoying the painted clouds overhead, I round the corner of my block and see my little bungalow, aglow with light and warmth, welcoming me home. My neighborhood is humble and working-class, and although my house is small, its beautiful craftsman architecture and details turn it into a work of art. Someone built this home, nearly a century ago, to be more than just a roof over their head. The attention to detail is incredible. And now it's MY little house. Which swells my heart with pride every time I turn that corner. Today, I am grateful for this home; my health, which allows me to walk up that hill; my dogs, who nudge me outside to enjoy the fresh air; and countless other things. Gratitude...it's my attitude.

Gettin' Crafty: Address Number Pumpkins

I'm not big on carving pumpkins. Sure, covering the floor in newspaper and immersing your hands in cold pumpkin guts, sharpening your knife-wielding skills, and then getting to toast the seeds as a "reward" does have its merits. However, I inevitably wait too long to compost my cute creation after the holiday, and end up having to shovel the gooey, moldy mess off of my porch. Plus, I scored a few Sugar Pie pumpkins from my CSA share, and I can barely wait to make them into a delicious pie. So, I decided these babies could do double duty as dessert and decoration, and I opted to paint them. When November hits, I will just peel away the painted skin and, viola....pie time!

Since I had three small-ish pumpkins, I decided to paint them as my address numbers. I gathered my supplies: paint( I used a pot of Martha Stewart textured metallic paint in Lamp Black, from Home Depot), small artists' brushes, and a slim sharpie. Simply Googling "free number stencils" provided me with a plethora of options, and I decided on a vintage typeface style.

Next, I resized the numbers on my monitor, and then printed them out. I carefully cut out the inside of each number, and taped them to the pumpkins. I used my slim Sharpie to outline the number, being careful to follow the curves and ribs of the pumpkin. Once each number was transferred to the pumpkin, I filled it in with paint carefully, using a small brush. This particular paint is quite thick and a little tricky to use, basically it's a mix of glitter and paint.

 

 

After a half-hour or so of drying time, I displayed them out on my porch, using an old wooden crate as a display stand. I think they came out really well, and it adds a nice classy look to my fall porch decor.

 

The World's Ugliest Shed Gets a $12 Makeover!

This little shed sitting on the corner of our property has been an eyesore since we bought this place. We didn't bother doing anything to it for the first few years, since we were hoping to do a major rehab job, complete with new siding, a new door, and adding a new roof with a higher pitch. However, since we have about 1000 projects that are more time-sensitive than this one (as a homeowner, does the work EVER end?!) I decided to give it a "mini-makeover" in the meantime. A good cleaning was the first order of business...I forgot to snap a pic of it before I cleaned...rest assured, it looked a LOT worse, and was covered in a thick brownish-green layer of mold/mildew/algae/whatever that nasty stuff is that covers pretty much every outdoor surface eventually here in the Northwest. Afterwards, I simply used a bunch of paint that we already had laying around from painting our house last summer. I also opted to add a $12 hinge and handle kit from Home Depot to add some flair.

Before Makeover

After Makeover

A good cleaning and plenty of elbow grease, using 60 Seconds Cleaner we already had: $0
Primer and paint left over from another job: $0
Hinge and handle kit: $12

TOTAL COST: $12

So, for $12, the little shed is no longer the eyesore of the yard, and is now a charming little focal point. We still plan on doing the major siding, door, and roof upgrades later, and maybe adding an old window or two to up the twee factor. But for now, she's sittin' pretty, and I think it's the best $12 I've ever spent on this place.

Our House: Then & Now

I originally started this blog with the intent of writing mostly about our house and the long, crazy process of renovating it. Since we had been working on both this house and our previous one pretty much non-stop for nearly a decade, we decided to take a well-deserved break this year. We're still doing little projects here and there, but I haven't really posted any house-related content in a while. I've been off enjoying life....traveling, cooking, kayaking, and hanging out with friends.

While I was writing up an article about our house for a local zine that a friend of mine is publishing, I decided that I would share this trio of photos that I was submitting.

