1/3 of our downstairs has been a war zone since Day 1.
The house was rented out before it sold to us.
The renters had pets (that they weren’t allowed to have) and apparently they didn’t mind living in the smell of horrible filth. We had to tear out ALL the carpet (except one room that was so bad they replaced it after the renter’s left --- to be honest I can’t comprehend how horrible that could have been since all the room’s were so gross.)
The upstairs had hardwood under the carpet. (SO glad it was in such good shape…well I mean after refinishing ourselves. But for all the horrors it was still in very nice shape for refinishing.)
But downstairs under the carpet is just subfloor.
No time, and saving money, has put remedying that on the back burner.
Having been living in a 700 sq ft duplex before moving into this house (2,700 sq ft) I didn’t care a lick if 1/3 of downstairs was non-functional. I still have TONS of space. (Every day I say Thank You Prayers….this house is such a blesssing.)
But it’s getting close to time to get this space in working order.
The mess started by just laying out our tools as we worked before officially moving in.
And since the room isn’t being used, before we knew it, it was bursting with junk.
We changed out all our doors from flat to six panel, so the old doors were piled up in here.
Tools and Trash.
My morning view when coming down stairs for the day.
Cheery, wouldn’t you say?
And then around the corner here is the old dining room
(we plan on calling it “the reading room” -- not dining in it.)
FULL of junk.
It started out as my paint stash spot, and like the other room quickly turned into a junk heap. I’d set stuff in there haphazardly and quickly to keep it out of the girl’s reach. And this is what we got! A thing of beauty.
Well this weekend Blake took the girls out for the morning and I hurried my booty off trying to get this room clean…
And I did it!
See... this room’s subfloor still smells like animals, despite being sprayed down with a special pet-stink-remover. I don’t want to risk the smell seeping back up. So I plan to use Zinner’s B-I-N Shellac paint on the floor to seal out the smells. (I used it in our bedroom and was really pleased with it.) So of course I needed to FIND the floor to do that.
And if you’re curious: We need to add a second subfloor on top of this, before we add hardwood, so I think we’ll be good and safe from smells by that point.
(Second subfloor because the kitchen floor is not the same height after someone titled it up heigher than the rest of the floor. Also for added strength.)
So I moved on to the family room.
While Blake was out still I got tons of garbage cleaned up. I unpacked the last of our decorations that I had left in boxes (since I didn’t have anything ready for decorations.) And I put the tools in some what of an order.
Then through the rest of the weekend Blake worked on getting the garage cleaned out so he could put the tools away in there.
The garage was full of the old washer and dyer, an old half broken stove (from our rental house), a HUGE pile of moving boxes and some assorted things we wanted to sell on craigslist. (old light fixtures, etc.) Blake got rid of all that stuff! And the tools are tucked away in there.
(The garage is still non functional -- it’s still full of unpacked things and more…but at least it’s not crammed with broken appliances.)
And now we can walk into the living room! Check it out!
(The guitar stuff, doesn’t have a good home yet -- so for right now -- this works still.)
I keep coming down the stairs in amazement. I keep feeling shocked to realize I actually have a room over there.
Remember it used to look like this!I even temporary styled the mantle. 1) Because I can’t help myself. 2) because I actually don’t have spaces for this stuff now.
I don’t think this is the end look for the mantel.
But it makes me really happy for now…its like a real room!
Next up paint.
(After that subfloor layer. Then to pick some kinda hardwood out.)
So the baseboards are coming off in preparation.
It probably will be the end of the summer(ish) before this room is “real.” But I’m excited. Actually right now I’m just so happy it’s cleared out!
That was a huge mess, indeed. I can only imagine how hard it was to push yourself in cleaning all the clutter and the dirt when you moved in. However, I commend you for doing a job well done, as well as for the amazing renovations you’ve done as the days passed. I’ve been reading your recent posts, and I'm enjoying every article about your new home. Thanks for sharing them! Have a great day! :D
ReplyDeleteBo Tolbert @ HJS Supply Co.