Reaping rewards

So, I live in a small house. A small house in a city. A small house that has great bones but needs some cosmetic love. Slowly (ever so slowly) Kasy and I chip away at things around the house, inching our way towards the inevitable goal of finishing the home renovations and making each room uniquely us. A few months ago we had a long talk about getting serious about it. If we kept at the renovations at the pace we were taking it would be at least 10 years before we saw much of anything. Enough was enough.

We made a long list, organized by rooms, and decided to start attacking each room one by one until complete. We’ve been wanting to build some things but much of the work is sanding, patching walls, repainting. Since Kasy is far more talented weilding power tools than I am, or hope to be, that means the sanding of spackle is left to me.

I. hate. sanding. spackle. There. I said it. Not like it’s been a secret. I cut corners. I cheat. I want to get it over with as soon as I begin. I’m trying to get better at doing it right instead of quickly, but really…can’t doing it right also mean it’s done quickly? Figures.

Well, after weeks (months, it feels like) of living with the living room in our dining room, and our dining room furniture stacked in the room that will eventually be our new kitchen, we finally finished things to where we could put a room back together and in better shape than before.

Behold.

Before (a shot taken of the first floor, when Kasy did a walk through when buying the house)

This photo is after we put in a new vestibule and repainted the green.

After

I know! Amazing right?! We are so incredibly pleased, and we have avoided leaving the living room when possible. It’s the prettiest room ever!

We purchased bamboo flooring a few months ago and had it stacked in a room “curing” to the humidity and temperature of the house. Using a manual nailer, and powered by enthusiasm and the promise of cold beers and ciders in the fridge, we managed to nail in 1/3 of the room before calling it quits for the night.

When I came home from working Sunday at Rosie’s Yarn Cellar, I found that Kasy had finished the floor by himself.

I could seriously go on and on about how awesome this room is, but really who wants to hear that? I need to save your patience for when the dining room is finished (that room is next) and I go on and on about that one too.

We make a pretty sweet team when we want to be.