The first one shows its house as it was originally built. Our friend John at the Polson Museum estimated that it was probably taken in the 1940s:

The next photo was taken right before we purchased it, in the fall of 2008:

The last photo was taken in June of this year. As you can see, we've tried to replicate a lot of the original details. The windows, for example, look much better now than they did when we bought the place. (That upstairs one especially....the awful slider is gone!) The porch still maintains its side entrance, and we go back and forth over whether we want to chop down that beautiful red Rhody in order to replace the original front entrance. At the very least, we would like to replicate the tapered porch columns and replace the two missing side brackets.

Overall, we're happy with the progress, and people constantly come up to us and compliment us on the work we've done. We're just happy that we could restore the dignity to this nearly-century-old craftsman.

In Bloom....

Everything in our front border seems to be in full bloom right now. And to think this red rhododendron was almost dead when we bought the house!

Bottle opener install

The coolest thing I have installed in our house so far....why didn't I do this sooner?!

Budget Kitchen "Remodel"

We just completed a very simple remodel on the kitchen in our bungalow. Because money is tight for us right now, we decided to simply refresh the kitchen with new paint, knobs, sink, and appliances instead of making any big changes. Ultimately, I would like to live with the kitchen for a little while before making any big decisions such as adding more cabinetry or moving fixtures.

Here is what we did:

*Split one large window into two new ones, for more of a craftsman look. Added new moldings to blend with the old ones.

*Replaced an old gray dented up baseboard heater with a new white one.

*Replaced shiny brass cabinet handles with satin nickel knobs and pulls.

*Painted walls, trim, and cabinetry all the same color. This room is small and dark, so I was hoping this would make it seem bigger and brighter. Color is Pure White by Sherwin Williams.

*Replaced a shallow stainless steel sink and leaking faucet with a cast iron sink and new faucet. The sink, with faucet, was only $15 at the Olympia ReStore. Also fixed leaking plumbing lines under sink.

*Replaced fluorescent "shop-grade" ceiling light with brushed nickel fixture.

*Fridge is a Kenmore Pro model that was on clearance at Sears. We needed a counter-depth model, and this was the only one we were able to find that would work for us. We will have a pantry and chest freezer in the room right next to the kitchen, which also serves as our laundry room. This is kind of a weird arrangement, but the only option we could decide on that would run us less than $1000. (Why are counter depth units so darned expensive anyways, when they are technically smaller?!)

Anyways, it still needs more work, and yes I put a cover over that sink vent hole after the pictures were taken. But otherwise we will "make do" for now until we decide exactly how we want to tackle the rest of the renovations.

New Windows!

This weekend our friend, Nick, finished installing all but one of our brand new windows.

While I would have loved to keep the old wood windows, several of them had been replaced with plain picture windows and sourcing salvage windows to match the originals would be next to impossible. So, we went with new energy-efficient vinyl windows that LOOK like wood windows, thanks to grids installed on the inside and outside of the glass that replicate the look of true window muntins. The new windows help preserve the original look of the house, but won't need constant painting and maintenance. Plus, a nice little tax credit offered by Uncle Sam helped sweeten the deal.

One of the highlights of this project was converting the large picture window in the front of the house back to 3 seperate double hung windows. Nick did a wonderful job re-framing this particular set of windows, and after a coat of paint everything will look seamless.

Here are some photos of the new windows:

Sidelights in foyer:
New set of windows, replaced one large picture window:
The framing being built for the front window:
Dining room window, which is the same as the front window:

Bathroom inspiration, courtesy of Seabrook

The bathroom gut & remodel is currently under way. We decided on doing a traditional craftsman-inspired look that I am really excited about. We ordered a beautiful pedestal sink, a vintage-style latched medicine cabinet, and white porcelain "oct & dot" mosaic floor tile, which are all waiting to be installed. We also plan to add a heated flooring system under the tile & beadboard wainscoting on the walls, and install white subway tile in the bath.

The project is slowly coming along. After another demo day at the bungalow, this is what our bathroom currently looks like (YIKES!):
We recently toured a model home at Seabrook, and took a few photos of the bathrooms in the home to serve as inspiration. Isn't it amazing that these bathrooms are in NEW homes? They would look equally appropriate in a nearly 100-year-old bungalow.

Master bathroom with twin pedestal sinks & craftsman-style latched medicine cabinets:

Another view:
A half-bath in the same home, love the wainscoting:
Ceramic hex tile floors, for a vintage early-1900's touch:


Subway tile in the shower, and craftsman-style door casing:

Another bathroom in the same home:
And yet ANOTHER bathroom, this one is part of the carriage house/garage. Funny....we bought that EXACT same pedestal sink & medicine cabinet for our remodel...they must shop at Lowe's!

Found an old house pic!

While down at the county building, we decided to hop on over to the assessor's office to see if they had any info on our house that might prove helpful. Amazingly, they had this old photo which was probably taken in the 40's or 50's. Just look at those beautiful windows in the front.....which were replaced by awful bathroom glass and a picture window. The traditional tapered craftsman colums were replaced with stupid 4x4s, and the steps were moved to the side. That upstairs window is now a cheapo vinyl model. Even the roof gable detail is missing. Seriously, what did they DO with all of this cool old stuff during their "updating"? Is it buried in a landfill somewhere? Couldn't they have been nice and left all of that old "useless" stuff in the shed or crawlspace, so it wouldn't be so costly and time-consuming for me to source all of these things?

Our house was insanely beautiful in this photo. Why someone made all of those changes is just mind-boggling. I'm happy that we found this photo, since it gives us something to work towards....but at the same time I want to cry because I can't believe someone would take away such beautifully crafted details.

Dream Garage

One of the downsides of this property is that it doesn't include a garage. (There is a concrete slab where a large 2 car garage used to be.)I really think that this gorgeous garage plan from The Bungalow Company would be just perfect, don't you think? The shingle & clapboard siding, knee brackets, and door design really echo the house. This design also includes a loft upstairs.

Some exterior "befores"...

Don't let my ugly tarped-up roof fool you, I am truly a diamond in the rough! I just need a little paint 'n' polish!



Aren't my old wood windows neat? And WOW thats a hot car in the driveway!



Won't you come sit awhile on my inviting front porch?


Gotta love my stucco & half-timbered gable details, my color scheme is OK but I'll bet my new owners have something better in mind!

Introducing our new bungalow

So, we weren't actively pursuing a move, but we happened to stumble upon this little beauty and simply couldn't resist! We got an amazing deal on this place, since the roof had been damaged in last winter's storm and had caused a small amount of interior damage. The "interior damage" is actually a blessing....the water leaks caused the ugly popcorn ceiling texture in the living/dining room to start peeling off, thus making it easier to remove! (The original plaster underneath appears to be salvageable).
The house is a 3BR, 1 bath, approximately 1300 square feet. Here are some neat features of the home:

• 9.5' high ceilings, with a coved ceiling in the dining room
• Most original wood windows intact
• Master bedroom with walk-in closet
• Upstairs area with numerous reconfiguration possibilities. Currently contains 2 bedrooms, storage, and a huge unused landing area. Would like to add dormers, enlarge bedrooms and add a bathroom.
• All original fir floors in refinishable state
• Covered porch with original beadboard ceiling and original front door
• Large foyer with arched entry into living room
• Spacious lot with several very large deciduous trees

Right now, we are working on getting the roof fixed. We have also removed all of the carpet and vinyl tile from the foyer, living room, and dining room. Our next job will be to finish removing the popcorn ceiling and possibly skim coat the plaster underneath to get it ready for paint. We are also planning on doing remodels of the kitchen and bathroom. Both will get new tile floors, cabinets, paint, and fixtures/appliances. We hope to get most of the downstairs work done by spring, and hopefully move in at that time.

Some "befores" of the project (more to come):